Author: Crystal Mills

COGS Colloquia on 3/7: Dr. Brian Boyd

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COGS Colloquia Talk on 3/7: Dr. Brian Boyd

Date/Time: Friday, 3/7/25 from 4:00pm – 5:30pm EST

Location: McHugh Hall 201

Bio: Brian Boyd, Ph.D., is the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Education and interim director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was previously the director of the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project at the University of Kansas. Boyd is quite engaged in research that involves the most vulnerable, and often marginalized, populations. As a special educator by training, much of his research has involved the development and evaluation of evidence-based practices that could be implemented within school and home contexts. His more recent work has focused on how issues of implicit bias and race affect the outcomes of children with and without disabilities. Boyd’s research has been continuously funded by federal agencies such as the Institute of Education Sciences and National Institutes of Health. He is past vice president of the International Society for Autism Research. He also serves on multiple national boards that are dedicated to improving the outcomes of autistic persons and those from historically underserved communities.

Talk Title: Community-Engaged Research in Autism: Centering Marginalized Communities

Abstract: Community-engaged research (CER) is essential for addressing disparities in autism research by prioritizing the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. This presentation examines CER principles, challenges, and ethical considerations in working with diverse populations. It concludes with a discussion of how my research applies CER to foster meaningful partnerships, amplify community perspectives, and promote equity in autism services and outcomes.

Meetings: If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Boyd or attending dinner on Friday, please email crystal.mills@uconn.edu

Flyer is attached for posting. Please email Crystal if you have questions. 

Cognitive Science Travel Award Application Open!

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The Cognitive Science Program is excited to announce that it will be continuing the Cognitive Science Travel Award Program for another year! 

The Cognitive Science Program’s mission is to prepare students to tackle global and multicultural challenges. Experiences abroad are vital to this preparation. Yet students majoring in Cognitive Science and related-STEM fields are generally less likely to participate in study abroad programs than other students.

These awards are available to UConn undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Cognitive Science or, students strongly considering the major/minor in the future. Priority will be given to students attending the Interdisciplinary Ethnography Field Summer School in Mauritius,  the Neuroscience Study Abroad Summer Program in Salamanca, Spain, and UConn Brain & Behavior in Tel Aviv, Israel. All program details can be found on the Experiential Global Learning webpage. Courses taken through these summer programs can be counted as elective credits towards the Cognitive Science degree. This program will also support students traveling domestically or internationally to conferences, workshops, and meetings. Students planning to travel internationally will be eligible to apply for up to $2,000 and $1,000 for domestic travel. Any travel costs in excess of the allotment would be the responsibility of the recipient. The Cognitive Science Program is willing to review other international and domestic travel scenarios on a case-by-case basis. 

Deadline: This award program operates with a rolling deadline. Once funds are exhausted, the application will close. While students can apply at any time, travel awards will be contingent on (a) applying and being accepted into a study abroad program and (b) sharing an official acceptance notification with us.  

Priority consideration will be given to students who (1) are members of a group that is underrepresented at the University of Connecticut; or (2) have overcome obstacles such as socioeconomic, educational, or other societal disadvantages (arising, for example, through prejudice and/or discrimination); or (3) have worked with such groups to help overcome these or other obstacles. 

Questions regarding the Cognitive Science Study Abroad Travel Award Program may be sent to cogsci@uconn.edu. 

Please visit the Study Abroad Travel webpage for more information, including eligibility requirements and how to apply.  

Duolingo is hiring a language researcher!

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Duolingo is hiring a language researcher to join Duolingo’s Efficacy Research Lab, which focuses on measuring the effectiveness of Duolingo’s courses and informing improvements to the learning experience.

Requirements:
– Skilled in statistics, data analysis and visualization, Python/R/SQL or other tools for handling large datasets
– PhD in linguistics, applied linguistics, cognitive science, or a related field
– Ability to work from or relocate to Pittsburgh, PA, USA (no remote option)

To learn more and apply: https://careers.duolingo.com/jobs/7690922002

Reminder: IBACS Undergraduate Research Supply Awards

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IBACS is happy to announce another year of the undergraduate research supply awards! Please share with the undergraduate students in your labs.
 
This award provides funding for undergraduate students conducting an independent research project consistent with the Institute’s mission. Students can apply for awards of up to $1,000.
Open to: Undergraduate students working with an IBACS-affiliated faculty member . Recipients cannot apply for another grant within the same academic year, however, are eligible for the summer research grant program, provided that they are still a UConn student at the time.
Key Application Dates: opens on August 26, 2024. The fall deadline is September 16, 2024; spring deadline is February 4, 2025.
 
Applicants must fill out the online application, and also submit via the online application, a relatively short research plan (maximum of 6,000 characters, approximately 3 pages). The funding is meant to defray the research-related costs such as materials & supplies, software, animal or participant-related costs. The budget should reflect these expenditures.
The IBACS undergraduate award academic year applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:
  • The project description is well written and clearly explains the project.
  • The project clearly focuses on a research area associated with the IBACS mission.
  • The budget is itemized, appropriate to the project described, and reports the total cost of the project (even if it exceeds the funding requested).
  • The faculty advisor is familiar with the student’s project and rates the student’s work to date highly.
  • The student and his/her project meet the eligibility criteria.
  • The student has secured research compliance approval(s) if necessary for the project. No award will be issued until documentation of approval(s) is received.
 
Please visit the award webpage for more information and contact our Institute Coordinator, Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu or (860) 486-4937 if you have any questions.

