New frontiers in linguistic and intercellular research - the two FRIAS research foci 2021/22
Ten scientists from Freiburg will work during the academic year 2021/22 as part of two interdisciplinary research foci at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies.
Image: © Alexander Nyström
Reading between the cell lines
Scientific research about cell changes in the body, such as those that occur in tumor or scar formation, has focused primarily on the processes in the cells themselves. Little research has been done on the part of the tissue that lies between the cells and surrounds them like a meshwork, known in technical jargon as the extracellular matrix or intercellular substance. This protein-enriched substance is the focus of the new, interdisciplinary research area “MatrixCode: matrisome pathology,” which will be funded at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Freiburg from October 2021. Dr. Maria Asplund, Dr. Susana Minguet, Dr. Alexander Nyström, Prof. Dr. Winfried Römer, Dr. Dr. Christoph Schell and Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Schilling from the University of Freiburg will analyze the so-called matrisome, the totality of all proteins in the extracellular matrix, as well as various aspects of signaling in the intercellular substance that take place during processes such as wound healing or tumorigenesis. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the extracellular matrix in order to contribute to the development of targeted therapies that influence the signaling processes in diseased or regenerating cell structures. Find out more about the resarch focus
New frontiers in linguistic research
Questions regarding the linguistic approach to social diversity are omnipresent: Can we use gendering to make our language more inclusive? How does language change with age? How do we communicate in a multilingual society? The new FRIAS research focus "Diversity in Language and Cognition" investigates how dimensions of societal diversity affect speaking and understanding. Prof. Dr. Alice Blumenthal-Dramé, Prof. Dr. Evelyn Ferstl, Junior Professor Dr. Adriana Hanulikova and Prof. Dr. Anelis Kaiser Trujillo from the fields of linguistics, cognitive science and gender studies focus on experimental language research, psycholinguistics.
This field of linguistics usually uses characteristics such as gender, age, and origin in quantitative studies to investigate the influence of diversity on language use and perception. This is where the research focus comes in with a new, intersectional approach. “Intersectionality” emphasizes that different characteristics of a person, such as gender and ethnicity, do not add up, but rather interact with each other. With this approach, researchers are looking, among other things, for methods that consider the interplay of multiple characteristics. The aim of the research project is to find out whether an intersectional approach can be usefully applied to quantitative studies in neurolinguistics and psycholinguistic language research, and to promote interdisciplinary exchange on diversity in language. Find out more about the research focus
Public lecture series on Diversity in Language and Cognition
A concurrent, public lecture series on Diversity in Language and Cognition will be held on selected dates on Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. ct. during the winter semester. The event is open to the general public and will be held in English. To the dates and programme of the lecture series
