Kudos: Luft completes NSTA presidential role; AI4STEM Education Center receives award

Luft completes time in NSTA presidential role

For three years, Julie Luft, Distinguished Research Professor and Athletic Association Professor of Mathematics and Science Education, has been at the leadership helm of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). NSTA has over 40,000 members and is a primarily U.S.-based association. It is one of the largest science education associations in the world.

In her presidential role, Luft advocated for science education and science teachers and worked to ensure more transparency in the leadership of the association. For three years, she oversaw the association, attended state and national science education meetings, wrote blogs about her experiences, and helped to develop an advocacy manual and a presidential fellows program.

A highlight of her work has been meeting, collaborating, and working with teachers across the U.S. and in Georgia. Luft said she is able to “see the brilliance of teachers each and every day.”

AI4STEM Education Center receives Innovative Research Award for second consecutive year

After receiving the same honor last year, the research team led by associate professor Xiaoming Zhai at the AI4STEM Education Center has once again been recognized with the Innovative Research Award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching’s RAISE research interest group. This prestigious award celebrates groundbreaking research that reimagines science teaching and learning through innovative methodologies and technologies.

The award-winning project addresses a critical challenge in the application of generative AI in education: how to ensure AI-generated feedback fosters meaningful student learning without falling into the traps of “over-praise”—providing excessive, generic encouragement—and “over-inference”—drawing conclusions beyond the evidence provided in student responses. The team developed AI agents that monitor, detect, and adapt feedback based on students’ actual reasoning and evidence use in science learning.

Key contributors to the project include Shuchen Guo, a former postdoctoral researcher now on faculty, and Ehsan Latif, a current postdoctoral researcher at the AI4STEM Center. Together, the team applied a hybrid approach that integrates explainable AI, natural language processing, and learning sciences to design human-centered feedback mechanisms. These AI agents support teachers and students in developing scientific practices such as explanation, modeling, and argumentation.

“We are honored to receive this award again,” said Zhai. “This recognition affirms our commitment to designing AI tools that not only align with disciplinary learning goals but also promote transparency, responsibility, and equity in science education.”

The team’s work exemplifies how AI can be designed not as a replacement for teachers, but as a thoughtful partner in the learning process, guiding students toward deeper engagement and evidence-based reasoning. The project is part of the broader mission of the AI4STEM Education Center to promote the responsible integration of artificial intelligence in K–12 STEM education.