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https://youtu.be/J7E0sQPRvj4?si=d91iRf9P4c8EEsW2.

The Department of Applied Linguistics is proud to celebrate the recognition of eight faculty members in the annual Stanford University ranking of the world's top 2% most-cited scientists. This prestigious distinction highlights the global reach and scholarly impact of their research, as measured through citation data across a wide range of disciplines.

The faculty members recognized this year are:

• Suresh Canagarajah
• Karen Johnson
• Celeste Kinginger
• Jim Lantolf
• Xiaofei Lu
• Sinfree Makoni
• Tommaso M. Milani
• Matt Poehner

That eight faculty members from a single department have earned a place on this internationally recognized list speaks to the depth, breadth, and influence of the scholarship being produced in Applied Linguistics. Their work continues to shape conversations in language, education, and society, while enhancing the department's reputation as a leading center for research and innovation.

Brandon Sherman, assistant research professor of applied linguistics and assistant director of Penn State’s Center for Language Acquisition, spent this summer working with educators in Tunisia through the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Specialist Program.

The grant allowed Sherman to spend three weeks training 40 English teachers and 25 supervisors on how to conduct action research as a means of improving student performance and assessment. He and another program specialist, Tammy Johnson, collaborated closely with the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia's capital city of Tunis.

Her thoughtfully designed courses blend rigorous academic writing, linguistic theory and critical reflection on lived experience. Students consistently laud her clarity, warmth and organization, describing her classroom as welcoming and intellectually engaging.

Mfundo received funding from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s Research in Democracy Support Grant program to advance their project, "A Decolonial Case Study of How Teachers’ Educational Histories, Identities and Language Ideologies Shape the Enactment of Language Policy in Post-Colonial and PostApartheid South Africa."

Celeste Kinginger, Kirby Professor in Language Learning and professor of applied linguistics at Penn State, recently received the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize for her book, “The Professional Lives of Language Study Abroad Alumni: A Mixed Methods Investigation” (Multilingual Matters).