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Research Director Dr. Linda Forrest has been part of the CASLS team for nine years. She leads the center's research initiatives, and many in the center consider her a "full service" employee, coordinating everything from human subjects proposals to the collection and analysis of data to the publication of research reports. Although the research projects at CASLS have certainly changed over the years and with it the research questions, Linda has been rolling up her sleeves and digging in data.

And as much as she loves data, Linda most enjoys working with the people at CASLS. "Everyone is committed to making CASLS a great center for improving language teaching and learning," she shares. "They're nice people, too!"

Her favorite project to date has been developing the National Online Early Language Learning Assessment (NOELLA). NOELLA is a four-skills assessment designed for students in grades 3-6 studying Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish.

Outside of CASLS, Linda works on genealogy, both traditional research and the new field of genetic genealogy. She's tested most of her family members' DNA to help determine if the family's historical stories are true or not.

If she could visit any place in the universe - and bend time a bit - Linda would return to Tuscany circa 700 B.C. and study the Etruscans who were living there at the time. Their culture and language was an important influence on Roman civilization and the Latin language. Linda would like to find and study their documents, most of which have been lost.