Apply by April 1

Applications are open for the the 2026 Expanding the Methods of Education Researchers with Generative AI (EMERGai) Institute!

EMERGai is an NSF-funded professional development institute and program for early- and mid-career STEM education researchers.

The institute is intended to address a critical need in STEM education research by empowering early- and mid-career researchers employed at resource-limited colleges and universities to effectively and ethically leverage Generative AI tools and processes in their research workflow.

Workshop Details

The institute has two phases: a week-long in-person workshop in the summer, followed by an online community of practice during the academic year.

In-person workshop:

• When: Raleigh, NC on July 20–24, 2026. Participants should plan to arrive on July 19.
• What: The in-person workshop will follow a progressive structure that moves through the research lifecycle: from building foundational GenAI literacies as they apply to research contexts, to literature review and synthesis, to research methods and data collection, to data analysis, and finally to developing sustainable practices for continued learning.

Online community of practice:

• During the academic year, scholars will participate in virtual gatherings that extend what they learned in the workshop and receive support in completing their proposed project.
• Gatherings include webinars, facilitated discussions, collaborative exploration, and tool discovery — co-designed with participants based on the group’s needs and interests.

Scholars will propose a STEM education research project as part of their application. If selected, they are expected to attend the in-person workshop, fully participate in the online community of practice, and complete their proposed research project by May 2027.