Students Help Community Navigate Data-Center Debate
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Students will create resources to explain community impacts
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
Not long ago, most Americans were hard-pressed to say what a data center was, let alone argue for or against its construction. But as data centers are increasingly proposed in communities across America, ordinary citizens are asked to take a stand on an issue they may know little about.
Dickinson students will partner with local community leaders on a public-information campaign for local residents. It’s part of a larger effort to prepare students to contribute meaningfully by connecting what they’re learning in class with current community needs.
Heather Plumridge, associate professor of environmental studies, and Samantha Ha-DiMuzio, director of Dickinson’s Center for Civic Learning & Action, received a Project Pericles grant to fund the project’s development, now under way.
Along with Dickinson’s recently renewed affiliations with national organizations focused on civic involvement—the Bonner Network and Campus Compact—the forthcoming project is one of the many ways the college is creating opportunities for students to build connections and experiences that equip them to continue to contribute meaningfully to their communities and world.
The goal is to provide a structured opportunity for students to apply classroom learning to real-world civic engagement around an issue drawing significant attention in Pennsylvania, one of the front-line states in the data-center debate.
The power of community storytelling
The public-storytelling project will be folded into Plumridge’s spring 2027 class A Just Energy Transition. Students will be trained in research methods and ethical civic storytelling and will attend public meetings and policy forums to see how change happens at the local level.
Then they’ll partner with local leaders to create public-storytelling materials such as infographics, fact sheets, policy briefs and podcasts focused on helping residents understand the complexities of the issue. Importantly, these resources will be community-informed, responsive to what partners already steeped in the issue believe will be useful for informed public decision-making.
The community partners include the Stewards of Cumberland County, the Carlisle Borough Council, and Cumberland County planning leaders. Students working with the Center for Civic Learning & Action, including the Carlisle Borough ambassador and voter engagement coordinators, will also play a key role.
“Each of these student leaders is committed to building stronger connections between the campus and community,” says Ha-DiMuzio.
The resulting resources will be valuable to the local community, says John Werner, spokesperson for the Stewards of Cumberland County.
“People around Cumberland County, like people elsewhere, want a richer democratic life. They want a say about the things that affect them,” Werner explains. “That starts with knowledge, both about what’s happening and how to get involved.”
A replicable model
The good work will not end at the close of the spring semester. Plumridge and Ha-DiMuzio are creating a public-storytelling template that Dickinson professors may adapt for use in their own classes. Potential applications include projects focused on climate change, homelessness, incarceration and political participation.
The aim is for Dickinson’s Center for Teaching, Learning & Scholarship to help disseminate this resource, along with best practices, through its web portal, workshops and faculty development programs.
“We want to build pedagogical structures that allow students to apply course concepts toward civic action. This provides the space for students to engage with and learn from community partners on a pressing local issue,” Plumridge says.
Ha-DiMuzio adds, “Our aim is that this project can deepen our culture of civic action at Dickinson, especially at a local level. Every Dickinson student is also a Carlisle resident, so this offers a great opportunity for students to make an impact where they live.”
Alicia MacMillan ’29, who’s working with Plumridge this summer on related research, is eager to make a difference in this way.
“The emergence of AI data centers has created a new, complex landscape, but leveraging student engagement is a great way to begin navigating it,” the environmental science major says. “There's great value in student engagement when it comes to advocacy and education regarding data centers and emerging technologies, as I believe students can provide nuanced perspectives and an accessible platform for community members to voice their concerns.”
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Published August 3, 2026