Institute for the Study of Culture & Society
30th Anniversary Day of Programming

Data Centers, Community and Sustainability in Northwest Ohio

8:30 a.m. Coffee and Breakfast

9–9:30 a.m. | Opening & Anniversary Welcome

Location: Multipurpose Room, 228 Bowen-Thompson Student Union, BGSU 
Moderator: Valeria Grinberg Pla, Director, Institute for the Study of Culture & Society 

Welcome Remarks: President Rodney Rogers, Bowling Green State University

ICS 30th Anniversary Recognition: Dean Ellen Schendel, College of Arts & Sciences, BGSU

9:30–10:45 a.m. | A Podium Discussion with Photographer Stephen Voss – Living with Data Centers 

Location: Multipurpose Room, 228 Bowen-Thompson Student Union, BGSU 
Moderator: Clayton Rosati, School of Media and Communication, BGSU 

This event, featuring photographer Stephen Voss, provides a collaborative forum for scholars, students, artists, and locals to examine the intersections of AI and digital infrastructure, energy sustainability, and public health. Discussions will specifically address the role of AI and the localized effects of data centers in Northwest Ohio.

Panelists: 

• Andrew Kear, School of Earth, Environment and Society, BGSU
• Ellie Brock, Center for Regional Development, BGSU
• Environmental Action Group, Student Organization, BGSU
• Wayne Wilson, Navajo Baha'i Community Educator

11–11:50 a.m. | From Classroom to Workplace: Media, AI, Equity, and Labor

Location: Mylander Room, 207 Bowen-Thompson Student Union, BGSU
Moderator: Clayton Rosati, School of Media and Communication, BGSU

This panel, organized by Class Con, examines the evolving role of media and artificial intelligence in both educational and workplace contexts, with particular attention to creativity, equity, and labor. Bringing together perspectives on music and media centered pedagogy, classroom AI use, and regional workforce transformation, the panel explores how emerging tools can deepen learning, lower barriers to participation, and redistribute creative agency while also raising concerns about authorship, assessment, deskilling, and job security. These presenters situate debates within creative, economic and labor realities. Together, the presentations invite a candid discussion of hope, hesitation, and responsibility as educators and workers navigate AI’s expanding presence.

Panelists:

• Kristine Ketel, Relational AI Strategist & Cultural Technologist
• John M. Mora King, American Culture Studies, BGSU
• Jon-Jama Scott, American Culture Studies, BGSU

1:15–2:15 p.m. | AI Data Centers and Sustainability: Balancing Innovation, Environment, and Society

Location: Mylander Room, 207 Bowen-Thompson Student Union, BGSU 
Moderator: Andrew Kear, Associate Professor, Public Administration, Public Policy

The rapid expansion of data centers and AI related technology is creating significant social, environmental, and ecological challenges. While state and federal policies expedite data center development, local governments are the primary area of resistance, as public opinion grows increasingly critical. This panel will examine issues such as intensive water use, high energy demands, land use, and resulting pollution. It will also address social concerns, including zoning conflicts, declining property values, rising utility costs, generous tax incentives, inadequate long-term job creation, and limited public input in siting decisions. Ultimately, the panel asks: how sustainable are data centers, and what are their impacts on society, the environment, and the economy?

Panelists:

• Enrique Gómezdelcampo, School of Earth, Environment and Society, BGSU
• Timothy Pape, School of Earth, Environment and Society, BGSU
• Kefa Otiso, School of Earth, Environment and Society, BGSU
• Andrew Kear, Department of Political Science / School of Earth, Environment and Society, BGSU

2:30–3:20 p.m. |  Who Owns Creativity in the Age of AI? 

Location: Mylander Room, 207 Bowen-Thompson Student Union, BGSU 
Co-Moderators: Jonathan Chambers, Department of Theatre & Film, BGSU and Amanda McGuire Rzicznek, Department of English, BGSU

Join members of the Art Community, ranging from Film, Theatre, Creative Writing, Music, and Graphic Design for a wide-ranging conversation that explores the complexity of AI in the Arts, its possibilities and downfalls. Panelists will share brief individual remarks before a broader panel discussion followed by audience Q&A.

Panelists:

• Stephen Crompton, Department of Theatre & Film, BGSU
• Baxter Chambers, Department of Theatre & Film, BGSU
• Amorak Huey, Department of English, BGSU
• Per F. Broman, College of Musical Arts, BGSU
• Lori Young, School of Art, BGSU

3:30–4:30 p.m. |Making the Invisible Visible: A Photovoice and Poetic Inquiry Project on Data Centers in Northwest Ohio

Location: Kuhlin Center, BGSU 
Organizers: Divya S., School of Media and Communication, BGSU and Sandra Falkner, School of Media and Communication, BGSU, in collaboration with the Graduate Student Senate

As data centers expand across Northwest Ohio, their presence often remains unseen yet deeply consequential. This project invites graduate student co-researchers to explore how these infrastructures are imagined, anticipated, and experienced within everyday community life before they are even built. Using photovoice and poetic inquiry, participants document and reflect on the visible and invisible traces of data infrastructure across local spaces, transforming observation into visual and narrative insight.

Join us for light refreshments and an opportunity to walk through a curated photo exhibit, engage with the images, and reflect on the stories they tell. The event will then transition into a panel conversation where student researchers share their insights and invite the community into a dialogue on visibility, place, environment, and the social meaning of emerging technologies.

5–6 p.m. | AI and Public Health: From Policy to Practical Applications

Location: 111 Olscamp Hall, BGSU 
Moderator: Phil Welch, Department of Public & Allied Health, College of Health and Human Services, BGSU

This panel provides an overview of the major AI policy and implementation issues facing public health leaders in Ohio. Learn how Ohio Health Commissioners and Epidemiologists are thoughtfully and ethically harnessing AI tools to help protect their communities from health hazards. Expert panelists will discuss potential uses of AI in their field and explore how AI use policy helps ensure these innovative tools strengthen, rather than replace the human aspects of public health practice. 

Pizza and light refreshments will be served.

Panelists:

• Jared Warner, MEM, RS, Highland County Health Commissioner and Chair of AOHC AI Work Group
• Tyler Briggs, MPH, Assistant Director of Health Promotion and Prevention, Wood County Health Department
• Rachel Aeschliman, Wood County Deputy Health Commission (TBC)

6:30-8:30 p.m. | Community Town Hall 

Doors open at 6 p.m.

Location: Veterans Building, 520 Conneaut Ave., Bowling Green
Welcome: Valeria Grinberg Pla, Director, Institute for the Study of Culture & Society
Moderators: TBD 

Learn more about Hyperscale Data Centers and their environmental and public health impacts on communities. Topics include zoning and planning, site selection, moratoriums, utility infrastructure demands and costs, farmland and wildlife habitat loss, property values, and broader quality-of-life concerns. Join local leaders, experts, and community members in an open discussion about the future of data centers in Northwest Ohio. Come share your views!

• Kyle A. Rogers, Executive Director, Ohio Township Association
• Tammy K. Clark, Industrial Hygiene/ Occupational & Environmental Health and Safety Specialist
• Kristen Meghan Kelly, Sr. Industrial Hygienist/Public Health Specialist
• Mayor Chelsea Ziss, Maumee, Ohio

9 p.m. | Closing Session: ICS at 30 — Looking Ahead

Location: Arlyn’s Good Beer, 520 Hankey Ave., Bowling Green

Come chat and network in an informal setting.