An Invitation from Westmont President Gayle Beebe

I hope you will join us for some meaningful “Conversations that Matter.” At Westmont, we believe in engaging the great issues of society and the vexing dilemmas of our global community as we prepare our students to take their place in the world.

This discussion series gives the larger Santa Barbara community more opportunities to hear from Westmont faculty. During these sessions, sponsored by the Westmont Foundation Board, professors from a variety of fields will address current issues facing our society from the perspective of their disciplines.

I’m proud to serve an institution with such outstanding faculty, and I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to hear them speak and engage in conversation with them.

Goals of Westmont Downtown:

1. To provide an opportunity for Westmont faculty to speak in their area of expertise.
2. To engage the community in meaningful, substantive and lively conversation.
3. To demonstrate the value of constructive dialogue with people of differing opinions.
4. To demonstrate the commitment of Westmont to the life of the mind and to invite the larger community to join that conversation.

Westmont Downtown Lecture:

Fall 2026: 

Engineering professors Dan Jensen and Kristin L. Wood lead an interactive Westmont Downtown lecture, “Having Fun with Everyday AI and Robotics: Life Implications,” on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at Westmont Downtown | Keith Center, 29 W. Anapamu St. The event offers a hands-on exploration of artificial intelligence and robotics. Attendees should bring a smartphone or smart device to participate. The talk remains free and open to the public, with limited seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051.

“The world today presents a labyrinth of challenges,” Jensen says. “Our mission connects the rapidly changing world of technology with people where they live and work, offering a positive, safe outlook for the future.”

The presentation demystifies the inner workings of AI, explores tools that boost personal and organizational creativity, and examines how artificial intelligence intersects with Christian theology. The speakers open the floor for audience questions throughout the talk and conclude with a list of top 10 practical ways to explore AI and robotics.

Jensen, Allder professor of science and technology and director of the Westmont engineering department, earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering science from the University of Colorado Boulder. He served as a professor of engineering mechanics at the U.S. Air Force Academy for more than two decades. An expert in engineering design and innovation, Jensen directs an engineering consulting firm, holds numerous patents, and has secured about $10 million in research and consulting funding.

Wood, professor of engineering at Westmont, completed master's and doctoral degrees in engineering and applied science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He previously served in faculty and leadership roles at the University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the University of Colorado Denver. A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Wood has published more than 600 peer-reviewed articles and books and has mentored over 25 startup companies. He is the founding head of engineering and product development and director of the SUTD-MIT International Design Center.

The Westmont Foundation sponsors the talk, part of Westmont Downtown: Conversations About Things That Matter. 

Paid parking for the lecture may be available at either Santa Barbara City Parking Lots 4 or 5.

Talk Explores Reclaiming Connection in Digital Age

Clinical psychologist Andrea Gurney leads a Westmont Downtown Lecture, “Invisible in Plain Sight: Reclaiming Love and Connection in an Age of AI,” on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 5:30 p.m. at Westmont Downtown | Keith Center, 29 W. Anapamu St. The free lecture addresses how modern technology affects human relationships in an era defined by constant digital access. No tickets or reservations are required; seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051. 

Gurney says society lives in the most connected era in human history, yet rates of loneliness, emotional burnout and relational breakdown continue to rise. “From swipe-based dating apps and curated social feeds to frictionless AI companions, modern technology offers a convincing illusion of intimacy, delivering validation and comfort without the vulnerability, risk or messiness inherent in real human relationships,” she says. “When we trade authentic connection for emotional ease and convenience, we end up feeling known by none and invisible to all.”

Drawing from clinical case studies, psychological research and the realities of modern dating culture, Gurney unpacks why algorithmic connection leaves individuals feeling isolated and offers a hopeful, practical roadmap for reclaiming deep, durable and authentic human relationships.

Gurney, a Westmont professor since 2005, earned a master's degree in education in psychological services at the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in counseling psychology at Northeastern University. She spent eight years training at Boston Children's Hospital and completed predoctoral internships and a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School in individual, child, adolescent, couples and family therapy before moving to Santa Barbara. She teaches part-time at Westmont and devotes the rest of her time to her clinical practice in the community.

Her research and writing interests focus on rebuilding and rethinking how people love one another well in a fast-paced, technologically advanced world. She wrote the book “Reimagining Your Love Story: Biblical and Psychological Practices for Healthy Relationships” and created the Marriage Bootcamp e-course.