The Brief »

By: Sera Linardi, PhD | Lead, Participatory Knowledge Systems, Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership

The Participatory Knowledge Systems project brings together researchers, practitioners, students, and community partners working at the intersection of data, experiential learning, and community engagement, exploring how community knowledge becomes learning, research, and public action in a data- and AI-intensive world. The group asks how academic institutions can reimagine knowledge production as something created with communities rather than about them, and what structures and practices help connect data to lived experience, public trust, and community impact. If you'd like to share your group's experience with experiential learning and data science, and how the University could support your goals, please fill out this brief three-question survey — we'll reach out to loop you in.

This spring, graduate students in the School of Public and International Affairs participated in PIA 2096: R Data Visualization for Public Policy presented their capstone projects on waste management in a fragmented government landscape, developed for community partner CONNECT with input from regional stakeholders including the Southwest PA Municipal Project Hub, the Pennsylvania Resource Council, and several municipal and council-of-governments leaders. Students built nine interactive apps now live online, tackling questions from what municipalities recycle and who's leaving state recycling grants unclaimed, to cross-county cost comparisons and where future landfill and automated-pickup infrastructure could go. The April 23, 2026, final presentations paired student demos with guest and instructor discussion, reflecting the course's model of community-engaged, experiential data science. 

Groups Around Campus »

• Western PA Regional Data Center (UCSUR) | Opens government/civic data to the public. Fall event: Community Impact Network Launch, Sept. 17.
• Community Engagement Centers (Homewood & Hill District) — Learn more | Neighborhood partnerships in Homewood, the Hill District, and Hazelwood. See Pitt calendar for events.
• School of Public Health — Applied Practice Experience | 200+ hour MPH practicums, often with Allegheny County Health Dept. via the Summer Institute.
• School of Education / LRDC | Science-of-learning research hub. Fall talks via Cross Talk and Colloquium series.
• Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation | Sustainability research and education. No fall dates posted yet — check its calendar.
• David C. Frederick Honors College | Undergraduate honors college and Bachelor of Philosophy degree. Events on its Localist calendar.
• School of Computing and Information — Experiential Learning
• School of Social Work — Practicum Education 
• School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences — Community Engagement 

Beyond Pitt »

What We're Noticing—Emerging Trends, Research, and Perspectives Sharing AI and Data Science

• Digital Education Council AI in Higher Education Global Survey 2026 — 45,398 responses across 35 countries: 88% of students now use AI in learning, 77% of faculty in teaching, but 57% of students say AI guidance on assessments is inadequate and only 31% of faculty feel meaningfully involved in shaping AI policy. Directly on-theme for HAIL's audience. (EdTech Innovation Hub)
• "Responsible AI Must Be Built In From The Start" — Sept. 3, 2026 research piece arguing social goals need to be embedded across the AI lifecycle, not bolted on after deployment. Fits HAIL's responsible-AI framing well. (Techxplore)
• University of Utah's One-U Responsible AI Initiative is accepting nominations (due Sept. 20) for its inaugural awards honoring faculty and grad students/postdocs advancing responsible AI — a peer-institution model worth watching. (U Research)
• "The Emphasis in Higher Ed Must Shift to What AI Can't Do" — Sept. 4, 2026 opinion piece arguing higher ed's future depends on cultivating judgment, agency, and human relationships AI can't replicate. Good discussion-starter piece. (Educational Technology and Change Journal)

Have articles you want to share with us for next time? Email them to us! 

What’s Next »

• Powering AI: Infrastructure, Innovation, and Regional Readiness — September 16, 2026 (8:30–11:30 a.m.) — Regional convening on AI infrastructure and readiness at 250 Forbes Avenue, Ste. 201.

• AI Horizons Pittsburgh 2026 — September 17–18, 2026 — Major regional AI summit at Bakery Square focused on healthcare, robotics, manufacturing, finance, and commercialization.
• AI Proposal Event — POSTPONED; new date TBA — Session for faculty developing AI, data science, or analytics program proposals. Please email HAIL@Pitt.edu if you are interested. 
• Server-Side Chats
  • Advisory Board — October 22, 2026 (4–5:30 p.m.) — First of the fall Server-Side Chats series, Posvar Hall, Room 2500.
  • Admins & Program Directors — November 5, 2026 (4–5:30 p.m.) — Second in the series, same location.
  • Student Orgs (+ End-of-Semester Party) — December 3, 2026 (4–6 p.m.) — Series finale plus the end-of-semester celebration, Posvar Hall, Room 2500.
• 2027 Data Science & AI Leadership Summit — April 5–7, 2027 — Invitation-only gathering of academic data science and AI leaders from across the U.S., hosted by HAIL in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh's Youth Climate Action Fund Is Open

The City of Pittsburgh is offering $1,000–$5,000 microgrants, backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, to youth-led teams (ages 15–24) tackling climate challenges — tree planting, waste reduction, transit, clean water, and more. Applications are open through October 2. Read program guidelines and application materials.

You are invited to attend to the annual Katz Lecture on International Development, given this year by Dr. Sarah Lister, Director of Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. Her talk is titled "Democracy Reprogrammed? Democratic Governance in the Age of AI" and scheduled for September 15, 1–2:30 p.m., at the University Club, Conference Room A.

Spotlights »

Welcome Back Party | Casual season-opener at Wesley W. Posvar Hall, Room 2500. Read this and other event recaps on the HAIL website News Page. 

• "Advice from the Board" Series

  • Meredith Mavero: Learn to Connect the Dots | The Hillman Family Foundations program officer on why the technical skills are the easy part, and connecting the dots after is what's hard.
  • Sundeep Tangirala: It's the Questions You Ask Back | The FNB Director of Data Science on why domain knowledge beats chasing the newest model, and the questions that separate a technologist from someone who understands value.

• Recent Posts

  • September 7, 2026 — EAAMO Reflections: Emily Durning | A HAIL student on the "small wins" theme that emerged from the Social Indicators makerspace group at the Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanics, and Optimization conference.
  • September 7, 2026 — EAAMO Reflections: Emily Part 2 - Small Wins | Picking the thread back up: how the group's discussion of small wins evolved on the conference's final day, and what it means to "decode" the impact of unexpected progress.
  • August 26, 2026 — University of Pittsburgh's Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership Announces Expanded Leadership Team | Michael Colaresi steps in as HAIL's inaugural director as the hub expands its leadership structure to advance responsible, human-centered AI and data science across campus.
  • August 24, 2026 — Inside the Pitt AI Academy: A Conversation with Dr. Mohammad Alexanderani | A video conversation exploring how the Pitt AI Academy is shaping AI teaching and learning on campus.
  • August 24, 2026 — AI Teaching Field Notes: Maureen Gallagher | In her Professional Uses of Social Media course, Professor Gallagher asks students to make a real decision about generative AI use — and shares what that assignment reveals.

Have an article, topic, or event you'd like us to spotlight? Tell us about it!