Acclaimed scholar will speak on AI, creativity, and the future of work in his free public talk, Thinking, Work, and Creativity in the Age of AI, on March 31 at 5:30 p.m. Open to students, faculty, staff, and the broader Little Rock community this event is part of the university鈥檚 ongoing commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue around the issues that matter most to our region and our world.

鈥淒r. Bowen is a dynamic, charismatic Renaissance man and a gifted speaker, so he is particularly well-suited to offer a public talk. We hope the community takes advantage of his visit and attends his talk,鈥� said Dr. Elisabeth Sherwin, Chair and Professor of the Department of Psychological Science.聽

While the public talk is a highlight, it鈥檚 just one part of a broader visit designed to engage the campus in meaningful, practical ways. Dr. Bowen will deliver four presentations focused on AI.

On Tuesday, March 31, he will lead a full-day workshop, sponsored by the Department of Psychological Science and the Marie Wilson Howells鈥� Endowment, co-sponsored by the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence (ATLE), and supported by the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education. The workshop will cover AI literacy, tools, prompting techniques, and practical strategies for designing AI-informed assignments, while addressing issues such as grading and academic integrity. That evening at 5:30 p.m., in the Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) auditorium, Dr. Bowen will give a public talk on how AI is transforming work, communication and human creativity. 

On Wednesday, April 1, Dr. Bowen will host a student session with the Student Government Association (SGA), on thriving in an AI-driven world, then conclude with a second workshop on redesigning online courses for the age of AI, covering strategies to improve learning, support academic integrity and integrate custom AI tools.

For Sherwin, who helped organize the visit, bringing Dr. Bowen to campus is a natural expression of what Trojans do 鈥� trying new approaches, forging unique partnerships and seeking creative solutions.

鈥淲e are 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, that means we are part of the greater Little Rock metropolitan community,鈥� Sherwin said. 鈥淭o the Department of Psychological Science, that means that what we do should benefit the communities of which we are part, whether our students, faculty and staff or the larger public. In this instance, it includes a public-facing opportunity with speakers we invite. This maximizes impact and provides insight into the issues we engage with, which have recently included wrestling with the current disruptor 鈥� artificial intelligence.鈥�

Bowen鈥檚 visit is one of several efforts the Department of Psychological Science has led to help campus and the broader community grapple with AI鈥檚 growing impact. Events like this public talk extend that work beyond campus walls, inviting the broader community to think critically and creatively alongside the campus. This talk is free and open to the public. At 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, we believe that when our community learns together, everyone moves forward. Visit the event page for full event details, including date, time, and location.

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Praveshika Bhandari, a researcher from Nepal pursuing a doctorate in computer science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is using artificial intelligence and natural language processing 鈥� a field that enables computers to analyze and interpret human language 鈥� to explore that question. By analyzing Albert Einstein鈥檚 personal writings alongside his scientific work, her research traces the often-hidden emotional roots of innovation.

Her research sits at the intersection of two long-standing interests. Along with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science, she also holds a degree in psychology. She said she has long been fascinated by how people think, feel and make decisions.

Bhandari鈥檚 work uses AI to examine how emotions and social relationships influence intellectual work. Her goal is to better understand how emotions connect to creativity and intellect and how social influences shape research outcomes. Scientific publications tend to present ideas in polished, emotionless terms, but private correspondence and personal writings often tell a different story. Her central question is how emotional states and social context influence the direction and outcomes of scientific research.

鈥淪ay there鈥檚 a scientist and he has publications, but also has personal letters, emails and other writings,鈥� Bhandari said. 鈥淭he publications are edited down to only the facts, but when the scientist talks about the same research topics in their letters, we are able to see what the scientist is feeling and where they are aiming to go with the research next.鈥�

Bhandari uses Einstein as her case study to examine how personal experiences and emotion intersect with scientific innovation. He was chosen not only for his scientific legacy but also for the extensive personal writings he left behind and the complexity of his life beyond his work. While he is often viewed only through the lens of his genius, Einstein鈥檚 writings reflect a life shaped by migration, war and family challenges, including divorce. These experiences unfolded alongside his major intellectual contributions, making his letters a rich source for studying how creativity persists through emotional highs and lows.

鈥淚t was really interesting to see the ways he was thinking about different things,鈥� Bhandari said. 鈥淗e was still able to make all these genius contributions while having all the ups and downs of normal human life.鈥�

The project began as an idea developed by Dr. Arya Basu during his earlier work at Emory University, where he explored how AI could reveal the emotional and social context behind scientific discovery. After bringing that line of inquiry to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Basu became Bhandari鈥檚 primary doctoral adviser, working with her to shape the concept into a feasible research design. Dr. Jan Springer served as a secondary adviser, offering feedback as the study took form.

In the early stages of the research, Bhandari examined whether similar methods could identify signals of suicidal ideation in social media posts. However, privacy concerns and limited access to data made that approach impractical. Basu then suggested applying the techniques to Einstein鈥檚 publicly available writings, allowing the project to move forward using a rich archival record without the same ethical constraints.

Using a technique known as context-aware emotion modeling, Bhandari feeds AI models both Einstein鈥檚 personal letters and his scientific writings to analyze emotional patterns over time. The approach allows the system to account for what was happening in Einstein鈥檚 personal life as well as his professional work. By grouping his writings around subjects such as relativity or gravity, the model can identify whether Einstein expressed frustration, excitement or optimism as his ideas evolved. One pattern shows rising frustration before major publications, followed by an increase in positive emotions after his work was published.

Bhandari鈥檚 findings highlight the role emotions play in intellectual creativity.

鈥淓motion shapes everything we do every day in our lives,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven in science, the way you feel about a problem can shape how you approach it. Emotions matter and impact your work. By studying how great people achieve great things, we can learn lessons that may help us in our own work and creativity.鈥�

Bhandari is working to automate the process through machine learning so it can be applied beyond Einstein. Her goal is to better understand how people think, whether they are renowned figures or everyday individuals.

鈥淲e want to see the lessons hidden behind how anyone thinks or creates,鈥� she said.

Her work is not limited to scientists. The same techniques could be applied to artists, athletes or anyone engaged in creative work. She also plans to expand her analysis beyond text to include images, paintings and handwriting in an effort to better understand the hidden processes of the human mind.

Bhandari said the significance of her research lies in addressing an underdeveloped area of study: the relationship between human emotion and professional life. While therapists will always play a central role, she said AI tools could one day complement human care by helping identify emotional patterns earlier or by offering additional analytical insight.

The project extends beyond her dissertation, and she plans to continue the work after graduating.

鈥淚鈥檓 really fascinated by machine learning and natural language models, but I鈥檓 also very interested in human emotions and what goes on within the mind,鈥� Bhandari said. 鈥淪o I hope to keep doing research in this interdisciplinary area where humans and computers can come together 鈥� not just meet, but complement one another.鈥�

As Bhandari prepares to graduate with her Ph.D. next semester, her work reflects the kind of interdisciplinary research underway at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. By examining the emotional lives behind scientific breakthroughs, her research challenges the idea of science as purely rational and detached, suggesting instead that creativity, persistence and discovery are deeply human processes shaped by emotion as much as intellect.

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