Andrew Gomella - NanoJapan 2009
George Washington University
Tohoku University
Advisor: Prof. Nojiri , Website
Research Project: Magnetization and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance of Rare Earth Based Molecular Magnets
Research Abstract & Poster:
Major/s:Physics
Anticipated Graduation: May 2011

Why NanoJapan?
Participating in NanoJapan was an amazing opportunity for me to step outside of my normal comfort zone and experience life and research in a country with a culture very different from my own. Participating in research in Japan was a great way to get a better perspective of both life in the lab, as well as a new way to look at the way things work back at home. Recently, with research becoming increasingly internationally oriented it is become ever more important to have an understanding of other scientist's backgrounds and methods as collaborations are pursued.

Sadly, science and engineering students can not easily pursue study abroad opportunities despite the importance placed on modern researchers to be internationally oriented. The NanoJapan program is both a step in the right direction and the perfect opportunity for a student to gain research experience, and knowledge while also getting the opportunity to experience life in another country. The fact that it takes place during the summer means that students do not have to worry about missing a semester of coursework, and yet still obtain a study abroad experience. I chose the NanoJapan program precisely for this reason, and I am thankful that I did for I feel much better understanding towards academic research, life in a foreign country, and what goals I have for my future. I plan on further pursuing international education and research opportunities, and I am continuing my Japanese studies in hope that I can return to Japan sometime in the future.

Andrew Gomella Presents at the 2009 RQI Summer Research Colloquium
Andrew Gomella gave a poster presentation on Magnetization and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance of Rare Earth Based Molecular Magnets at the 2009 RQI Summer Research Colloquium. To view his poster and abstract click here.

Research Internship Overview
My internship was definitely a very enlightening experience. This was the first time I had ever conducted research on a topic such as Single Molecule Magnets, or simply done investigative research. At first I was overwhelmed and confused by the experiments and analaysis we were doing, but I soon learned to both understand and appreciate it. It was fairly exciting to study a sample for the first time, knowing that no one else has ever done what we were doing with these particular compounds.

I would stress that in my lab I had to be very independent, and proactive about my research. I found that after the first experiment (which had to be conducted with senior lab members due to the sensitivity and difficulty of using the equipment) I was basically just given the data and told to analyze it. In all honesty I had no idea how to do this, and I felt like they expected I knew already. I had to be adamant about getting help from my labmates about how to go about processing the data. I felt like I was being fairly annoying at times, especially when trying to understand how to analyze ESR curves by someone who only has a moderate grasp of the English language. I learned to get used to this and spend a fair amount of time researching online to get the information I needed. I wish I had come more prepared for this task. If I had had some practice analyzing ESR data and magnetization curves before coming to Japan I would have felt much more comfortable the first few weeks in the lab.

The most difficult part about researching in an international environment was overcoming the language barrier and misunderstandings due to it; often due to difficulty in picking up on the “implied statements” which the Japanese are so famous for. Often I felt they expected me to do something or know something without actually saying anything to me. I had to adapt to this and be very proactive about figuring what exactly I needed to be doing. I feel like I am much better at working with a wide variety of personality types now that I have accomplished this. Many issues I experienced with research prior to NanoJapan seem very trivial compared to some of the challenges I had to face while in my lab in Sendai. My labmates were definitely very understanding and helpful though, and it went as well as I could have hoped. I learned so much about research, physics, as well as social interactions between cultures.

The research I conducted relates very closely to my academic interests, and definitely helped me develop more curiosity about Quantum Mechanics, a class I am taking during my fall semester back at school. I am also continuing research back at my University, though sadly there is no nanotechnology related research here. Hopefully I will find more opportunities in the near future to conduct further work in nanotechnology.

Daily Life in Sendai
I would wake up at around 8am and then get ready to go to my research lab. Then I would take a short bike ride, about 10 or 15 minutes, to the lab; sometimes stopping to get a small breakfeast from a conbini. Then, if it was a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday I would usually begin my day with an hour long Japanese lesson. On other days I would go to my office and start work on analyzing data on my laptop, which was provided my university. In the late morning, Precious and I would have a shared Japanese culture lesson for about 30 minutes in which we would usually drink tea and learn something about Japanese culture. Then I would have a one hour Japanese language lesson with one of the volunteer Japanese teachers.

I would have lunch at the school cafteria, which is just a block from the lab, either with some labmates or by myself. After this I would get back to work in the office, or if it was one of the days where we were doing an experiment I would return to the main lab room. On these days we would usually prepare the cryostat for the experiment in the morning, and then perform the measurments all afternoon and sometimes into the night.

With fellow NanoJapan 2009 students in Kyoto

On weekends I would try my best to travel as much as I could. My JR East Pass and JR pass came in handy for this. Sometimes I would travel pretty far, such as Hakodate, just for a night and othertimes I would explore around Sendai on my bike. I would also take daytrips to nearby places, such as Yamadera and Matsushima.

