During the previous academic year, the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) launced a new initative to support student research to travel to attend and present at conferences. The SLIS Student Travel award (SSTA) is avaliable for all current undergraduates and graduate students to apply for who are compelting a degree program in our School.
I am sincerely grateful for the SSTA travel support that enabled me to attend the ASIS&T Annual Conference in the Washington, DC area. This opportunity was both professionally transformative and personally enriching. During the conference, I participated in a variety of research talks and panel discussions focused on artificial intelligence and its applications in information science and related fields. Hearing diverse perspectives, from academic researchers, industry professionals, and fellow doctoral students, broadened my understanding of current debates surrounding AI, including its methodological, ethical, and practical implications. The sessions provided valuable insights that directly inform my research interests in human-AI interaction. One of the most impactful outcomes of this trip was the opportunity to network extensively. I connected with PhD students from other institutions, senior scholars, and researchers working in industry. These conversations led to meaningful professional relationships, many of which we have continued through LinkedIn and follow-up discussions. Importantly, through these connections, I became involved in a Special Interest Group (SIG) focused on AI. I was honored to be selected to serve as Treasurer for the upcoming year, a leadership role that will allow me to contribute to the community while gaining valuable professional service experience.
A major highlight of the conference was presenting our collaborative research. Alongside my advisors, Drs Liu and Jung, and fellow PhD student Harun Karahan, we formed a research team investigating the role of generative AI in children’s informal STEM learning. Harun and I presented our poster titled “Empowering Children’s Maker-Based STEM Learning through Generative AI in Public Libraries.” The poster generated engaging discussions with conference attendees, including scholars and practitioners interested in AI-supported learning environments.
Presenting this work allowed me to refine how I communicate our research contributions and receive valuable feedback that will inform the next phase of the project. Beyond the formal sessions, the conference fostered an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere. A memorable highlight was a karaoke social evening where attendees shared songs from their cultures, creating a warm and welcoming environment that celebrated diversity within the research community. Experiences like this strengthened both professional bonds and personal connections.
Not only did this opportunity support my professional development, but it also allowed my peers and me to explore the Washington, DC area. We visited landmarks such as the Library of Congress, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol, and the Smithsonian museums. Overall, attending ASIS&T significantly expanded my academic network, deepened my engagement with ongoing AI research discussions, and opened leadership opportunities within the field. I am truly thankful for the department’s support, as this experience will continue to benefit my professional development in the coming year.
Hello! I am Burgandy King, a third semester SLIS MLIS student at OU. This past October 23rd through 25th, I was able to attend the Arizona Library Association conference in Tucson, AZ. It was two days of break-out sessions, collaboration, networking, and expanding horizons. I was encouraged by Jessica Salow, the director of the Black Collection and Community Driven Archives as Arizona State University. I also visited the Hayden Library in January to tour the Hayden Library that houses those and other archives at ASU. Keynote speaker, Lydia Otero, from Tucson, AZ, spoke on the importance of community driven archives for keeping the memories and stories alive as gentrification erases the communities of suppressed voices and minorities, especially those of LGBTQIA+ communities.
This speaks true as we reach a tumultuous time in American history. Every voice deserves to be heard. The conference was an amazing opportunity to meet and talk with other LIS students and professional librarians and archivists. As collaboration and networking are a key foundation to strengthening our libraries and archives, it was impressive to see so many professionals gather to discuss how they and their institutions can continue to support Arizonians. Arizona currently sits at the lower end of literacy for residents in the United States. Finding paths to battle the literacy rate is a passion for Arizonian libraries. Attending your states library conference is significant as a student to network, volunteer, and get a realistic view of the status of libraries and archives. As trends change and technology grows, libraries and archives must stay relevant and accessible for the patrons so that our society may grow and change with empathy. I look forward to going this year to experience and gain more knowledge and wisdom.
Ziyang Xu, a Ph.D. student, participated in the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T). During the SIG-AI Symposium, Xu presented his work-in-progress project,“Responsible AI Integration in Research: Exploring Researchers’ Information Behaviors and Ethical Decision-Making.” He also delivered a paper titled “Disciplinary Diversity in Academic AI Adoption: A Comparative Analysis of AI Tool Usage Declarations Across Scientific Fields.” ASIS&T paper.
The ASIS&T Annual Meeting is a highly regarded conference in the field of information science, and it is competitive, with a long-paper acceptance rate of 33% this year.
