I got a B.A. in psychology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1995. I got a Master's degree in cognitive psychology Penn State University in 1997, and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology with a minor in psychobiology from Penn State University in 2000. My research focuses on the cognitive processes related to language learning and use. In particular, I study bilingual language processing and representation as a way of understanding constraints on cognitive processing. For example, my current research is aimed at understanding the importance of overcoming one’s first language for successful second language use (e.g., not making mistakes by directly translating from the first language to the second). I use high density event-related brain potential techniques in addition to more traditional measures, such as reaction time and accuracy, to examine this issue from the perspective of the biological basis of language learning.