Problem

As an MIT student, we presented research findings on the early phonology revealed by international adoptees' birth language retention. The presentation aimed to raise awareness of the importance of being mindful during infancy for kids. Our experiment showed that even brief exposure to certain language patterns can leave traces in a child's brain. We proved this by exposing Korean adoptees in Dutch families, who had never learned their birth language, to re-learn Korean.

However, we faced the challenge of making our findings accessible and understandable to a wider audience beyond academia. We needed a way to communicate our research in a way that would engage and educate people outside of our field.

Learn more about our research here.

Solution

To make our research more accessible, we decided to create an animated video that would explain the experiment and its findings in an engaging and easy-to-understand way. We worked with a team of animators and scriptwriters to create a short video that would appeal to a broad audience while still conveying the scientific rigor of our study.

The video used simple language and colorful visuals to explain how exposure to language patterns during infancy can affect a child's brain development. It also highlighted the importance of preserving birth languages for international adoptees and how this can positively impact their sense of identity and belonging.

Impact

Increase in public awareness about the importance of preserving birth languages for international adoptees
Positive feedback from viewers who found the video informative and engaging

"Our video helped us reach a wider audience and sparked important conversations about language preservation for international adoptees. It was incredible to see the impact of our research beyond academia."

Team Member #1 - Animator
- Created storyboards and animated visuals for the video based on the research findings

Birth Language Retention in Adoptees' Brains