Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#Highered for
#civicengagement
compact.org/news/campus-...

#democracy #citizenship #civiceducation #civicseducation #highereducation

February 10, 2026 at 6:51 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#AI in #dentistry –
Dental AI Lab
at Tufts
now.tufts.edu/2026/02/03/b...

"...AI is not about replacing dentists, but about augmenting our skills...."

Note AI in dentistry course.

#healthcare #highereducation #highered #STEMeducation #dentaleducation #healthtech #medtech #artificialintelligence

February 10, 2026 at 3:56 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

National Academies of Sciences, #Engineering, and #Medicine –
New Voices Program for Emerging #STEM Leaders:
2026 Cohort
www.nationalacademies.org/news/new-voi...

Note:
Anne M. Brown,
#VirginiaTech.

#science #STEMeducation #Virginia

February 10, 2026 at 1:31 AM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#UXdesign for
#AIliteracy:
a study
www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-...

Note two dimensions of AI literacy:
> prompt fluency
> output fluency

#design #digitalliteracy #userexperience #UX #artificialintelligence #AI #generativeAI

How AI Literacy Shapes GenAI Use

Using generative AI often doesn’t mean using it well. AI literacy requires both prompt fluency and the ability to assess outputs.

www.nngroup.com

February 9, 2026 at 6:24 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#Highered –
in this, note:
"instruction & #research core...
teaching, mentoring, & research activities that define your mission...
central to who you are...
[for students, parents, & alumni,] the essence of the experience..."
www.chronicle.com/article/why-...

#highereducation #instructionaldesign

Opinion | Why Your University Has So Many Administrators

Great teaching is expensive, but back-office functions should be getting cheaper. Why aren’t they?

www.chronicle.com

February 7, 2026 at 9:42 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

"Wozniak stressed the importance of #learning for learning's sake."
stanforddaily.com/2026/02/05/w...

#highereducation #highered #STEM #STEMeducation

Wozniak urges students to pursue technology for its own sake

On Monday, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Ethan Song ’28 sat down in conversation about becoming an inventor and the value of a college education.

stanforddaily.com

February 5, 2026 at 11:53 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#AI & #democracy
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

Note noncorporate AI option, e.g., Switzerland.

#citizenship #civicengagement #politics #civiceducation #civicseducation #publicinteresttechnology #publicinteresttech #civictech #artificialintelligence #AIethics

What if we used AI to strengthen democracy? — Harvard Gazette

Technology doesn't have to be used as a tool for surveillance, control, and propaganda, says cybersecurity expert.

news.harvard.edu

February 5, 2026 at 11:29 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

The "practical #PhD"
in #China
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

"two supervisors...one w/an academic background, the other w/solid practical experience...a panel comprising both scholars & practising #engineers"

#highereducation #gradschool #PhDchat #PhDforum #STEM #STEMeducation #engineering

First ‘practical PhDs’ awarded in China — for products rather than papers

The programme is designed to train more elite engineers who can help to boost the country’s innovation.

www.nature.com

February 5, 2026 at 11:03 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#Opendata and #datarescue
www.datarescueproject.org/data-rescue-...

#publicinteresttechnology #publicinteresttech #civictech #datascience

Data Rescue Projects receives support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support data rescue efforts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Since launching in February 2025, the Data Rescue Project has grown substantially. At this point, the DRP has enabled the rescue of more than 1,000 datasets from US Federal webs...

www.datarescueproject.org

February 5, 2026 at 5:33 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#Civiceducation –
Upcoming hybrid event
UVA Digital Technology for #Democracy Lab
dtdlab.virginia.edu/event/digita...

#civicengagement #civicseducation #publicinterestechnology #publicinteresttech #civictech #highereducation #highered #Virginia

Digital Democracy from Below - DTD Lab

dtdlab.virginia.edu

February 4, 2026 at 10:16 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#Highered – #onlinelearning:
MIT's new
"Universal Learning:
cross-disciplinary education to address the world's most pressing challenges"
openlearning.mit.edu/news/perspec...

