Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Welcomes Dr. Jedediyah Williams as Featured Guest for Science Speaker Series

Erin Holdgate • March 31, 2023

NANTUCKET, MA—The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host Dr. Jedediyah Williams as a featured presenter for its Science Speaker Series for the month of April. His presentation, “The Ethics of a STEM Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” will take place April 26 at 7pm on Zoom. This event is free to all.


In his presentation, Dr. Williams will discuss the onus on educators, when handing over the tools of science and mathematics, for teaching their responsible use. Dr. Williams indicates that “math-based technologies are ubiquitous, often do not work, and are capable of broad and arbitrary harm. Particularly as data science and new tools are being incorporated into STEM education, it is crucial that we present mathematics as a human endeavor with consequences.” Join us to explore these consequences of AI in our modern endeavors.


Dr. Williams teaches mathematics and computer science at Nantucket High School, where he has led both the Science and Mathematics departments. He is a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest award our nation bestows for teaching. While a National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellow in STEM, Jed worked on the Triple Helix Project where he helped to design and implement culturally situated design tools for mathematics classrooms in Albany Public Schools.

 

Jed's primary area of research is computational dynamics for the simulation of robotic systems, and in 2014 he was a member of Lockheed Martin's team of finalists in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. While teaching, Jed has continued to research and develop robotic systems. He was a qualification winner and finalist in the 2017 NASA Space Robotics Challenge, as well as a qualification winner, finalist, and top five winner overall in the 2021 NASA Space Robotics Challenge, Phase 2.


This series is generously presented by our lead sponsor, Bank of America. For additional details on this event, please visit https://www.mariamitchell.org/science-speaker-series.


The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

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For Immediate Release

March 31, 2023

Contact: Erin Holdgate, Marketing Director

eholdgate@mariamitchell.org

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