WHAT: The University of 缅北禁地 Springfield will hold three Lunch & Learn Series events this spring. The series is presented by the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the 缅北禁地 State Historical Society.
WHERE: Illini Country Club, 1601 Illini Road, Springfield
DETAILS:
March 12 鈥� 鈥淎rtificial Intelligence and Us: Transforming Human Life鈥�
Doors open at 11 a.m., lunch at 11:30 a.m., program at NoonHei-Chi Chan, associate professor and co-founder of the Artifcial Intelligence Campus Learning Community, will present on the history of AI, 聽Human-AI interaction, ethical considerations and the future of AI. Artificial Intelligence traces back to myths of artificial beings possessing intelligence or consciousness. Early 20th-century research led to the invention of the programmable digital computer, inspiring scientists to explore the possibility of an 鈥渆lectronic brain.鈥� Today, AI influences nearly every aspect of life, from work and entertainment to shopping and relationships.
April 9 鈥� 鈥淪ound Foundations: An Introduction to Speech-Language Pathology鈥�
Doors open at 11 a.m., lunch at 11:30 a.m., program at Noon
UIS Chancellor Janet L. Gooch, a certified speech-language pathologist (SLP), will provide an overview of the speech pathology field and diagnosing, treating and preventing speech, language, communication and swallowing disorders. Gooch will also explore conditions SLPs address, including language delays, stuttering, voice issues and cognitive-communication impairments. Issues associated with cleft lip and palate, Gooch鈥檚 areas of specialty as a practicing clinician, will also be covered.
May 8 鈥� 鈥淣ative Americans in 缅北禁地 in 1818: Treaties and Treachery in the Path to Statehood鈥�
Doors open at 11 a.m., lunch at 11:30 a.m., program at Noon
Michael Wiant, historian and retired director of the 缅北禁地 State Museum and Dickson Mounds Museum, will discuss 缅北禁地鈥� complex path to statehood and the role of treaties with Native American tribes. In the early 1800s, 缅北禁地 was a sparsely populated territory, home to Native Americans, European settlers and African American communities鈥攂oth free and enslaved. Wiant will examine the events and treaties that led to the displacement of tribes from the 缅北禁地 Territory and their eventual removal to reservations west of the Mississippi River.
The in-person events cost $50 a person and include a hot buffet lunch. A portion of the registration fee will be processed as a gift to the UIS Alumni Association scholarship fund. Virtual viewing options are also available. Participants can . Registration closes one week before the event.