Summer Research Symposium

I’m thrilled to share that I recently completed my summer research by giving my first oral presentation at California State University, Monterey Bay's Summer Research Symposium as a UROC Innovation (Apple) Scholar 🎉

During this time, I explored how intermediate CS students debug AI-generated code. My work focused on identifying strategies students use to detect syntax, runtime, and logic errors introduced by tools like GitHub Copilot, with the goal of developing AI-aware debugging practices.

Over the summer, to support my research, I built a VS Code extension called AntiCopilot, which simulates GitHub Copilot but injects buggy code snippets for experimentation. Here is a quick overview of what I learned and what it does:

- Detects beginner Java patterns and replaces them with intentionally buggy code

- Implements ghost-style coding suggestions with real-time cursor tracking

- Handles multi-line suggestions, variable naming, and editor state management for deletion, insertion, and various other edge cases

- Learned the importance of activation events, reactive behavior, and object-oriented problem solving

Additionally, I participated in the UROC Summer Writing Intensive, spending 7 weeks refining my The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans essay under mentorship with Natasha Oehlman and Anne Hansen, which strengthened my writing skills. I was also honored to be invited to join the fourth episode of UROC's Otterly Curious podcast, where I discussed my research and shared insights about the undergraduate research process with future CSUMB students, peers, and faculty.

Lastly, I am grateful for the UROC Innovation (Apple) Scholar program, my mentor Dr. Joshua Gross, and my peers Michael Olaoye, Rafael L.S. Reis, Tiva Rocco, and Ann Jojo for their invaluable support and guidance. This hands-on opportunity allowed me to merge research, development, and writing skills to create an experience that will directly support my work in creating tools and pedagogy for AI-aware debugging and strengthen my pursuit of future master’s degree ambitions.

Please reach out to me to learn more about my research and AntiCopilot!

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