Undergraduate Research Assistants (2015 – 2016)
Olivia Cieslar
I am a junior studying Biobehavioral Health with an interest in the Psychology field. I am Polish bilingual student which led me to gain an interest in this particular field of research. This is my first year as a research assistant and I am excited to learn about language processing in bilinguals and monolinguals and comparing data. I have an interest in working with participants, analyzing collected data in order to see how both monolingual and bilinguals differ, and using fMRI.
Sam Cummins
Sam Cummins is a sophomore studying French Literature and Economics. This is his first year in the lab as a research assistant. He is particularly interested in semantics and syntax in the French language, as well as in other Romance and Germanic languages. As a member of the lab, Sam hopes to gain a better understanding of bilingualism and its impacts on the brain.
Heather Gardner
I am a sophomore pursuing Chinese and International Politics majors. I have always had an interest in language and am so excited to be working and learning with this research team.
Rebecca Gilligan
I am a senior studying Communication Sciences and Disorders. This is my first year working in the lab as a research assistant. I am very interested in language processing and working more with ERPs. Research on bilingualism is something I hope to continue during my graduate studies.
Steven Hopkins
Steve is a senior pursuing a History major with minors in Biology, Jewish Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. This is his first year working in the lab as a research assistant. Steve is particularly interested in the development of inhibitory feedback in the language center of the brain during the acquisition of a second language, as well as the overall effect of bilingualism on brain function.
Amy Kinsey
I’m a junior majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. This is my first year working in the lab as a research assistant. Some of my interests include bilingual cognitive control, language acquisition, and how second language learning affects the native language in bilinguals. I’m excited to learn more about ERPs and eye-tracking throughout the year as well!
YeoJin Lee
I am a Junior majoring in Psychology. This is my first year working in the lab as a research assistant. I am very interested in language processing and how bilinguals differ from monolinguals since I am a bilingual. I am hoping to continue to be a research assistant throughout the year or two, and continue being interested in language and cognition lab afterward leading to Graduate School.
Akeena Lofters
I am a senior majoring in Asian Studies with minors in Korean and Linguistics. This is my second year working in the lab as a research assistant. I am interested in whether or not the usage of identical cognates interferes with or aids in language learning.
Nick Pollio
I am a senior dual majoring in psychology and communication science disorders, and my focus of study is the psycho and neuro-linguistics of language processing. My expertise lies in data analysis and neuro-imaging procedures such as ERP, and behavioral measures of working memory. I hope to use my background in psychology as a clinician by using effective psycholinguistic techniques when working as a speech and language pathologist.
Min Sung Seo
I am a sophomore pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Economics. This is my first semester in the lab as a research assistant. As a bilingual I am interested in how bilingualism affects the brain’s cognitive abilities. I am excited to be a part of the lab and hope to gain experience in and learn more about the research setting.
Katherine Sims
Katherine Sims is a sophomore studying Economics and International Politics. This is her first year in the lab as a Research Assistant. Her research interests include cognitive development and language processing (especially the role of working memory in sentence comprehension and production).
Ashley Wagner
I am a senior studying Psychology and Labor and Employment Relations. This is my first year as a research assistant in the Bilingualism, Mind, and Brain Lab. As a member of the lab, I hope to explore the ins and outs of conducting research while learning how language processing impacts the brain.
Jennie Walter
I am a sophomore studying Psychology and Spanish here at Penn State. This is my first year in the lab as a research assistant. I am very interested in language and hope to someday be fluent in five or more languages. From being a part of this lab I hope to learn more not just about language, but also about research and participant testing in general.
Zhiyue (Joanna) Wang
I am a junior studying Psychology. This is my first year working in the lab as a research assistant. I’m particularly interested in how experiences with a second language interact with the native language and how the brain functions during the language switching process. By joining the lab, I wish to gain more experience with ERPs and learn how to conduct research.
Ryan Winthrop
I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish and Business. This is my first year working in the lab as a research assistant. I am interested in the usage of language and how people process this information in their brains. I hope to continue with research for the rest of my undergraduate years. I also believe that my background in Psychology and Spanish helps me in my research.
Yixiao Xu
I am a junior who major in Economics and minor in Business. As a Chinese bilingual student, I am curious about how learning English makes me different to monolinguals. I really enjoy the time with everyone in the lab and I am really grateful for having this chance to learn something beyond my major and some research skills.