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📸 Scroll through the photos below for highlights from our CICC Momentum Events! 📸
AI & Creativity 📸
AI & Creativity 📸
30 Sept 2025
AI & Society 📸
AI & Society 📸
7 Oct 2025
AI & the Future 📸
AI & the Future 📸
4 Nov 2025
Dr Maia Powell visiting students in Dr Cami Fuglsby's Introduction to Data Science course
Dr Maia Powell visiting students in Sharon Gray's Ethical Issues in Technology course
Dr Cameron Jones visiting students in Dr Peter Folliard's "Welcome to the Future" First Year Seminar course
Dr Cameron Jones visiting students in Dr Dan Steinwand's Artificial Intelligence course
These Momentum Events series on AI, Algorithms, and the Common Good feature film screenings, invited speakers, and book club discussions that are designed to promote engagement with both AU students, staff, faculty, and the Sioux Falls general community, generating momentum toward the culminating CICC Distinguished Speaker event with Dr Joy Buolamwini. Scroll through the events to learn more, and we look forward to seeing you at one or more CICC Momentum Event!
These Momentum Events series on AI, Algorithms, and the Common Good feature film screenings, invited speakers, and book club discussions that are designed to promote engagement with both AU students, staff, faculty, and the Sioux Falls general community, generating momentum toward the culminating CICC Distinguished Speaker event with Dr Joy Buolamwini. Scroll through the events to learn more, and we look forward to seeing you at one or more CICC Momentum Event!
About the theme: AI, Algorithms, and the Common Good
About the theme: AI, Algorithms, and the Common Good
Facial recognition technology unlocks our cell phones, allows us to video chat using cartoon avatars, and verifies our identities at airports or in interactions with the police. Image recognition technology detects cancerous tumors in medical scans, and allows our cars to drive themselves. Text classification technology sorts through job applications before a human ever sees a resume. Now, generativeAI technology like ChatGPT answers questions, writes drafts of papers, completes our code, or acts as a personalized tutor. These systems are all examples of algorithmic technology which identify patterns in data to either classify that data or generate new information. Advances in algorithmic technology and AI within the last decade are impressive. But only recently have these advances been so visibly present within the lives of the general public. This series of panel discussions and book clubs centered around AI, Algorithms, and the Common Good invite us to acknowledge the human spirit of AI, and to remain vigilant about the role that we play in ensuring that these technologies do more to benefit and strengthen our communities than to harm it.
While AI today is perhaps most commonly associated with the startups and tech landscape of Silicon Valley, it has not lost its interdisciplinary roots. The influences of those early days of AI have expanded their reach into the automation and algorithmic technology that permeates both seen and unseen aspects of our daily lives. Predictive AI technology is used to determine which individuals are granted loans, to optimize public transportation routes, and to personalize your media feeds. Machine learning algorithms have made great strides in understanding the folding of proteins – the basic building blocks of biological life – and has even allowed us to recreate the music we hear from recordings of brainwaves. FDA approved Generative Medical AI (GMAI) models are already heralded as extending the borders of medicine. And precision-agriculture has been a feature of farming in Sioux Falls for at least the last decade. As we invent ever new ways of deploying algorithmic technology, governments are only just beginning to grapple with the use and regulation of AI in public service, and in the everyday workings of holding public office.
“These guidelines for state government agencies aim to provide detail for the responsible use of AI-generated content, emphasizing the need for proofing, editing, fact-checking, and using AI-generated content as a starting point, not the finished product....Employees are authorized to use AI for work-related purposes only. This includes tasks such as research, data analysis, and communication with clients and colleagues.” State of South Dakota Generative Artificial Intelligence Guidelines & Acceptable State Use - SD.gov
K-12 and Higher Education are currently grappling with many of the same questions asked in the acclaimed documentary Coded Bias, the best-selling novel UnmaskingAI, and by our governments – when should AI be used, what type of AI is acceptable in what situations, and what are the potential harms?
