BHSU-RC lecture series to address education, artificial intelligence this month

Dr. Damon McGraw, instructor at BHSU-RC, will present a community lecture "Adult Education and the Open Classroom, Friday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. in BHSU-RC room 112. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Dr. David Scarborough, professor of human resource management at BHSU, will present a community lecture "What is AI?" Monday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. in BHSU-RC room 112. The lecture is free and open to the public.

From the classroom to the boardroom, the community lecture series at Black Hills State University-Rapid City continues to bring new perspectives to learning and collaboration.

Two lectures remain during the month of March, "Adult Education and the Open Classroom" presented Friday, March 18 by Dr. Gerald McGraw, instructor at BHSU-RC, and "What is AI," presented Monday, March 21 by Dr. David Scarborough, professor of human resource management at BHSU. Both lectures will be held at 6:30 p.m. in room 112 at BHSU-RC, 4300 Cheyenne Boulevard in Rapid City.

Dr. Gerald McGraw says he hopes teachers, educators, and trainers will begin thinking about putting together their classroom in a different way as a result of the topics discussed during his lecture.

"The open classroom is a place where students can engage in multiple ways: face-to-face, intermittently, or pseudo online," said McGraw. "Adult learners want to access course content in a manner that is optimal for them."

Dr. David Scarborough says artificial intelligence, or using computers to simulate human thought and reasoning, is being widely used in navigation systems, investment analysis, consumer and employee behavior prediction, and even medical diagnosis. He plans to discuss the history of AI and the ethical implications of new advancements in the technology.

"Scientists worldwide are now working on the development of "broad AI" which is closer to what psychologists call general intelligence in humans. Think of Watson, the IBM project that defeated reigning Jeopardy champions in 2011," said Scarborough, noting that Watson has recently been used to diagnose and recommend treatment regimens for cancer patients.

"As computers become proficient at training themselves, startling new capabilities are expected raising many philosophical, ethical and practical concerns about how this technology will be used in the future," said Scarborough.

The April presentations in the BHSU-RC lecture series include:

• April 4, "Tasting Life Twice: On Life-Writing and Wellbeing," Dr. Denice Turner, professor of education at BHSU
• April 11, "Violence and Death on the Black Hills Mining Frontier, 1875-1879," Dr. David Wolff, professor emeritus at BHSU
• April 18, "Mountain Pine Beetle and Tourism Business Perceptions," Dr. Ignatius Cahyanto, assistant professor of tourism and hospitality management at BHSU
• April 25, "Islam's Troubled Image: Some Reflections, Some Clarifications," Dr. Ahrar Ahmad, BHSU professor emeritus

For questions on the BHSU-RC lecture series, contact Gene Bilodeau at Gene.Bilodeau@BHSU.edu.