UIS to host five ECCE Speaker Series events this fall

The University of Illinois Springfield will host five events this fall as part of its Engaged Citizenship Common Experience Speaker Series, with topics ranging from political violence and artificial intelligence to art, activism and sustainability.

The ECCE Speaker Series brings speakers to campus for programs focused on engaged citizenship, cultural awareness and respect for diversity. All five events are free and open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium.

The fall series will begin Sept. 23 with “The Art of The Personal Essay,” a writing workshop led by Andrew Bertaina, a professorial lecturer at American University. Bertaina will examine the elements of personal essay writing, including different approaches to representing the self and finding pathways into the writing process.

On Oct. 7, Alexandra Filindra, a professor of political science and psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago, will join John Transue, an associate professor of political science at UIS, for “Political Violence and Tolerance in Modern American Politics.” The program will examine the causes and consequences of political violence in contemporary American politics.

The series will continue Oct. 21 with “Confronting the Environmental Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Development.” Mary D. Willis, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, will discuss the local effects of data center development in the United States. Her presentation will also examine potential policy approaches aimed at reducing environmental impacts and protecting communities where data centers are built.

Chicago-based artist Aram Han Sifuentes will present “Community Is Power: Art and Activism” on Nov. 4. Sifuentes works across fiber, social practice and collaborative community-based projects, with her work exploring labor, migration and belonging.

During the artist lecture, Sifuentes will discuss her work with a focus on the Protest Banner Lending Library, an ongoing project that brings people together to create handmade banners for use in demonstrations and other forms of public protest. The project is designed to provide different opportunities for people to participate and express themselves through art and public action.

The fall series will conclude Nov. 18 with “Greenwashed or Groundbreaking? Charting 15 Years of Green IS Research from Hype to Impact,” presented by Roya Gholami, an associate professor of management information systems at UIS.

Gholami will discuss four pathways related to sustainability and information systems research, including incorporating sustainability into IS research, advancing transdisciplinary approaches, expanding collaboration with the natural and social sciences and rethinking business education. Her presentation will also address the use of action-oriented teaching methods to develop critical thinking, systems awareness and the ability to pursue social change.

More information about the ECCE Speaker Series and upcoming events is available at uis.edu/speaker-series.