Language Science Station at Planet Word

The LingComm Grants are back!

These grants started in 2020, as "hey let's help get lingcomm projects going during lockdown"

They've since run in 2022 and 2024, and thanks to generous folks we've always given out more than expected

But they only work if people apply!!! Please share this!!

Working on a project bringing linguistics to broader audiences? Apply for a 2026 LingComm Grant! Due: April 30, 2026. Details at link in bio.

Working on a project bringing linguistics to broader audiences?

The 2026 LingComm Grants are $300 USD grants to help you with your project!

Please apply and/or share with any up and coming lingcommers you know!

Details:
lingcomm.org/grants
#linguistics #langsky #lingcomm

Screenshot of title page of an article published in "Journal of Experimental Psychology: General" titled "Your Research Is Public Engagement: A Case for More Intentional Science Communication in Research With Human Subjects."

Very cool idea to view research studies as opportunities for science communication! A more thoughtful approach to debriefing and other aspects of research might help the public better understand how science works and why it is valuable. #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky #EduSky doi.org/10.1037/xge0...

Thousands of interactions we've had with visitors at @planetworddc.bsky.social informed the thinking in this paper. With it, we aim to bring what we've learned at the museum to research practices in the lab and online.

We're excited to start a bigger conversation about what our research can do!

Not considering the experience of research participants does not somehow allow a researcher to opt out of communicating with participants, it just means that the research may communicate poorly and/or send unintentional messages."

Accordingly, human subjects research is an occasion to do intentional public engagement with research participants, considering each study participant not only as a datapoint but as an opportunity for meaningful interaction about science...

The paper proposes the Research as Engagement Model:
"All human subjects research is public engagement. Human subjects research experiments inherently communicate with participants about the researchers, the field, and science...

Our director @charlottevaughn.bsky.social has a new paper out this week, "Your Research Is Public Engagement: A Case for More Intentional Science Communication in Research With Human Subjects," in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 🎉 It's free to read! psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-...

The @lingsocam.bsky.social awarded the Linguistics, Language, & the Public Award to our founder and director, @charlottevaughn.bsky.social! We're feeling very grateful today that our work is being recognized by our community.

Thank you, and please spread the word! umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_... (4/4)

Want to participate? Any active researcher (PhD student, postdoc, faculty, etc.) in any field who has done any kind of public engagement in the past 3 years is eligible. It should take +/-20 minutes, depending on how thorough your answers are. umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_... (3/4)

It's not about the usual stuff like lack of time or resources that make it hard to engage (though those are very real!) but more about challenges researchers perceive in communicating specific content. umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_... (2/4)

Are you a researcher who engages with public audiences? Our director, @charlottevaughn.bsky.social, is conducting a survey with Sharon Unsworth about the barriers researchers face when communicating with non-academic publics. Survey link: umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_... (1/4)

An LSS RA talks about our studies with attendees.

An LSS research lead chats with an attendee.

An LSS RA walks attendees through our study.

The Language Science Station made a reappearance at the National Book Festival this year, back in September, alongside the Maryland Language Science Center. We ran our study Frame the Planet with attendees, and loved talking with them about the power of framing in language!

(THREAD 2/2) Explore family-friendly language science activities, try a study on climate change perception with @langscistation.bsky.social, and grab some free stickers!

👉When: September 6th • 8:30 to 6:00
👉Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center
👉What: go.umd.edu/lsc-nbf-2025

"Library of Congress National Book Festival" is written in bold brown text in a white circle, layered over a pattern that reads "25 years" several times at different orientations

THREAD 1/2 Join us on September 6th at the @librarycongress.bsky.social #NationalBookFestival, our 2nd year as a Featured STEM District Organization! 🎉

Details in the thread below 👇🚨

Slide text: Research as engagement Challenge: Consider ourselves ambassadors of our field whenever we do human subjects research, wherever it is, whatever itis • Research as Engagement Model: Scholars should consider human subjects research as occasions to do intentional public engagement with research participants (Vaughn, in revision) Our participants are datapoints, but first and foremost they're people

Cool work by @charlottevaughn.bsky.social describing different types of museum-based linguistic research, including @planetworddc.bsky.social, and reminding us that this work helps the community understand what scientists do!

Meanwhile, our director @charlottevaughn.bsky.social is teaching at the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) Summer Institute in Oregon @lsa2025uo.bsky.social. And, back in DC, our RAs are holding down the fort at Planet Word, running our studies with museum visitors. Come see us at Planet Word soon!

Our LSS team runs Word Island at the Summit.

Our LSS team enjoys downtown Milledgeville, GA.

Our LSS team runs Guess the Story at the Summit.

Our LSS team standing in front of the Governor's Summit sign.

An exciting month for the The LSS crew! A delegation of our team traveled to Milledgeville, Georgia in early July, where they ran studies with attendees at the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center Governor's Summit on Early Language and Literacy & talked about making language science engaging & interactive!

With one last round of photos, we'd like to thank the National Science Foundation for helping us celebrate their 75th anniversary! Alongside other areas of science, the NSF has enabled many critical innovations and breakthroughs in the language sciences, and we are grateful for their support.

From a trivia-playing robot to seeing your speech to learning about American Sign Language, there was an activity for everyone at the Language Science Fair!

Language Science Fair photos are finally here! We hosted 8 engaging talks at Planet Word, covering everything from Large Language Models to dogs understanding language.

Learn more about the event here: go.umd.edu/languagesciencefair2025

Four volunteers smile for a selfie while standing in front of the ‘guess the story” and ‘in your hands’ booths with flyers, stickers, mini brain toys on the tables.

May 10th, we celebrated NSF's 75th Language Science Fair with Dr. Deanna Gagne, Lilly Berggoetz, & @bonniebarrett.bsky.social at the @langscistation.bsky.social!

Please share widely: The dates for New Ways of Analyzing Variation 53 have changed to November 5-7, 2025, due to a late-breaking university calendar change.

Abstracts due June 15. Visit us at nwav53.ling.lsa.umich.edu (also accessible via nwavconference dot org but BlueSky doesn't like redirects)

Are you going to the Language Science Fair tomorrow? Repost to let us know 😎

Which talk are you most excited for? Attend them all at the Language Science Fair TOMORROW, May 10th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM!\

Final activity announcement! Mark your calendars 📅
for the Language Science Fair at Planet Word TOMORROW from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM!

Announcing our final speaker! Join Dr. Shenika Hankerson for "Myths and Realities About African American Language"! This talk uses a “Fact or Fiction” game to uncover the story behind AAL + explore its significance.

Saturday, May 10 | Language Science Fair
Planet Word | Free, all ages
Link in bio 🔗

What else can you enjoy at the Language Science Fair? A cotton candy machine, balloon animals, and a raffle! Raffle drawings at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, and 2pm. Must be present to win!

Saturday, May 10 | Language Science Fair
Planet Word | Free, all ages
Learn more: sites.google.com/umd.edu/plan...

A few more fun things to expect at the Language Science Fair: a cotton candy machine, balloon animals, and a raffle! Raffle drawings at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, and 2pm. Must be present to win!

📅 Saturday, May 10 | Language Science Fair
📍 Planet Word | Free & open to all ages
🔗 Link in bio to learn more