Cecile McKee

McKee's research and teaching emphasize the psychological processes that people use in learning, understanding, and speaking/signing language. She's been a professor of linguistics at the University of Washington and the University of Arizona. She was also director of the National Science Foundation's Linguistics Program for a couple of years. Her citation as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science encapsulates her career well: "For distinguished contributions to developmental psycholinguistics, particularly experimental design for demonstrating children’s knowledge of syntax, and for distinguished service in promoting public awareness of the significance of linguistic study."