Program Overview: NanoJapan

Summer Nanotechnology Study Program in Japan

 

Tokyo Orientation Program

Participants complete a three-week orientation program in Tokyo, Japan that is designed to introduce them to nanotechnology and the competencies required to work successfully in the global research community. The orientation program consists of three short courses including: an introduction to research in nanotechnology; an overview of this history & culture of Japan; and intensive Japanese language. These courses will be taught by instructors from both Rice University and Japanese universities.

During the three-week orientation period the NanoJapan program provides lodging and daily breakfast at the Sanuki Club hotel in the Azabujuban neighborhood of Tokyo. Courses are held in classroom space generously donated by the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama campus and small-group, intensive Japanese langauge classes are taught by instructors from the Meguro Language Center.

Take a look at the 'Tokyo Orientation' page of this website for pictures and reflections on my experience.

 

 

 

Kyoto Mid-Program Meeting

In addition to the three-week orientation program the NanoJapan program also includes a three day Mid-Program Meeting held in Kyoto, Japan. This meeting is held halfway through the Research Internship period and includes a full day Japanese Traditional Arts Origin workshop conducted by IORI. During the time in Kyoto students will stay in restored, traditional style Kyoto townhouses (machiya) and have ample time to sight-see with their fellow NanoJapan participants. Lodging costs and the full-day workshop are included in the program but participants are responsible for travel to/from Kyoto from their research host institutions, meals and sightseeing expenses.

Pictures from this weekend in Kyoto and other travel experiences can be found on the 'Weekend Adventures' page.

 

 

 

 

 

International Research Experience

Students complete a seven-to-eight week International Research Experience (IRE) located at Japanese research institutions focusing on nanotechnology research. The IRE enables students to:

  • Conduct hands-on research in nanotechnology through collaboration in an international research effort;
  • Further develop their Japanese language and inter-cultural skills through placement in a Japanese research laboratory;
  • Establish strong research networks to facilitate further study and international collaboration in the field of nanotechnology;
  • Complete an IRE at prestigious Japanese institutions focused on nanotechnology research as it relates to nanoscale semiconductor devices, nanophotonics, and carbon nanotubes

Research Internships & Host Institution Locations: Host institutions are located throughout Japan and the research projects available through this program focus on nanoscale semiconductor devices, nanophotonics, and carbon nanotubes. My specific project was in the Kawata Laboratory, or the Laboratory for Scientific Instrumentation and Engineering (LaSIE), working in bio-photonics on preventing photobleaching in fluorescence microscopy. Pictures of my time in LaSIE can be found on the 'research internship' page.

 

Nanotech Symposium

Upon the conclusion of the IRE students will return to Rice University for a nanotechnology-oriented symposium, which includes the Rice Quantum Institute Summer Colloquium, where they will present posters on their research experience in Japan. Also included in the symposium will be a one-to-two day end-of-program orientation focusing on re-entry and information on how to maximize your experience abroad in our future academic and professional pursuits.

 

My poster and corresponding abstract can be found on the 'Research Internship' page of this website. Check it out if you want to read more about my project.

 

 

 

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