Less-studied languages and outreach

I previously worked in Indonesia for several years, in the wonderful city of Malang, East Java. During my time in Indonesia I developed an interest in languages that are less commonly studied and thus under-represented in the linguistics literature. With several colleagues, I developed a series of audio lessons intended to help students learn to speak the under-studied language Madurese, for which textbooks (and, at the time, complete grammars) did not exist. Contact me if you’re interested in these recordings.

With my previous training in Applied Linguistics, I have also initiated and led language-related programs in Indonesia, including:

• Language learning seminars for expatriates from different countries, a.k.a. How to speak more fluently and sound more like a local speaker 
• Language teacher training, curriculum review and language program design
• Cultural and linguistic awareness and cross-cultural training

Community and social impact

I have also been fortunate in having opportunities to contribute my time to social impact and local engagement:

• I recently worked with Penn’s SUMR program (https://ldi.upenn.edu/education/penn-ldi-training-programs/sumr/) as a Writing Mentor.
• Training and opportunities for young Indonesian scholars. An interdisciplinary project that I designed to combine linguistic fieldwork and an intensive training component for Indonesian college students (this project was funded by the GAPSA-Provost Award for Interdisciplinary Innovation at Penn). My team of 5 college interns received hands-on training in linguistic principles, fieldwork methodology and research design; they also received a stipend. The interns arranged interviews with language consultants, collected data and collaborated to build a database with their results.
• Social impact:  I was a Lipman Family Prize Fellow in 2016-2017. The Lipman fellowship is part of the McNulty Leadership Program housed at Wharton Business School. With other fellows from across Penn’s graduate schools, I contributed to the selection of semi-finalists for the $250,000 Lipman Prize, which is awarded annually to an organization for outstanding work in the social sector.
• MacArthur 100&change Top200: As part of a team of summer associates at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP),  I screened the top 200 applications for the $1 million MacArthur 100&change prize. I and my fellow associates chose 11 evidence-based projects that have the potential for great social impact, and we co-authored this special publication highlighting organizations that are working to improve lives around the globe.