Office for Professional Education

Wednesday, May 13, 2026
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Nucor Mineral Industries Building, Room 246
South Dakota Mines Campus

This session will demystify the world of AI and show you real-world examples of how business leaders and professionals can leverage AI.  No buzz words and no fluff, just the honest truth about how artificial intelligence is making its way into mainstream productivity. 

We will begin by establishing the foundations of AI, reviewing large language models and generative models and their use cases.. Questions like “Who owns it?” and “If it is free, how do they make money?” will be answered.  We will debunk some common AI lore and validate some AI technology claims.

Security and privacy will be explored during the session. Topics include how to identify data that should and should not be shared with AI, as well as what protections businesses and institutions should consider when adopting AI into their business practices. 

This session will also discuss the ethics of AI and AI usage. What should you consider when AI is part of your process. What boundaries does an AI model have that may differ or align with your business. Learn how to understand how AI can help or harm your business.

Finally, we will review how to prompt AI to get desired results. Learn how to interact with common AI tools to get the results you need in a quick and efficient manner.

Schedule:
7:30 – 8:00 AM - Registration
8:00 – 9:50 AM - Foundations of AI / Security and Privacy
- Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and common workplace and non‑workplace use cases
- Overview of widely used AI tools and how they function
- Identification of AI‑enabled tools that may introduce data privacy risks
9:50 – 10:10 AM - Break 
10:10 AM – 12:00 PM - Ethics of AI / How to Prompt 
- Review of ethical considerations in AI programming, prompting, and response generation
- Using AI tools for data analysis and generative tasks
- Exploration of AI companions integrated into productivity platforms
- Practical prompting techniques and strategies for achieving effective results

Instructor
John Hohn
Executive Technical Director, Information Technology
Pete Lien & Sons, Inc.

John Hohn brings more than 25 years of experience in information technology, delivering solutions for businesses, government agencies, and educational institutions throughout the region. His background spans data productivity, system management, and end‑to‑end solution deployment, giving him a broad and practical understanding of how to align technology with real‑world operational needs. 

The class is online and includes live, one-on-one time scheduled with the instructor to answer questions and complete the course.

Concepts discussed in the workshop apply to ArcGIS Pro.

Note: If you do not receive a GIS Workshop confirmation email within a day or two of registering, please email OPE@sdsmt.edu to inquire.

Instructor: Victoria Karnes
Intro to ArcGIS I: Mapping with GIS
This workshop is designed for people with no previous GIS experience. It covers the basics on how ArcGIS stores and manages map data and introduces participants to making maps and working with GIS data sets and data tables. GIS data storage, creating maps, publishing map layouts, and working with tables are all covered. It also includes an overview of commonly used sources of GIS data and how to adapt them for your own use. (Tuition includes license for Mastering ArcGIS or Mastering ArcGIS Pro e-textbook)
Background required: Familiarity with Windows and Internet browsers

Intro to ArcGIS II: GIS Analysis
This workshop is designed for people who want an introduction to the types of spatial analysis possible with GIS data. It introduces many key GIS techniques, including how to conduct a suitability study based on multiple criteria, analyze spatial relationships between layers, work with topographic data, interpolate values from point data, and solve problems using distance and neighborhood factors. (Tuition includes license for Mastering ArcGIS or Mastering ArcGIS Pro e-textbook)
Background required: Intro to ArcGIS I workshop or equivalent experience

About the Instructor
Victoria Karnes is the geospatial technology instructor in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at South Dakota Mines. She joined the Mines faculty in 2022 after completing her master's degree in space and planetary science at the University of Arkansas. She oversees both the geospatial technology minor and certificate programs at Mines and is responsible for ArcGIS licensing for all South Dakota universities. She also serves as a board member for the Black Hills Digital Mapping Association and enjoys assisting other professors in various research projects across campus. She earned her bachelor's degree in geology from South Dakota Mines in 2019 and specialized in ESRI products, QGIS, and ENVI.

Attendee Feedback
The instructor was very knowledgeable and presented the class clearly.
The workshop helped me with understanding the general concepts.
The class project aspect for each day helped.
The organization was great. The instructor's ability to respond to questions real-time was very useful.