Call for Applications: Humanities EXPLORE Undergraduate Research Fellowship with Professor Jaye Padgett, 2024-2025
Research Assistant: Ultrasound/Acoustic Analysis (Linguistics)
We encourage work-study and non-work-study students to apply. This role is only open to undergraduate students with a declared or proposed Humanities major or minor and requires work authorization.
Application Deadline: November 7, 2024
The Humanities Division and The Humanities Institute are excited to announce an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz to work with Linguistics Professor Jaye Padget.
The Humanities Experiential Learning Opportunities in Research (EXPLORE) Program connects Humanities majors and minors to faculty-led research projects in the division. EXPLORE Fellows are mentored by faculty members to develop skills and knowledge to help them make an impactful intellectual or creative contribution to their field. Students gain practical experience and professional training that builds on their studies in the Humanities. At the same time, faculty benefit from students’ assistance and academic expertise.
Applicants must have a declared or proposed major or minor in the Humanities Division at the time of their application to be eligible. Please see the Humanities Division majors and minors list to check your eligibility before applying.
About The Project
EXPLORE Fellows will work with Professor Padgett to analyze ultrasound and acoustic data. The general research question driving the work will be whether and how speakers modify speech gestures depending on the position of a word in a sentence or in higher prosodic structure. Fellows will learn to analyze experimental results and, time permitting, to design and carry out a new experiment in this area.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS
- Duty (33%): Using Praat analysis software, find relevant landmarks in acoustic data and label them.
- Duty (33%): Using AAA ultrasound analysis software, find relevant landmarks in ultrasound data and label them. In addition, classify speech gestures according to articulatory type.
- Duty (33%): Work with Professor Padgett to analyze experimental results and draw conclusions based on hypotheses. Time permitting, help design and carry out a new experiment.
Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- You are a declared or proposed Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism, Language Studies, Linguistics major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division and are in good academic standing. [strict eligibility requirement]
- You have work authorization. [required]
- You have taken Phonetics 1 (LING 100), and Phonology 1 (LING 101) and passed with a B or better
- You have taken Phonetic Analysis (LING 151) and passed with a B or better, or you are currently enrolled in LING 151, or you have previous experience working with Praat software.
Position Term: Up to Spring Quarter 2025
Hours: Up to 10 hours per week
Compensation: $20/hour, depending on experience
# Positions Available: 2
Mentorship: You will work closely with and report to Linguistics Professor Jaye Padgett. They will delegate tasks, review your work, provide coaching, and help you understand professional research. You will meet to check in at least once per week
Apply By Submitting
- Your updated resume
- A short cover letter (no more than one page) answering these questions: Why are you interested in this position? How does your academic expertise and skillset prepare you for this role? What are you hoping to gain from this opportunity?
REVIEW these resume and cover letter resources to ensure you are a strong candidate!
- Address your cover letter to Professor Padgett
Once the application window closes, there will be an interview process with top candidates. This job is expected to start in November 2024.
Please contact the EXPLORE Program coordinator, Kylie Rachwalski, at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu with any questions.
The Mellon Foundation, The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, The Humanities Institute, and the UCSC Humanities Division generously support the Humanities EXPLORE Program.
