Research

There are many opportunities for research in linguistics at Washington University. The best way to find opportunities is to approach one of the core faculty members of the Linguistics Program or one of the participating faculty members. They may be able to include you in a research project already in progress or help you to develop a new research project.

Faculty Research

Our faculty have broad reaching interests and are involved in multiple academic projects. Learn more about their publications and recent research here.

Learn more about recent faculty research

Chat Bot

If you look in the bottom right-hand corner of this webpage, you will see the Linguistics chat bot, Bɔt. Bɔt can be a big help when you are trying to find out about the Linguistics Program, but it is also a great opportunity for Linguistics students to learn more about the real world applications of natural language processing. Bɔt is a product of software designed by Capacity, a local St. Louis artificial intelligence company. Each semester, a group of students has the opportunity to do an independent study with Capacity where they learn about what is involved in creating and curating a chat bot.

Visit Capacity website

Gilbert W. Meier and Colene McKinney Undergraduate Internship

The Gilbert W. Meier and Colene McKinney Undergraduate Internship was established to promote undergraduate training in linguistic research methods. There are a number of ways in which students might use the funds provided through the internship to undertake training in linguistic research. For example, they might attend a summer institute or training program, or they might pursue a research project supervised by a faculty member.

Applications should be submitted to the director of the linguistics program by the final day of classes fall semester. One application will be selected for funding each year.

Applications should consist of a 1-2 page proposal outlining the project or program to be undertaken. The application should indicate how the funds awarded are to be spent, and it should explain the importance of the project or program to the student's training in linguistic research methods. The application might be for an internship during the following calendar year or during the summer and following academic year, depending on the needs of the program or project.

Interns are required to submit a report on their training experience  (8-10 pages) by the last day of classes in the final semester of their internship. Students whose internship includes a research project will also be required to present their research at the Washington University Undergraduate Research Symposium in the semester following their internship.

The gift establishing the Gilbert W. Meier and Colene McKinney Undergraduate Internship was made in honor of Dr. Gilbert W. Meier (BA48, GR53) and Colene Van Deusen, née McKinney (BA48), the parents of Dr. Richard P. Meier (GR75). Dr. Richard P. Meier is currently the chair of the Linguistics Department at the University of Texas at Austin. The gift was made by Dr. Gilbert W. Meier, Dr. Richard P. Meier, Dr. Madeline C. Sutherland-Meier, and Colene Van Deusen. 

Have questions about the internship?

Contact Brett Hyde