MILE Expands Its Reach at 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival

Ending the summer with a bang, MILE accompanied the Maryland Language Science Center (MLSC) to the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival. As part of the festival’s inaugural STEM District, the MLSC invited MILE and the Language Science Station to co-host engaging, family-friendly activities.

Pictured: MILE Co-Directors Simone Gibson and DJ Bolger

Visitors participated in literacy-themed trivia, created International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) name tags, and tried an fNIRS brain imaging headset to watch their brain activity live. The MLSC was one of ten Featured Organizations in the STEM District, offering interactive experiences that combined STEM with literature and art. MILE offered trivia activities, stickers, and coloring sheets centered around the theme of “Literacy and Justice for All.”

The Maryland Language Science Center is an interdisciplinary center of faculty and students across approximately 20 units at the University of Maryland. Its mission is to advance an interdisciplinary science of language to address complex problems in science and society. The Language Science Station, a National Science Foundation-funded project led by Charlotte Vaughn from the University of Maryland, in collaboration with Gallaudet University, Howard University, and Planet Word, hosted a demo of the live fNIRS study showing brain activity while visitors engaged with written, visual, and auditory content.

MILE leadership would like to thank MILE team members Wanda Debrewer, Laura Groth, the MLSC, and the Language Science Station for making this opportunity possible!