Research 

I work at he Brain, Language, and Bilingualism Lab (BLaB) directed by Dr. Eleonora Rossi and Dr. Edith Kaan. The lab focuses on investigating the behavioral and neural mechanisms involved in bilingualism using behavioral and neuroimaging experimental techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG). During my three years as a research assistant in BLaB, I learned the bases of conducting linguistic and psycholinguistic research; from the conception of an idea to operationalizing it in the form of a testable and measurable experiment. I also received introductory training in EEG, and I understood that language processing can be studied in various populations as the brain unfolds it processing with millisecond precision. As part of my training, I also collaborated on an international project between BLaB and the University of Tromsø (Norway) that looked at the morphosyntactic processing of Spanish Heritage Speakers using EEG.

Given my research interests, I was very excited when I became a part of the social network and bilingualism project developed by Dr. Rossi. The project aims to understand how variability in personal social network characteristics may impact bilingual language outcomes. I learned the theoretical basis of personal social network theory and analysis and I understood how bilingual use in interaction plays an important role in metalinguistic performance due to bilinguals’ ability to use language in different social settings. Increasingly intrigued by the connection between variability in bilingual language use and language use in the speakers' social networks, I wanted to continue exploring this connection. Therefore, I decided to make it my independent honors thesis, to learn how social networks and bilingual language processing go hand in hand and how different bilingual language experiences can shape language use. To learn the basics of social network science, I was accepted to the 2022 Theory, Methods, and Applications of Personal Networks course at the the University of Barcelona. As an undergraduate, I learned about the qualitative dimensions of social networks and the implementation of different social network analysis approaches utilizing R Studio.