FilmScene Iowa City, IA
Maureen McCue
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Iowa Colleges of Public Health and Liberal Arts and Sciences
andBrian Campbell
Executive Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility
andEd Flaherty
Banker
WarGames— Why worry? Nuclear weapons, games, and AI
Program Description
Tensions in today’s nuclear armed nations are rising in parallel with concerns about militaries’ rapidly advancing use of Artificial Technology. In this pre-show presentation, physician and global health expert Dr. McCue briefly describes today’s nuclear weapons global threat, Ed Flaherty reviews concerns arising from increasing military reliance on artificial intelligence, and Brian Campbell concludes by offering ways to avoid Nuclear Armageddon.
Presented At
FilmScene Iowa City, IA
Film Synopsis
A young hacker unwittingly initiates a US military supercomputer programmed to execute nuclear war against the Soviet Union.
High school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. After starting a game of Global Thermonuclear War, Lightman leads the supercomputer to activate the nation's nuclear arsenal in response to his simulated threat as the Soviet Union. Once the clueless hacker comes to his senses, Lightman, with help from his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy), must find a way to alert the authorities to stop the onset of World War III.
Part delightfully tense techno-thriller, part refreshingly unpatronizing teen drama, WarGames is one of the more inventive—and genuinely suspenseful—Cold War movies of the 1980s. [Rotten Tomatoes]
Banner image courtesy of MGM/UA Entertainment Co./Photofest
About the Speaker
Maureen McCue is an adjunct clinical assistant professor in The University of Iowa Colleges of Public Health and Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is a founding member, faculty, and former Director of the University of Iowa Global Health Studies Program. Prof. McCue has been coordinator of the Iowa Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility for 10 years and has worked as a physician for a local women’s clinic for over 16 years. She was a founding member of the UICHR’s former executive board.
Brian Campbell is the Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Before joining the organization in November of 2023, Brian Campbell served as the Executive Director of the Iowa Environmental Council, a statewide coalition of more than 100 organizations and thousands of individuals, focused on education, advocacy, and organizing. Under his leadership, the Council developed a new strategic plan centered on climate change, environmental justice, clean water, and clean energy. Brian led a collaborative research project telling stories of environmental justice in Iowa, expanding conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the state. As a member of the Des Moines Sustainability Task Force, he helped the city become the first in the world to adopt a 24/7 100% carbon free electricity goal, committing to fully phase out fossil fuels. He has served on numerous local, state, and regional boards. He is experienced in engaging policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels. Brian has a BA from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina; a Masters from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California; and a PhD from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He spent over a decade working in higher education as a teacher, researcher, and administrator, most recently as Director of Sustainability Education and Partnerships at Central College, in Pella, Iowa. His academic work has focused on the history and culture of American environmentalism, especially the values, stories, and religious practices that shape people’s sense of place and motivate them to protect their environments. Brian was co-producer of “Mid-Americana: Stories from a Changing Midwest,” an oral history podcast highlighting the region’s diverse people and places, including the story of Irene Maun, a Marshallese health advocate serving the growing population of refugees in Dubuque, Iowa displaced from the Pacific Islands by sea level rise and exposure to radiation from U.S. nuclear testing.
Ed Flaherty is a retired banker living in Iowa City. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966-1968, and is the president of Veterans For Peace #161.