I'm an undergraduate at the University of Southern California, and this summer I have the opportunity of a lifetime. My honors thesis research paper was accepted for presentation at the international society of cognitive science conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Unfortunately my lab doesn't have the funding to send me, and I can't cover the costs on my own. So I'm asking for your help to get me there.

My research explores children's cognitive development in our technologically advancing society. We examined if children ages 4 through 7 decide whether to ask a human or technology for help, depending on the type of problem they're facing. What we found is striking: children already know, at age four, that technology is great for factual questions but that humans are who you turn to when something feels wrong or unfair. They're not just blindly trusting their devices, they're already reasoning about its limits.

This matters now more than ever. Over half of children ages 5–12 have already used tools like ChatGPT to seek information. As AI becomes woven into daily life earlier and earlier, understanding how kids navigate that landscape has real implications for parents, educators, and anyone building technology.

The estimated costs for the trip are $1,200 for flights, $1,135 for the conference hotel, and $245 for the conference registration fee. My goal is to raise $2,500, which covers the core expenses and gets me to Rio to represent this research and USC on an international stage.

Every dollar moves me closer to that podium. If you've ever believed that undergraduate researchers deserve a seat at the table, or that understanding how kids interact with AI is worth paying attention to, I'd be so grateful for your support.