I received a B.A. in psychology with a minor in philosophy from the University of Denver in 2002. My research interests include both reading acquisition (with a focus on phonological awareness) and reading disorders such as dyslexia. My language-related interests include language acquisition, language impairment, speech disorders, second language learning, and cross-linguistic differences. I hope to master several techniques for investigating language and reading. In addition to behavioral testing, I am conducting event-related potential (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, and will eventually be trained in eye-tracking. These combined methodologies can be used to explore unanswered questions about language processing in humans. My current research involves: (1) using ERP to investigate the effect of context on processing of concrete and abstract words; (2) using ERP to investigate incidental reading of high-frequency, low-frequency, and unfamiliar words by native English speakers and Chinese/English bilinguals; and (3) using ERP and fMRI to study differences in phonology and semantics when learning an unfamiliar orthography. My master’s thesis will investigate how phonological awareness can predict which children will benefit from reading words in or out of context and from decoding training.