A New York school district made global headlines this week for plans to trial a humanoid robot named “Sally” in high school classrooms. Sally has lifelike silicone skin, long brown hair, and the ability to move her arms, head, and face while seated. According to the manufacturer, she uses “natural conversation, facial expressions and real-time interaction”. She is […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
A lifelike robot called ‘Sally’ was going to teach in a US school. It’s not as weird as it sounds
Managing your research project
For us, a research project is any activity that involves at least one research task. It could be something small, like a literature review, some interviews or a quick online survey. Or it might be a bigger project like developing a new artifact, program, intervention or product. Research happens in every academic discipline: science, humanities, […] … learn more→
Can robots doubt themselves? This is robotic cognition today.
For a conversational AI, a chair might be a word, a definition, or an image. For a robot, a chair is an obstacle to avoid, an object to move, a surface on which someone can sit. We analyzed 40 scientific studies published in the last ten years on cognitive robotics and human-robot interaction, and the […] … learn more→
Even the government agrees Job‑ready Graduates has failed. Here’s what should replace it
By 2027, just under one third of Australian university students will be paying more than A$18,000 for a single year of full-time study. This makes a standard three-year arts degree at this rate more than $54,000, compared with a nursing degree, which will be less than $15,000. The discrepancy is a result of the Morrison government’s Job-ready Graduates […] … learn more→
How UCAT Tutoring can help you boost your score in less time
Preparing for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) can be one of the most demanding parts of applying for medicine, dentistry, and other healthcare-related university courses in Australia. With strict time limits, unique question formats, and intense competition, many students find that simply studying harder is not enough. Instead, studying smarter through professional ucat tutoring […] … learn more→
A new ‘golden age’ of mathematics may be dawning — thanks to AI and human ingenuity
In May 2026, OpenAI released a new math result that sent shock waves throughout the world of mathematical research. A major unsolved problem called the “unit distance conjecture” had just been resolved by generative AI. Since then, there has been a steady drumbeat of new results that either partially or completely leverage artificial intelligence to solve research-level mathematics problems. […] … learn more→
College professors face an emerging challenge: We know students are no longer reading entire books
Anyone who has spent time on a college campus lately has probably heard laments from faculty about their students’ reading habits, or rather nonreading habits. Such complaints are more than an unfounded nostalgia for a bygone age. Reading – not just any kind of reading, but reading long, complex, challenging books – is quickly vanishing from the American […] … learn more→
New Trump administration rules on federal science funding could make American research slower, costlier and harder to share
Most Americans don’t read the rules that govern the federal grants funding science. Those rules, called the Uniform Guidance, shape how cancer research is funded, graduate students are trained, clinical trials are sustained, universities stock their labs and discoveries from those labs move into broader society. When the Trump administration announced on May 29, 2026, its […] … learn more→
Is there really a global loneliness epidemic? Research reveals a more complex picture
Few human experiences are as universal – or as poorly understood – as loneliness. More than just a blue feeling and the inspiration for countless songs, it’s linked to poorer wellbeing, worse mental and physical health and a higher risk of early death. Even in the age of social media, we hear of loneliness being on the rise everywhere – to the extent […] … learn more→
Inequality in learning, data protection and assessment criteria: the three ethical dilemmas of AI in the classroom
Artificial intelligence is already in university classrooms: many professors use these tools to prepare classes, design activities, and answer questions. They are also used to write student papers. Every day, this use involves making decisions that are not only technical but also ethical, and that affect large groups of people with very different backgrounds. Several […] … learn more→
