New resident scholar, faculty fellows

The Tang Institute, Andover’s incubator for innovative education, is starting the year off strong with a new cohort of faculty fellows and a resident scholar focused on artificial Intelligence.

“I will primarily be working to support faculty in developing AI systems and approaches that are most helpful for their unique disciplines, thereby also helping our students,” said instructor in mathematics, statistics, and computer science Nick Zufelt. A former Tang Fellow, Zufelt will be the Tang’s resident scholar this academic year.

Zufelt is well placed for the new position. An early adopter of AI in his own classroom, Zufelt will explore how teachers and students can better identify human-developed content vs. machine-developed content and how AI is introduced appropriately at different grade levels. Additionally, he plans to create a common “footnote” system for teachers and students to clearly identify when and how AI has been used and to host lunch sessions throughout the year so that the entire Andover community is able to learn from one another.

“I’m excited for this new challenge,” Zufelt says.

Zufelt’s appointment comes after a busy summer. Eleven Tang Fellows spent time transforming promising ideas into classroom-ready projects, which will continue to be developed throughout the school year with regular feedback from colleagues and mentors. The 2026 fellowship follows a comprehensive review of the Tang Institute’s first decade.

After pausing in 2024 to assess and strengthen the program, organizers shifted from reducing teaching loads during the academic year to providing dedicated summertime space for deep work, collaboration, and experimentation.

“We received a lot of helpful feedback from previous fellows that informed the current program,” explains Eric Roland, interim Currie Family Director of the Tang Institute. “The summer opportunity provided unencumbered time to focus on project work, and we’re excited to see these ideas grow into action that will benefit both students and teachers.”

The revised format also brings fellows together for a shared period of focused work, creating space for projects to develop alongside one another.

Having participated in a Tang Fellowship nearly a decade ago, Joel Jacob, chair of mathematics, statistics, and computer science, says the new model is “ideal.

“We’re sitting around the table, talking through ideas and learning from each other,” says Jacob, whose project is focused on developing a curriculum and designing a summer seminar in mathematics and democracy. “Those conversations and brainstorms have been invaluable.”

Throughout the summer, faculty also learned from visiting experts in assessment, artificial intelligence, systems thinking, and project design while joining conversations with Academy leaders and fellow educators.

Launched in 2014, the Tang Institute builds on Andover’s long-standing commitment to educational innovation. Past fellows have explored projects ranging from the science of learning to digital teaching resources and strategies for creating more inclusive classrooms.

“The fellowship is an extension of the Academy’s mission to create meaningful support structures for students that build skills and confidence, and help them get where they need to go,” Jacob adds. “We’re building out ideas that we hope will have an impact long after the summer ends.”