Alumni Update
Scott has recently been awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. NSF Graduate Research Fellows receive an annual $30,000 stipend, $10,500 cost-of-education allowance, $1,000 one time international travel allowance, and TeraGrid Supercomputer access. TeraGrid is the world's largest, most comprehensive distributed cyber infrastructure for open scientific research. He is currently a graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. He began his studies in the Fall of 2008 and is currently working in Prof. Amnon Yariv's optoelectronics and quantum optics group.
" I have the NanoJapan program to thank for introducing me to the international research community and strengthening my application for graduate school and the NSF Fellowship"
~ Scott Steger, NanoJapan 2006
NanoJapan Overview
I worked at the University of Tokyo's Institute for Solid State Physics in the Takeyama Lab. They perform experiments using some of the world's most advanced methods to create ultra-high magnetic fields. I conducted several cyclotron resonance measurements using the single-turn coil which can generate magnetic fields over 150 T. Through my close interactions with Dr. Takeyama and the graduate students in the lab, I was able to get a great introduction to academic research.
The Institute for Solid State Physics is located in Kashiwa, Chiba prefecture. It's on the very outskirts of Tokyo, so I could enjoy a less crowded environment while still going into the city on weekends and holidays. I also bought a rail pass so I could travel around eastern Japan relatively cheaply for several days.
The Japanese language classes also provided a great introduction to the country and I felt comfortable speaking Japanese when I could. Unfortunately, I have not been able to continue studying Japanese since my return due to schedule conflicts; however, I have expanded my undergraduate research experiences by working in the Carbon Nanotechnology Lab of the Rice Qunatum Institute. I have been working under a graduate student on the fabrication of a nanotube-based power capacitor. NanoJapan is an excellent program that prepared me well for research as well as future international experiences.
My favorite experience in Japan was...
Traveling around the country by rail, especially to Mt. Fuji which we climbed one night near the end of our stay in Japan.
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