For the third semester in a row, first- and second-year Honors students in participating classes have the opportunity to present their projects at this semester’s Honors Showcase. This event is designed to help students get comfortable with presenting multidisciplinary research, creative works, and cumulative projects.

On December 9th, in the HUB MPR from 5:30-7:00 PM, there will be a poster walk to admire the research of students in EL-110 and a reading to share the work of Creative Writing students. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

I spoke to several students in Dr. Peter Moe’s Writing and Design class where their prompt was to explore AI-use in their chosen field of study. Here’s what they told me about their projects:

Lindsay Mullins focused on how the field of psychology impacts AI after reading dozens of articles on how AI impacts psychology. In her paper, Mullins discusses the pros and cons of mental health chatbots and how programmers and psychologists can increase patient privacy and quality of care given by chatbots.

Jadyn Nolen is concerned about how AI is changing the priorities of the classroom. With a societal shift away from “human goals” like intellectual growth, social competence, and moral education, AI swoops in to help boost “societal goals” like job specialization and making a more employable population. Nolen argues that we should recenter the multidisciplinary approach to education, focusing on “human” goals and values.

Alyssa Butler considered how AI can be utilized in emergency medicine situations. In a post-pandemic world, tools like AI can be optimized for both patients and health-care providers. Butler explores the uses of AI in healthcare but draws the line at allowing it to make diagnostic decisions. She hopes to increase the privacy of patients as well as reduce bias in computer models.

Honors Showcase is an amazing opportunity to show off student projects from the semester and get experience presenting. Participating in Honors Showcase builds public speaking skills and confidence for other, much more serious, conferences later in a student’s higher education journey. And by attending the event, you’ll find what Honors students find important. Not only that, but you’ll discover what Whitworth Honors students are going to do about it.