THE 40th Annual TESOL Convention and Exhibit (TESOL 2006) will be held March 15 to 18, 2006, in Tampa, Florida, US. The theme of the conference is "TESOL 2006: Daring to Lead". More than 7,000 ESL/EFL professionals from nearly 100 countries will attend this annual convention. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate and learn by choosing from more than 900 sessions offered with more than 1,000 presenters representing some of the best in the profession. Doctoral Forum and Graduate Student Forum also will be held as part of the convention.

　　The Doctoral Forum is an informal meeting that brings together doctoral students and experienced ESOL professionals who are interested in similar research topics and/or research approaches. The forum enables doctoral students to get feedback about current issues pertaining to their dissertation research from their peers as well as from the seasoned ESOL professionals (mentors). It is also an opportunity for doctoral students to network with one another.

　　The Doctoral Forum offers two panels. Each panel will consist of four doctoral candidates who are currently collecting and analyzing data or writing their dissertations. Professors will moderate the panel discussions by introducing the panelists and facilitating the question-and-answer portions. The deadline for panelist submissions is November 1.

　　The Graduate Student Forum provides a venue at the TESOL convention that allows MA-level students and faculty to share the results of their research, their teaching ideas and experiences, and the materials they have developed. They will meet and network with graduate students and faculty from other universities formally participating in the TESOL convention without having to meet the early deadlines for submitting proposals or to compete with experienced professionals for time on the convention programme. They also can experience the process of organizing a conference and adjudicating proposals.

　　For more information, please visit:http://www.tesol.org/tesol2006/.