\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2023\/04\/Becker_headshot_cropped-scaled.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Amelia Becker, PhD<\/strong>
\nAmelia Becker, PhD is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the LAVA and Lex Labs at Boston University. She graduated with an MA in Linguistics from Gallaudet University and earned her PhD in Linguistics from Georgetown University. Her research focuses on phonology and iconicity in American Sign Language and the interplay between the two. Along with Drs. Naomi Caselli, Amy Lieberman, and Jennie Pyers, she is currently investigating the mechanisms of lexical acquisition in Deaf children with hearing caregivers. Her work also aims to develop resources for studying signed languages and examines the extent to which traditional linguistic research methods are useful for studying signed languages.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nDoctoral Student Researchers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n \n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2020\/08\/MichaelHiggins_cropped.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Michael Higgins, MA<\/strong>
\nMike Higgins is a PhD student in the Department of Education at Boston University. He graduated with a degree in Bilingual Teaching from the University of California, San Diego and has 5 years of experience teaching early childhood and high school.
\nMike holds an interest in language development and predictive abilities in young children. Tangentially, he is currently examining the impact of ASL rhythms and rhymes on deaf children.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2020\/08\/Paris-Gappamayr_cropped.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Paris Gappmayr, BA<\/strong>
\nParis Gappmayr is a PhD student in the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences program. She received her B.A. from the University of British Columbia, where she worked on Dr. Kathleen Currie Hall\u2019s SLPAA (Sign Language Phonetic Annotation & Analysis System) project, and in Dr. Darko Odic\u2019s Centre for Cognitive Development. She is interested in learning how children acquire sign languages, and how Deaf individuals learn to read. Her broad goal is to investigate common features between spoken & signed modalities, and to advocate for ASL access for Deaf children..<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/09\/Elena.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Elana Pontecorvo, EdM<\/strong>
\nElana Pontecorvo is a PhD student in the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences PhD program. She holds an EdM in Deaf Education from Boston University. She joined the LAVA Lab to pursue her interest in sign language acquisition, and was the lab manager for the LAVA Lab and Dr. Naomi Caselli\u2019s Lex Lab before beginning her doctoral studies. She is interested in how deaf children with hearing families acquire sign language as a first language. She strives to conduct research which can be applied to ensure early language access for deaf and hard of hearing children.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nGraduate Student Researchers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-18-at-9.46.53\u202fAM.png\") <\/td>\n | Dorothy Steinle, BA<\/strong>
\nDorothy Steinle is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Deaf Education with a specialization in Early Childhood Deaf Education at Boston University. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Dorothy got her BA in Psychology and a Certificate in Children & Society from The University of Texas at Austin. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Dorothy worked at Extend-A-Care YMCA as a Youth Developmental Leader, as a First-Grade Teacher at Austin Discovery School, volunteered at Texas School for the Deaf’s summer camps, and was a volunteer Co-Navigator at DeafBlind Camp of Texas. Dorothy is passionate about educational reform, language acquisition, and language deprivation. She is working towards becoming a teacher in Deaf schools and hopes to someday establish, with a community of Deaf educators, alternative, teacher-led schools.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nUndergraduate Student Researchers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<\/tr>\n \n![\"\"](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2025\/02\/IMG_9552.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Skylar Sherman<\/strong><\/p>\nSkylar<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Sherman is a senior at Boston University pursuing a BS in Deaf Studies and a minor in Psychology. She currently teaches in the Education program at the Boston University Children’s Center and Wheelock Family Theatre. In summer 2023,\u00a0<\/span>Skylar<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>worked in the Numeracy and Educational Neuroscience (NENS) Lab at Gallaudet University where she became interested in ASL research.\u00a0<\/span>Skylar<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is interested in studying language acquisition in Deaf children and teaching in the future.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| <\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | <\/tr>\n <\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nAlumni<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<\/tbody>\n\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2023\/09\/BU-ID.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Jessica Neri, EdM<\/strong>
