Current Lab Members
Gita Martohardjono’s research focuses on the development of syntax, semantics and phonology in adult second language acquisition and bilingualism. Her projects investigate the acquisition of gap structures, such as wh-questions, relative clauses, control structures and null pronouns in bilingual adults and children from a cross-linguistic perspective. In the area of semantics, her research investigates the acquisition of temporal and aspectual markers by child and adult bilinguals. In phonology, her work centers on the role of L1 phonotactics as a potential source of interference in L2 acquisition. A variety of languages have been examined, including Italian, Spanish, Indonesian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. Recent projects investigate non-standard varieties of Italian and Spanish, as spoken by “heritage” speakers, and include the use of electrophysiology (ERP). A second research area is the development of literacy in emergent bilinguals. Since 2004, she has conducted research on immigrant students with low literacy in the native language, and has been a leader in the construction of academic language and literacy assessments benefiting this population. She is currently PI on several externally funded projects creating multilingual, online assessments for use in NY public schools.
Experimental Lab Members
Ilaria Porru
Lab Manager
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Ilaria is a Ph.D. student in the department of Linguistics at The Graduate Center and Lab Manager of the SLA lab. Her primary areas of interest are psycholinguistics, multilingual processing, language contact, sociolinguistics, and the study of heritage and endangered languages, with a particular focus on Campidanese Sardinian and Turkish.
Ilaria holds a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages and Communication from the University of Cagliari, a MA in Linguistics from The Graduate Center, and another MA in Turkish Studies from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Ilaria's recent research focused on measurements of language dominance, as well as exploring the interplay between dominance and heritage phonology.
Currently, her work focuses on the investigation of pronoun interpretation and use in Turkish Heritage Speakers in Germany and the United States.
Pronouns: she/her
LeeAnn Stover
Graduate Researcher
LeeAnn Stover is a Ph.D. student in the Linguistics program at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her interests include bilingual processing, experimental syntax and semantics, and heritage linguistics. In the lab she is involved in projects on quantifier scope processing, multilingual assessment, relative clause processing, fluency measures, and sociolinguistic profile analyses. She holds a B.A. in Spanish Secondary Education, a B.S. in Psychology, an M.A. in Hispanic Studies, and an M.A. in Linguistics. LeeAnn is currently working on a project that explores the gradient effects of bilingual experience on quantifier scope ambiguity processing among Mandarin-English first-generation and heritage bilinguals. Check out her most recent publication!
Daniela Castillo
Graduate Researcher
Daniela is a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics and a graduate researcher in the SLA lab. Her research interests include bilingual sentence processing and bilingual speech perception. At the SLA Lab, Daniela is currently investigating the influence of morphophonology in the processing of code-switching. She is also a research assistant at the Institute for Language Education and Transcultural Context (ILETC) working on a project that seeks to understand the patterns of syntactic and lexical complexity in the writing of heritage language learners. Daniela has also worked as a research assistant in the Neurolinguistics Lab and in the Developmental Neurolinguistics Lab at the CUNY Graduate Center. She graduated from Queens College with a double major in General Linguistics and Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Pamela Franciotti
Research Associate
Pamela Franciotti is a Research Associate of the SLA lab. Her research interests include second language acquisition, psycholinguistics and L1/L2 sentence processing. Her work mainly investigates the interaction between L2 grammar and L2 processing strategies and the influence of the L1 grammar in L2 parsing. In the lab, she conducted her dissertation research on the processing of relative clauses and wh-questions in L2 Italian. She has also studied the L2 acquisition of English raising structures by L1 Italian learners, and she is currently investigating pronoun resolution strategies by Italian and Spanish native speakers. Pamela holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the CUNY, Graduate Center, as well as an M.A. in Linguistics and a B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Siena, Italy, where she conducted research on the acquisition of passives in L2 Italian.
Pronouns: she/her
Naparat Meechanyakul
Graduate Researcher
Naparat Meechanyakul is a Linguistics Ph.D. student at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Her research interests are on second language acquisition, bilingualism, theoretical, and experimental syntax. Her current work investigates the bidirectional crosslinguistic influence in the interpretation of Thai and English reflexives and pronouns. Naparat holds a B.A. in Italian with a minor in Dramatic Arts from Chulalongkorn University and a M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Reid Vancelette
Graduate Researcher
Reid Vancelette is a doctoral candidate in Linguistics at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is actively interested in the representation of various morphosyntactic features and their processing in baseline speakers, heritage speakers, and second language learners of Slavic and Baltic languages, including Russian and Lithuanian. His current research compares lexical and structural case and also lexical and grammatical gender in the aforementioned populations in Russian. His previous research has focused on structural case realization in relative clauses and also gender attraction effects in baseline and heritage speakers of Russian in the United States. Reid holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Linguistics and Russian from the University of Iowa and an MPhil in Linguistics from the CUNY Graduate Center. In addition to this, he works as a Communication Fellow at the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute at Baruch College and teaches both undergraduate and graduate linguistics courses in the department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders at Queens College.
