Alex Emmert's Homepage
/ælɪks ɛmɚt/
I am a junior (third-year) undergraduate student studying Linguistics and Computer Science at the University of Maryland. The areas of linguistics I'm most interested in are L1 acquisition, formal semantics, and syntax.
Contact me at terpmail.umd.edu as emmert.
Research
I've worked in Maryland's Language Acquisition Lab for three semesters under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Lidz. The work I do focuses on children's acquisition of syntax (among other things), often investigated using preferential-looking and habituation-switch methods.
In the summer of 2024, I worked as a research assistant in Dr. Elika Bergelson's lab at Harvard University. My project looked at speech input to young deaf/hard of hearing children who have recieved cochlear implants. [poster]
In the summer of 2023, I was part of a Computer Science NSF REU at Salisbury University. My group worked on a computer vision model to visually identify, classify, and track oysters in an underwater environment, with applications in aquaculture and environmental monitoring/protection.
Teaching
I've worked as a teaching assistant for Dr. Tonia Bleam in three semesters (see below), working with class sizes of 20-30 students. This involves grading weekly assignments and exams, holding office hours, and leading review sessions before exams.
LING240 - Language and Mind, Spring 2024 (~30 students)
LING311 - Syntax I, Fall 2024 (~20 students)
LING311 - Syntax I, Spring 2025 (~25 students)
Etc.
Since the Spring of 2024, I've been the representative of UMD's Linguistics Department on the Dean's Undergraduate Advisory Board within the College of Arts & Humanities.
When I'm not doing schoolwork I like to edit Wikipedia, play chess, and enjoy the outdoors. I'm also involved with Maryland's quizbowl team, and I'm a big fan of trivia in general.