FROM THE NEST | SPRING 2026 | 19 FACULTY While Lehigh’s R1 research status and Inspiring the Future Makers strategy are common topics President Joseph J. Helble ’82 hears in the community and while meeting alumni around the world, one subject, he said, finds its way into every conversation: AI. “How are our students using it?” Helble said he’s asked, helping to kick off the Inclusive Excellence in Teaching, Student Success & Belonging Workshop Jan. 15 in Iacocca Hall’s Wood Dining Room. “How do we make sure our students are prepared to use it ethically, thoughtfully, responsibly and accurately as a tool when they leave Lehigh and begin their working lives?” Helble’s remarks set the stage for the all-day workshop, which followed the theme “Learning from Peers to Help Shape How We Move Forward in Advancing Student Success and Community of Belonging.” With more than 100 registered staff and faculty, and business leaders joining both in-person and via Zoom for panel presentations, AI was at the forefront of the conversation for much of the day. Student Perspective A highlight of the morning was the first of two student panels, featuring eight undergraduates with a range of majors. Their presentation centered around a fictional, undecided first-year student “Joe” and a typical evening of studying, researching and applying for internships. “He knows that AI is changing the world around him,” Nathan Balderas ’27, an Industrial Systems Engineering and Integrated Business and Engineering Finance student, said. “And he wants to be ready to use AI, not only in the classroom and in his coursework, but also in the real world as he starts his professional development journey.” WACHS ELECTED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING Israel E. Wachs, the G. Whitney Snyder Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Wachs was recognized “for establishing fundamental structure-activity/selectivity rules governing molecular engineering of mixed oxide catalysts” that guide the rational design of solid catalysts (materials that accelerate and control chemical reactions) for air pollution remediation, sustainable energy, fuels, chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Membership in the NAE honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education, as well as those who have pioneered new and emerging technological fields. Wachs has earned international recognition for his research spanning both the fundamental and applied dimensions of solid-based catalysis. He is known for pioneering work in operando molecular spectroscopy, which has allowed establishing fundamental structure-activity/selectivity relationships for mixed oxide catalysts. Throughout the presentation, the students stressed ethical ways students can use AI to assist their work—not do the work for them—and emphasized the need for faculty to understand and adapt to students’ use of AI. They also offered advice on how faculty can approach the use of AI with students. A panel of seven faculty members responded to the student panel, with Vassie Ware, professor of molecular biology, among the most impressed. “I’ve been transformed because I am very skeptical of how it is that we can incorporate AI and not lose the concept of critical thinking,” Ware said. “I’m amazed that I could be transformed to the degree that I was today. … I mean, I’m still skeptical, but I am saying that I’m excited about the idea that the students brought forward.” The workshop began with a panel of corporate executives—many of them Lehigh alumni—who discussed, among other topics, how AI is already integrated into their respective industries and advice for professors.—Stephen Gross ON CAMPUS ‘I’ve Been Transformed’ The Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Workshop featured panels focused on AI and composed of business leaders, faculty and students. “I’VE BEEN TRANSFORMED BECAUSE I AM VERY SKEPTICAL OF HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE AI AND NOT LOSE THE CONCEPT OF CRITICAL THINKING.” —Vassie Ware, professor of molecular biology CHRISTA NEU
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