Although she was excited by theory, Dr. Pica never lost sight of the practical applications of her work. Much of her research focused on how best to use task-based interaction in the classroom. She shared her expertise by leading workshops for teachers around the world.
Her students remembered Dr. Pica as a tireless teacher and mentor who decorated her office with their photos. Some of the master's degree and doctoral candidates she guided have gone on to become leaders in the field themselves, her former colleagues and students at Penn said.
"They were her children, in a sense," said Jiyoon Lee, a former student who was working closely with Dr. Pica at the time of her death. "She was proud of all of us."
Her students recalled Dr. Pica's genuine interest and power of memory; when greeting former students she had not seen for years, Dr. Pica would ask about their spouses and children by name.
"I was always awed at how she was able to connect with each and every one of us on a really personal level," said Anne Pomerantz, who now teaches at Penn's graduate school of education.
Warm and welcoming, Dr. Pica nonetheless held her students to high standards and pushed them to excel. But she pushed herself, too, quickly returning students' e-mails and giving feedback on dissertation chapters within a few hours of receiving them.
She never retired, instead spending her final hours giving feedback on her students' work, her sister and Lee said.
Dr. Pica was a constant presence at academic conferences, where she amused her colleagues with her "wicked sense of humor," said Larry Selinker, a retired New York University professor and pioneer in the field of second language acquisition.
