Member Spotlights
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November 5, 2021Language Sciences welcomes new Communications Specialist
Language Sciences is pleased to welcome Kelsea Franzke as the institute's new Communications Specialist. Kelsea has several years of experience working collaboratively with teams to produce original communications materials, develop engagement strategies and support the success of…
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November 4, 2021RSC Working Group develops recommendations for language and literacy development in response to COVID-19
As part of The Royal Society of Canada’s (RSC) Task Force on COVID-19, the Working Group on Language and Literacy has developed 16 recommendations for caregivers, educators, researchers and policymakers for supporting the language and literacy development for our population in response to, and…
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August 18, 2021LangSci After Grad: PhD a platform to transform lives, Dr. Harriet Mutonyi
Written by AJ Orena. Image credit: International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP). Doing a PhD is more than just about the knowledge we gain, it is also a platform to transforming lives, according to Dr. Harriet Mutonyi. Dr. Mutonyi received her PhD in Education in 2008 and…
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August 2, 2021Encouraging little scientists: fostering computational thinking in pre-literate children to teach life skills
Problem solving is a core life skill, tied to many skills found in computational thinking, including literacy and abstraction. Dr. Bowen Hui, a Language Sciences member and Associate Professor of Teaching at UBCO Computer Science, discusses how computational thinking is linked to language…
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July 22, 2021How a hunt for bannock inspired a Cree language revitalization children’s book
A hunt for elusive bannock inspired Language Sciences member Dallas Hunt to write Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock, a children’s book celebrating Cree language revitalization. On a road trip from Vancouver to Edmonton, Dr. Hunt and a friend attempted to follow spray-painted signs advertising…
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July 12, 2021New book outlines the science of children’s language development, offers practical tips
A new book co-authored by a UBC professor outlines the latest research and practical strategies to support the language development of all children – and the ebook will be available free. The ABCs of Language Development: Discover Language With Your Child is organized in an A-B-C format,…
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June 25, 2021Pithy Papers: Journalism innovation, a new measure of autistic traits, and scaffolding of peer interactions in group activities
It's time for another Pithy Papers, where Language Sciences members and colleagues from our three research themes highlight important and interesting research from the last three months, in 150 words or fewer. In this instalment, read about innovation in journalism beyond a…
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June 23, 2021LangSci After Grad: Start networking, stay humble, Keyi Tang
Written by AJ Orena As a graduate student at UBC, Keyi Tang conducted work on a biomechanical model of the human head and neck, where he modelled important functions such as speech and swallowing. Today, Tang is a research engineer at Borealis AI, which focuses on developing AI products for…
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June 7, 2021UBC Language Sciences Institute ready to tackle society’s pressing problems
Language is a vital system. It affects everything around and within us, from public and personal health, to economic wealth, to cultural vitality. By bringing together language researchers from diverse disciplines, UBC Language Sciences is helping to tackle some of the most important, and…