Graves Lecture Series to highlight AI
CHADRON – Chadron State College’s Graves Lecture Series will return this fall with three presentations discussing topics on Artificial Intelligence and its role in higher education and daily life. Each presentation begins at 6 p.m. in the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Atrium and are free to the public.
Dr. Eric Rapp, associate professor of education at CSC, will begin the series on Oct. 1. His presentation, Human in the Loop: How I Teach Future Teachers to Use AI, will focus on navigating AI use with students in the modern-day classroom. Through lectures, visual examples, and specific suggestions, Rapp will discuss effective and ethical ways to use AI in the classroom.
Rapp is in his ninth year in CSC’s Education department. Before coming to CSC, he spent 20 years teaching high school science, primarily in Las Vegas, where he earned the Clark County School District Distinguished Educator Award. He has a doctorate in Learning and Technology from the University of Nevada - Las Vegas, and his research examined how multimedia design and cognitive load shape student learning.
According to Rapp, he uses AI like a graduate assistant by always keeping a human in the loop. He stresses the importance of prior knowledge of the user/student when working with the technology.
CSC alum Jake Murphy will present AI for Everyone: Unlocking the Personal Assistant You Didn’t Know You Had on Oct. 22, as the second installment of the series.
Murphy, a native of Harrison, Nebraska, is a Business Operations and Strategy Manager at Zapier, where he specializes in pricing and packaging. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees at Chadron State College and previously worked at Hudl.
Murphy works closely with AI in his day-to-day and enjoys tinkering with it in his spare time. His discussion will cover the current AI landscape, display live demos of what the tools can accomplish, and illustrate how AI can assist in daily tasks.
He said he hopes to bring a practical, no-hype tour of where AI actually stands today.
Dr. Allison Fritz, associate professor and department chair at CSC, concludes the series Nov. 5 with Exploring the Ethical Implications of the Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.
Fritz has a Master of Arts from the University of Wyoming in Philosophy and Natural Resource Management. She completed her PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where her studies and research focused on normative and applied ethics. Her published research focuses on environmental ethics, environmental aesthetics, environmental policy, and the intersection of feminism and epistemic injustice.
In her presentation, Fritz will talk about the moral questions arising with the rapid development and widespread adoption of AI. She will cover the contours of many of the ethical questions and dilemmas surrounding AI, with particular focus on the effects of AI use and over-reliance on the qualities that make us human.
Since 2006, the series has hosted speakers who present historical, cultural, artistic, and scientific topics. For more information, please contact College Relations at collegerelations@csc.edu.
| Graves Lecture Series Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 1 | 6 p.m. | Dr. Eric Rapp |
| Oct. 22 | 6 p.m. | Jake Murphy |
| Nov. 5 | 6 p.m. | Dr. Allison Fritz |
Category: Graves Lecture Series