The Atoms of Sound Project continued during the May-June 2026 summer session as part of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Summer Institute at the University of Mary Washington.
Pictured left to right: Allon Boettcher, Dr. Paul Fallon, Ainsley Graf
Allon Boettcher is a rising senior at the University of Mary Washington set to graduate in December 2027. A Linguistics and Spanish double major with a French minor and a Spanish for Healthcare Professionals certificate, Allon plans to attend a graduate program to earn a Master of Science in Communication Disorders and become a geriatric speech-language pathologist.
Dr. Paul D. Fallon, Project Director, is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Mary Washington. Dr. Fallon attended Georgetown University, where he double-majored in Linguistics and Portuguese, and earned an M.S. in Sociolinguistics. He earned an M.A. and his PhD in Linguistics from the Ohio State University. Among his regular course offerings is “Introduction to Phonology.” His other interests include historical linguistics, Cushitic languages, and dictionaries. He previously directed a project on writing systems, available at writing systems.org
Ainsley Graf (she/her) is a rising senior at the University of Mary Washington set to graduate in May 2027. She is a linguistics special major with minors in English and disability studies. After graduating, she plans to attend a graduate program in order to earn a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
The Atoms of Sound Project was produced during the May-June 2025 summer session as part of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Summer Institute at the University of Mary Washington.
Pictured left to right: Ainsley Graf, Michael Boehmcke, Bex Colley, Dr. Paul Fallon
Michael Boehmcke is an alumnus of the University of Mary Washington who graduated summa cum laude in May 2026 as an English: Creative Writing major. He currently works as a trust and estate administration paralegal and continues to write in his free time. He previously worked as the Lead Fiction Editor of the Rappahannock Review Issue 12.2.
Bex Colley is a rising senior at the University of Mary Washington with an expected graduation date of May 2026. They are a Classical Studies major with a second special major in Linguistics. With a passion for language and Classics, they plan on becoming an archaeologist post graduation and or finding a way to study the evolution of ancient languages.
Update: Bex graduated in May 2026.
Ainsley Graf (she/her) is a rising junior at the University of Mary Washington set to graduate in May 2027. She is a linguistics special major with minors in English and disability studies. After graduating, she plans to attend a graduate program in order to earn a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
Dr. Paul D. Fallon, Project Director, is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Mary Washington. Dr. Fallon attended Georgetown University, where he double-majored in Linguistics and Portuguese, and earned an M.S. in Sociolinguistics. He earned an M.A. and his PhD in Linguistics from the Ohio State University. Among his regular course offerings is “Introduction to Phonology.” His other interests include historical linguistics, Cushitic languages, and dictionaries. He previously directed a project on writing systems, available at writing systems.org
Acknowledgments
The project participants would like to thank the following University of Mary Washington administrators, faculty, and staff: Dr Keith Mellinger, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Dr Betsy Lewis, Director of Undergraduate Research; Dr Marcus Leppanen, Faculty Director of the 2025 Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Summer Institute; Shannon Hauser, Associate Director of the Digital Knowledge Center; October Edwards, Research and Instruction librarian; Andrea Meckley, Interlibrary Loan Supervisor; and our graphic designer, Dark-Nemesys.