Combining their experiences in CCF's Play With Me program, research mentoring from CCF faculty affiliates, and their own life experiences, our National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) students are preparing to present their science at the Summer Platform for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) at UT Dallas on August 2nd. Their research includes an analysis of 'parentese', or baby talk, among bilingual Spanish-English caregivers, an investigation of how families can have more inclusive and meaningful experiences when participating in child development research, and an examination of the ethnicity of Santa Claus and children's developing ethnic pride. Read a summary of the research here and join us on Friday August 2nd for presentations of this research. Schedule here.

The Language Interaction and Language Acquisition in Children (LILAC) lab is recruiting monolingual English-speaking families with preschoolers ages 3-5 for a new word learning study. During this study, caregivers will wear eye-tracking glasses and teach their child four new words. Children will watch a short video and be asked to look at or point to the words he/she learned. They will then be invited to complete a quick language assessment. Children will receive a small toy for participation. Results from the standardized assessment and screeners will be made available to parents upon request. The in-person study takes place on the UTD campus and lasts about one hour. Sign up here or contact the lab at lilac.lab@utdallas.edu or 972-883-2427 with any questions.

Our NSF REU students have been working diligently in their mentors' labs, finalizing their research projects and preparing to present their results. They've also been meeting regularly this summer with our PhD student to research graduate schools and craft compelling personal statements for their applications. The goal for the REU program is to open educational pathways for students who might otherwise face significant barriers. From our first 3 cohorts, 18 of the 35 students have now graduated with a bachelor’s degree and of those, 11 have applied to graduate programs and 9 have been accepted. Because of this program, we've been able to support current and past students in deciding upon and pursuing life goals. I'm extremely proud.

-Mandy Maguire, PhD, Fellow, Robinson Family Professor, Director, Center for Children and Families, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences