This interdisciplinary research-based community of practice conducts empirical research on bilingualism and second language acquisition. We have a broad range of content expertise and use a wide variety of data collection methods and analytic techniques. Our research and training programs have been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Department of Homeland Security. We believe that the global and local importance of bilingual communication make it imperative to achieve a better scientific understanding of bilingualism. UTEP, being located in a bilingual, bicultural, and bi-national region, is the ideal location to conduct basic and applied scientific research on bilingualism.

Current activities include developing plans and research proposals for collaborative interdisciplinary research; training in content and methodology for undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty; and mentoring of junior faculty. Our mission is multifaceted and includes (1) conducting and promoting high-quality scientific research on bilingualism and language acquisition; (2) fostering interdisciplinary collaboration; (3) fostering a better understanding of the factors that impact bilingual language proficiency across the lifespan; (4) fostering better understanding of the cognitive, social, educational, and health implications of bilingualism, biculturalism, and linguistic minority status; (5) providing a broad range of training opportunities for UTEP students and faculty, as well as researchers from other institutions; (6) providing consultation for researchers, educators, or health service providers who work with bilingual populations by design or necessity; (7) leveraging the bilingual skills of UTEP students; (8) fostering a better understanding of the global relevance of bilingualism and biculturalism in the scientific community; and (9) disseminating research results to the scientific community, as well as educators, health service providers, and lay people.