News
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August 18, 2021Ensuring Full Literacy in a Multicultural and Digital World project receives BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) award
The Ensuring Full Literacy in a Multicultural and Digital World project has received funding through the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF). The project, led by Language Sciences co-director Dr. Janet Werker, professor of Psychology, and Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Mageed, Language Sciences Research…
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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…
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June 4, 2021Language Sciences statement on the Kamloops Indian Residential School burials
We were horrified to learn of the 215 children buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. However, we should not be shocked - Indigenous communities have known and spoken about the atrocities committed at residential schools for generations. For our community to take one…
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June 2, 2021LangSci After Grad: Having a head and a heart is crucial for clinical work, Dr. Noreen Simmons
Written by AJ Orena. Image credit: B.C. Family Hearing Resource Society Having both a head and a heart is crucial for anyone pursuing a clinical role, according to Dr. Noreen Simmons, executive director of the BC Family Hearing Resource Society and School of Audiology and Speech Sciences…
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May 28, 2021How language teaching, learning, and pop culture, can help combat racism
Read about students and faculty from UBC’s Asian language programs experiences with racism and discrimination in Aydin Quach’s article series ‘Through our eyes, with our voices: How students and faculty are creating space to heal and be proud of their Asian identities’. If language is the key to…