Alumni Spotlight: Ever wonder how computers understand

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1 Department of Linguistics Vol. 8 Spring 2015 In this issue... Linguistics Alum Spotlight: Gene Deal Faculty Profile: MaryAnn Christison Graduate Stundent Spotlight: Andrew Zupon Undergraduate Student Spotlight: Steve Hatting Linguistics Graduates For more information, or to be added to the Ling list, please contact us at or linguistics@utah.edu Alumni Spotlight: Gene Deal Ever wonder how computers understand and process language? Gene Deal, Department of Linguistics alum and Computational Linguist, can help you understand that. Gene s interest in linguistics began when he was a teenager. Although he didn t fully understand what linguistics was, he was fascinated by language and at the time was studying Greek. Gene also had a strong interest in computers. He got his first computer in the early 1980s and enjoyed learning programming. Gene, then, became intrigued by the relationship between computers and languages. However, it wasn t until a meeting with a professor friend about furthering his education that Gene was introduced to the field of Linguistics. After completing an Associate of Science with an emphasis in Computer Science and two languages; Greek and German, he met with a professor to talk about additional opportunities that were available to him. This professor suggested that he meet with Ed Rubin (a faculty member in the Department of Linguistics) to discuss Linguistics. During this meeting Gene learned not only what Linguistics was but that he had been interested in it for a long time. Gene stated that Ed told him he was a natural linguist, but if he would just shut up and listen he would learn a lot. That is exactly what Gene did [(for the most part)]. He received his undergraduate degree in Linguistics from the University of Utah Page 1

2 in 2005 and received a Master s degree in While finishing his Master s, Gene began his career as a Knowledge Engineer at Attensity. As a Knowledge Engineer, he works with companies to incorporate their business specific language into usable data that could be used by the computer to help better process language data. Currently, Gene works for Precyse Advanced Technologies Group developing medical coding solutions. In the Computational Linguistics industry, Gene explained, the role of a linguist is to examine the varieties of language use and assess how and why they function as they do within the domain in which they are used and to create a usable knowledge-base to drive the computational system. For example, he helps create software to assist hospitals in processing medical records. He creates dictionaries and lexical resources for the company s software by studying the terminology, language use and processes used within the medical industry. This software allows the computer to understand medical data and assign codes needed for billing and analysis. Knowledge engineering, like the medical software Gene helped create, helps companies use computers to process information more quickly and efficiently. In order for this process to work, he also coordinates with software engineers to produce software components that aid computers in understanding the necessary terminology. For students interested in computational linguistics careers, Gene recommends learning a programming language, getting a good grasp on syntax, and understanding distributional analysis used most commonly in phonology. He also adds that language structure courses, that help you understand how a language works, gives you a valuable tool when building language software. Events Calendar *Research and Community Events* Every Thursday from 3:30pm-4:30pm Come and listen to guest lectures talk about various aspects of Linguistics *University of Utah Student Conference in Linguistics (UUSCIL)* Friday, April 17th, 2015 *Department Spring Semester Party* Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 *University of Utah Commencement and Convocation* May 7th-8th, 2015 Share your experience! Our Alumni Spotlights focus on people just like you, diligent go-getters who have worked, foud, and sometimes stumbled their way into jobs they love. Whether you ended up in a linguisitics career or built a different road for yourself, we would love to hear and share your story. Send us your experience at linguistics@utah.edu If you have questions, please call Page 2

3 FacultyProfile : Mary Ann Christison 1. How did you end up at the University of Utah? I came to the University of Utah in as a visiting professor because the University had asked the Department of Linguistics to expand its ESL offerings. I was hired to design a series of new credit-bearing ESL courses, and, I am proud to say, that these ESL courses are still being offered by the Department of Linguistics today. I thought I was only going to stay for one year and, then, return to my former position. As it turned out, I have ended up staying for 16 years! 2. What do you do at University and in the Department? I am an applied linguist, so the primary way that I contribute to the teaching mission of the Department of Linguistics is by supporting the BA TESOL program and the TESOL Certificate. I also teach courses at the graduate level that focus on L2 pedagogy. When possible, I teach a course for undergrads and grads entitled "Language and the Brain." It's a basic introduction to neurolinguistics. I love working with graduate students and am fortunate to serve on several supervisory committees at both the MA and PhD level. My position at the University is unique because I also have the opportunity to contribute to the College of Education by teaching courses for UITE (the Urban Institute of Teacher Education). 3. What are your research interests? I am very interested in classroom-based research, and a number of my current research projects have taken place in international contexts. Whenever possible, I like to involve graduate students in these projects because I learn so much from them and love having new and different perspectives added to these projects. In addition, I believe that first hand experience with research is an important part academic life for all students. 4. What is a unique experience that you have had in Linguistics? I have had so many interesting professional experiences as an applied linguist. In addition to all of the interesting and exciting opportunities I have at the University of Utah, I have been fortunate enough to consult for the U.S. Department of State as an English Language Specialist for almost 30 years. This work has taken me all over the world and given me the pleasure of working with English language teachers in over 25 different countries. It is exciting to see my former graduate students now participating as English language specialists. 5. What are your current interests? I am very excited about the use of online technologies. In the past few years I have received five grants from Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) to develop online courses for the TESOL Certificate. The TESOL Certificate courses are now available completely online, allowing for more flexibility in scheduling and more opportunities for students to pursue different options in their degree programs. 6. What advice would you give current undergrads and grads in linguistics? Volunteer and give back to your profession as soon as you can. Professional association work has afforded me so many rewarding experiences and such wonderful opportunities to work with applied linguists from all over the world. I strongly encourage students in linguistics to get involved and volunteer their time and efforts, beginning with SAC and GSAC activities in the Department, and especially with the annual UUSCIL conference in the spring. Page 3

