Paul Hagstrom, Ph.D. - US grants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Faculty and students of the Program in Applied Linguistics at Boston University seek five years of funding to support the Boston University Conference on Language Development, which will take place at Boston University during the first weekend each November from 2007 through 2011. Now in its 30th year, the conference is internationally recognized as the most important annual meeting bringing together researchers in different areas of language acquisition and development, including first and second language acquisition, language disorders, bilingualism, and literacy development. The meeting comprises 87 oral presentations and 46 posters selected through peer review, as well as invited keynote and plenary speakers, a symposium on a topic of current interest, a research funding workshop, and a publisher exhibit. Attendees number over 500 researchers in language development from around the world, including undergraduate students up through senior faculty. Funding from NSF and NIH for the period 2001-2006 facilitated significant improvement in the quality of the conference, as reflected in outstanding symposia, access to LCD technology, a 25% increase in attendance and submissions over that period, and the institution of public dialogue about the reviewing process which we believe is unprecedented in its transparency and explicitness. In this proposal, five more years of funding is requested to further improve BUCLD. This funding would support the annual symposium on a cutting edge topic in the field, professional videotaping of the symposium for later dissemination for teaching purposes, increased funding for student travel fellowships, one copy of the Proceedings for each student registrant, and structural support for the graduate students and faculty advisor involved in the organization of the conference. Increased registration income from higher attendance will cover LCD technology and some other costs covered by the previous grant. In this conference, researchers from around the world present and discuss the latest advancements in our understanding of how humans learn first and second languages, whether typically developing or with language disorders. They also discuss the implications of that work for our understanding of how the brain works, how children with disorders should be treated, and how to better construct educational curriculum.

The Boston University Conference on Language Development will be held at Boston University each November from 2012 through 2016. The conference is an internationally recognized meeting for researchers in the areas of first and second language acquisition, bilingualism, language disorders, and literacy development. It is attended by 500-600 researchers from around the world each year, providing a venue for dissemination of research, collaboration, and networking. The attendees typically include an even mix of young and senior researchers. The presentations are chosen by anonymous peer review, with a published proceedings. Since 1976, the faculty and students of Boston University's Applied Linguistics Program have organized and run the conference. Dr. Paul Hagstrom leads the team of organizers for the 2012 conference. The National Science Foundation award contributes to the support of the student organizers, travel assistance for student presenters, and accessibility through sign language interpreters.

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT We seek five years of funding to support improvements to the Boston University Conference on Language Development, which will take place at Boston University each year around the first weekend in November. Now in its 41st year, the conference is internationally recognized as one of the most important annual meetings bringing together researchers in different areas of language acquisition and development, including first and second language acquisition, language disorders, bilingualism, and literacy development. The meeting comprises oral presentations and posters selected through peer review, as well as invited keynote and plenary speakers, symposia on topics of current interest, a research funding workshop, and a publisher exhibit. In this proposal, we are requesting funds for two components to the conference that will increase the quality, visibility, interdisciplinary contribution, health relevance, and accessibility to students (especially students from under- represented populations). First, we would like support for a professional development workshop for students and postdocs, bringing in speakers to discuss a variety of important professional development issues. Second, we will offer new travel awards that give priority to students from underrepresented minorities. The BUCLD serves as a prime venue to bring together researchers from all different areas of language development, who do not typically interact or encounter each other's work regularly elsewhere, thus fostering substantial interaction across theoretical and disciplinary boundaries. It also offers excellent training for students and postdocs, both in the form of access to high quality scholarship and in training activities such as an NIH/NSF funding workshop. The two key pieces we seek to add will not only ensure that the BUCLD continues to be a high quality venue for these activities, but will allow the conference to grow in important new directions that are demonstrated priorities for the scientific community as well as NIH.

The Boston University Conference on Language Development (BUCLD) will be held at Boston University each November from 2017 through 2021. BUCLD is an internationally recognized meeting of researchers in language acquisition and development, including first and second language acquisition, language disorders, bilingualism, and literacy development. Now in its forty-second year, BUCLD promotes the progress of science by providing a major venue for dissemination of scholarly findings, for initiation and development of collaborations, and for professional networking. The conference consists of approximately 190 presentations selected through peer review, as well as invited keynote and plenary speakers, two symposia on topics of current interest, a research funding workshop, a professionalization workshop for students and postdoctoral scholars, and a publisher exhibit. Attendees number over 500 researchers from around the world, from undergraduates up through senior faculty. Full ASL interpreting coverage is provided throughout the conference, and conference proceedings are published soon after the conference. Since 1976, the faculty and students of Boston University have organized and run the conference; Dr. Charles Chang, Dr. Sudha Arunachalam, and Dr. Paul Hagstrom lead the team of organizers for the 2017 conference.

Funding from the National Science Foundation will support education and enhance accessibility, diversity, and inclusion at BUCLD by subsidizing student travel, including that of underrepresented minorities, and the time of the student organizers of the conference, graduate students in Linguistics and allied fields. Support for student travel will allow student contributions, regularly among the highest-rated abstract submissions, to be presented at the conference without undue hardship and will increase the exposure of students to the top research and researchers in the field in a friendly and interactive environment. Furthermore, support for student organizers will allow BUCLD to continue to play an important role in training students as future professionals, including undergraduates and women.