The School of Earth, Environment, and Society welcomes you to join us for the Fall 2026 SEES Seminar Series: Toward an Integrative Earth, Environment, and Society, offered as EES 4/507 to undergraduate and graduate students. The Fall lineup includes faculty and professional experts representing a diverse array of scholarly specializations in SEES: archeology, geography, glaciology/geophysics, and environmental science and studies, among them. These talks will be offered in person in Cramer Hall 53 on Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 PM. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
The inaugural talk of the series will be given by human geographer, Dr. Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Professor of Planning, Policy, and Environmental Studies, Provost, and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at San Jose State University, California, entitled Technological Change, the Future of Work, and Being More Than a “Human-in-the-Loop”. An abstract for the talk follows:
SJSU sits in the heart of Silicon Valley; and, as a comprehensive, downtown public research university, it serves not only the tech sector but the entire regional economy. With the emergence of new technologies, which are pushing the boundaries of human-nonhuman relations, the gap is closing rapidly between what “humans” do and what “computers” do in almost every section of the workforce. As I have argued in other places, the future of work is one where humans will be (if they are not already) working alongside (and with) robots and a vast array of robotic technologies. Generative and agentic AI are just the latest in a long line of technological changes that are redefining what it means to be human. And, with the rapid rise of the use of new technologies we are turning more-and-more often to the notion that we have to make sure the “human is in the loop.” While I believe that this is both important and timely, it belies the core concern that we have as geographers, which is that “compute space,” “cyber space,” or “smart space” have always already been human. Such spaces not only rely on human intelligence to take form, they are built from and reimagined through the creativity that is the human imagination.
In this brief talk, I want to walk through what I see as the emancipatory possibility of centering the future of higher education around the notion of creativity and creative literacy as we begin to rethink what the education of humans means at this point in time. I want to walk the complex line between techno-pessimism and techno-optimism to suggest that the human is the loop and the future of work must foster human creativity and be grounded in sound civic policy that is guided by a responsible and ethical use of technology framework. It is imperative, I believe, that such an education be foregrounded in every disciplinary context if we are to manage our way thoughtfully through this moment of rapid change.