AI and the Planet: Sustainable Innovation in Higher Education
Join us for an Earth Month event hosted by the University of Utah College of Nursing and the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, home of the One-U Responsible Artificial Intelligence Initiative.
AI isn’t “coming” to academia—it’s already in the group chat! As we adopt these tools, we also need to ask: what are their environmental costs? Join us for an afternoon panel discussion focused on the sustainability of AI, from data centers and energy use to campus-level decision-making. Hear from experts unpacking the environmental dimensions of AI infrastructure, explore tradeoffs between innovation and resource consumption, and help shape thoughtful, climate-aligned use of AI in academic work. This session will be highly interactive, so bring your questions, curiosities, and honest feedback.
We will host an hour-long panel discussion with experts from across the U followed by unstructured discussion and networking.
Moderator:
Penny Atkins, Director of Research and Science, Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute
Speakers:
Tabitha M. Benney, Professor and Associate Director, Public Affairs
Jon Fisk, Associate Professor, Public Affairs
Ryan Johnson, Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering; One-U Responsible AI Initiative faculty fellow
Daniel Mendoza, Research Assistant Professor, Atmospheric Sciences; One-U Responsible AI Initiative seed grant recipient
Rohan Basu Roy, Assistant Professor, Computing; faculty member in the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute