Our Journey to the International Conference on Frontiers of Corpus-Based Interdisciplinary Research (FoCIR), at Xi’an Jiaotong University

The ELLS program, committed to fostering academic projects along with local and international collaboration, is thrilled to share the unforgettable experiences of our recent participation in the International Conference on Frontiers of Corpus-Based Interdisciplinary Research (FoCIR), hosted by Xi’an Jiaotong University. This event attracted professors and graduate students from across China, with a focus on the field of corpus linguistics.

Conference group photo

Dr. Malila Prado, along with two of our undergraduate students, Ziqian Zhou and Stella Lu Chen, represented our university at this conference. This venture highlights our department’s dedication to research and innovation as well as our commitment to providing opportunities for our students to engage in real-world academic exchanges.

Dr. Malila Prado with two ELLS students Ziqian Zhou (left) and Stella Lu Chen (right)

Dr. Malila Prado, Ziqian Zhou (right) and Stella Lu Chen (left) attending lectures

Our participation was marked by two presentations. The first paper described a project in aviation English. This project, a direct product of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) [https://uic.edu.cn/en/info/1076/11010.htm] between UIC and an institution in Brazil, symbolizes our dedication to fostering international research collaborations. The paper, co-presented by Malila and Ziqian, drew attention to the importance of a corpus of aircraft documentation and its pedagogical and lexical implications, showcasing our program's active role in contributing to global research initiatives.

Dr. Malila Prado and Ziqian’s presentation

One of our undergraduate students, Stella Chen, and Malila led the second paper presented at the conference. This paper, drawing on Stella’s FYP studies under Malila’s supervision, explored classroom discourse through the lens of corpus linguistics. Her analysis and the application of corpus linguistics methodologies underscore the quality of research our students are undertaking.

Dr. Malila Prado and Stella Chen’s presentation

The conference in Xi'an provided an opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from leading experts in the field, and contribute to the dynamic discussions shaping the future of linguistics research in China and abroad. The experience was invaluable in enhancing our understanding and application of corpus linguistics.

Stella

I had an amazing time as the experts in the field showed us the latest important corpus studies. They showed us how to use tools for studying corpus linguistics, how to think about this research, and how to combine it with new technologies like artificial intelligence. I was also inspired by the hard work of the master's and doctoral students who shared their work with us - they were very passionate about their research. I got helpful feedback on my own work from both peers and experts, which I appreciated. At FoCIR, I got to meet many researchers from all over the world. We created a welcoming and open environment where everyone was happy to talk, help each other, and have deep discussions on various subjects. I want to thank XJTU for their hospitality and my supervisor, Dr. Malila Prado, for her guidance and the opportunities she gave me!

Ziqian

This visit to Xi’an Jiaotong University was my first experience attending and giving a presentation at an offline international conference. It really left me with an unforgettable memory. I would like to express my biggest thanks to Dr Malila Prado who provided me with the precious opportunity to learn about the most advanced theories and practices by the world’s leading scholars in corpus linguistics. For example, I have been a big fan of Prof Laurence Anthony since I took up using his invention AntConc to do corpus studies when I was a sophomore. Thus, it was an amazing experience for me to talk with him face-to-face and listen to his speech introducing the newest functionalities of AntConc. The experience of attending the conference inspired my future research ideas on leveraging corpus linguistics for language education, which intensified my interest in corpus linguistics, especially with the integration of Artificial Intelligence. The invited professors also mentioned importance of interdisciplinarity for future studies, which greatly helped me clarify my future plans of study. Last but not least, sincere gratitude to UIC for supporting our academic trip!

A photo with Dr. Laurence Anthony 

Reporter: Dr. Malila Prado, Ziqian Zhou, & Stella Chen