This summer, Professor Kalin researched a big-picture crosslinguistic study of two interconnected linguistic phenomena related to syntax and morphology, and helped jumpstart a new research program focused on the endangered Neo-Aramaic language Turoyo, which is spoken by a community of immigrants in Piscataway, NJ. This fall she will be teaching two entry-level linguistics courses. The first is LIN 250, which looks at some of the ways that language infiltrates our daily lives, including how/whether the language we speak influences our perception, and how/whether our identities shape the linguistic properties of our dialects. The second is LIN 360, where students each work with an endangered or lesser-studied language of their choosing; using these languages we explore hands-on the commonalities/differences across languages. 
Laura advises students to make sure to take classes outside of their (planned) concentration and outside of their comfort zone and to “learn something new simply for the sake of doing so… you never know where it’ll take you.” This summer, she traveled to Leipzig University to present her research and has several trips planned to visit family in the Boston Area. When she’s not travelling, she’s excited to be spending her first summer here in Princeton! In her free time, Professor Kalin enjoys rock climbing and baking. She also is a total bookworm and loves basically any type of nonfiction, but especially fantasy.