For students

Students! Interested in being involved?

Join us!

We will not be running our training course in summer 2025. Stay tuned for more information about upcoming student trainings.

Undergrad and grad students, does this sound like you?

You're interested in language and social sciences
You're an undergraduate or graduate student, with some experience in language science or social sciences
You want to gain valuable research experience
You want to improve your science communication skills
You want to gain hands-on experience interacting with museum visitors from all ages and backgrounds
You want to meet students with similar interests from
other area universities
You want to spend part of your summer at Planet Word
You're interested in being eligible for future paid opportunities doing research + engagement

If so, you're in the right place!

Info about the class

The course (MLSC 420/620) runs during UMD's Summer I term, which meets for 6 weeks
The course will meet online and at Planet Word
It is a 3-credit course
Students in the course must to commit to being at Planet Word for 8-10 hours/week during the term (class hours plus additional experiential learning hours)
We will follow CDC guidelines regarding the ever-changing COVID situation, and will make updates as necessary
Students who have taken the course will be eligible to apply for paid opportunities during the school year to continue their work at Planet Word

Course description

In this class, you will become a skilled communicator of language science, and will do language science research by interacting with visitors at a museum about language in Washington DC, Planet Word. As one of the only public institutions dedicated to language, and with its highly interactive, fun, and educational exhibits, Planet Word is a perfect setting for conducting research and engagement with the public around language. In the course, you will learn more about how language is studied scientifically, and how to conduct several research studies with museum visitors yourself. You will also learn how to hold science-based conversations about language research -- why we do it, how we do it, and what we’ve learned.

In order to confidently conduct language science research and engagement in a public setting, in the course you will learn about research design, research ethics, and informal science learning. Students will spend a significant portion of their time in the course at Planet Word, actively interacting with visitors (especially parents and children) conducting language science studies and engaging with them about our science. In this way, you’ll gain unique hands-on experience not only in academic research but also in science communication, a growing field with skills transferable across many domains.

What kind of research will we be doing?

In the course, you’ll learn how to conduct behavioral language science research studies on a range of topics, which may include: how the brain processes language, how expertise affects language production, how topic and frequency affect reading times, how AI translates between languages, what we remember from conversations, and how non-signers perceive ASL signs.
Because of the unique setting of the research, the studies we'll conduct during the class will be decided in advance. But, students will have many opportunities to contribute to and refine the research. And, we very much hope students will use this experience to develop their own ideas for how to build onto these studies, and design their own, in the future!

Eligibility + Prerequisites

All students must have some background in language science or related fields (e.g., psychology, linguistics, hearing and speech science, etc.), and must obtain permission from the instructor to enroll. Before you register for this course, please contact us if you have any questions about the class, or your preparation for the class. We will also ask you to complete a brief interest form prior to registering so that you can learn more about the class, and we can learn more about you!

Students in the course must be able to commit to spending 8-10 hours per week at Planet Word during the term, and must arrange their own transportation to and from Planet Word. If access to transportation is a barrier for you but you are interested in taking the course, please contact us in advance.

Conducting studies at the museum will broaden the diversity of participants in our science. Likewise, we’re hoping for a cohort of students that brings diverse backgrounds and perspectives!

Non-UMD students / Students at DC consortium universities

Any undergraduate, recently graduated undergraduate, or graduate student who will be in the DC area during the summer course period is eligible to enroll. There are two options for enrollment for non-UMD students:

If you are an enrolled undergraduate or graduate student at one of the DC consortium universities listed below, you can register for the course easily through the consortium. Keep in mind that there is some initial paperwork, so please start this process ASAP. Contact us for more information, and read about your school's policies on your school's consortium website. (With this option, you will pay your home university's tuition rates for the summer course, and the course usually automatically appears on your transcript.)
American U, Catholic U, Gallaudet U, George Mason U, Georgetown U, George Washington U, Howard U, National Defense U, National Intelligence U, Northern Virginia Community College, Prince George's Community College, Trinity, Uniformed Services U, University of the District of Columbia, University of Maryland, University of Maryland Global Campus
If you are not at one of these schools, or even if you are a DC consortium student, you may wish to register directly through UMD's Office of Extended Studies. This is also the option to use if you are a recently-graduated undergraduate student. (With this option, you will pay UMD's tuition rates for the summer course, and after the course, the credits you earned can be transferred back to your home institution as transfer credits.)

We're happy to work with you on any aspect of the registration process!

Paying for summer school

We know that enrollment in summer courses can be expensive. If cost is an issue, please let us know.

Interpreting services

ASL interpreters will be provided for the course and course-related activities (including the experiential learning shifts at Planet Word) as needed. Please contact us if you have questions about this.

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