\nJessica Neri earned her Masters in Deaf Education in 2025 from Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. While pursuing her Masters, Jessica was the Lab manager for the LAVA and LEX Labs. Jessica also earned her Bachelor’s degree from Boston University with a major in Deaf Studies and a minor in Education, where she found an interest in ASL research and Deaf Education. Jessica is now a Biliteracy teacher at Horace Mann School for the Deaf! <\/p>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n \n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2024\/07\/IMG_4165.jpeg\") <\/td>\n | Marshall Hurst, EdM<\/strong>
\nMarshall Hurst earned his Masters in Deaf Education in 2025 from Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Marshall is originally from Vineland Station, Ontario, Canada. Marshall received his bachelor\u2019s degree in Business Management and a master\u2019s in Business Administration (MBA) from Rochester Institute of Technology, where he worked as an ASL Consultant Manager for the Department of Access Services. Marshall strives to promote bilingual education as a priority for Deaf children and is interested in sign language acquisition and language deprivation of Deaf children. While working towards his Masters degree, Marshall also worked as a Research Assistant and ran the social media accounts for the Deaf Center. Marshall’s goal pursuing a career in teaching and research is to find ways to strengthen bilingual education for Deaf children worldwide. Marshall is now a high school educator at Texas School for the Deaf!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2023\/12\/ALaughman-scaled-e1702493913649.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Abigail Laughman, EdM<\/strong>
\nAbigail Laughman earned her Masters in Deaf Education in 2025 from Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. She graduated with a B.A. in ASL Interpreting from Georgia State University and has three years of educational interpreting experience. While working towards her Masters degree, Abigail worked as a Research Assistant with Erin Campbell studying DeafBlind student’s language acquisition. Abigail’s goal in pursuing a master’s at BU is to work alongside others as agents of positive change in the world of educational interpreting and Deaf education in her home state of Georgia. Abigail is now an elementary educator at the Tennessee School for the Deaf! <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2025\/02\/IMG_9553.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Ari Schifman, MA<\/strong><\/p>\n Ari Schifman graduated from BU in 2025 earning her Bachelors\/Masters program in Linguistics and Psychology. She was born and raised in southern Massachusetts. She is interested in psycholinguistics and the ways that sign languages are acquired by children and adults. Her goal is to continue studying the linguistics of sign languages. Ari is currently working on her PhD at UT Austin! <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2023\/09\/Alexandria-Strata.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Alexandria Strata, EdM<\/strong>
\nAlexandria Strata graduated from Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development in 2024 with a Masters in Deaf Education and a specialization in Teaching Deaf Disabled students. She graduated with a B.S. in Deaf Education from Kent State University and is a licensed Teacher of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired. After completing her Masters, Alexandria plans to teach Deaf+ students, specifically Deaf students with autism spectrum disorders and intensive behavioral needs. She strives to conduct research studying language acquisition and application of functional communication using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in Deaf children with disabilities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/06\/Annas-LAVA-Lab-Headshot-1.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Anna Lim, PhD<\/strong>
\nAnna Lim received her Master\u2019s degree in Linguistics from Gallaudet University. She earned her PhD in Language and Literacy Education, with a specialization in ASL\/Deaf Education at Boston University. She has worked on Haskins Laboratory\u2019s ASL SLAAASh (Sign Language Acquisition, Annotation, Archiving and Sharing) project for linguists Drs. Diane Lillo-Martin and Julie Hochgesang. She is interested in research on L2 pedagogy\/acquisition of Deaf learners and educational issues in bilingualism in Deaf classrooms. Anna earned her PhD in Language and Literacy Education, with a specialization in ASL\/Deaf Education at Boston University.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n \n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2022\/02\/Sarah-Cocroft-headshot-1-e1643991126705.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Sarah Cocroft, BA <\/strong>
\nSarah Cocroft graduated from Boston University in 2022 with a B.A. in Neuroscience and minors in Chemistry and Deaf Studies. She is interested in the intersection between cognitive sciences and sign language shown through language acquisition. She is now Research Fellow for the STEPP Lab at Boston University.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2021\/01\/Lilly_headshot_cropped.jpeg\") <\/td>\n | Elizabeth \u201cLilly\u201d Heller, EdM<\/strong>
