startalk is a federal grant program funded by the National Security Agency (NSA) with the objective of increasing the number of U.S. citizens learning and teaching less commonly taught languages. The program helps students interested and motivated for a career using language, thereby contributing to language workforce development for the federal government.
The UNG STARTALK Chinese Pilot Program is free to the students accepted into the program. It runs from Fall 2021 to Spring 2023 with a theme of “STEM-based language learning: connecting language, culture and astronomy”.
It will engage high school students in meaningful well-designed language, cultural and scientific activities with authentic teaching materials for the purposes of improving their Chinese language skills, deepening their understanding of Chinese culture, and enhancing their knowledge of astronomy.