Events

CLAAI Informal Lunch

12–1:30 p.m.
Heilman Dining Center

Join us for a casual lunch discussion at D-Hall exploring AI through the lens of our CLAAI theme "Under the Hood." We'll dive into how AI systems actually work beneath the surface, with optional pre-reading to enhance the conversation. New to AI? Consider yourself an expert? All are welcome!

Introduction to Computational Map Studies with Katherine McDonough (Lancaster University)

12:30–1:30 p.m.
The Hub

What if you could search inside maps? Now you can! Using MapReader, participants will learn to ask questions of digitized maps, and create datasets based on their visual and textual content. Along the way, we will address key issues around computer vision in the humanities, grappling with error at scale, and working with maps as data. No previous programming experience required. Lunch provided! Learn more and register.

Katherine McDonough is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities in the Department of History at Lancaster University. She is a historian of eighteenth-century France completing a book on the history of forced labor and infrastructure in the decades before the French Revolution. She is also a specialist in the spatial digital humanities, working with map, book, and newspaper data for early modern and modern France and Britain. Since moving to the UK in 2019, she co-founded the MapReader software library which is now being used by researchers around the world.

Maps and the Horizons of AI in the Humanities with Katherine McDonough (Lancaster University)

4:30–6:00 p.m.
Humanities Center

AI is changing the role of maps as sources in humanities research. From images, we can create new data about map content. Libraries can make their collections more accessible, and historians can discover new spatial patterns. But how, exactly, does this work?  What are the advantages and consequences of thinking about digitized maps “as data”? Why does using open-source AI matter, and how can we trust the results? Using the inner workings of the MapReader software library as a case study, this talk analyzes the road travelled thus far in computational map studies in comparison with other historical media, like newspapers, photographs, paintings, and books. The talk concludes by proposing a framework for humanities-driven analysis of maps at scale. Zoom link.

Katherine McDonough is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities in the Department of History at Lancaster University. She is a historian of eighteenth-century France completing a book on the history of forced labor and infrastructure in the decades before the French Revolution. She is also a specialist in the spatial digital humanities, working with map, book, and newspaper data for early modern and modern France and Britain. Since moving to the UK in 2019, she co-founded the MapReader software library which is now being used by researchers around the world.

PLAI Summit

9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington and Lee University

How do we decide when to press the AI button—and when not to? The PLAI Summit is a full-day event bringing together educators, students, and professionals to explore one of the most urgent questions of our time: how do we use AI to extend human capability—without compromising what makes us human? Through hands-on demos, thought-provoking discussions, and multidisciplinary exchange, we’ll dive into how AI is reshaping art, society, science, and learning. The goal isn’t just to showcase innovation—it’s to build a shared awareness of when and why we choose to use AI, and when we deliberately choose not to.

CLAAI Informal Lunch

12–1:30 p.m.
Heilman Dining Center

Join us for a casual lunch discussion at D-Hall exploring AI through the lens of our CLAAI theme "Under the Hood." We'll dive into how AI systems actually work beneath the surface, with optional pre-reading to enhance the conversation. New to AI? Consider yourself an expert? All are welcome! 

ACS Virtual Workshop: PLAI-ing with CLAAI: Critical (and Fun!) Innovation

11 a.m.–12 p.m. 
Zoom

Join us for an interactive virtual workshop that blends two powerful lenses on artificial intelligence in higher education. Through the PLAI approach, we’ll play with AI tools in low-stakes, creative ways that spark curiosity and reflection. At the same time, CLAAI offers a critical liberal arts perspective that invites us to interrogate AI’s social, ethical, and institutional impacts—asking what’s at stake for students, faculty, and the future of knowledge. Together, we’ll explore how to stay curious, skeptical,and empowered as educators in an AI-infused academic world. No prior experience with AI tools is required, just an openness to experimentation, uncertainty, and adaptation.

Learn more and register. 

CLAAI Informal Lunch

12–1:30 p.m.
Heilman Dining Center

Join us for a casual lunch discussion at D-Hall exploring AI through the lens of our CLAAI theme "Under the Hood." We'll dive into how AI systems actually work beneath the surface, with optional pre-reading to enhance the conversation. New to AI? Consider yourself an expert? All are welcome!

AI & the Future of Work

12–1:00 p.m.
Adams Auditorium

Does a change in work necessitate a change in a Liberal Education? Following the Sharp Viewpoint Speaker Series on Thursday night (2/5), UR’s participants in the AAC&U institute on AI, Curriculum, and Pedagogy are hosting a conversation on Friday, February 6. We will debrief the previous night’s discussion and how it impacts us as a campus community. Join us as we consider the question: Does a change in work necessitate a change in a Liberal Education? Co-Sponsored with the AAC&U institute on AI, Curriculum, and Pedagogy, Office of the President, and Office of the Provost. Lunch provided. Please register here.