Cass Lowry
Graduate Researcher
Cass is a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Their research interests include language contact phenomena, bilingual morphosyntax, pro-dropping languages, and psycholinguistics. Their current research focuses on the home-language productive ability of Georgian heritage speakers in Brooklyn. Cass holds a B.S.Ed in Elementary Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Pittsburgh.
Ioana Wicker
Research Assistant
Ioana Wicker is a Research Assistant at the SLA Lab and an Adjunct Lecturer at Hunter College. She is currently teaching German language courses and literature courses at Hunter College, Hofstra University, Farmingdale State College and The Goethe Institut in NYC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in German Philology from the Babes-Bolyai University (Romania), and a Masters of Arts in Teaching German from SUNY Stony Brook.
Her broader research interests are language acquisition, sociolinguistics, phonetic and phonological learning, bilingualism and biliteracy, foreign language pedagogy. She is currently researching and developing classroom material specifically aimed to include student’s identity, purpose, and mental health in the early stages of language acquisition.
Multilingual Literacy SIFE Screener Team
Jennifer Chard
MLS Project Director
RISLUS Research Associate
Jennifer Chard is the Project Director for the Multilingual Literacy SIFE Screener (MLS) and a Research Associate at the Research Institute for the Study of Language in Urban Society (RISLUS). Jennifer led and collaborated in several multilingual language and literacy projects at the Second Language Acquisition Lab and the Research Institute for the Study of Language in Urban Society since joining the lab in 2014. Her dissertation, entitled Mandarin assessment in Chinese-English bilingual preschoolers, examines Chinese/English bilingual children’s sentence comprehension skills in Mandarin and English. It adds to the body of literature emphasizing that home language assessment is critical when evaluating young children who may have special needs, and it specifically demonstrates that care must be taken in identifying the home language so that children are not inappropriately tested. Jennifer works with teachers and administrators at the preschool through high school levels to help them understand the importance of using students’ home language skills and abilities to design instruction, and promoting the maintenance and development of the home language in classroom settings.
Contact: JenC@mlscreener.org
Aaron Pollard
Grant Administrator and User Support
Aaron Pollard is a graduate of Queens College's Drama, Theater, and Dance program and handles administrative duties as well as user support for the MLS.
Alkhodor Ayach
Reading Comprehension Test Coordinator
Alkhodor is the Reading Comprehension Test Coordinator for the MLS. He holds an MA in English Education and a BA in Linguistics, both from Brooklyn College. Beyond linguistics, he is interested in psychology, decolonial literature, and Islamic history. His hobbies include playing soccer and practicing mixed martial arts.
Anthony Vicario
Data Scientist
Anthony is the Data Scientist for the MLS. He primarily works on statistical analyses, data reporting, and research efforts to support the MLS tests and the students who use them. Anthony holds a master’s degree in computational linguistics from the CUNY Graduate Center.
Eric Tsai
Programmer
Eric Tsai is a programmer providing support for the MLS website.
Eric holds a master’s in linguistics from CUNY Graduate Center and a bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Jules Heller
Grant Administrator and User Support
Jules Heller (they/them) coordinates math test creation, translation, and review with the Multilingual Literacy SIFE Screener (MLS) Team, and systematizes the process by which MLS tests go from local files and documents to the live assessment websites used by teachers and students across New York State. They hold an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, VT, and a BA in English (minor: Russian Language and Culture) from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI.
Meghan Tucker
User Experience Specialist
Meghan received her Bachelor's degree in Anthropology at California State University, Fullerton and has a certification in Front End Web Development. She enjoys using her study of human culture and years of experience in event planning and hospitality to create delightful digital experiences for users. When she's not programming and thinking about digital design she's petting her two adorable cats, helping with community events, or hiking in the Pacific Northwest.
Rasheeda Pilgrim
Professional Learning Facilitator
Rasheeda is a New York state certified educator. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from Relay Graduate School of Education and Bachelor’s in Visual Communications from Cazenovia College. Prior to joining the MLS team Rasheeda has served as a school leader, educational consultant, and teacher. Beyond learning and development, she is interested in illustration, writing, and video games.