This Fall, Augustana University interrogates the incredible technological innovation that AI and other algorithmic technology brings, as well as the risks that may come from uncritical interaction with this technology. Through reading groups, and panel discusssions with AU and external invited scholars, our students, faculty, and staff will reflect on the impact of AI on human creativity and agency, on society broadly, and on ethics and the future of work. These momentume vents will showcase successful implementation of AI and algorithmic technology, and will identify areas of concern and opportunities for growth and ethical use of these new tools. We hope you will join us this semester to contribute your voice to discussions of AI, Algorithms, and the Common Good.
These Momentum Events are organized by Stephen Minister, Professor of Philosophy and Chair of Moral Values, and Shannon Proksch, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. The overall proposal for this theme and for inviting Dr Joy Buolamwini to Augustana University for the Critical Inquiry and Citizenship Colloquium was authored by Shannon Proksch, with support from faculty in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Computer Science, especially Cami Fuglsby and Sharon Gray.
Chapel Message
Chapel Message
Monday, September 8th @ 10am | Hamre Hall
Monday, September 8th @ 10am | Hamre Hall
Join Stephen Minister, Professor of Philosophy and Augustana University's Chair of Moral Values for a chapel message on The Beatitudes, Algorithms, and AI on Monday, September 8th at 10am.
Due to renovations taking place in the Chapel of Reconciliation, worship will take place at Hamre Hall in the Fryxell Humanities Center.
Coded Bias - Momentum Event Kickoff
Coded Bias - Momentum Event Kickoff
Thursday September 11th @ 7pm | Hamre Hall | Fryxell Humanities Center
Thursday September 11th @ 7pm | Hamre Hall | Fryxell Humanities Center
DIRECTOR´S BIO.
Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya´s Coded Bias, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. She directed for the National Geographic television series Breakthrough, Excecutive Produced by Ron Howard, broadcast globally in June 2017. Her debut, Catching the Sun, premiered at the LA Film Festival and was named a NY Times Critick´s Pick. Catching the Sun released globally on Netflix on Earth Day 2016 with Executive Producer Leonardo Di Caprio, and was nominated for the Environmental Media Association Award of the Best Documentary. Kantayya is a TED Fellow, a William J. Fullbright Scholar, and an Associate of the UC Berkley Graduate School of Journalism.
*FREE* Film Screening
*FREE* Film Screening
September 11th @7pm
September 11th @7pm
Who: Everyone in the Sioux Falls community is invited to attend this *FREE* film screening of Coded Bias followed by a Q&A with the film director, Shalini Kantayya
When: September 11th @7:00pm
Where: Hamre Hall, located in Fryxell Humanities Center
Find more information on the #CodedBiasAU homepage
SYNOPSIS.
Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people AI is biased against ? When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers the most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, artificial intelligence is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.
Book Club
Book Club
Tuesday Sept 23rd @3:15pm | FSC #373
Tuesday Sept 23rd @3:15pm | FSC #373
Unmasking AI Parts I - III
Unmasking AI Parts I - III
Come for an open discussion of the ideas in Dr. Joy’s Unmasking AI! Feel free to come whether or not you’ve had a chance to read the book–the more perspectives, the better.
*Free copies of Dr. Buolamwini’s bestselling book, Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines, are available at the division offices in the Froiland Science Complex, Madsen Center and Fryxell Humanities Center, as well as at the Mikkelsen Library and Center for Western Studies. You can also request campus delivery of a copy via the Mikkelsen Express; simply email augielibrarians@augie.edu. Remote employees, please contact Dr. Stephen Minister at stephen.minister@augie.edu to request a copy. One per person, please.
AI, Creativity, and Agency | AU Panel Discussion
AI, Creativity, and Agency | AU Panel Discussion
Tuesday September 30th @ 3pm | Back Alley | Morrison Commons
Tuesday September 30th @ 3pm | Back Alley | Morrison Commons
How does AI affect art, creativity, and agency in the creative process? What's the relationship between AI and writing? How does art reflect our hopes, fears, and desires regarding AI?
