REI Podcast Series

REI Podcast Series Episode #5 - Mitchell Shapiro

Expert telecom industry analyst Mitchell Shapiro joins the show to discuss his Co-Learning Plan on bringing high speed internet to rural areas in Michigan. We discuss the reasons why a technology largely taken for granted has been so slow to reach these areas, and why the timing is just right for fiber-optic expansion to rural Michigan.

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REI Podcast Series Episode #4 - Chris Miller & Mary Zumbrunnen

REI Research Assistant Jeffrey Franklin sits down with Chris Miller and Mary Zumbrunnen representing the City of Adrian to discuss a new federal investment tool called Opportunity Zones that could bring major benefits to small rural communities in Michigan. They are co-authors for one of this year’s Co-Learning Plans and they will be presenting their toolkit for how to best capitalize on Opportunity Zones in Michigan at the Innovate Michigan! Summit on August 29th, at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center.

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REI Podcast Series Episode #3 - Norman Christopher

Norman Christopher, a private consultant and former Executive Director of Sustainability Practices at Grand Valley State University joins the podcast to discuss his REI supported Innovation Fellowship Research. He builds upon a previous MSU REI student led research project, exploring viable social impact and social entrepreneurship community investment strategies. In the podcast Christopher explains how the social issues we face today are all interconnected, but focuses our discussion on the issue of affordable housing, sustainability and new investment strategies.

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REI Podcast Series Episode #2 - John Monberg

Dr. John Monberg a professor of writing, rhetoric, American cultures, and experience architecture at Michigan State University joins the podcast to discuss his Co-Learning Plan about how we can better integrate a humanitarian perspective into the technically dominated development of smart cities in Michigan. Dr. Monberg will be presenting more about this subject at this year’s Innovate Michigan! Summit on August 29th in the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center.

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REI Podcast Series Episode #1 - Sam Butler

Jeffrey Franklin, REI Undergraduate Research Assistant is joined by Sam Butler, the Executive Director of Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit (D4). Butler is an author of one of REI's 2019 Co-Learning Plans regarding best practices for implementing community benefit agreement mechanisms in the development process. Community benefit agreement mechanisms are an inclusive process that allow residents to become involved in the cultivation of their built enviroment.

Listen on the REI Site