On Monday, August 10, Northern Michigan University's Dr. Lucy Miller joined comedian and journalist Charlie Berens at Ore Dock Brewing Co. to help Upper Peninsula residents better understand data centers and their potential impact on the region.
The event, hosted by the Northern Michigan Alliance for Responsible Development, drew a large crowd, with some attendees waiting outside for hours to get in. Community members also participated through virtual watch parties in Houghton, Sault Ste. Marie and Traverse City.
Miller, an associate contingent professor in the College of Business and associate director of Online Learning and Development at NMU, opened the event with a presentation on data center literacy. Drawing on her research specialization in digital literacies, she explained the different types of data centers, how they operate and why the Upper Peninsula may be an attractive location for their development.
Miller holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from Washington State University. Her presentation helped establish the event's central goal: providing communities with information they can use to make informed decisions about data center development in the U.P.
“What people need to remember is that the Great Lakes are an attractive place for these massive hyperscale data centers for several reasons: our cooler climate, access to water, and tax incentives,” Miller said. “We need to educate ourselves on their potential impacts to our health and natural environment so we can make informed decisions about what we want as a community, for our community.”
Miller's work on data center literacy began earlier this year. In April, she presented “With Great Lakes Comes Great Responsibility: Digital Outrage and Data Center Resistance” as part of NMU's Sustainability Summit. The presentation explored how communities can develop both functional and rhetorical literacy around data centers, while placing current debates within the longer history of environmental activism in Great Lakes states. Miller also examined the growing role of social media influencers in shaping public understanding of complex issues.
The presentation marked the beginning of Miller's connection with Berens, who is from Wisconsin and has used his extensive online platform to expand public understanding of artificial intelligence and data centers. Since then, Miller and Berens have continued to collaborate on efforts to increase public knowledge.
“We started chit-chatting back in the winter; she reached out asking what we were doing down in Wisconsin. We connected on that, and we've been in touch ever since then,” Berens said. “It's good that people are coming together on this, whatever side they're even on. To just be in the same room together, connecting…I mean, that's a huge thing that we've started to lose.”
“Charlie and his team are doing such important work in the push for transparency and accountability from big tech,” Miller added. “I'm so grateful for the friendship and collaboration we've developed. He truly cares about the Midwest.”
The event also featured a presentation from Michigan Tech student Emma Goodman, also a resident of Saline Township, Mich., the location of a recent data center site developed by Related Digital for Oracle and OpenAI. It concluded with a panel discussion featuring community officials, including Sands Township Zoning Administrator Randy Yelle, Houghton City Councilman Brian Irizarry and Delta County Commissioner Kelli VanGinhoven.
Miller plans to continue presenting on data center literacy as communities across the U.P. navigate conversations about potential development. Her goal, she said, is to help the public engage with the topic from an informed perspective and make decisions based on a deeper understanding of the issues.
“For me, this work is just beginning. Communities are fighting back, and many of them in the state of Michigan have made important strides in advocating for their communities. We all deserve a say in what decisions are made in our own backyards.”