Graduate Student Special Interest Group

The Grad Student SIG’s mission centers on two integral groups: our graduate student members and the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium’s (CALICO) broader community of scholars. The Grad Student SIG represents an unwavering commitment to enhancing the academic journey of graduate students and scholars alike.

Our mission resonates with the core principles of networking, collaboration, and support in research. These principles form a critical pillar, supporting our overarching focus on elevating the graduate student experience and fostering academic excellence within CALICO. We aspire to cultivate a vibrant community that empowers graduate student members and enriches the scholarly landscape of CALICO.

Networking: we create avenues for personal and professional growth for the members.

Research: we provide resources, platforms, and workshops to encourage and support graduate students as they engage in  meaningful research projects.

Collaboration: we catalyze the emergence of innovative ideas and solutions that enrich CALICO’s scholarly tapestry.

Looking ahead, we envision a future where a vibrant network of engaged graduate student scholars thrives within CALICO, by fostering a culture of intellectual curiosity, collaborative spirit, and unwavering support. We aim to contribute meaningfully to language instruction, educational technology, and scholarship advancements within CALICO’s global community.

If you are interested in becoming involved, first, be sure to sign up for our email list so that you get all the news and announcements.

Also, join our Slack channel to get involved as a committee member. There, you can join Threads that you are interested in helping out with!

2023-2024 Board

Chair: Lillian Jones (liljones@ucdavis.edu)

Past Chair: Denis Uebiyev

Co-Chairs: Ali Asiri (ali.asiri@wsu.edu) and Uliana Ovsiannikova (uo2@illinois.edu)

Committee: Dini Arini, Eugenie Mainake, Francesca Marino, Hiba Ibrahim, Michele Mileusnich, Mazen Alyobi, Mukib Khan, Shayna Katz


Benefits to being a CALICO Graduate Student

  • Yearly conference opportunities
     – Present your own work, attend workshops, presentations, & panels, network, etc.
     – Volunteer opportunities (reduced/free registration)
  • Webinars, workshops, panels & other professional development events
     –  Subscribe to the CALICO listserv.
  • Discounted organization membership ($30) and conference registration fees
  • Access to CALICO Journal
  • Eligibility to apply for CALICO awards
     – *Annual Outstanding Graduate Student Award
  • Access to bring questions & concerns to CALICO board
  • Opportunities to join different Special Interests Groups (e.g., Gaming, VR, SLA,
  • A supportive academic community
  • Affiliation with a prestigious, long-standing organization (put on your CV!)

Connect with the Graduate Student SIG on SlackFacebook, and LinkedIn!

Find us and our updates on Twitter using the hashtag #CALICOGrad

Some past newsletters about SIG activities: