NRT- FW-HTF: Linguistic diversity across the lifespan (LINDIV): transforming training to advance human-technology interaction

智能语音助手或基于计算机的智能辅导系统等技术已对人们的私人生活、教育和劳动力变得至关重要。这项技术很大程度上基于标准的美式英语以及美式英语存在单一、理想化变种的误解，这与语言用户的真正多样性相冲突。许多美国人使用地区性的美式英语、非裔美国人白话英语、手语、英语以外的语言，或者有某种形式的沟通障碍。随着美国人口老龄化，与年龄相关的听力损失和语言障碍也会增加。技术的语言复杂性未能跟上美国境内日益增长的语言多样性。这项技术旨在改善人类和整个社会的生活，人们越来越依赖它来获得政府、社区、健康和教育服务，这使得该技术目前对标准美式英语的依赖成为问题。美国国家科学基金会授予宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研究实习奖将培养新一代人机交互专家来解决这一问题。该项目预计培养 48 名研究生，其中包括 23 名受资助的实习生，他们的研究生课程涉及心理学、德语、西班牙语、传播科学与疾病、计算机科学与工程、信息科学与技术以及学习设计与技术。为期两年的综合培训将使学员做好应对人与技术交互中的关键挑战的准备。人与技术互动的改善将有助于确保具有不同语言背景的个人的充分参与，培育一个平等、多元化和包容的社会。通过应用综合学习和跨学科团队科学原则，学员将做好弥合语言科学与技术之间差距的准备。学员还将准备好超越学科界限进行思考。这种方法被认为是为下一代做好未来工作准备的最佳方法。在为期两年的课程中，学员将完成语言和技术方面的跨学科课程和专业发展，最终获得新的研究生证书“语言多样性和技术”。学员将从事跨学科团队研究项目，以解决易处理的目标并产生清晰的产品，例如设计项目、试点应用或专注于整合语言科学和人类技术交互的研究。学员还将参加研讨会、研究活动、指导和语言多样性外展计划。他们将通过与学术界和私营部门校外合作伙伴的实习来完成该计划，以支持学术界内外、国内和国际环境中连接语言学和技术的职业生涯。经过在不同团队中工作的培训，学员将有能力创造知识并将研究成果转化为技术解决方案，从而缓解不同语言人群的社会、教育和经济差异。NSF 研究培训计划 (NRT) 旨在鼓励为 STEM 研究生教育培训开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革性的新模式。该计划致力于通过创新、循证且符合不断变化的劳动力和研究需求的综合培训模式，对高度优先的跨学科或融合研究领域的 STEM 研究生进行有效培训。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Technology such as smart voice assistants or computer-based intelligent tutoring systems has become crucial to people’s private lives, education, and the workforce. This technology is largely based on standard American English and the misconception that there is a single, idealized variety of American English, which conflicts with the true diversity of language users. Many U.S. speakers use a regional variety of American English, African American Vernacular English, a signed language, a language other than English, or have some form of communication disorder. As the U.S. population is becoming older, age-related hearing loss and language impairments will also increase. The linguistic sophistication of technology has not kept pace with the growing linguistic diversity within the U.S. This technology is intended to improve the lives of humans and society at large, and people increasingly depend on it for access to governmental, community, health, and educational services, making the technology’s current reliance on standard American English problematic. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship award to the Pennsylvania State University will educate a new generation of experts in human-technology interactions to address this issue. The project anticipates training 48 graduate students, including 23 funded trainees, from graduate programs in Psychology, German, Spanish, Communication Science and Disorders, Computer Science and Engineering, Information Sciences and Technology, and Learning Design and Technology. The comprehensive two-year traineeships will prepare trainees to address key challenges in human-technology interactions. Improvements in human-technology interactions will help ensure the full participation of individuals with diverse language backgrounds, fostering an equal, diverse, and inclusive society.By applying integrated learning and transdisciplinary team science principles, trainees will be prepared to bridge the gap between language science and technology. Trainees will also be prepared to think beyond disciplinary boundaries. This approach is considered optimal to prepare the next generation for the future of work. In a two-year program culminating in the new graduate certificate ‘Linguistic Diversity and Technology’, trainees will complete cross-disciplinary courses and professional development in language and technology. Trainees will work on transdisciplinary team research projects that address tractable goal and produce clear products, such as a design project, pilot application, or research study focused on integrating language science and human-technology interaction. Trainees will also participate in seminars, research events, mentoring, and a linguistic diversity outreach program. They will complete the program with an internship with academic and private sector extramural partners to support careers bridging linguistics and technology, both inside and outside academia, in national and international settings. Trained to work in diverse teams, trainees will be competent in creating knowledge and translating research outcomes into technological solutions that alleviate social, educational, and economic disparities for linguistically diverse populations.The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.