Baby & Child Research Center
As a postdoc at the Baby & Child Research Center, I work on a number of projects that aim to increase the visibility of the BRC in the Nijmegen region and beyond. These projects are aimed at a variety of target groups, including researchers, caregivers of young children, and early childhood professionals.
Kletskoppen is an annual festival that introduces children aged 2 to 12 years to language and linguistics. Language scientists from the Nijmegen campus prepare games and experiments that children can take part in to learn about language science. As a member of the scientific content team, I am involved in planning the festival program and liaising with the researchers.
Allebei
“Allebei – Basis Nederlands voor moeders en baby’s” is a Dutch adaptation of the innovative ESOL Stepping Stones program, originally developed in the UK. This 12-week language course is aimed at mothers of young children with little to no Dutch language skills. In an interdisciplinary team, we work on localizing the course materials, networking with relevant stakeholders, and rolling out the course nationwide – stay tuned!
Radboud Summer School
In 2021, I organized the first edition of a BRC course at Radboud Summer School together with Sabine Hunnius. Our one-week course “Development from Pregnancy to Preschool” brought together 16 students and early career researchers from all over the world. In 2022, we build on the success of the previous year: This summer, we are offering another summer course, “Translating Developmental Science from Research to Practice“.
Together with VSV Samen, the BRC organizes a joint symposium in April 2022. This one-day symposium aimed at health professionals and early childhood professionals will build a bridge between research and practice. As a member of the organizing committee, I am responsible for program planning, budgeting, and liaising with speakers and the venue.
IASCL
In January 2022, I joined the International Association for the Study of Child Language (IASCL) as their first-ever media coordinator. My tasks as media coordinator include setting up a new website for IASCL and establishing the association’s social media presence on different channels.
Freelance
Workshops
I’m passionate about sharing knowledge! In addition to teaching at different universities and at Deutsche SchülerAkademie, I also give shorter workshops of one or two days. Workshop topics include science communication, mental health in academia, and collaborative working with git and github.
Proofreading
What started as a favor for friends quickly turned into something bigger: Over the years, I’ve proofread papers for researchers from a variety of fields, ranging from experimental physics to modern history. No matter the topic, people have praised me for my thorough editing style and my excellent grasp of (German) punctuation.
Interested in my workshops or my proofreading services? Just send me an e-mail (lenaackermann[at]gmx.net)!
Lena Ackermann 