2025 Spring Faculty Lecture Series Explores Innovation and Impact

Artificial intelligence, climate change and cultural resonance are the featured topics for the upcoming Hartwick College Faculty Lecture Series.

The series starts Friday, Feb. 7, with the presentation, “Did a Computer Write This? The Ethics of Reading in an Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Mark Wolff, professor of French and chair of the Modern Languages Department, will deliver this lecture. He will explore the question: What does it mean for a machine to write in such a way that it is difficult, if not impossible, for human readers to know from a written text itself whether or not a program like ChatGPT produced it?

On Friday, March 7, Karl Seeley, professor of economics and chair of the Economics Department, will cover “Food First! Reconceptualizing Economic Growth in Light of Climate Change.” Seeley plans to present research confirming that rich economies are more economically vulnerable to global warming than the simple story suggests. Seeley will also provide insight into the basic economic growth process and how agricultural gains have generally underpinned progress.

The spring edition of this lecture series concludes on Friday, April 11, with “Harnessing Materiality: Building Cultural Resonance in the Digital Age,” a talk led by Weiwei Zhang, associate professor of marketing. Zhang will examine how independent bookstores strategically use materiality to build cultural resonance, focusing on how material elements enhance cultural and social dynamics within these spaces.

All talks in the Faculty Lecture Series will take place in Eaton Lounge, Bresee Hall, from 12:20– 1:15 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit the series webpage or contact Bradley J. Fest, associate professor of English, at [email protected].