My “dorm” in Sendai was fairly nice though our housing was the most expensive of all NanoJapan students this summer. The room was great, with a nice bed and private bathrooms. My only complaint would be that breakfeast and dinner was included with the price, and while this was nice, I often missed the scheduled dining times. Not to mention eating dishes like tororo was something I couldn't handle. Besides this though, most of the dinners I had at the dorm were fairly good. Buying a bike can be useful because it makes getting around so much easier and Japan is very bike friendly in general. Its even better if you have a labmate who will let you borrow one because it can be difficult to find somewhere to sell it back to at the end of the internship. I didnt realize until about halfway through my internship, but there is a huge underground food court/ food stall area underneath Sendai Station called S-pal. They have just about every type of food you could imagine, and most of it is “to go”. It is a great place to explore for different types of food, and to try some new things.


Japanese Family Sightseeing in Matsuhima Bay

My Favorite Experience in Japan was ...
meeting random Japanese people during my travels.

Before I left for Japan I wish I had ...
studied more in-depth to better prepare for my research project.

While I was in Japan I wish I had ...
made more Japanese friends.

Tips for Future NanoJapan Participants

• Pre-Departure: I wish I had practiced some more functional Japanese before leaving, because in the classes I had taken at my college we didn't focus that much on the spoken Japanese that is used on a day-to-day basis. If you can, try to schedule some downtime between the end of your finals and departure for Japan.
• Packing Tips: If you are into the outdoors and hiking, Japan has a huge variety of mountains all of the country that make for exciting weekend trips. Just make sure to pack hiking boots, etc. because they are very expensive in Japan.
• Pillows: I found that the pillows provided at some of the housing are very uncomfortable. I tried to get used to them, but found it fairly difficult to get a full nights sleep. They're filled with small rubber pellets, and are nothing like the pillows you find anywhere in the U.S. I recommend going to a deparment store and buying a cheap pillow once you arrive in Japan or bringing a pillow with you.
• Language Study Tips: Its imperative that you learn hiragana and katakana before you go. It is simply brute memorization. Start a few weeks before you go just 30 minutes a day and you will be fine. You really aren't going to want to waste your time the first few days in Tokyo staring at flash cards. There were also some stations in northern Japan I found that only had signs written in Kanji and hiragana. The train I was on was a fairly old one and didn't announce the stops, so it was only by reading the Japanese that I knew where to get off. (NJ Program Tip: If you are traveling somewhere out of the way ask your lab group members to write down the Kanji for the station for you so you can double-check this against the sign or ask someone if you are unsure if you are at the right stop.)
• Orientation Program in Tokyo: Make use of your free time to see Tokyo, but also make sure to have some downtime. If you're really excited to be in Japan it may be tempting to run around Tokyo as much as you can, but there are also langugage classes that need to be focused on as well and you need to make time to get enough sleep. Also, make sure you are getting the most out of your language classes. If you feel like something could change to help you learn more such as maybe doing more independent work in class then let somebody know.
• Mid-Program Meeting in Kyoto: If you're as far away from Kyoto as Sendai consider booking a flight but make sure you do it as far as in advance as possible. If you do it early enough the price is definitely better than buying Shinkansen tickets or using one of the weekends on your JR pass. On top of this the flight is only an hour or so compared to the 5-6 hour Shinkansen journey which can be pretty exhausting (this is the main reason it is worth it to buy airline tickets).
• Tips on Traveling in Japan: Buy a Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass if you want to travel, its only about 8000 yen more than a one way ticket to Sendai, and you can use it 4 seperate days to travel anywhere on the JR East lines as far north as Aomori, Akita, anywhere around Tokyo, and out to Nagano. I even used it to get to Hakodate in Hokkaido but apparently that was due to a station worker's mistake. I used it to get to Sendai, and then used it the next couple of weekends to travel. Its great for day trips because if you get up early you can go to fairly far away, spend the day there and then return late at night. (NJ Program Note: This is a regional variation of the Seishun 18 Kippu Pass. Ask your lab group members for more details on purchasing these discounted passes.)
• Planning your Weekend Trips: If you're traveling on a weekend that is adjacent to a holiday make sure you book in advance on the Shinkansen and go early because you can end up with only standing space on a Shinkansen which happened to me once and I ended up having to stand in the space in between trains for about 6 hours.
• Buying Shinkansen Tickets: If you have to buy a shinkansen ticket, or bus ticket and you are not using a JR pass make sure to go to a “ticket stand” which are usually found near stations in big cities or in shopping areas. They are pretty distinct, because they are usually covered in bland looking advertisments which are lists of the prices they offer on different tickets. You can almost always get a discount ticket and save some money and can ask your labmates to help you if needed.
• What Gifts to Bring: I found the people at my lab loved beef jerky, though I am pretty sure its not approved by Japanese customs. Bring local foods, candies, sweets from your home state or hometown if you can. Just make sure it will last the three week orientation period in Tokyo without going bad.
• What to Eat in Japan: I'd highly recommend the sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, just make sure you have an appetite.
• What to Do in Japan: My biggest recommendation is to travel as much as you can, and go hiking if you are interested in it. They are hundreds of mountains in Japan with great scenery, and its a great way to meet Japanese people who are often very friendly and helpful.
• Places to Visit in Japan: Hakodate, Mt. Zao, Mt. Fuji
• Buying Gifts to Bring Home: Make sure to bring home enough gifts for everyone you want to give gifts to at home. Also don't wait for the last minute, otherwise it can be pretty difficult to find what you need. (NJ Program Tip: 100 Yen Shops are a great place to find small gifts at the last minute and Kyoto, in particular, has a nice availability of nicely, made souvenirs that make great gifts at a range of price points.)