Data Science & AI Lecture Series
Move Slow and Build Community
Sameer Honwad
Move Slow and Build Community
| When | Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (MT) |
|---|---|
| Where | WEB 3780 |
Abstract
Socio-emotional learning (SEL) and reflection are foundational components of quality education, yet they remain underrepresented in many school curricula. Reflection supports scientific thinking and inquiry, while SEL equips students with the emotional resilience needed to take risks, embrace failure, and navigate the uncertainties inherent in learning and innovation. Together, these competencies are essential not only for academic and professional growth, but for everyday wellbeing.Implementing SEL and reflective practices in rural India presents distinct challenges. Limited access to trained professionals and consistent resources is compounded by cultural stigma around openly discussing emotions, barriers that make it difficult for students to develop these critical skills in traditional school settings.
To address this gap, we designed a conversational chatbot tailored for students in rural India, providing a low-barrier, accessible space for daily reflection and emotional expression. Importantly, the chatbot is also designed to serve as a springboard for teachers to introduce concepts of AI literacy, enabling meaningful classroom conversations about how AI systems work, their limitations, and the ethical considerations surrounding their use. This presentation presents the co-design process behind the chatbot, highlighting the collaborative contributions of an interdisciplinary team comprising teachers, therapists, computer scientists, and learning scientists. The presentation discusses how this cross-disciplinary approach shaped a tool intended to help students engage with their socio-emotional selves and build a habit of reflective thinking in their daily lives.
Speaker
Sameer Honwad
Sameer Honwad, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences in the Department of Learning and Instruction at SUNY Buffalo. His research explores how technology can support learning in culturally diverse communities worldwide through participatory design approaches. At the heart of his work are long-term, trust-based partnerships with Indigenous communities in Idaho, rural and Indigenous communities in Bhutan and India, and urban communities in New Orleans. Rather than parachuting in with ready-made tools, Dr. Honwad co-designs technology-enhanced learning environments alongside teachers, parents, local leaders, and students, positioning community members as essential partners, not subjects of study. His current research examines how rural communities in South Asia make sense of and use artificial intelligence in everyday life. Grounded in participatory design-based research, Dr. Honwad centers communities that have historically faced systemic barriers to technology access due to class, race, gender, and caste. He has served as PI and Co-PI on multiple National Science Foundation (NSF) grants focused on designing technologies that help learners grapple with complex, real-world problems rooted in their own communities. Throughout his career he has taught courses that focus on how people learn within their cultures and the design of technology-enhanced learning environments that honor local knowledge, needs and aspirations. He is currently in the process of building a Global Design Studio that would be an interdisciplinary hub connecting scholars, students, and community members worldwide to think critically about AI and its role in everyday life.
Tags: education society & policy
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