\nLilly Heller graduated Deaf Education Masters program at Boston University. Previously, she graduated with a degree in Social Work from Gallaudet University and has two and a half years of experience working with deaf elementary students in Kansas School for the Deaf. Lilly is interested in studying sign language acquisition and strives to promote American Sign Language and Bilingual Education for all deaf children. She now teaches at Kansas School for the Deaf.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2020\/05\/JuliaLeary_headshot_resized.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Julia Leary, BS <\/strong>
\nJulia Leary graduated from BU’s Sargent College in 2021, majoring in Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences and minoring in Deaf Studies. She is interested in learning more about how Deaf children acquire sign language and communication skills and is now pursuing a Masters in Speech Language Pathology at Emerson College.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/09\/Erin_headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Erin Spurgeon, MAI<\/strong>
\nErin Spurgeon received her Masters in Interpretation from Gallaudet University and is working interpreter for the Deaf in Boston, Massachusetts. She has worked within a variety of laboratories studying ASL acquisition and psycholinguistic research across the country.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/01\/AliFitch_square.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Allison Fitch, PhD<\/strong>
\nAllison Fitch is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in both the Deaf Studies program and the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program at Boston University. She received her PhD in Developmental & Brain Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her research addresses the interaction between word learning and extra-linguistic factors, such as visual attention, in both signed and spoken language.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/09\/Carey_headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Carey M. Ballard, EdM <\/strong>
\nCarey M. Ballard is a graduate of the Deaf Education program at Boston University. He formerly served as a Research Lab Coordinator for Dr. Ben Bahan & Dr. Marlon Kuntze\u2019s Gesture Literacy research laboratory at Gallaudet. He was also previously involved in linguistics research projects at Gallaudet University and Georgetown University. He strives to promote American Sign Language, Bilingual Education and the way being of Deaf as a basic right for all Deaf children.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/01\/Anne_resized.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Anne Wienholz, PhD<\/strong>
\nAnne Wienholz is an Acting Professor of Sign Language Linguistics at the University of Hamburg and previously a postdoctoral associate in the Deaf Studies Program at Boston University. She investigates various factors affecting signers\u2018 perception and language processing. She received her PhD in linguistics from the University of Goettingen, Germany, where she investigated language processing in signers of German Sign Language (DGS).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2018\/09\/KerriChamberlain_Headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Keri Chamberlain, EdM<\/strong>
\nKeri Chamberlain is a graduate of the Deaf Education program at Boston University. She is passionate about providing Deaf students with educational equity through language access using a bilingual approach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/06\/Erics-LAVA-Lab-Headshot-.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Eric Setzer, EdM<\/strong>
\nEric Setzer is a graduate of the Deaf Education program at Boston University. He is passionate about making sure that not all Deaf children are left behind in both home and school by providing them with opportunities to explore something new about themselves. In the future, Eric would love to work as a Teacher of the Deaf and soccer coach for the Deaf youth.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/09\/Lily-Headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Lily Feinberg, MS <\/strong>
\nLily Feinberg graduate of the speech-language pathology program. She studied applied psychology and human development and worked in a language acquisition lab throughout her undergraduate years at Boston College, and is interested in transitioning into research that explores this topic within the Deaf population.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/02\/LouLou_Headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Louloua Almohanna <\/strong>
\nLouloua Almohanna is an undergraduate student in CAS majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Deaf Studies. She is interested in the attentional mechanisms underlying language acquisition in Deaf children to help minimize language deprivation in infancy. She is also interested in signed languages across different cultures and countries and plans to learn British Sign Language in the near future.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/08\/NP-headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Nikki Pire, BA<\/strong>
