NanoJapan IREU \\ NanoREIS for International Students 
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NanoREIS: Research Experiences for International Students at Rice University

Rice

Undergraduate, graduate students, and post-docs from TeraNano PIRE partner institutions in Japan, or other countries, are welcome to apply to Rice University for unpaid, non-credit bearing, short-term research internships of 6 – 12 months in laboratories at Rice University. To be eligible, students must be able to meet all immigration requirements for J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa (graduate students or post-docs) or a J-1 Internship Visa (undergraduate students) and must be fully funded by home university, governmental scholarship/fellowship, personal funds or any combination thereof. Visiting short-term scholars/international research students at Rice must show financial support of at least $2,000 per month for the duration of time they will be at Rice. Immigration, required documentation, and minimum funding requirements are subject to change.

Application Submission & Deadline: Applications must be submitted to Rice University at least four months prior to your preferred start date.

Housing Note: On-campus housing at Rice is only available from June 1 – July 31.  Outside of these dates, students must rent housing through local landlords. See the application instructions document for more detials.  

Download the Application Instructions for NanoREIS Program PDF Icon

Japanese Guidebook for Visiting Researchers at Rice 外国人研究者用
ガイドブック
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This guidebook was developed by Eri Brooks, a visiting education administration intern at Rice University, who worked with the TeraNano PIRE Center and NanoJapan Program from July 2012 to March 2013. Eri was a participant in the Japanese Ministry of Education Long-term Education Administrators Program (MEXT LEAP). Upon completion of her internship at Rice, Eri returned to Tottori University where she is now working in the Student Exchange Section in the International Affairs Division of the Department for Research and International Cooperation.

NanoREIS Participants to Date

Since 2008, the NSF TeraNano PIRE Center has brought 90 international students to Rice University for research internships of up to 12 months. Participating students include 13 women (10 from Japan), 1 Assistant Professor, 5 Post-Doctoral Researchers, 17 Ph.D. students, 49 Master's students, 16 undergraduates and 2 university administrators. Students conduct research in a range of Rice University laboratories and centers within the School of Engineering and School of Natural Sciences.

Japan - 78

South Korea - 2

China - 3

India - 6

Hokkaido University - 38

Chungnam National University - 1

Zhejiang University - 2

IIT, Bombay (India) - 1

Tohoku University - 12

Sungkyunkwan University - 1

Peking University - 1

Indian Inst. of Sci. Ed. & Res. Kolkata, (India) - 1

University of Tokyo - 8

 

 

SRM Univ. (India) - 4

Osaka University - 8

 

   

Chiba University - 5

 

   

Keio University - 3

 

   

Osaka Institute of Technology - 1

 

   

Tokyo Institute of Technology - 1

 

   

Tottori University - 2

 

   

 

Hokkaido University CEED Program

Students at Hokkaido University are encouraged to contact the Center for Engineering Education Development (CEED) for information on their International Internship program.

University of Tokyo JASSO Exchange Program for Global Mechanical Engineers

The Exchange Program for Global Mechanical Engineers (GME) promotes exchange of graduate students between Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo and overseas partners, including Rice University. The JASSO grant will provide monthly stipends for Japanese and U.S. students participating in this program.

Participating departments at the University of Tokyo include:

University of Tokyo students interested in coming to Rice University through the GME program should contact Prof. Shigeo Maruyama at maruyama@photon.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp. Rice University students interested in participating in this program should contact the NanoJapan Program at nanojapan@rice.edu

"A U.S. and Japanese Student Outlook on the Impact of International Research Internships" - A Talk Given at the 3rd International Conference on Terahertz Dynamis in Nanostructures

The U.S. and Japan are global leaders in nanotechnology. Stimulating cooperation between U.S. and Japanese researchers is critical to further advances, yet obstacles exist for international collaboration, primarily linguistic and cultural barriers.  Yet, as reported by Open Doors 2012, engineering majors represent just 3.5% of U.S. students who study abroad. Japan’s Ministry of Education (MEXT) reports that the total number of Japanese students studying in the U.S. has declined by 47% from 1999 to 2009; the last year that data is available. If the international nature of nanotechnology research demands that scientists have the skills to be able to collaborate in an international environment, there is a clear need to expand and develop international programs that address the unique needs of engineering and physics students for both Japanese and U.S. students.  This talk will highlight U.S. and Japanese student experiences from three unique international research programs that seek to expand international opportunities for engineering and physics students. Through an analysis of study surveys and program assessments, we will compare and contrast the long-term impact of international research experiences on U.S. and Japanese students.

>> View Abstract of Talk
>> View Full PDF of PPT Presentation

2011 Reverse NanoJapan Program at Rice University

2011 NanoJapan
The NanoREIS structure proved invaluable when the March 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami forced us to reverse the program design and bring 14 U.S. and 25 Japanese students to Rice for the ‘2011 Reverse NanoJapan’. Rice’s research facilities were made available to the Japanese students whose research had been suspended due to energy shortages and other after effects of the disaster in Japan and, at the same time, the U.S. students were able to still be involved in international research collaboration with a Japanese student; one of the hallmarks of the NanoJapan Program. The NSF offered supplemental funding through a special allocation for projects impacted by the earthquake an tsunami which enabled us to off-set some travel and program costs for the Japanese student participants.  The Office of the President at Rice University also provided full funding for on-campus housing in the graduate apartments, enabling the  U.S. and Japanese students to live together for a more robust inter-cultural experience.  In-kind support in the form of guest speakers, special workshops, and other cultural events was also provided by a range of Houston-area organizations including the Japanese Consulate in Houston, the Japan Association of Greater Houston, and Kaminari Taiko. 

“Rice has been very supportive,” Prof. Junichiro Kono, PI of the NSF-PIRE grant that funds NanoJapan, said. “The President’s Office kindly provided all the housing support and meals for all the students, both U.S. and Japanese. The National Science Foundation has allowed us to use our grant to support the Japanese students, which is also unusual. We’re also getting some personal and industry donations to support this program. Everything is working great. The NanoJapan Program will return to Japan in 2012, but since this reverse program is going so well, if we can get enough support, we want to continue in some way to have Japanese students here at Rice."

>> View Video of 2011 Reverse NanoJapan
>> Read Overview of 2011 Reverse NanoJapan - In English
>> Read Overview of 2011 Revesre NanoJapan - In Japanese
>> Read Phtonics Spectra article on Reverse NanoJapan - In English
>> Read Southern Journal article on Reverse NanoJapan - In Japanese, Pg. 3
>> Read Gulfstream: Japanese Business ASsociation of Houston Newsletter article on Reverse NanoJapan - In Japanese

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