RIT computing Ph.D. student earns prestigious SMART Scholarship

Cedric Bone, a Ph.D. student at Rochester Institute of Technology, wants to better understand how humans adapt to artificial intelligence (AI) systems. His research has led to a government scholarship award that fully funds his tuition and guarantees a research role upon graduation.

Bone earned the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, one of the most competitive STEM awards offered through the Department of War. The program operates on a service-for-scholarship model. For every year of degree funding, SMART Scholars commit to working an equal amount of time as a civilian employee.

After completing his doctorate in computing and information sciences, Bone is set to work with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

“Their investigators and research are top notch,” said Bone, who is from Williamsville, N.Y. “I think the research we’re going to conduct will definitely help with pilot wellness, especially related to cognitive load.”

Studying the cognitive load of AI on humans

At RIT, Bone conducts research in the Computational Linguistics and Speech Processing Lab. His human-computer interaction research explores how the design of AI interfaces directly impacts a user’s cognitive load and overall experience. Specifically, he examines open-ended large language model-based systems and the concept of entrainment—the phenomenon of how people and AI agents converge or diverge during their interactions.

“Right now, we don’t have good metrics for measuring entrainment in these interactions,” Bone said. “We want to know how to measure this, and ultimately how we can reduce cognitive load or increase it based on the context.”

To build these metrics, Bone conducts human-subject research where participants interact with AI systems while being monitored by biophysiological sensors. By using eye trackers and galvanic skin response monitors, he captures objective, physical indicators of mental strain. He then combines this raw data with participant questionnaires to comprehensively evaluate how different AI interfaces influence mental effort and perceived synchrony.

Earlier this summer, Bone was at RIT contributing to projects that help develop design guidelines for social robotics that better serve deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. He was collaborating with graduate students from Gallaudet University who came to RIT for the summer as part of Universal AI, a National Science Foundation-funded research traineeship program that involves a partnership with Gallaudet.

The SMART Scholarship will build on Bone’s previous experiences with the Air Force Research Laboratory. He has completed summer internships at the laboratory’s Rome, N.Y., location and at Wright-Patterson. Next summer, he will take part in another internship at the Ohio lab.

At Wright-Patterson, Bone expects that his research will focus on optimizing AI interfaces for pilots controlling autonomous vehicles. By designing more intuitive and responsive systems, his work aims to directly address cognitive fatigue and mitigate pilot attrition rates.

While the scholarship includes a two-year service commitment with the Air Force Research Lab, Bone expects to build a longer career at the laboratory. He’s also an enthusiastic proponent of augmented reality and wants to help shape how people experience it.

“One thing my Ph.D. has reinforced is that the interface we use to interact with computers shapes almost every experience we have with technology,” he said. “As new interaction modalities emerge, I want to help make sure they are cognitively sustainable for everyone using them.”

About RIT’s computing Ph.D.

With 14 doctoral programs, RIT is a hub for world-changing research. RIT’s computing and information sciences Ph.D. degree allows students to go beyond traditional computer science, using computing to solve real-world problems across science, engineering, medicine, the arts, humanities, cybersecurity, and business. Graduates balance theory and applied practice to prepare for careers in academia, government, and industry.