Tag: CASCADE

The ICEHL or the International Conference of English Historical Linguistics is a biannual conference started in Durham in 1979. Its second most recent installment was hosted by the University of Sheffield in 2023. ICEHL has evolved from a regional meeting to a leading international forum dedicated to the study of the history and development of the English language, attracting researchers worldwide. Specifically, the 23rd ICEHL’s 4-day programme was jam-packed with over 140 presentations and 3 plenary talks by scholars across Europe, America, and Asia.

This 23rd edition of the conference was hosted by Universitá degli Studi de Milano in a building known as the Ca’ Granda. This large venue has played a prominent role in the history of the city that dates back to the 15th century. Its main purpose was to serve as a hospital and community center, hence the name which can be translated to ‘Big House’. This was certainly a fitting place to come together, as Milan offered us a very warm welcome that was both literal and figurative. However, the heat was no impediment for the attendees to participate in the stacked program which offered over one hundred parallel sessions and some intriguing plenary talks, with just enough time between them to catch-up with others while sipping espressos in the courtyard.

Continue reading “Summer Learnings at the ICEHL-23 in Milan”

One of the greatest perks of being an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) within CASCADE is the uniquely designed secondments at renowned institutions. For my PhD project, The ‘Spirit’ in the Chamber: Capturing Zeitgeist in UK parliamentary debates, I had an invaluable opportunity to engage in an intensive 11-week secondment at the University of Glasgow from 30 October 2025, together with my fellow Sheffield ESR, Maria. I enthusiastically dived deep into the quirky yet fascinating history of parliamentary reporting, stories of data mining throughout the years, and hopeful prospects of yet another captivating research story of the UK parliamentary discourse.

Continue reading “Chasing the Hansard “Spirit”: My Glasgow Secondment Story”

Travelling to the Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (EACL) in Rabat, Morocco was one of the highlights of my PhD so far. It was my very first paper presentation at my very first big conference, so naturally I arrived with equal amounts of excitement, nerves, and the vague feeling that I should try very hard not to look too obviously starstruck.

Continue reading “Major Developments in Morocco – An ESR tale from EACL by Bách Phan-Tất “

Last November was a busy month for me. I had the chance to attend two major events back-to-back: the FCAI AI Day in Espoo and the Nordic AI Meet (NAIM) in Sweden. I gave the same talk at both events: “Detecting Latin in Historical Books with Large Language Models.” This represents the core of my PhD work during my first year. I also presented a poster at NAIM.

Continue reading “A November of AI: From Finnish to Nordic Networking by CASCADE ESR Yu Wu”

It was Tuesday, August 19^th, 2025, and we were travelling to the third CASCADE MSCA Doctoral Network training camp. This time around, it was taking us to Helsinki, and the trip to the airport reminded me of how far we would be going this time (until now, the KU Leuven team had travelled by train for every meeting). What would we learn? What sights would we see? What connections would we strengthen? 

Camp Day One: Wednesday, August 20^th  

As everyone slowly started coming down from their hotel rooms, ready for breakfast and our first day of training sessions, I started seeing familiar faces. Over breakfast with a few of my fellow ESRs, we excitedly discussed travel mishaps, current and past projects, and our expectations for the days to come. After eating, we all met in the hotel lobby (ESRs and supervisors alike) for what has now become a tradition: walking together to where the camp would take place. On this occasion, it would be the main building of the University of Helsinki. 

Continue reading “ESR Ángela Gómez speaks on CASCADE’s third reunion in Helsinki”

Monday, November 25th
On a crisp November evening, we arrive at Manchester Airport, joining the hustle of holiday travellers before heading to Sheffield for the first training camp of the CASCADE doctoral network. As an early-stage researcher (ESR), I’m both excited and (more than) a little nervous – but ready to meet the nine other PhD students and supervisors. After a quiet train ride through the supposedly-scenic Peak District (by that time, it was too dark to tell), we finally reach Sheffield. Our home base for the training camp is a stunning four-star hotel in a historic building on Leopold Square. Nestled among chic bars and restaurants, the vibe is quirky yet refined, offering a comfortable setting for both work and relaxation.

Continue reading “Rachel McCarthy, a CASCADE doctoral student, shares her experience at the first project training camp at The University of Sheffield.”