MILWAUKEE — As the number of data centers in Wisconsin continues to rise, the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education at Marquette University Law School will host a panel discussion, “Data Centers: Pitfalls or Possibilities?,” for an “On the Issues” program Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 12:15 p.m. at Marquette Law School’s Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan Ave.
There are now 40 data centers in Wisconsin, including 16 in Milwaukee, according to datacentermap.com. As communities navigate the impacts of this rapid growth, basic questions arise: What exactly are data centers, what purposes do they serve, and how do they affect Wisconsin’s economy and environment?
Derek Mosley, director of the Lubar Center, will take up those questions in a discussion with:
- Rebecca Gries, executive director of Milwaukee 7, a regional, cooperative economic development platform for southeastern Wisconsin’s seven counties
- Claudia Levens, local communities reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Dr. Michael Zimmer, professor of computer science and director of the Center for Data, Ethics, and Society at Marquette
Registration for this event is available online. Members of the media who are interested in attending must contact Kevin Conway, associate director of university communication, at kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu, in advance.
Mosley has served as Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education director since 2023. Under his leadership, the Law School’s Lubar Center has expanded its programming to include sessions during Black History Month and on unconscious bias, as well as Heritage Dinners in the community. A 1995 graduate of Marquette Law School, Mosley served as a judge of the Milwaukee Municipal Court for 20 years.
Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, “On the Issues” conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars, conferences on issues of public significance, and the work of its Lubar Center, Marquette Law School seeks to advance civil discourse about law and public policy matters.