Rocki Wentzel
Rocki Wentzel
AU Profile | CV
Rocki Wentzel is a Professor of Classics in the Department of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at Augustana University. She teaches ancient Greek and Latin, Classical Mythology, and Civitas courses. In addition, she teaches a First-Year Seminar titled "Robot Love," which focuses on the stories we tell about technology and what they reveal about our humanity. Wentzel's publications on technology include an article on technology and love in Spike Jonze's 2013 film Her, an interpretive essay for Oxford Classical Dictionary on robots and cyborgs in antiquity, and a chapter on the evolution of technological beings in film and Hesiod's Age of Heroes in the volume Artificial Intelligence in Greek and Roman Epic (Bloomsbury 2024). She received the Vernon and Mildred Niebuhr Faculty Excellence Award in 2020.
Daniel Gerling
Daniel Gerling
Daniel Gerling is an Associate Professor of English at Augustana University where he also serves as the Director of the Writing Center. He co-leads Writing Across the Curriculum Training for AU faculty to teach and promote the value of writing as an intellectual discipline. Among his many courses, Gerling teaches a First Year Seminar Course on "WTF, English?" centered around debates on the way we use language today, the history of English, and language as a product of culture and society. He received the Vernon and Mildred Neibuhr Faculty Excellence Award in 2022 and the ASA Faculty of the Year award in 2019.
Frank Cook
Frank Cook
Frank Cook is the Program Director of Media Production & Entrepreneurship and Director of Innovative Practices within the School of Music at Augustana University. He teaches classes in media technology, including upper division Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos courses for professional certification. In addition to college courses, Cook has led AU summer camp experiences on podcasting, hip-hop, and Avid Media Creation, during which students gained hands-on experience with cutting edge technology in media creation and the music industry. He has been a consultant for Avid Tehcnology for the past 20+ years and is an Avid Master Instructor in Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos, providing all levels of Pro Tools training for educators and professionals worldwide.
AI and Society | Invited Speaker and AU Panelists
AI and Society | Invited Speaker and AU Panelists
Tuesday October 7th @ 11am | Back Alley | Morrison Commons *New Time!*
Tuesday October 7th @ 11am | Back Alley | Morrison Commons *New Time!*
What are the ethical dilemmas of AI and algorithmic technology? How has machine learning helped us understand human interactions online? How are algorithms and the digitization of media affecting human relationships?
Maia Powell
Maia Powell
Maia Powell is an Applied Mathematician who earned her PhD at the University of California, Merced. Her thesis work involved the use of natural language processing and data science to understand the nature of online disgreement and identity in the case of #BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter hashtags on social media, as well as the spread of misinformation online. Equity is a driving force in her research and work, which has included a summer as a Data Science for Social Good fellow with the University of Washington eScience Institute, two summers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and graduate education funding from a National Science Foundation Research Training Grant in Intelligent Adaptive Systems and the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She is currently working as a Data Analyst for the Office of Federal Funds and Strategic Initatives at the Colorado Governor's office in Denver, Colorado.
Sharon Gray
Sharon Gray
Sharon Gray is the Director of Instructional Technology with the Office of Academic Affairs at Augustana University, where she also co-directs the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship. Gray's course on Ethical Issues in Technology invites students to reflect upon the vexing ethical dilemmas and problems emerging in the information age, including legislation around computer law. She has more than 30 years of experience in online instruction and faculty development, and emphasizes equipping instructors (and students!) to effectively use technology as a tool. In addition to her work in academia, Gray is an accomplished watercolor artist, having exhibited her work at Augustana University's Center for Western Studies, and art galleries at the University of South Dakota, and Mount Marty University.
Katie McCollough
Katie McCollough
Katie McCollough is an Associate Professor of Media Studies at Augustana University. Her research looks at audiences on social media. She is currently researching the fandoms of Survivor and The Real Housewives examining the legacy of these reality programs over the past twenty-five years. She also is part of a larger research team examining local journalism ecosystems such as ways digital distribution and audience engagement differentially affect traditional news media in lower-vs higher-income communities. She teaches courses in Media & Society; Intro to Digital Media; Gender, Race, & Class in the Media; and Media Aesthetics & Production. These courses investigate governance and power structures surrounding media (particularly digital media including social media) and how societies interact with traditional and new media technologies. She has also taught First Year Seminar courses on Media Activism and Toxic Tech focused on AI and labor/work.
