June 2025
June 2025
Listen to my talk from the 19th International Pragmatics Conference (22-27 June 2025, University of Queensland in Brisbane), where I explore how language use in AI prompting is shaped by—and reshapes—our understanding of pragmatics in educational contexts.
Pragmatics, the study of how meaning is constructed through context, intention, and interaction, offers critical insight into how learners and educators engage with AI systems. This work examines the evolving role of pragmatic competence in AI-assisted learning environments and its implications for both teaching practices and digital agency.
Thanks to all those who attended my session: Oral Corpus pragmatics (Room 78-222); presented remotely from the Advanced Learning Technologies Lab, Amherst, MA.
June 2025
After years of research, reflection, and collaboration, I have officially completed my Ph.D. in Education Technology and Learning Sciences. I am deeply grateful to my mentors, colleagues, students, and community who shaped this journey. As I look ahead, I carry this work forward with renewed purpose—to build meaningful, equitable, and imaginative learning futures.
April 2025
An Open Experiment in Multimodal Teaching & Learning, Technology, and Culture
What is Culture?
Produced using GPT-4o for lyrics with Flesch early reading levels. Produced by Sai Gattupalli, Ph.D.
What is Physics? Introductory educational music video for children.
What is Biology? Fun music lyrical video for kids.
Music has long been used to teach literature and language—but what if we applied it to STEAM and cultural studies?
In these educational videos, I explore the concept of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) topics through a fusion of multimodal AI and early reading level lyrics, with "human-in-the-loop" for accuracy and subject matter relevancy. I employ the Flesch-Kincaid Readability metric in every video, with a hope to make STEAM topics engaging for young learners.
As part of the Equations & Echoes STEM curiosity Youtube Kids project, this piece serves as an open educational resource (OER)—showcasing how educators and learners alike can bend technology creatively to support meaningful, multimodal instruction.
Rooted in philosophy and designed with music-integrated pedagogy in mind, these videos are ideal for classrooms exploring STEM, cultural studies, digital humanities, or the ethical use of AI in 21st-century education.
Read more on my blog. For media inquiries and workshops, reach out to me. See contact details in the footer of this website.
April 2025
April 9, 2025
Carney Auditorium, College of Education, UMass Amherst
I'm deeply humbled and honored to have been awarded the Dr. Florence Sullivan Memorial Scholarship, named after an exceptional educator whose legacy profoundly influences my academic and professional journey. It's a privilege to stand among the more than 50 remarkable scholars recognized this year by the UMass Amherst College of Education.
April 2025
I'm excited to announce that my paper has been accepted for presentation at the IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT) 2025. This research introduces SHIELD, a novel framework for using on-device AI to expand access to computing education in contexts with limited or no internet connectivity. By centering equity, data privacy, and culturally responsive pedagogy, this work explores how offline AI systems can empower underserved learners and reshape the digital divide in education.
This is my second time presenting at the International Conference of Advanced Learning Technologies. More details to come.
Full schedule to be announced: https://tc.computer.org/tclt/icalt-2025/
February 2025
As part of my ongoing research at the Advanced Learning Technologies Lab, I am actively exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, cultural expression, and creative pedagogy. I am engaging in multimodal side projects that integrate STEM education with music, language, and the arts, with the aim of critically examining how hybrid intelligence is reshaping the landscape of storytelling, cultural transmission, and educational practice.
I am currently operating three YouTube channels—one educational and two entertainment-focused—as part of a broader effort to inspire, motivate, preserve, and innovate within the fields of education, culture, language, and the arts. These channels are functioning as living laboratories, where I investigate how AI-generated content can both honor and evolve cultural and educational narratives.
I compose lyrics and music using frontier AI models, curate visuals from free and ethically sourced media platforms such as Pexels and Unsplash, and perform video editing and post-production in DaVinci Resolve. I review all videos carefully, frame-by-frame, before publishing on the appropriate Youtube channels.
I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed making them.
September 2024
In collaboration with the College of Education at UMass, the Global Climate Association, and Zilla Parishad High School Bikhnoor, we are hosting the Vigyan Chitra 2024 STEM Fair. We invite young learners to become thinkers and scientists by demonstrating natural phenomena using eco-friendly materials.
Read more. Image credits: Ramchander Rao Garu, School Principal.
April-May 2024
Congratulations to all the winners and participants. In collaboration with my partner Dr. Poulomi Chakravarty.
Read more on TC 2024 website, UMass Amherst coverage, and local news piece from Aurangabad city, India.
May 2024
Captured here is an inspiring gathering at the MassCUE Spring Conference 2024 with my brilliant colleagues from the UMass Amherst College of Education. We had the privilege of presenting our research through engaging Ed Talks and Innovation Fairs, each session highlighting our department's contributions to educational practices. Proud to be part of this dynamic team making strides in education research.
L to R: Sharon Edwards, Robert Maloy, Torrey Trust, Sai Gattupalli, and Aubrey Coyne. Picture taken: 5/31/2024.
January 2024
Congratulations to all the winners. In collaboration with my partner Dr. Poulomi Chakravarty.
UMass Amherst coverage, and local news piece from Telangana state, India.
August 2023
Click image to see full BERK12 slide deck, or click here
Are you a student, teaching faculty or staff at the Five Colleges?
Explore the exciting world of data science with us by joining our NSDC chapter, here: https://nebigdatahub.org/nsdc/nsdc-chapters/nsdc-chapter-university-of-massachusetts-amherst/
University of Massachusetts Amherst National Student Data Corps (NSDC) Chapter launches with a vision to educate, promote, and encourage participation in data science, under a broader computational literacy initiative. Screenshot showing the NSDC UMass Amherst page, which is maintained and developed by Emily Rothenberg from Columbia University. Read more.
Reconnecting with my high school teacher Mr. Kalyan after 23 years. His enduring influence continues to inspire my journey in education. A heartfelt tribute to a mentor who profoundly shaped my academic path.
Recordings from the NSF PAL workshop, held online in October, 2022.