Events 

Dr. Divya S served as an invited expert panelist at BGSU's Annual Public Health Symposium, contributing perspectives on human-machine communication and AI-mediated health tools. She addressed opportunities and risks of AI, cautioning against siloed use of AI health tools and framing AI interaction as a rehearsal space for calibrating human connection. Livestream available.

Dr. Divya S was featured in local news coverage of BGSU's 26th Annual Public Health Symposium, where she spoke as an expert panelist on AI, human-machine communication, and shared perspective on how AI is changing the way we live! Watch here

Guided by faculty advisor Dr. Divya S, undergraduate honors students Tyler Perez and Rachel Thomas presented their ongoing research at the intersection of communication and aviation. Tyler’s project, “Communication Privacy Management for Healthcare Disclosure: Implications for FAA Medical Reporting and Pilot Health Behavior,” explores how privacy boundaries shape pilots’ health disclosures within regulatory contexts. Rachel’s project, “Communication Accommodation Theory in the Modern Day: Code-Switching and the Plight of Black Pilots,” examines how identity and communication practices intersect in contemporary aviation spaces.Excellent work by both students—proud of their thoughtful and impactful research!

Dr. Divya S delivered a keynote address to graduate students on building a research identity and navigating the academic job market with intention. Challenged early scholars to move beyond broad research interests toward a defined scholarly contribution, and reframed the job market as a space of alignment rather than rejection.

Dr. Divya S., Director of the Interface Lab and Assistant Professor of Communication at Bowling Green State University, delivered an invited talk titled “Designing the Human in the Age of AI: A Communication Perspective” as part of the AIxHealth Virtual Seminar Series on February 12, 2026. The presentation examined artificial intelligence not simply as a technological advancement, but as a communicative force reshaping how individuals seek information, establish trust, form relationships, and make decisions. This invited presentation reflects the Interface Lab’s broader mission to investigate the human dimensions of AI and to advance research that bridges communication, technology, and social impact. 

https://www.aixhealth.info/virtual-seminar-series 

Interface Lab will participate in an upcoming October event hosted by the Institute for the Study of Culture and Society focused on data centers and their social, environmental, and cultural impacts. As part of this event, the lab will convene a graduate student panel showcasing work from our photovoice and poetic inquiry project, which explores how data centers are experienced and interpreted in everyday life.The panel will feature visual and poetic narratives that foreground lived experience, place, and meaning-making around digital infrastructure. Additional details about the event schedule, panelists, and format will be shared closer to the date.

Interface Lab Manager, Ruth Yeboah, will be presenting a poster at the Miami XR Conference showcasing our research on VR- and AI–supported public speaking for non-native English speakers and anticipated findings. The poster examines how immersive VR environments and AI-driven feedback shape communication confidence, anxiety, and learning in public speaking contexts.

As an invited speaker for the University at Buffalo Brown Bag Colloquium Series, Dr. Divya S. will share an overview of the Interface Lab and discuss ongoing research projects exploring human–machine communication. The talk will highlight the lab’s work across AI, immersive technologies, health communication, and ethical design, with a focus on what happens when humans and machines connect. More details about the talk and schedule will be shared closer to the event.

Dr. Divya S guest lectured for Paleography 4812 with a session titled “History in the Age of AI: Preserving Human Judgment in Human–Machine Collaboration.” The lecture explored how artificial intelligence is transforming historical research while emphasizing the continued importance of human judgment, ethical responsibility, and critical interpretation within the human–AI loop.