EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Artificial Intelligence

This month, we’re focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), a topic that continues to capture attention everywhere. Here, you’ll find the latest research news, insights, and discoveries shaping how AI is being developed and used across the world.

AI framework improves 3D mapping of groundwater pollution and PFOA transport

Shenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Understanding how pollutants move underground is difficult because aquifers are far from uniform. Water can travel quickly through some zones and slowly through others, while most of these hidden structures cannot be directly observed. Researchers have now developed an artificial intelligence framework that can represent this three-dimensional complexity more efficiently and use monitoring data to improve predictions of PFOA movement in groundwater.

23-Sep-2026

Vanderbilt Health to lead nationwide initiative to improve outcomes for critically ill patients

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Grant and Award Announcement

Vanderbilt Health has been awarded a federal contract providing up to $11.2 million over five years to establish and operate a first-of-its-kind critical illness clinical trials acceleration platform aimed at improving outcomes for patients in the ICU.

Funder: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health

23-Sep-2026

Bar-Ilan University and Weizmann Institute researchers use computational design to engineer immune cells to fight cancer and viruses

Bar-Ilan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A joint team of researchers at Bar-Ilan University and the Weizmann Institute has used advanced computational design methods to enhance the ability of genetically engineered immune cells to recognize and attack cancer and viral targets.

Journal: Science Advances

23-Sep-2026

University of Phoenix study finds GenAI use among online adult learners associated with academic performance and technology confidence

University of Phoenix
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Phoenix scholars have published new peer-reviewed research examining how non-traditional undergraduate students use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in online higher education. The study found that more frequent GenAI use was significantly associated with higher academic performance and stronger confidence in technology skills, while lower confidence in reading, writing and math and greater time demands from work, study or family responsibilities did not significantly predict use. The article, “Strategic Integration or Skill Compensation? Understanding GenAI Use in Online Higher Education,” was published June 30, 2026, in Artificial Intelligence in Education, 2(1), 205–223. The research was conducted by fellows and scholars affiliated with the University’s Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR): Jessica Sylvester, EdD; Melinda Kulick, EdD; Leonidas Maganares, EdD; and Stella Smith, PhD, associate university research chair.

Journal: Artificial Intelligence in Education

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

Latest News Releases

AI framework improves 3D mapping of groundwater pollution and PFOA transport

Vanderbilt Health to lead nationwide initiative to improve outcomes for critically ill patients

Bar-Ilan University and Weizmann Institute researchers use computational design to engineer immune cells to fight cancer and viruses

University of Phoenix study finds GenAI use among online adult learners associated with academic performance and technology confidence

How ChatGPT served up false information before the 2024 election

Nine studies led by Mount Sinai investigators featured in coordinated collection of papers that map the molecular and cellular architecture of brain disorders

UCF researcher identifies 10 potential treatments for rare nerve tumor in children