Three AUMTeach students earn recognition at 2026 UTeach conference
Three Auburn University at Montgomery students showcased their research and classroom experience at the 2026 UTeach STEM Educators Conference in Austin, Texas.
As participants in AUMTeach, senior JaNiya Bevelle and sophomores Hannah Jones and Sara Kazi presented research posters at the national conference, which brings together faculty, staff, students, alumni and higher education leaders from 53 UTeach programs to highlight innovation and collaboration in STEM education.
The three-day conference featured the theme “Power and Purpose: Defining the Future of STEM Education.”
Kazi, an Honors student and chemistry major with a minor in STEM Education, earned first place for Best Program Exposition Poster for her research, “Digital Divide and Academic Integrity: AI and Inequality in Southern Education.”
Her research examined inequities within artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and policy in Southern school systems and how this gap in knowledge is widening existing educational disparities between Alabama students and their northern counterparts. The project also explored some of the issues that arise when education systems fail to respond in an expedited and adequate manner to rapidly evolving technology.
Kazi’s poster previously earned second place for best student poster at AUM’s Southern Studies Research Conference and was also presented at the Southern Regional Honors Council Conference.
“My research was inspired by my own experience in Montgomery’s public school system and the widening disparity she saw developing,” she said. “I firmly believe that AI has the potential to revolutionize education if it is utilized properly, but we must reach a certain standard of education before we are able to implement it in a way that will be beneficial rather than affecting already marginalized students in the South. AI should be supporting education, not replacing the critical thinking that learning demands.”
Through AUMTeach, Kazi hopes to continue exploring the intersection between chemistry and machine learning.
“I hope to combine my academic interests with my passion in a way that will be thoroughly beneficial to advancing education and research,” she said.
After graduation, Kazi plans to teach high school science before applying to medical school. Her career dream is to become an orthopedic surgeon.
Bevelle, a senior biology major, presented the poster, “Human Anatomy in Action: A Systems-Based Inquiry Project, ” highlighting lessons she planned and implemented during her student teaching field experience, focusing on topics related to anatomical structures and body systems.
Jones, a sophomore biology major, presented her poster, “Practicing With Peers: Mentoring Students while in UTeach,” to examine peer mentoring through AUM’s Experiential and Engagement Center and the Biology department’s “Flight School” program, highlighting positive outcomes for both student mentors and mentees.
AUMTeach is a STEM education minor that allows students majoring in biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science to earn teaching certification at the junior high and high school levels in their subject areas. AUMTeach funded the travel expenses for students to present their research at the national conference.
For more information about AUMTeach, contact Molly Belew Trammell at [email protected]. The introductory course for the program, FNDS 1010: Step One, is open for registration for fall 2026.
