SPO senior lecturer, Adriana Merino is among the recipients of this year's Council Awards 2024 Flash Grants.

Flash Grants are supported by the Humanities Council Magic Project, thanks to the generosity of Lynn Shostack, in memory of her husband, David A. Gardner ’69. 

Projects will examine new uses of artificial intelligence in language learning and library cataloguing, uncover lost Byzantine archives, encourage zine-making on campus, and examine digitized reports related to convict labor. Grants will also support creative new approaches to contemporary dance and science exploration.

Merino's Flash grant is titled "Smart Avatars, Smarter Words: AI Assistance in Building L2 Vocabulary Knowledge"

Below is a short description:

By applying artificial intelligence (AI) and language processing technologies, this project aims to create interactive and immersive vocabulary learning experiences beyond the classroom, and to promote oral comprehension and fluency of Spanish. This grant supports funding for AI software tools and subscriptions to research software, aiding in the quantitative analysis of data.

Congratulations Adriana!