\nNikki Pire received her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Northeastern University in 2018. In addition to her position at the LAVA Lab, Nikki has worked as a research assistant in the Psycholinguistics lab at the University of Kaiserslautern and The Center of Research and Training at The Learning Center for the Deaf.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2019\/02\/Raven_Headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Raven Pentz, EdM<\/strong>
\nRaven Pentz is a graduate of the Deaf Education program at Boston University. She is passionate about supporting the identity development of Deaf children. Raven\u2019s long-term goal is to open a training facility that provides access to Deaf youth that are looking to build their skills in basketball.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/01\/LillianBrown_Headshots.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Lillian Brown, MS<\/strong>
\nLillian Brown received her MS in Speech-Language Pathology at Boston University in 2019. She is interested in how both signed and spoken languages are acquired and used in children. She previously worked as a research assistant in the Child Language and Literacy Lab at Vanderbilt University. Lillian will be working at The Learning Center starting Fall 2019.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2018\/09\/JustinBergeron_Headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Justin Bergeron, EdM<\/strong>
\nJustin Bergeron is a graduate of the Deaf Education at Boston University. Before BU, he had an opportunity to travel around the world during his gap year to explore a bit more about himself and he has been to more than fifty countries in total. As a result, his travels led him to pursue a Master’s degree in Deaf Education and he hopes to somehow combine his passion of traveling and Deaf Education in his future endeavors.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/01\/Julie-headshot.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Julie Behar, BS<\/strong>
\nJulie Behar graduated from Sargent College in 2019 majoring in Speech, Hearing, and Language Sciences and minoring in Deaf Studies. Julie is interested in learning about how to help ensure all deaf children have constant accessibility to language, and about signed language acquisition in adulthood. Julie is starting a doctorate in Audiology at the University of Texas in Fall, 2019.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/08\/AdrienneSheh_cropped.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Adrienne Sheh, BS<\/strong>
\nAdrienne Sheh graduated from BU in 2019 majoring in Psychology and minoring in Deaf Studies and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She is interested in learning more about the acquisition of ASL to hopefully help further the research behind the linguistics of American Sign Language and to ensure that deaf children have early access to language. Adrienne is starting a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology at San Diego State University in Fall, 2019.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2016\/09\/zoe.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Zoe Fieldsteel, EdM<\/strong>
\nZoe Fieldsteel received her Master of Arts in Education of the Deaf from Boston University in 2017. She was a high school English language arts instructor at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs, and now works at The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, Massachusetts.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2016\/10\/Bottoms-636x636.png\") <\/td>\n | Aiken Bottoms, EdM<\/strong>
\nAiken Bottoms received their Master of Arts in Education of the Deaf from Boston University in 2018. They have worked as a volunteer teacher in the Marshall Islands and is a full time instructor at The Learning Center for the Deaf.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/08\/DGagne_cropped.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Deanna Gagne, PhD<\/strong>
\nDeanna Gagne completed a Postdoctoral Associate in the Deaf Studies and Deaf Education Programs at Boston University. She studies how children acquire, create, and change language in various atypical environments.
\nShe received her PhD at the University of Connecticut where she worked with homesigners, Nicaraguan Sign Language signers and hearing children of deaf adults in Nicaragua. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Linguistics Department at Gallaudet University<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/08\/BrittanyFarr_cropped.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Brittany Farr, EdM<\/strong>
\nBrittany Farr graduated from the Deaf Education program at Boston University in 2019. She is passionate about transforming the English curriculum for the Deaf programs by having the English curriculum tailor to learning approaches that are relevant to Deaf students and their native language, ASL.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n![](\"\/lavalab\/files\/2017\/01\/ConradBaer_Headshots.jpg\") <\/td>\n | Conrad Baer, EdM<\/strong>
\nConrad Baer graduated from the Deaf Education program at Boston University in 2019. He is passionate about improving Deaf Education by using a bilingual approach to instruct Deaf students.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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