REU Site: The Science of Language & The Language of Science

Ohio State University, The, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

This project is supported under the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program, which is an NSF-wide program although each Directorate administers its own REU Site competition. This program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in an effort to introduce them to scientific research so as to encourage their continued engagement in the nation's scientific research and development enterprise. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects designed especially for the purpose. The REU program is a major contributor to the NSF's goal of developing a diverse, internationally competitive, and globally-engaged science and engineering workforce. The Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) sciences Directorate awarded this REU Site grant to Ohio State University in order to facilitate undergraduate students' exposure to research on various topics in the science of linguistics as well as science communications. This project utilizes a unique laboratory where students are trained in substantive research skills and the accessible communication of science. The results from these projects will significantly advance our understanding about how language is used in a social context; how children learn to use language in context; and how language understanding is integrated with other aspects of cognition, such as attention and memory. This REU site also helps create researchers who communicate effectively, particularly to the public and to policy-makers, a critical need for maintaining a healthy long-term societal commitment to good science. The Language Sciences Research Lab is a glass-enclosed space within a premier science museum. The language sciences research conducted in the lab constitutes cutting-edge work at the intersection of rigorous linguistic analysis, social interaction, and cognitive processing. The lab hosts an innovative undergraduate course on informal science education, using interactive educational activities about the language sciences. The program includes classroom training in linguistics and psychology and in informal science education. Students' practicum time includes traditional research activities and hand-on experience on the museum floor interacting with the public. In the lab, Ohio State faculty and students conduct linguistic experiments, inviting museum visitors to participate in and learn about the research. The PIs provide an integrated experience that trains students in both missions of the lab: how to conduct language science research and how to communicate with the public about science. The REU site expands the population from the Ohio State Columbus campus students to students from regional campus and community colleges who might not otherwise be able to be involved. Students are recruited from the Ohio region and with a target population of students primarily from the regional campuses of Ohio State; unlike the main campus of OSU, these campuses have an open enrollment policy and attract a diverse student body; and also from local 2-year community colleges in the area, particularly Columbus State.