RUM Professor Receives NSF Grant for Human-AI Driving Research
Juan F. Medina Lee was awarded a $517,000 CAREER grant to develop computational models for trust and collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence in autonomous vehicles.
The short version
- Metro Puerto Rico reported that Juan F. Medina Lee of the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez received a five-year NSF CAREER award
- El Nuevo Día reported the $517,000 grant will fund the project A Computational Framework for Integrating Trust, Shared Awareness, and Joint Action in Human-AI Driving Teams
- The research aims to create models that evaluate trust and coordinate decisions to improve safety in scenarios where human intervention is needed
- Funds will also support graduate students, summer workshops for high school and college students, and robotics competitions according to both outlets
Grant for Collaborative Driving Research
Juan F. Medina Lee, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez campus (RUM), received a $517,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Metro Puerto Rico reported the award is the CAREER prize given to early-career faculty. The five-year project is titled "A Computational Framework for Integrating Trust, Shared Awareness, and Joint Action in Human-AI Driving Teams."
The work focuses on human-artificial intelligence collaboration in highly automated vehicles. Both Metro Puerto Rico and El Nuevo Día stated that although automated vehicles have increased capabilities, complex situations still require human intervention. The research seeks to develop computational models to assess trust between people and AI systems and to coordinate their decisions for safer driving.
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Es un honor, primero que todo, que NSF avale mi línea de investigación para el desarrollo de la ciencia.
Our translation: It is an honor, first of all, that the NSF endorses my line of research for the development of science.
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Nuevo Día. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Project Goals and Educational Impact
Medina Lee told reporters he wants to explore strategies "that allow us to calibrate that healthy relationship and find a stable point in which both help each other to maintain safer driving." El Nuevo Día reported the project views humans and AI as team members that share information and support each other rather than treating AI as a simple tool or an infallible system.
In addition to the scientific component, the grant will expand educational opportunities. Both outlets reported that the funds will support master's and doctoral students, organize summer workshops for high school and university students, and hold robotics competitions. Medina Lee said the award brings $517,000 to the campus for five years of work on collaborative vehicles, human-machine interaction and human factors in autonomous driving.
Where the sources differ
Both Metro Puerto Rico and El Nuevo Día agree on the recipient's name and title, the $517,000 amount, the five-year duration, the CAREER award from NSF, and the project title. They also agree on the focus of developing computational models for trust and coordination in human-AI driving teams and on the educational activities funded. Metro Puerto Rico includes positive statements from UPR President Zayira Jordán Conde and interim RUM Rector Miguel A. Muñoz. El Nuevo Día provides longer direct quotes from Medina Lee about the research approach and its timeliness as autonomous vehicles increase in cities worldwide. The sources do not conflict on any facts.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not specify the exact start date of the grant, the total number of students who will be supported, the locations or dates for the planned summer workshops and robotics competitions, or any specific milestones expected during the five years. They also do not detail the precise methodologies that will be used to model trust between humans and AI systems or how the results might be tested in real vehicles.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official Catedrático del RUM recibe subvención para investigar colaboración entre humanos e inteligencia artificial
- Reporting Catedrático del RUM recibe subvención para investigar la interacción humana con vehículos automatizados
How we checked this
Metro Puerto Rico and El Nuevo Día both covered the NSF CAREER grant awarded to Juan F. Medina Lee at UPR Mayagüez. The core facts about the funding and project goals appear in both, while statements from university leaders appear only in Metro Puerto Rico and several extended quotes from the researcher appear only in El Nuevo Día.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.