Note:
Universal #AI, spring 2026.

#highereducation #instructionaldesign #interdisciplinarity #artificialintelligence #MIT

February 4, 2026 at 9:26 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

From #SouthSudan to #Stanford.
Building a school in South Sudan –
"a beacon of hope, proof that people from all around the world can create change to help those in need"
stanforddaily.com/2026/02/03/k...

#education #K12 #highereducation #internationaleducation #socialentrepreneurship

Kuot Kiir once walked hours to school. Now he is building one.

Shaped by the educational barriers he faced growing up, Kuot Kiir ’27 founded the Akeer Foundation to build a school in his South Sudanese village. What began as an informal effort among friends has s...

stanforddaily.com

February 3, 2026 at 10:53 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#AI in #education –
"actionable insights, ready-to-use tools, and clear next steps"
(video 55:50 w/transcript)
www.aiforeducation.io/from-researc...

#K12 #highereducation #instructionaldesign #edtech #artificialintelligence #Stanford

From Research to Practice: Insights from Stanford’s Work on AI in Education Webinar — AI for Education

Join AI for Education and members of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning team for an insight-rich session on what's happening with AI in education today. We explored how their work is helping system...

www.aiforeducation.io

February 3, 2026 at 10:23 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#Highered –
#internationaleducation
and #Mexico
www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?sto...

"...one of the reasons the US is the nation we are today is because of the students we have been able to attract from all over the world...the innovation ecosystem...."

#academia #highereducation

Mexico emerging as popular market for US universities

Mexico is becoming an increasingly popular market for US universities seeking to diversify their international student intake – at the same time as ...

www.universityworldnews.com

February 3, 2026 at 8:38 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

"...how #storytelling can open young readers' eyes to the possibilities of #science"
magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/doc...

#STEM #medicine #sciencecommunication #scicomm #scicom #childrensliterature #Harvard

Doctors Find Their Voices as Authors of Children’s Books

magazine.hms.harvard.edu

February 3, 2026 at 7:19 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

"Beyond the Build:
Empowering Creative Problem Solvers" –
upcoming conference
for #K12 educators
at UMW in #Virginia
www.umw.edu/news/2026/02...

#highereducation #STEMeducation #instructionaldesign #experientiallearning #projectbasedlearing #makermindset #makerspace

UMW’s Makerspace Mindset Conference Empowers Educators to Fuel the Future of Learning

For University of Mary Washington junior Jamie Sherman, a sign on the Seacobeck Hall Makerspace door says it all. “It reminds students to make mistakes and think about things before trying again,” sai...

www.umw.edu

February 3, 2026 at 6:34 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#AI in #highered –
Learnvia's AI-enabled courseware for gateway courses
at #CarnegieMellon
triblive.com/local/region...

"...will not replace faculty instruction but, rather, complement it"

#highereducation #learningsciences #instructionaldesign #edtech #artificialintelligence

CMU to launch AI platform designed to assist students in introductory courses

Some area college students can boost their studies with a Carnegie Mellon University initiative that uses artificial intelligence to improve learning in introductory courses. The $55 million investmen...

triblive.com

February 3, 2026 at 5:20 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

"...exploring the potential of #AI in #HigherEd classrooms.... –
upcoming conference
aiforall.ucf.edu/teachwithai/

#highereducation #K12 #instructionaldesign #edtech #artificialintelligence #futureofwork

February 3, 2026 at 3:06 PM

Doug Richmond, PhD

@drphd2k7.bsky.social

#Civiceducation, #civicengagement –
$10M for the #humanities
www.macfound.org/press/press-...

"The humanities are essential to a healthy, multicultural #democracy. They help us understand one another, deepen #empathy, and preserve the stories that shape who we are."

#civicseducation #diversity