FAU's Rising Star Paulina DeVito Wins Esteemed NSF Fellowship

Paulina DeVito, a Ph.D. candidate at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, has been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. This accolade, one of the most esteemed honors for graduate students in STEM fields, provides vital support to scholars pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees across the United States. The fellowship offers three years of financial backing over a five-year period, including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost-of-education allowance to the institution.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program aims to ensure the vitality and breadth of talent in the U.S. scientific and engineering workforce by recognizing individuals with exceptional promise for future contributions in research and innovation. DeVito expressed her gratitude, stating, “I am both honored and humbled to receive this fellowship. It not only affirms my commitment to advancing artificial intelligence and natural language processing research but also my deep passion for education in STEM.”

DeVito’s Academic Journey and Achievements

A graduate of A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School, DeVito, 22, embarked on her academic journey through FAU’s competitive dual enrollment program. By age 20, she had earned two bachelor’s degrees in computer science and computer engineering, graduating with the highest GPA in her class. Her academic accolades include the National Merit Scholarship and an Outstanding Leadership Award. She completed a master’s degree in computer science with a minor in AI in just one year, earning a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Now pursuing her Ph.D. in computer science, DeVito’s research focuses on developing large language model-based approaches for analyzing public discourse on social media. Her work compares these techniques to traditional natural language processing (NLP) methods to understand how people discuss emerging technologies, with recent applications exploring perspectives on generative AI (GAI) in education.

Impactful Research and Future Aspirations

Paulina DeVito’s research plan under the NSF fellowship builds upon her earlier work analyzing Reddit posts through NLP techniques, exploring public sentiment around GAI in education. Her new study expands the scope to include other social media platforms, where she will analyze content created by and for young women in STEM. She aims to extract and analyze themes, sentiments, and engagement metrics from posts with various hashtags such as #WomenInSTEM.

“My long-term goal is to become a professor and lead a research lab focused on advancing AI and natural language processing in education,” DeVito said. “I believe generative AI has the potential to enhance how we teach and learn, and I hope to contribute to its responsible development and meaningful application in education.”

Expert Opinions and Institutional Support

“Paulina is one of the most driven and forward-thinking researchers I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” said Hari Kalva, Ph.D., chair and professor at FAU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “Her work touches on an area of critical national importance: how to use AI to improve learning outcomes and enhance educational environments for a wider spectrum of students.”

DeVito began her research career as a research assistant on an NSF-funded project led by Kalva and Hanqi Zhuang, Ph.D., associate dean and professor at FAU. The study provided detailed analyses of how teachers and students discuss GAI in education on Reddit, analyzing nearly 15,000 posts and comments over six months in 2024.

“Paulina’s natural talent for research became apparent early on during our NSF-funded study, where she played a key role in analyzing how teachers and students discuss generative AI in education on Reddit,” said Zhuang.

By comparing teacher and student perspectives and employing advanced language models to identify key themes, DeVito’s research revealed significant issues such as educators’ reliance on flawed AI cheating detectors that often wrongfully accuse students, causing emotional distress. The findings have been shared at multiple academic events and a STEM research summit.

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI in Education

“Paulina’s academic accomplishments are extraordinary, but what truly sets her apart is her unwavering commitment to using research for meaningful social impact,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science. “She is a shining example of the kind of student we strive to cultivate at Florida Atlantic University.”

The NSF grant not only recognizes DeVito’s individual brilliance but also highlights the strength of FAU’s programs and the future of innovation emerging from the institution. As DeVito continues her groundbreaking work, her contributions are set to influence the future of educational technologies and strengthen STEM pathways.