Crider presented the 2026 Stellar Society Lecture at GTCC, 鈥淭he End of Science as We Know It: Lessons for Today from the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions,鈥� which explored historical parallels between past technological revolutions and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.

Crider described how exponential improvements in technology have often disrupted traditional career pathways and said jobs in science are no exception.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e looking at jobs and AI, it鈥檚 important to think about where you are in your lifetime,鈥� Crider said, noting that older employees may have different concerns than those who are mid-career or about to enter the workforce. He advised college students to diversify their educational interests and goals to maximize future opportunities.

He said artificial intelligence is already automating several aspects of science and industry and that these changes are likely to continue in the foreseeable future.

​The annual conference, organized by the Serious Games Association, brings together speakers from around the world to share their experience creating or using games in the corporation, classroom, healthcare institution, government and military and offer tips on how to move game-based education programs ahead.

In his talk, Crider described how student testing might be done using virtual reality. His talk drew from multiple classroom experiences and was entitled “Experiential Assessment with Virtual Reality: Lessons from Second Life, Reacting to the Past, and Epic Finales.”

Crider also spoke with serious games experts during the conference’s opening plenary panel to address the question, “What Have We Learned in the Last 10 Years and Where Are Serious Games Headed Next?” 

Their article “” appeared in the most recent volume of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research. By comparing search data to available user data for Facebook and various virtual worlds, Crider and Torrez-Riley found the Google Trends data alone did not correlate with other measures of user interest. They also offered a preliminary analysis of Google Trends data for recently launched social virtual worlds that use virtual reality.

In his talk, entitled “Experiential SETI Activities for the Science Classroom,” Crider described education and assessment in his “Life in the Universe” class at 黑料不打烊, co-taught with Professor of Philosophy Anthony Weston.

The meeting is often called the “Super Bowl of Astronomy.” Conference organizers report more than 2,300 astronomers, educators, industry representatives and journalists attended.

Tony Crider, associate professor of physics, encouraged fellow educators to infuse visual literacy in their astronomy classes in his talk entitled “Astronomy, Visual Literacy, and Liberal Arts Education.” 

Honors Fellow Maria Temming ’16, a double-major in physics and English, described her research with Crider in a talk entitled, “The Order of the Dolphin: Origins of SETI.” Temming was awarded the History of Astronomy Division Student Travel Award for the conference. 

Physics major Ben Kaiser ’16, also an Honors Fellow, presented a poster on his project with Crider and Assistant Professor of Physics Chris Richardson, “The Nearby Analogues of Pure Starburst Galaxies.”

Honors Fellow Helen Meskhidze ’16, a double-major in physics and philosophy, gave a talk on her Lumen Scholar research with Professor Richardson entitled, “Developing an Atlas of Starburst Galaxy Emission Lines.” 

Christopher Greene ’17 also attended the meeting. According to Greene, the AAS meeting served as a “good learning experience about what it would be like to present in the field.” 

Each year, the AAAS selects 15 to 20 fellows from a pool of advanced undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate level students in science, engineering and mathematics. Fellows are assigned to media organizations across the country, where they spend ten weeks researching, reporting and writing science news stories.

An Honors Fellow writing a thesis on the history of astrobiology, Temming will be writing for Scientific American magazine. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in science communications. “This fellowship is the perfect opportunity to hone my science writing skills,” she says. “And of course, the prospect of working for a publication like Scientific American is exciting in itself!”

The AAAS Mass Media Fellows Program aims not only to increase public understanding of science and technology, but also mold science communicators who can convey complex scientific concepts to non-expert audiences. In its 41 years, the program has supported over six hundred alumni, many of whom have made careers in science research, writing, teaching and public policy.

Associate Professor Tony Crider discussed development of “epic finales” in a talk titled “Experiential Education Activities for Teaching SETI.” Helen Meskhidze ’16, a double-major in physics and philosophy, presented a poster on her Lumen Scholar research with Assistant Professor Chris Richardson, “Developing an Atlas of Starburst Galaxy Emission Lines.”

Also attending the conference were department chair and Associate Professor Martin Kamela, physics major Lydia Smith ‘15, and engineering physics major Adam Thomson ’18.

Articles about the “mind-blowing” technique revealed in the TED talk and Science paper appeared in many news outlets, including the , , and .

Maria Temming ’16, a double-major in physics and creative writing, discussed her writing of astronomy articles for Sky and Telescope magazine during a summer internship. She also outlined her honors thesis project with Associate Professor of Physics Anthony Crider which incorporates aspects of both of her majors. Temming is currently investigating trends in extrasolar planet reporting to answer the question “What makes a discovery newsworthy?”

In their opening talk, Crider and Cleary discussed usage of the “Reacting to the Past” series at 黑料不打烊, including games about democracy in Athens, ancient China, the Constitutional Convention, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution.

During the conference, Clearly and Crider guided faculty and students through a one-day version of “The Trial of Galileo” game in which participants play the roles of 17th-century cardinals and professors debating the accuracy and heretical nature of Galileo’s findings.

At the conclusion of the workshop, Crider described assessment of “Reacting to the Past,” the editorial process for game publication, and the online resources available to members of the Reacting Consortium.

More information about the workshop is available at: 

http://www.nchistorians.org/reacting-to-the-past-workshop-at-ecsu-saturday-7-march/