LTR: Magnolia Rush and Prof. Rob Troyer
Written by Maureen Brakke
MONMOUTH, Ore.—Western Oregon University hosted the North American Computational Linguistics Open (NACLO) this January, an educational competition where high school students solve complex linguistic problems. Western is the sole competition site in Oregon and hosted six students from the region this year.
These complex linguistic problems allow students to explore the diversity and consistency of language while honing their logical reasoning skills. No prior knowledge of linguistics or second languages is necessary. The problems are developed by experts in linguistics, computational linguistics, and language technologies who use dozens of languages to create engaging problems representing cutting-edge issues in their fields. The competition attracts top students from across the U.S. and Canada who aspire to study and work in these disciplines, offering them a unique glimpse into the world of natural language processing in the 21st century.
“High school academic competitions that bring students to university campuses are excellent opportunities for engaging future students and introducing them to subject areas, like linguistics, that they are not familiar with,” said Rob Troyer, professor of Linguistics and NACLO site coordinator. “I am proud that the university has made the NACLO competition available since we have been the only university host site in the state for the past two years.” He emphasized that while not all competitors will attend Western or study linguistics, the experience broadens their horizons and brings them closer to higher education.
The first open round of the competition took place in January and saw around 1,600 participants combined from the U.S. and Canada. The second round called the invitational round, where the top ten percent of open-round performers nationwide compete, took place on March 13. Winners of the invitational round will then be selected from the invitational round to represent the United States at the 22nd International Linguistics Olympiad from July 21-26 in Taipei, Taiwan. The winners of the invitational round will be announced in April.
Magnolia Rush, a high school junior from Beaverton, scored high enough to compete in the invitational round for the second consecutive year. She placed 49th overall out of 1,600 participants from the U.S. and Canada in the open round. She noted that the competition has enhanced her understanding of languages through problem-solving. Her talent for linguistics was discovered by her father when she was taking a linguistics course in the 8th grade. After studying Mandarin in elementary and middle school, followed by Spanish, she realized her passion for learning new languages and wanted to take linguistics to the next level. Together, they discovered the NACLO Open competition and thought it would be an exciting challenge. Rush entered the competition for the first time last year and advanced to the invitational round. This year, she hopes to qualify for the International Linguistics Olympiad and encourages other high school students to compete. “It can at first be daunting, but check out practice problems on the NACLO’s website and go from there,” she advised. Rush also expressed her interest in studying linguistics in college, though she has yet to select a university or a career path.
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About Western Oregon University
Western Oregon University, established in Monmouth in 1856, proudly stands as Oregon’s oldest public university. Hosting around 4,000 students, Western embodies a mid-sized, NCAA Division II institution, with approximately 80% of its students hailing from within the state. Notably, its diverse student body comprises individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, veterans, and non-traditional learners. Western stands as the preferred campus in Oregon for those pursuing an enriching education within a nurturing, student-focused environment, characterized by faculty-led instruction. Where YOU belong.