4 Graduate Student Spotlight: Andrew Zupon Andrew Zupon is a current Department of Linguistics MA student. He graduated with his Honors BA in Linguistics and a minor in Russian from the University of Utah in Andrew enjoys foreign languages and knows Spanish and Russian. Before majoring in Linguistics, Andrew was studying engineering at the University of Utah. He became interested in Linguistics after he took Intermediate Syntax with Assistant Professor Aniko Csirmaz. While taking this course, he became hooked on Linguistics and the subfield of syntax. He worked with Associate Professor Ed Rubin to complete his Honors thesis, which was titled, Restrictions on Denominal Verb Formation. After completing his undergraduate degree, Andrew began the Master s program at the U and has been focusing on syntax. While he has been in the program, he has been studying the Icelandic Language, in particular a quirky case that is somewhat unaccepted and random. It is those random, weird things that piqued his interest in Linguistics. He enjoys learning about the structure of language and how that translates Page 4 from language to language. Andrew s knowledge in Linguistics has helped him in his other classes, especially language classes. It has helped him to better understand the differences between languages. Linguistics has also helped him to think more critically and look at things in different ways. One of his favorite graduate courses was Assistant Professor Aaron Kaplan s formal research methods class because it helped him learn to be a better presenter. During the course, students had to give twenty minute presentations frequently throughout the semester. This provided a low stress environment allowing students to learn how to give an effective presentation. This will also help him as he pursues a career in academia as a Linguistics professor. In addition to working on his MA thesis this year, Andrew is serving as the University of Utah Student Conference in Linguistics (UUS- CIL) 2015 chair. The conference will take place on Friday, April 17th, Andrew plans on graduating from the Master s program this summer. His advice to undergraduates is to get involved. He notes that being social, not just with your classmates but also the department, helped him to feel more like he was in a community and allowed for open discussions where ideas emerged. This encouraged him to work through problems by bouncing ideas off others.

5 Undergraduate Spotlight: Steve Hatting Steve Hatting recently completed his undergraduate degree in the Department of Linguistics at the end of the fall semester. Before entering the Linguistics program, Steve was majoring in Math and Biology. He decided to change majors and pursue a career in Linguistics after hearing a friend talk about the syntax course she was taking. Steve was interested in linguistics before he even truly understood what it was. In high school, he would write all of his notes in phonetic Cyrillic so others couldn t copy his work. He enjoys looking for patterns between languages. Steve s main focus was Phonology and his favorite class was Second Language Research Design with Associate Professor Adrian Palmer. The course taught him good research skills and also helped him learn how to present his findings. He enjoyed learning how to critically think through ideas and create his own opinion. Another aspect of the major that Steve enjoyed was the use of applied statistics. He enjoyed using math to find and chart patterns; it made him feel really smart. He also completed the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate. While an undergraduate, Steve taught English and found the experience very rewarding and helped him to decide what he wanted to do after graduation. Steve hopes to get a job teaching English overseas. Steve feels that through Linguistics he has picked up skills, such as expanding his English vocabulary, confidence in both presenting and teaching, the ability to understand and explain concepts, as well as the ability to look up journal articles. He believes that these skills will help him become a more effective teacher. His advice for current students is - if you feel overwhelmed, stick with it. It will make sense eventually. He would also like students to know that you are probably not the only one who doesn t understand a problem. You should take responsibility for your own education and ask for help. Be active not passive in your education. Linguistics has a lot of variety, so explore and find out what you want to do. Remember when you were a starving student? Our students are in constant need of funding for opportunities to grow, learn, & research Your contribution will help budding Linguists take advantage of academic opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. Donate Now Page 5

6 Undergraduate Graduates Spring 2014 Bussaina Ahmed Hamed Mohamed JacobBagley Jonathon Bradley Jelena Breddlove Faye Fischer Thomas Hamblin Wenting Jiang Parker Jones Tess Nolan Amanda Pais Bethany Scheuermann Jody Scott Gerald Snow Elizabeth Thompson Dinah Williams Summer 2014 Alisoo Choi Yuka Muratani MA Graduates Spring 2014 graduates and Theis Title Kevin Kau Teaching Beliefs and Practices of Language Teaching Assistants Dixon Daniel Leveling Up Language Proficiency Through Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games: Opportunities for English Learners to Receive Input, Modify Output, Negotiate Meaning, and Employ Language-Learning Strategies Summer 2014 Graduates and Thesis Title Lindsey Hansen Second-Language Writer and Instructor Perceptions of the Effectiveness of a Curriculum-Integrated Research Skills Library Guide Tulay Orucu Teaching English Grammar in a Hybrid Course: Student Performance and Teacher and Student Perceptions Amanda Rabideau Talker background and individual differences in the speech intelligibility benefit Page South Campus Drive, STE 2300 Salt Lake City, Utah P: