Weapons of Mass Disruption

What happens when athletes become increasingly connected, measurable, and even digitally modeled? In this episode, three of Dr. Schwartz’s students, Henry Mahew, Dawson Shelley, and Noah Conigliaro, explore the future of technology in sports through three emerging technologies: IoT wearables, digital twins, and artificial intelligence. Bringing perspectives from statistics, competitive athletics and coaching, cybersecurity, and gaming, they consider how these technologies could transform training, performance, injury prevention, and decision-making, along with the new questions they may create for the future of sports.

In this episode, Dr. Tamara Schwartz’s Emerging Technology students continue their WMD takeover. Artificial intelligence is woven into nearly every part of the social media experience, from helping create content to deciding what appears in your feed. In this episode, Information Technology Management major Taylor Heie explores how AI powers social media platforms, including the recommendation algorithms that personalize what we see and the systems designed to capture and hold our attention. She examines how these technologies are changing not only how content is created and delivered, but how we experience the online world.

How are virtual and augmented worlds changing America's pastime? In this episode, the student takeover continues as lifelong baseball player and Baltimore Orioles fan Tyler Maxcy, a recent information technology graduate explores how virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality are transforming baseball. From new approaches to player training and preparation to immersive experiences that change how fans watch and interact with the game, Tyler examines how these emerging technologies are reshaping baseball both on and off the field.

In this episode, Dr. Tamara Schwartz’s Emerging Technology students continue their WMD takeover. Have you ever wondered how the world’s top football clubs choose their next stars? In this episode, Cybersecurity Management major and passionate international football fan Rasheed Abogun explores how artificial intelligence and data analytics are transforming soccer scouting. From identifying promising talent to supporting decisions once driven primarily by the instincts of human scouts, Rasheed examines the technology, the process, and what AI could mean for the future of the beautiful game.

In this episode of Weapons of Mass Disruption, Dr. Tamara Schwartz is joined by York College Cybersecurity Management major Jerod Bethea to examine the growing threat of cyberattacks on healthcare organizations. From ransomware that disrupts patient care to attacks that undermine trust in critical services, we explore why hospitals have become high-value targets and what these incidents reveal about the evolving intersection of emerging technology, cybersecurity, resilience, and public safety.

The founders built the American experiment on assumptions about human nature, liberty, consent, and self-government. But what happens when those assumptions collide with artificial intelligence, digital surveillance, algorithmic influence, and increasingly polarized politics? On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz and Dr. Stephen Stern explore whether the philosophical foundations of the American republic remain sufficient for a world where technology can shape attention, influence beliefs, and increasingly mediate and even dictate the choices we make as citizens.

The American founding was more than a political revolution, it was a philosophical experiment about humans and power. On this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz welcomes back Dr. Stephen Stern to explore how thinkers such as John Locke, David Hume, and Adam Smith influenced the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the founders' understanding of liberty, power, and human nature.

Dr. Tamara Schwartz welcomes back Dr. Stephen Stern, Associate Professor of Judaic Studies at Gettysburg College, for the second installment of their conversation on Israel, anti-Zionism, antisemitism, and the politics of power. Building on their previous discussion of the complex relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism and the unique moral expectations often placed upon Israel, this episode explores the role of narratives in shaping public perception of Israel as a symbol rather than simply a nation-state. Together, they examine where legitimate criticism of Israeli policy ends and broader questions of legitimacy, collective responsibility, and Jewish sovereignty begin.

In this episode of WMD, Dr. Tamara Schwartz welcomes Professor of Judaic Studies, Dr. Stephen Stern for a thought-provoking conversation about Israel, anti-Zionism, antisemitism, and the deeper question of power itself. Together, they explore why Israel occupies such a uniquely symbolic role in modern political consciousness and how debates about the Jewish state have become intertwined with broader questions of morality, legitimacy, victimhood, nationalism, and identity. In an era of information warfare and competing realities, this episode challenges listeners to think critically about the stories societies tell about power, history, and legitimacy—and what those stories reveal about the modern world.

The classroom is changing faster than most institutions can process. Large language models are no longer just tools students experiment with on the side—they are becoming cognitive companions that shape how students write, think, solve problems, and increasingly, how they evaluate themselves. Dr. Tamara Schwartz, does not often ruminate alone on this podcast, but in this episode of WMD, she will explore what is happening in the classroom, and her concerns about what happens when students begin trusting AI more than their own judgment.