NanoJapan Frequently Asked Questions

how competitive is the nanojapan program?
Each summer the NanoJapan program selects 16 undergraduates from universities across the US to participate in this international research experience for undergraduates program. We are now entering the fifth year this program has been offered and in each year we have seen our application numbers rise due to increased outreach, marketing, and publicity. We anticipate our application numbers will continue to increase in each year of this program and encourage all eligible students to apply, particularly electrical engineering majors, physics majors, and students traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. To learn more about our applicant & participant data to date please click here.

I am a student at a community college. Am i eligible to apply?
Yes! Community college students, especially students planning on transferring to a four-year university, are encouraged to apply for the NanoJapan program. If you plan on transferring to a four-year school or have already been accepted into a four-year school via an artriculation agreement be sure to make note of this in your essays.

I am technically a junior by credits but this is only my second year in college. Am I still eligible to apply?
The NanoJapan program bases your status on the number of years you have been enrolled as a degree-seeking undergraduate student. If this is your first or second year at university at your university you are eligible to apply (provided you meet all other stated eligibility criteria), regardless of whether you are technically a junior by credits. Students with freshman or sophomore status at their university, regardless of how many years they have been taking classes, are also eligible to apply.

I am a junior, senior, or graduate student. Can I apply?
Juniors who believe they are well-qualified candidates may submit an application but should be aware this program is designed specifically for freshman and sophomore students. A junior would only be accepted into the program in a truly exceptional case and we would strongly encourage you to also apply to other summer programs that you may be eligible for. See the Other Related Programs page for more information.

Seniors and graduate students are not eligible for NanoJapan and should not submit an application. You may wish to review the Other Related Programs page of our website for information on programs that you may be eligible to apply to - in particular the DAAD RISE and RISE Professional programs, IAESTE Int'l Programs & Internships, and the NSF East Asia Pacific Summer Institute.

I am a high school student. Can I apply for NanoJapan?
No. High school students and graduating high-school seniors are not eligible to apply for the NanoJapan program. To be eligible to apply you must be a currently-enrolled, degree seeking student at a U.S. university or college in your first or second year of study.

Are the dates of the nanojapan program firm? My school doesn't get out until Mid-June. Could I still participate?
The dates of the NanoJapan program are firm and selected students must participate in all aspects of the program including the orientation, research experience, and re-entry program at Rice University. If your academic schedule does not allow you to participate in NanoJapan we would encourage you to review the Other Related Programs page of our website.

My spring semester doesn't end until mid-May so there is an overlap between the start of the NanoJapan program and my final exams. What can I do?
If there is only a slight overlap between the start of the program and the end of your term you can speak with your professors and academic advisor/s to see if it would be possible for you to take your final exams early. If this is not possible ask if your exams can be taken while you are abroad if a NanoJapan administrator proctors the exam. The NanoJapan program has done this for a number of students in the past and is happy to assist with proctoring exams for participants during the three-week orientation program in Tokyo. You will be solely responsible for any applicable costs such as testing room rental and/or international express mail fees to send your completed exams back to your university.

DO you require any prerequisite coursework?
No, since the NanoJapan program has been developed specifically for freshman and sophomore students no prerequisite coursework is required. However, it will be very advantageous to have already taken some physics coursework prior to departure for Japan. If your transcript does not accurately reflect all physics, math, or engineering coursework you have taken, for example if it only list the total AP credit you received not the actual classes you took, be sure to make a note of this in your essays.

If you have a strong interest in Japanese culture and language we would also encourage you to consider enrolling in any applicable Japan-related classes offered by your university in the departments of languages, Asian Studies, History, Economics, or Political Science. Students at Rice University can find a listing of coursework in Asian Studies that might be of interest at the Chao Center for Asian Studies website. While prior language or culture study is not required any courses taken prior to departure will provide a solid foundational understanding in Japanese or Japan that you can then build upon during your summer abroad.

How are students assigned to their NanoJapan research Topic?
If you are selected as a participant for the NanoJapan program Prof. Kono, the PI of the NSF-PIRE grant that funds NanoJapan, will work closely with you and our Japanese research hosts to match you with an appropriate research project and host laboratory. These placements are made based on your academic background, any previous research experience you may have, and your future academic and research interests in the field of nanotechnology. Research host and project matching will take place in April after participants have been selected.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Student Profiles page of our website prior to applying to access additional information on research projects conducted by NanoJapan alumni and the PDFs of the research project posters they presented at the end of the summer. When reviewing this information be sure to ask yourself if these are the types of research projects that are of interest to you as they will be similar, though not identical to, the opportunities available for summer 2010.

