Tori Hennessy – Lab Manager & Research Assistant (2022 – 2024)

Tori was the LEAP manager and research assistant. She graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Washington in 2022. Prior to joining the I-LABS team, Tori was an undergraduate research assistant in the UW Language Development & Processing Lab (LDP) and mentored by Dr. Naja Ferjan Ramírez. Tori also worked as a lead preschool teacher on her home island of Kaua’i and in Seattle throughout her undergraduate years. Her research interests lie in infants’ social learning and cognitive development. When she’s not in the lab, Tori teaches yoga at the UW Intramural Activities (IMA) Center and paddles with the Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club. Tori is thrilled to begin her Ph.D. in the Department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego this fall!

 

 

Richard Nguyen – Undergraduate Honors Student (2023 – 2024)

Richard is a recently graduated student at the University of Washington who studied neuroscience and linguistics. Presently, he is exploring domain-general effects of early childhood bilingual environments, particularly on motor processes such as rhythmic babbling production. He aspires to pursue medicine and research in neuroscience, emphasizing language processing and production.

 

 

 

 

Jocelyn Leiter – Undergraduate Research Assistant (2023 – 2024)

Jocelyn is a fourth-year student at the University of Washington pursuing a B.S. in Speech and Hearing Sciences and minoring in American Sign Language (ASL). She is assisting the LEAP team with data input and organization. Jocelyn also assists Dr. Qi Cheng in her research in language processing of Deaf individuals by assisting the MEG technician and walking participants through the study’s procedures. Eventually, she wishes to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist and work with autistic children.

 

 

 

Aditi Marehalli – High School Research Assistant (Summer 2023, Summer 2024)

Aditi is a rising senior at Liberty High School in Renton, WA. She is excited to be investigating the impact of early childhood bilingual environments on rhythmic babbling at LEAP. She is presently working to develop a neural network for audio extraction and classification. In the future, she hopes to pursue a neuroscience and linguistics major with the long-term goal of pursuing a career in medicine.

 

 

 

Andrew Culverwell – Intern (Summer 2023)

Andy is a rising sophomore at Pomona College in California, where he plans to double major in cognitive science and computer science. This summer, he is helping with signal processing code that will be used for multiple projects at LEAP. He looks forward to future research on cognition and perception, both during and beyond his undergraduate education.