UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #863

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Ruosi Shao
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: Dr. 
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): rshao@fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): Communication and Information
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: School of Communication
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Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): {Empty}
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Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
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Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Development and Feasibility Testing of AI Chatbots for Health Communication and Intervention
Project Keywords: Health Intervention, Artificial Intelligence, Information retrieval, Cancer Prevention
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: No
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Public health & health sciences;
Communication;
Psychology;
Human development and family studies;


Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: No, the project is remote
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Fully Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 5-8
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description:
This project is funded by the NSF Accelerating Research Translation award.  We aim to develop, empirically test, and clinically implement AI chatbots to provide cancer education and prevention interventions tailored to underserved populations. At the FSU site, we will work together to develop patient-centered chatbot interventions by identifying psychological and communication mechanisms that can facilitate human-chatbot cancer communication and increase screening adherence. This includes the iterative process of 1) designing and optimizing LLMs with domain-specific data, 2) developing evidence-based cancer prevention interventions, and 3) conducting clinical trials and expert evaluations.

Research Tasks:
You are expected to help with data collection (remotely through online experiments), data cleaning, text analysis (coding), etc. You will have first-hand research experiences with guidance from our interdisciplinary team, involving researchers from communication, computer science, public health, etc. 

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
It could be great if you have knowledge on cancer prevention and health communication in general, nothing required.

Mentoring Philosophy:
My mentoring philosophy centers on fostering a supportive and empowering environment where mentees can thrive and grow. I begin by identifying each mentee’s unique goals and talents, recognizing that a personalized approach is essential for meaningful development. By evaluating their strengths, I aim to build on what they do well while guiding them toward new areas of growth. Mutual respect forms the foundation of our relationship, ensuring that mentees feel valued and heard. I am committed to creating a safe space where they can take risks, make mistakes, and learn without fear of judgment. I encourage growth by challenging mentees to step out of their comfort zones, knowing that true learning often occurs in moments of difficulty. Through inquiry-based learning, I promote curiosity and critical thinking, helping mentees not only acquire knowledge but also develop the skills to ask the right questions and seek deeper understanding.







Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3613904.3641965
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
Sep 4 from 10 am to 1 pm:
Zoom link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8397097603

Roundtable Info:
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UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

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Year: 2024
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=ciUaccE2sueA693BxoktUId5yaXocQtB1nCRMXEJ3lg