Letter from the Editor
Kevin Knight, Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba, Japan
Hello, ESPers worldwide!
The TESOL International Convention & Expo 2026 will be held in March! Please read the Letter from the Chair, Gerlinde Koppitsch, and the Letter from the Chair-Elect, Anne Lomperis. Both Letters include important information about TESOL 2026 and much more!
The TESOL 2025 Virtual Convention was held in November (21-22), and the recording of the ESPIS Academic Session about 65 ESP Project Leader Profiles may be available. You can read the 66th profile in this issue of ESP News.
It is interesting how the fall issue of ESP News has similarities to the current pre-conference issue. Please recall that in the fall issue:
- Charles Hall discusses “ESP for Medicine” and the aim to teach learners to “deprofessionalize” their communication and speak “Humanese.”
- Anila R. Scott-Monkhouse describes the use of a simulated academic conference as the central pedagogical framework in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for PhD STEM students.
- In the 65th ESP Project Leader Profile, the featured leader is Elena Ellingburg, Curriculum Coordinator in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Consider the similarities with the following articles in this pre-conference issue of ESP News:
- Ioana Crețu, PhD, an independent ESP and EMP specialist, scientific writing consultant, OET Preparation Partner, and certified medical translator partners with Romanian and international healthcare professionals to advance effective clinical and scientific communication. She promotes process-based, non-linear, adaptive, multimodal, and tool-rich approaches precisely to keep science human-centered and critically grounded.
- Marvin Hoffland, a Senior Lecturer of English at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Klagenfurt, Austria, teaches ESP/EFL courses in the areas of Business, Medical and Technical English. He is also Community Manager of the ESPIS. In his article, he shares how he changed his approach to teaching scientific writing; i.e., replacing summaries with a conference-style poster session.
- The 66th ESP Project Leader Profile features Andy Mattingly, Embry-Riddle Language Institute Instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida in the U.S. Andy is on the Steering Board of the TESOL ESPIS as English in Academic Settings Representative. She uses AI to empower aviation students to master the English language in automatic terminal information service (ATIS) broadcasts in busy airports.
This is an exciting time to become more involved in the activities of the ESPIS! If you have an idea for an article, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
Kevin
PS – See the About This Community Section of ESP News to learn about the history of the ESPIS (including the names of all of the Chairs) and to see the names of the featured leaders in all of the 66 ESP Project Leader Profiles. The first 55 profiles have been published in one volume (and the PDF version is free to download at the publisher’s website: https://www.candlinandmynard.com/ESPprofiles.html).
Kevin Knight (PhD in linguistics, MBA, MPIA) is Professor in the Department of International Communication of Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, Japan. His research interests include leadership conceptualization and development, ESP, and professional communication. He is series editor of Leadership in Language Education. (See https://www.candlinandmynard.com/leadership.html .)