Book Club
Book Club
Friday Oct 17th @3:15pm | HUM #201
Friday Oct 17th @3:15pm | HUM #201
Unmasking AI Parts IV - V
Unmasking AI Parts IV - V
Come for an open discussion of the ideas in Dr. Joy’s Unmasking AI! Feel free to come whether or not you’ve had a chance to read the book–the more perspectives, the better.
*Free copies of Dr. Buolamwini’s bestselling book, Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines, are available at the division offices in the Froiland Science Complex, Madsen Center and Fryxell Humanities Center, as well as at the Mikkelsen Library and Center for Western Studies. You can also request campus delivery of a copy via the Mikkelsen Express; simply email augielibrarians@augie.edu. Remote employees, please contact Dr. Stephen Minister at stephen.minister@augie.edu to request a copy. One per person, please.
3rd Annual
Critical Inquiry & Citizenship Colloquium
3rd Annual
Critical Inquiry & Citizenship Colloquium
Saturday, October 25th @ 4pm | Elmen Center
Saturday, October 25th @ 4pm | Elmen Center
Dr Joy Buolamwini
Dr Joy Buolamwini
Augustana University’s third annual Critical Inquiry & Citizenship Colloquium will culminate with Dr. Joy Buolamwini as the featured speaker. Buolamwini, bestselling author, MIT researcher and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, will give a keynote presentation to the Augustana community, alumni and friends on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m., with a book signing to follow. This event is FREE to attend. Visit augie.edu/CICCTickets for more info.
AI & the Future | Invited Speaker and AU Panelists
AI & the Future | Invited Speaker and AU Panelists
Tuesday November 4th @ 11am | Back Alley | Morrison Commons *New Time!*
Tuesday November 4th @ 11am | Back Alley | Morrison Commons *New Time!*
How will AI shape the future of our lives and societies? What kinds of broader social impacts could AI persuasion have? What does it mean to be human in the age of AI?
Cameron Jones
Cameron Jones
Stony Brook Profile | Personal Website | LinkedIn
Cameron Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at Stony Brook University and is an expert in human cognition and artificial intelligence. Prior to this position, he authored a nearly $500,000 grant to study persuasion and deception with LLMs while at the University of California San Diego. Jones has published research on social intelligence and Theory of Mind in large language models (including ground breaking research into whether GPT-4 can pass the Turing Test), comparisons of LLM and human language cognition, and and experimental work spanning from whether GPT4 can pass the Turing Test to human language perception and the influence of bias on information sharing. He has industry expertise in developing natural language processing tools, neural networks, topic modeling algorithms (LDA, Doc2Vec, NMF) and various other supervised an unsupervised machine learning algorithms.
David O'Hara
David O'Hara
AU Profile | Personal Website | LinkedIn
David O'Hara is a Professor of Philosophy, Religion, Classics, & Environmental Studies at Augustana University where he also serves as the Director of Environmental Studies and Sustainability and as the Clara Lea Olsen Professor of Christian Values. He teaches courses in Ancient Philosophy, Environmental Ethics and Law, and Philosophy of Religion, among other courses. In addition to academic publications, he writes popular articles contemplating whether robots can have mystical experiences, how robot priests might change human spirituality, and recently spoke at the 2024 NeruIPS Conference (Neural Information Processing Systems) to discuss Faith and it's relationship with AI. He works with IBM Developer to create Call for Code challenges for #TechForGood
Pete Folliard
Pete Folliard
AU Profile | Personal Website | LinkedIn
Peter Folliard is Vice President for Innovation and Dean of the School of Music at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. Folliard leads initiatives in generative AI, XR (virtual, augmented, and mixed reality), and data-integrative tools across institutional operations -- from integrating virtual instruments into orchestral music to training faculty and staff to use AI ethically and effectively. As a conductor, producer and music educator, he has directed the Augustana Orchestra, held prestigious conducting positions with the United States Air Force Band and Symphony Orchestra and Rochester Philharmonic, and held teaching positions at the Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music.
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