Alan Thomas Kohler Conference Summary

Alan Thomas Kohler
Ph.D. Candidate
Second Language Acquistion & Teaching GIDP

Conference Summary
American Association for Applied Lingutistics (AAAL) Conference 2015
Toronto, ON,  Canada
March 21-24, 2015

What is there to say about the AAAL 2015 Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada other than it was fantastic in every way? In late 2014, when my paper for the conference was accepted, I began to think of how great of an opportunity this promised to be.  Not only was I being given the chance to present my research in front of an international audience of experts in my field, but the trip to AAAL also represented a special, unique chance to knock heads with researchers around the world that shared my passion for metaphor and metonymy and critical discourse studies.  Further, I knew that not only would like-minded researchers be in attendance, but so would some of the luminaries and experts in my research field that inspire what I do.

 The presentation of my paper could not have gone better.  Travelling to this conference, indeed merely being accepted to present at this conference, gave me a confidence boost that motivated what would be the clearest, most focused exhibition of my work to date. Further, not only was I able to deliver well my work, but I did so in front of an audience of 35+ researchers and linguists, and the enthusiasm with which my presentation was received culminated in a rich, thoughtful discussion that followed my talk and has since resulted in new relationships and new pathways for exploration.  Likewise, I was able to attend many other talks, colloquia, and roundtables that allowed me to build even more such pathways and relationships with others that showcased research on metaphor and metonymy.  Finally, the promise of making connections with the large players in my field did not go unfulfilled.  From Paul Matsuda to James Lantolf to Alistair Pennycook and many others, I am excited about what may come of these connections as I continue down my path toward a (hopefully) fulfilling and successful career.

This was an expensive trip for me, a graduate student supporting a family and working full-time throughout my path to degree, and without the generous support of the H.E. Carter Travel Award this trip would not have been possible.  I am in debt to the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award Program and to you, the selection committee, for making this incredibly important and ultimately rewarding trip doable. 

A thousand thank yous and with my deepest gratitude,

Alan Thomas Kohler