SUNY Civic Learning and Civic Engagement Fall 2024 Online Series
September 17th, 2024 from 12:00pm-1:00pm - Hot Moments in the Classroom: Keeping the Temperature Comfortable
John Suarez, Director, Institute for Civic Engagement, SUNY Cortland
In the current environment, classroom discussions could become divisive, polarizing and counterproductive. Educators need to identify, model, and provide opportunities for students to practice skills that help them maintain civility and mutual respect while engaged in tense discussions about topics that are of concern to them. These skills are important in civic decision-making and in students’ professional and personal lives. This event will help educators incorporate these freedom of expression-related skills to their courses, regardless of discipline.
September 17th, 2024 from 4:00pm-6:00pm - Virtual Dialogue: Our Freedom of Speech + the Perils of Misinformation
Joe Scanlon (Associate Prof, Political Science, Monroe CC), Babette Faehmel (Professor, Liberal Arts, Schenectady County CC), Ashley Mercado (Assistant Director, Center for Civic Justice, SBU)
This dialogue is an opportunity to collaboratively explore and discuss the complexity of today’s media and information landscapes in relation to a commitment to our freedom of speech. We will discuss the roles and responsibilities of news media, misinformation and disinformation in shared digital spaces, our individual information consumption habits, and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence. Students will meet with other students from across the SUNY system to discuss, think about, and share thoughts on these topics in small groups via Zoom. This SUNY-wide dialogue will explore these questions in a non-partisan manner.
September 24th, 2024 from 12:00pm-1:00pm - Case Study: Course Development using AI and Civic Discourse
Angela Graves, Associate Professor, Global and Diversity Studies, Alfred State College
How can AI tools be used in teaching SUNY General Education courses? We will discuss AI's potential use in creating individualized experiences, customizable modules, and Open Education Resources. A survey course, Global & Diverse Perspectives, taught at Alfred State College of Technology, is using AI in the Fall 2024 to create one such module on civic discourse. Opportunities for this module to be adapted for specific disciplines or for inclusion in a range of courses will be discussed.
October 1st, 2024 from 12:00pm-1:00pm - STEM Education IS Civic Education
Nirav Patel, Instructor, Environmental Science, Binghamton University
There is an urgent need to intentionally incorporate civic reasoning, discourse, and responsibility in STEM education. Numerous studies point to lower levels of civic participation in STEM majors when compared to other majors. Furthermore, we are entering an era where we have become increasingly reliant on and benefit from advancements in science, alongside the need to regulate emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence. Given this, we need STEM students to be trained on effective civic discourse and engagement.
This is a one-hour online workshop designed to help SUNY faculty become successful at incorporating civic discourse in STEM fields. Participants will examine a variety of teaching practices and principles and will also participate in a roundtable discussion on how civic discourse is being currently taught.
Angie Chung, Professor, Sociology, University at Albany
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and other forms of technology has had a transformative effect on the political landscape and civic engagement in the U.S. and abroad. With an eye toward the 2024 U.S. elections, this panel will draw on different disciplinary perspectives to explore how technology influences democratic processes by disseminating truth and (mis)information, shaping voter behavior, guiding electoral strategies, and promoting civic activities. Responding to these concerns, scholars and practitioners will discuss inclusive AI initiatives that aim to address potential harms to marginalized communities. The session will begin with a panel discussion, which will consider the opportunities and risks presented by AI in the context of contemporary politics and civic life. The session will conclude with a workshop on AI and an “AI for Action” Challenge calling for student and team submissions due November 8th.
- Alexis C. Crews, Founder, E-NOUGH Consulting and Senior Fellow, All Tech is Human.
- Topic: Impact of Generative AI, Social Media, and old-school technology on political information and election outcomes.
- Mila Gasco-Hernandez, Associate Professor & Research Director for the Center for Technology in Government, Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany
- Topic: Civic Engagement through AI and Public Libraries
- Tom Mackey, Professor of Arts and Media, Program Coordinator for Digital Media Arts, and Metaliteracy Researcher in the School of Arts and Humanities at Empire State University
- Topic: How metaliteracy provides a holistic pedagogical framework that prepares learners to be ethical producers of information with generative AI
Moderator: Eric Stern, Professor of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity and Interim Director of the AI+ Institute at the University at Albany
October 29th, 2024 from 12:00pm-1:00pm - The I-81. A new standard for addressing injustice
Jean Yang, Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture, SUNY ESF
Panel Title. The I-81. A new standard for addressing injustice
Panel Description
In the 1960s, I-81 plowed through a historically Black neighborhood in Syracuse, displacing hundreds. When most of us think of racial injustice, interstate highway design isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. It is, in fact, a perfect example of structural racism in action: intentional government policy, enacted in almost every city in the country, that damaged every aspect of Black lives—cultural, economic, environmental, educational—for generations.
In recent years, the New York State Department of Transportation has not only acknowledged the structural racism built into the highway system; they are currently demolishing the I-81 viaduct and replacing it with a process and a design that actively addresses systemic injustice while knitting these communities back together.
This 60-minute panel brings together alumni, faculty, and friends of SUNY ESF. Moderated by Spencer Berg, this panel includes Ellen White, TeNesha Murphy, and Ryan Kovac who willl discuss the historic perspective that promoted projects like the I-81, the road to gaining community trust and designing with the community.
Panelists
Ellen Oettinger White, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
ESF Faculty
Dr. Ellen Oettinger White is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She researches the environmental effects of transportation policy and infrastructure and is Secretary of the National Academies Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Landscape and Environmental Design.
Jon is primarily involved in the I-81 Viaduct Project’s environmental and landscape architecture topics and has been working on the Project since its inception in 2013. From 2013 to 2022 Jon was involved in the development of the Project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement / Final Design Report and Record of Decision. Jon has since been involved in the Projects final design seeing the individual contracts through construction.
TeNesha Murphy
Public Information Officer and Community Liaison
New York State Department of Transportation
Friend of ESF
TeNesha Murphy is the Public Information Officer and Community Liaison for the New York State Department of Transportation’s Interstate 81 Viaduct Project in Syracuse, NY. Hired in November of 2022, TeNesha is responsible for all communications associated with the project including working with the community, stakeholders, and local leaders to promote the future Community Grid and how it will reconnect communities severed by the construction of I-81 in the 1960s while providing unprecedented opportunities for residents across Central New York.
Spencer Berg
SUNY ESF ‘26
Chief Academic Officer for the ESF Student Government (MOSA)
Executive Director of Policy and Government Relations for the statewide SUNY Student Assembly
Spencer Berg is the Chief Academic Officer for the ESF Student Government (MOSA), acting as the 'chief student advocate' for academic issues. He is also the Executive Director of Policy and Government Relations for the statewide SUNY Student Assembly, responsible for creating and implementing an advocacy agenda that represents SUNY's 1.3 million students for this coming budget. Spencer is also the President of the Environmental Studies Student Organization, which focuses on interacting with the environment through the lenses of art, politics, and communication.
Ryan Kovac
ESF Alumni (‘05)
Associate, Fisher Associates
Ryan Kovac is a distinguished landscape architect renowned for his multifaceted expertise. His approach embraces his philosophy of co-creation as he fosters collaboration among clients and multidisciplinary teams, enriching the design process with diverse perspectives. His commitment to sustainability is evident throughout his work, where he champions ecological resilience while delivering solutions that leave a lasting impact. Ryan's portfolio encompasses a broad spectrum of projects including urban design, streetscapes, parks, master planning, and sustainable site development.