Will I be working with other NanoJapan students during the research internship or matched with a Japanese graduate student or mentor?
While there may be 1 or 2 other NanoJapan undergraduate students working in the same university or city, in most cases you will be the only NanoJapan undergraduate assigned to that specific research laboratory. You will be matched with a Japanese graduate or post-doctoral mentor who will assist you in the start-up and initial implementation of your project. By the end of the summer it is anticipated that you will be working on this research project independently with the close supervision and oversight of your mentor and your Japanese research host professor. When the summer concludes you will be expected to present a topical research project poster on your summer project at the Rice Quantum Institute Summer Research Colloquium.

Can I contact a Past Student Participant in NanoJapan?
Yes! We would be happy to put you in contact with NanoJapan alumni. You may also want to review the Student Profiles page of our website to learn more about the experiences of NanoJapan alumni. We strongly encourage all potential applicants to also review the PDFs of the Research Project Posters presented by our students. This will help give you a better sense of the type of research projects available through this program and which NanoJapan student/s it might be most helpful for you to speak with. Then, simply email nanojapan@rice.edu and we will forward your inquiry to selected alumni.

We also encourage interested students to post questions on our Facebook Fan page. Most NanoJapan alumni are members of this page and if you post a question here you will likely get a speedy response from NanoJapan alumni.

Do U.S. Citizens need a Passport or Visa to Enter Japan?
In order to legally enter Japan all travelers must have a passport that is valid for at least six months after the date of entry. In the case of NanoJapan students this means you must have a passport valid through November 30.

Students who do not have a U.S. passport or whose passports will expire prior to November 30 should review the U.S. Department of State Passport website for information on the application and renewal process.

US citizens do not require a visa to enter Japan for a stay of up to 90 days through a visa exemption agreement.

What is a U.S. Permanent Resident?
A person who has permanent residence status in the United States has the right to live and work in the US without restriction. This right may last for a lifetime, or it can be ended in some circumstances by an uninterrupted absence from the United States of more than a year or two. Permanent residents are said to have immigrant status in the US, in contrast to foreign nationals who are here temporarily in nonimmigrant status, such as F-1 students, J-1 scholars or H-1 temporary workers. In popular parlance, a permanent resident is said to have a "green card," an outdated reference to the permanent residence identification card, which used to be green but is now a pale red, white and blue. Permanent residents are also often said to have "PR."

If you currently have a "green card"/permanent residency card you are a U.S. permanent resident and are eligible to apply for the NanoJapan program.

I am a U.S. Permanent Resident. Do I need a Visa to Enter Japan?
Permanent Residents may need a visa to enter Japan if your country of citizenship does not also have a visa exemption agreement with Japan. To check to see if your country of citizenship has a visa exemption agreement in place click here. If you are accepted into the NanoJapan program and do need a visa to enter Japan the NanoJapan program will provide you with documentation confirming your acceptance into this program and assist you in working with your research host advisor to obtain any necessary gurantor information. You will be fully responsible for submission of your visa application and all required documentation to the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate and payment of any visa application or processing fees. More information on applying for any required visa will be provided to selected delegates in April.

I am an International Student Currently Studying in the U.S. on a Student Visa. Do I need a Visa for Japan and Should I do Anything Else now?
Non-US citizens currently enrolled as degree-seeking students at a US institution of higher education under a valid US student visa are eligible to apply to the NanoJapan program though the NanoJapan program must give strong preference to U.S. citizens and permanent residents during the selection process. International students interested in this program should meet with their university International Students office to discuss how participation in NanoJapan would impact their U.S. visa status.

International students may need a visa to enter Japan if your country of citizenship does not also have a visa exemption agreement with Japan. To check to see if your country of citizenship has a visa exemption agreement in place click here. If you are accepted into the NanoJapan program and do need a visa to enter Japan the NanoJapan program will provide you with documentation confirming your acceptance into this program and assist you in working with your research host advisor to obtain any necessary guarantor information. Please be aware that your U.S. visa must be valid for re-entry in August. If your U.S. visa is not valid for re-entry in August your Japanese visa application will be denied. You will be fully responsible for submission of your visa application and all required documentation to the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate and payment of any visa application or processing fees. More information on applying for any required visa will be provided to selected delegates in April.

