The Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies welcomes Dr. M. Gabriela Puscama, who has been hired to coordinate SPN 1130–Beginner Spanish course.
Gabriela is from Mendoza, Argentina. She holds a BA in Language and Literature (Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, 2013), an MA in Hispanic Studies (Louisiana State University, 2016), an MA in Hispanic Linguistics (Penn State University, 2019), and a PhD in Spanish and Language Science (Penn State University, 2022). Gabriela has taught Spanish language and linguistics courses at different institutions in Argentina and the U.S. She also served as Content Supervisor for Spanish 2 and 3 at Penn State University.
In addition to Spanish pedagogy, Gabriela is interested in psycholinguistics and second language acquisition. She aims to strengthen the dialogue between lab-based research and teaching, to enhance classroom practices in second language (L2) courses. Her latest work focuses on how different types of exposure to L2 vocabulary can improve learners’ lexicon, affecting their language comprehension and production. She uses techniques such as eye-tracking and network modeling to gain insights into learners’ minds to explore how newly learned words interconnect in their lexicon.
When Gabriela is not working, she is taking dance classes, cooking, traveling, or reading.