COGS, ECOM & SLHS Talk on 11/8: Dr. Viorica Marian

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COGS, ECOM & SLHS Talk on 11/8: Dr. Viorica Marian

Date/Time: Friday, 11/8/24 from 4:00pm – 5:30pm EST

Location: McHugh Hall 202

Bio: Viorica Marian is a cognitive scientist at Northwestern University, where she is the Sundin Endowed Professor and Director of the Bilingualism Lab. She studies the relationship between language and mind, with a focus on the psycholinguistics of bilingualism and multilingualism. Dr. Marian received her PhD in Psychology from Cornell University and previously served as Chair of the National Institutes of Health Study Section on Language and Communication and as Chair of the Northwestern Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is the recipient of the American Association for the Advancement of Science John McGovern Award, The Psychonomic Society Mid-Career Award, the Clarence Simon Award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring, and the Editor’s Award for best paper from JSLHR. Marian’s new popular science book “The Power of Language” is being translated into 12 languages and counting.

Talk Title: The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform Our Minds

Abstract: Bilingualism and multilingualism have profound consequences for individuals and societies. Learning multiple languages changes not only how we use language, but also how we perceive the world, what we remember, how we learn, our creativity, decision making, and identity. I will present eye-tracking, mouse-tracking, and neuroimaging evidence showing that multiple languages continuously interact in the mind. I will conclude with a call for placing the study of language-mind interaction and multilingualism among the core areas of scientific investigation if we are to gain an accurate understanding of humanity’s potential.

Meetings: If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Marian during the day or attending dinner in the evening on Friday, please email crystal.mills@uconn.edu. 

Flyer is attached for posting. Please email Crystal if you have questions. 

COGS & ECOM Talk on 4/19: Dr. Psyche Loui

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Industry Job Opening – Cognitive Data Scientist

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11/10 COGS & SLHS Colloquium: Dr. Samuel Mathias

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The Cognitive Science Program and the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Department are co-hosting a talk on 11/10!   

Speaker: Dr. Samuel Mathias, Professor of Psychology from the Department of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School

Time & Location: 4PM, Friday November 10, 2023, in McHugh Hall Room 206

Talk Title: “Genetic and environmental influences on hearing, cocktail-party listening, and cognition”

Abstract: Everyday hearing requires solving the cocktail-party problem, or segregating and attending to the relevant parts of complex auditory scenes. There are huge individual differences in cocktail-party listening abilities. People with clinical hearing loss generally struggle with cocktail-party listening due to impaired basic auditory sensitivity; however, others experience similar difficulties despite having “normal” sensitivity. Conventional wisdom says that such individual differences are due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, although the specific factors and their relative weights are poorly understood. This talk will describe preliminary work and future plans to identify specific genetic and environmental factors influencing hearing abilities, including basic auditory sensitivity and cocktail-party listening. We will also discuss how these abilities relate to cognition, with a view towards leveraging these relationships to better understand the distinct and shared etiologies of presbycusis, cognitive decline, and dementia.

Meetings: If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Mathias during the day before his talk or in dinner on Friday evening, please email Crystal: crystal.mills@uconn.edu. Thank you!

Two COGS Undergraduate Course Offerings in Fall 2023

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We are pleased to announce TWO undergraduate course offerings from The Cognitive Science Program in Fall 2023. Seats are filling up quickly so sign up soon!  

Coding for Cognitive Science 

Course Name: COGS 2500Q: Coding for Cognitive Science  

Days and times: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30am – 10:45am   

Classroom: Oak 308  

Instructor: Dr. Stefan Kaufmann  

Instruction mode: Hybrid Limited  

Prerequisites: None  

Course overview: This course is an introduction to computer programming for students with little or no prior programming experience. Its goal is to familiarize students with core concepts and essential skills, with special emphasis on typical tasks and applications in the Cognitive Sciences. We use the Python programming language because it is both accessible to beginners and widely used in real-world scientific programming. However, the concepts and skills we cover are helpful in mastering other programming languages as well.  

 

Language & Racism  

Course Name: COGS 2345/AFRA 2345: Language and Racism  

Days and times: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 12:30pm – 1:45pm   

Classroom: Arjona 105  

Instructors: Drs. Letitia Naigles & Bede Agocha  

Instruction Mode: In-Person  

Prerequisites: Open to sophomores or higher. Recommended preparation: One course in AFRA or COGS.  

Description: This course examines the relationships between language use, both historically and across the lifespan, and the social construction of race, racism, and racial identity, with particular emphasis on racial politics in the United States.  

Course overview: LANGUAGE plays an immense, though often underrated role in nearly every domain of students’ lives, including where they live, who they love, what they learn, and whether and how they get and keep a job. Relatedly, then, language can also prevent all of the above. Language is a vehicle of racism because the language used by those in the majority or in power is artfully constructed to categorize people according to race and to place groups in deeply hierarchical relationships to one another.  

Our course on Language and Racism deploys tools of the cognitive and psychological sciences to both illuminate and illustrate potential interventions for language racism.  

  • We examine the linguistics and sociolinguistics of the language(s) used by Black communities in the U.S., including their origins, creolization, complex linguistic structure, and issues of stigma versus pride.  
  • We examine the language of racism, including the types of discourse that construct Whiteness as dominant over Color, the processes of language standardization, and the ideologies of language and their interaction with group identity at both the local and national community levels.  
  • We consider antiracism interventions that are language-based.  
  • The course is project-based, with students learning to understand how language is used in their various social contexts as well as in contexts they can access via stored content. Students will learn to analyze their own and others’, famous and commonplace, racist and antiracist linguistic output/texts, using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) computational tool, which analyzes texts as manifesting properties such as anger, authority, in-group, out-group, and fairness.