Distinguished Guest Speaker Series

The AI4STEM Education Center hosts a Distinguished Guest Speaker series featuring national leaders at the intersection of artificial intelligence and STEM education. Each session spotlights how AI can fundamentally expand what’s possible for teaching and learning, with practical, research-informed ways to use AI to support diverse learners while ensuring that every step forward is grounded in responsible and ethical practices.

Intellectual Stewardship: “Re-Adapting Human Minds for Creative Knowledge Work in the Age of Al”

Jianwei Zhang

Professor, Department of Educational Theory and Practices University at Albany, State University of New York

APRIL 30, 2026

This talk explored how human minds and responsibilities must re-adapt as AI continues to augment and automate various tasks in daily life. Drawing on the principles of intellectual stewardship, the session highlighted the need to cultivate meta-level dispositions and mindsets that characterize wisdom-oriented, socially responsible knowledge builders in the AI age.

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The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Instructional Design

Robert Branch

Professor & Department Head, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
University of Georgia

December 10, 2025

This session described the role of instructional design in developing curricula to facilitate STEM students’ AI competence. Instructional design, a systematic process employed to develop education and training programs in a consistent and reliable fashion, served as the framework for exploring how AI can be effectively integrated into STEM learning experiences.

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Rethinking STEM Education Research, Teaching, and Learning in the Age of Al 

Jinjun Xiong

Empire Innovation Professor & Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, University at Buffalo

Joseph Krajcik

Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education & Director of the CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University

Xiaoming Zhai

Associate Professor of Science Education and AI & Director of the AI4STEM Education Center, University of Georgia 

November 19, 2025

As AI technologies redefine what’s possible in classrooms and research labs, how can STEM education evolve with AI to serve all learners? Panelists discussed how AI is changing the landscape of STEM education research and practice, highlighting transformative opportunities for meeting the needs of all learners, along with addressing the importance of the responsible use of AI in education.

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