SLAT Roundtable 2026 - About the Roundtable

THE MAKING OF THE

SLAT ROUNDTABLE

The 25th Interdisciplinary SLAT Roundtable

February 13-14, 2026 | Tucson, AZ

25 Years of the SLAT Interdisciplinary Roundtable

Celebrating a tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration since 2001

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The 25th SLAT Interdisciplinary Roundtable marks a meaningful milestone in a tradition of student-led scholarship, collaboration, and community building that reflects the interdisciplinary vision at the heart of the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona. The Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) Interdisciplinary Roundtable is a conference organized and run by members of the SLAT Student Association (SLATSA), the SLAT Student Association, and supported by our Faculty Supervisor, Borbola Gaspar, as well as faculty and staff, including Program Coordinator Debbie Shon Buhler and Program Director Dr. Ana Maria Carvalho.

Since its founding in 1990, SLAT has brought together faculty and students from multiple colleges, departments, and research traditions, creating a dynamic intellectual community where linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural, instructional, and technological perspectives on language learning converge. This collaborative structure has helped shape SLAT into one of the leading doctoral programs in the field, preparing scholars and educators whose work influences language education and research around the world.

For a quarter century, the SLAT Roundtable has embodied this same spirit of interdisciplinarity. Organized annually by SLAT students, the Roundtable has provided a welcoming space for emerging and established scholars to present research, exchange ideas, and build professional connections across disciplinary and geographic boundaries. Over the years, the conference has hosted participants from across the United States and around the globe, contributing to a vibrant network of researchers, educators, and practitioners committed to advancing knowledge in second language acquisition and applied linguistics.

As we celebrate this 25th anniversary, we honor not only the longevity of the Roundtable but also the generations of students, faculty, alumni, and community partners whose dedication has sustained and strengthened this tradition. Their collective efforts have shaped the Roundtable into more than an academic event - it is a space where mentorship, innovation, and collaboration thrive. We look forward to continuing this legacy of interdisciplinary dialogue and shared discovery for many years to come.

2026 SLAT Roundtable Organizing Committee

Land Acknowledgement

As members of the University of Arizona, we would like to acknowledge and thank the Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui peoples upon whose land we are guests here in Tucson, as well as the 22 federally recognized Indigenous Tribes in Arizona today.

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O'odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.

University of Arizona's Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge our presence on Tohono O'odham ancestral lands. We acknowledge our presence on ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham. I acknowledge my presences on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham. I am on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham. We are on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham. You are on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham. I am on Tohono O'odham land. You are on Tohono O'odham land. We are on Tohono O'odham land. This is Tohono O'odham land.

Shared by the Tohono O’odham Student Association (TOSA) at the University of Arizona

The Yaqui people have lived in the Gila and Santa Cruz River Valleys for hundreds of years. In the early 1900s, many Yaqui families were either forced to move or relocated to Arizona to escape the violence of the 1910-1920 Mexican Revolution. In 1964, the Pascua Yaquis received 202 acres of desert land, and in 1978, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona was federally recognized. According to the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe has five communities: New Pascua is the Reservation just southwest of Tucson, Old Pascua is in the City of Tucson, Barrio Libre is in the City of South Tucson, Marana is northwest of Tucson, and Guadalupe is a southeast suburb of Phoenix.

Pascua Yaqui Tribe - University of Arizona Huya Miisim | ARIZONA WILDCATS