Half of a large orange is sitting on a paper towel next to an open laptop. In the back ground is large windows showing a view of the sunset above the Kellogg Hotel covered in snow.
What a terrific Saturday!
Text: Fully funded VL & PEN'S REU SITE @ GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY ASL-English Bilingual CENTRE (Cognitive and Educational Neuroscience Training Research Experience) MAY 18* - JULY 10, 2026 *IF LATER START DATE NEEDED, PLEASE CONTACT US Application Deadline: February 1Ith Scan QR code for information and application details (ASL video available) Contact: edneuroscience@gallaudet.edu https://gu.live/REUCENTRE Image 1: 3 REU students stand next to 3 PEN professors and 3 other REU student kneel next to another kneeling PEN professor. Image 2: One of the 3 standing REU students is posed facing to the left with a EEG cap on her head wile two other people wearing gloves are attaching the cabling sensors to the cap.
Fully funded REU opportunity at Gallaudet University this summer! More info at gu.live/REUCENTRE
Donna Jo Napoli (left), Desirée Kirst (center), and Barry Furrow (right) stand hugging and smiling inside the lobby of the Grand Hyatt.
Inspiring chat and yummy food earlier this month with these two lovely humans (Donna Jo Napoli & Barry Furrow).
Month began with OSU peeps & REU students.
Good people, good times.
Desirée Kirst & Dr. Gaurav Mathur pose side-by-side in a side hug in front of tv showing Desirée’s dissertation proposal topic “Layering affective and grammatical facial expressions in ASL.”
A screenshot of the dissertation committee connected through Zoom in clockwise order: Dr. Vadim Kimmelman, Dr. Gaurav Mathur, Dr. Deanna Gagne, Desirée Kirst, & Dr. Rachel Pizzie.
I did it! Thursday, I defended my dissertation proposal, and now I’m a doctoral candidate!
🥳🎉🥳
Four volunteers smile for a selfie while standing in front of the ‘guess the story” and ‘in your hands’ booths with flyers, stickers, mini brain toys on the tables.
May 10th, we celebrated NSF's 75th Language Science Fair with Dr. Deanna Gagne, Lilly Berggoetz, & @bonniebarrett.bsky.social at the @langscistation.bsky.social!
📢 We’re pleased to announce IcoLL2026: Joint conference of IcoSem and ILL (21–23 Feb., Nagoya U., Japan). The conference will feature invited talks by Dr. Mutsumi Imai, Dr. Noburo Saji, Dr. Pamela Perniss, and Dr. Neil Cohn. We look forward to welcoming you to Nagoya!
🌐 ianjoo.github.io/icosem/4
Several weeks ago, four of five STEM programs that make up the NIH-funded Deaf Scientists Pipeline in Rochester, NY were cut (the fifth is expected to be cut too). A PhD student made the below infographic to visualize what these cuts mean as a catastrophic generational loss for #Deaf science
Zoom screenshot. The left half shows the title of Wink's presentation, "What is constructed action: Investigating construal in bodily action depictions." The right half shows Wink presenting. This still image shows him signing 'depiction.'
Wink stands on an elevated stage presenting. The projector behind him shows 5 agenda items: review of literature, cognitive grammar, construction, action, and future directions. An arrow points to the 4th agenda item, discussing construal dimensions (Langacker, 1987, 1991, 2008) regarding focusing, specificity, scope, and perspective. Below the stage are the tops of folding chairs and the photographer's laptop.
CONGRATS to Dr. Windell (Wink) Smith, Jr. on his phenomenal dissertation defense on Monday!
A screenshot of a Google Doc shows an outline of the doc's content on the left and the cover page with the title "Layering of affective and grammatical facial expressions in American Sign Language by Desiree L. Kirst" submitted May, 2025.
I submitted my research proposal to my dissertation committee today. Can't believe ABD is ~1mo away 😱🥹
Desirée (white, 40yo woman with long straight auburn hair) smiles while squinting her eyes. She stands in front of a neon sign of the brain lit up in several colors that is affixed on the wall inside the CAN Lab at Gallaudet University.
Loving my collaboration with the CAN Lab at @gallaudetu.bsky.social ! An fEMG study on ASL nonmanuals coming Fall 2025!!! 🧏🏾♂️🦻🧏🏻♀️
Desirée is wearing a white shirt, whitewash denim jacket, fuchsia pink pants, white hi-top converse, and heart sunglasses. Her hair is up in two “space” buns and her right hand is in her jacket pocket as she looks at the tidal basin. She is standing next to a metal railing in front of Japanese cherry tree branches and blossoms.
Stopped by the basin for a last look at the season’s 🌸 blossoms.
Left half of the image shows a flyer to attend a presentation, "Controlling Our History" about Philip W. Bravin's experience during DPN, Deaf President Now, movement. The right side of the image shows Desiree Kirst and Philip Bravin posing together with a copy of his book in front of a powerpoint slide from his presentation. Slide shows the following information: Controlling our destiny 37 years since DPN March 1988 No thoughts of writing a book 10th anniversary 2002-2015 Finishing Editing Publication
Earlier this week, I saw Philip Bravin present his newly released book, showcasing DPN from a board member's POV.
Hyped for the DPN documentary releasing May 16, 2025!
#deafrights #dpn #deafpresidentnow #deafauthor #deafhistory
PART 1: #BlackHistoryMonth Ida Hampton was the 1st Black and Deaf woman to graduate from Gallaudet University in the 1950s. Deaf schools were racially segregated, and she broke the color barrier. #DeafCulture #BlackDeafCulture #ASL #BASL #BlackHistory #BlackGirlMagic #DEI #Disability #BlackSky #Deaf
If you are working in Deaf Studies and want a fully funded paid year as a researcher at Gallaudet University, this Deaf Studies incubator fellowship is open for applications deafincubator.com/apply/?fbcli...
DCAL Paid Internship Update! Internships can start anytime between June and September 2025, depending on project availability. Successful candidates will be notified the week of 19 May. Apply by 30 April 2025.
Professor Bencie Woll MBE shares her journey from a love of languages to leading BSL research in the UK. Her proudest achievement? Founding DCAL & championing deaf researchers. She remains dedicated to expanding opportunities in academia. 🎥 #AcademicSpotlightSeries youtu.be/S6iLX5n-qeY