What is an Unofficial Transcript? How do I obtain this and how should i submit it?
An unofficial transcript is one that has been issued directly to you, the student. This may be issued to you electronically via your campus online system or may be issued to you as a hard copy document. You can obtain an unofficial transcript by contacting your registrar's office or review information found on their website.

Once you have obtained your unofficial transcript the best thing to do is to convert or scan the document into a PDF file for ease in uploading it to the online system. This can be easily done by selecting 'Print to PDF' or utilizing a computer that has a full version of Adobe PDF installed. Check computers in computer labs or libraries on campus or you can use a free online services such as PDF Converter.

You can also upload all Microsoft Office file types (.doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx) or a .jpg file. If you are using an open source software we highly recommend converting the document to a PDF to ensure the file can be opened and reviewed by the NanoJapan Program.

Why don't you require an official transcript?
Universities typically charge a fee for each official transcript a student requests and it can sometimes take up to two weeks to be sent. However, most students typically have access to an unofficial transcript or grade record for free through university online systems. To prevent application processing and review delays and to ensure that applying to the NanoJapan program does not present an undue financial hardship we only require unofficial transcripts at the time of initial application.

If you are selected as a finalist for this program you will be required to submit a copy of your official transcript to the NanoJapan program in February.

I am a first-semester Freshman and my transcript does not list any grades yet. Will this be a problem?
No, this is not a problem so long as the transcript you submit provides information on the courses you are currently enrolled in. However, you can simply wait to submit your NanoJapan application until your fall term grades have posted to your unofficial transcript which typically occurs in early January at most schools. If you are selected as a finalist for this program you will be required to submit a copy of your official transcript to the NanoJapan program in February.

What format Should my Resume be in?
NanoJapan applicants should submit one-page resumes in reverse chronological order. If you have not done a resume before you may want to schedule a meeting with an advisor at your university career center. They can provide you with recommendations, sample templates, and feedback on your resume to ensure it best reflects your academic, research, and professional experiences and achievements. You can also click here to view a sample resume template.

Do you have any tips on my nanojapan essays?
We strongly recommend that you compose all essays first as word document and save this to your computer. This allows you to save copies of all of your essays and have them proofread prior to submission for content, grammar, and spelling. If your essay is poorly written or contains grammatical or spelling errors this will detract from your application overall.

People who you may want to ask to review your essays include your academic advisor or counselor, a trusted professor or teacher, or your university writing center. Talk to them about why you are applying to NanoJapan and ask them if your essays convey this clearly. The feedback they provide will greatly strengthen your essays and your application overall.

We also recommend that you use specific examples whenever possible in your essays. There is no magic formula to what you should or should not say but clearly describing your interest in Japan, in the field of nanotechnology, and how this program relates to your future goals through specific, personalized examples will have a greater impact than broad generalizations.

It is also helpful to review the Student Profiles page of our website where you will find more information on the research experiences and projects of our alumni. Reviewing the PDFs of posters presented by our students at the RQI Summer Research Colloquium will also give you a better sense of the type of research done by NanoJapan participants. It may be helpful to cite a few key projects that are of interest to you in your Why Nanotechnology? essay and describe why you found these projects compelling or interesting.

What is a Follow-on Project?
All NanoJapan participants will be required to carry out a follow-on project that broadly promotes the NanoJapan program to students at your home university, in your academic field, or in your local community. The goal will be to encourage students to pursue international study and research opportunities and, more broadly, to pursue study and research in the field of nanotechnology at the undergraduate or graduate level.

Projects may be single or multi-part and can build upon organizations, campus outreach, or other programs that you are already involved in.  Projects should:

• Clearly Identify your Target Audience
• Clearly Identify an Unmet Need Among this Audience that Your Project Will Address
• Clearly Identify your Project Goals
• Clearly Identify the Outreach Method to be Used
• Clearly Identify a Time-frame for the Implementation of your Project
• Clearly Identify the Anticipated Impact of your Project

All projects will be completed during the academic year following participation in NanoJapan and students will be required to submit a NanoJapan Follow-on Project Final Report and supporting documentation such as photos or video of their project.

Do you have any ideas or examples of follow-on projects?
We have listed some possible options below but applicants should not limit themselves to this list. We encourage you to be as creative as possible in your Follow-on Project Proposal and develop innovative ways to reach out to your target audience.

• On-campus presentations on NanoJapan to student organizations, professional society chapters, academic departments, etc.
• Hosting a table on NanoJapan at campus study abroad, research, or summer opportunities fair/s or related event/s
• Submitting a paper or article on  your NanoJapan experience to relevant international education journals such as Abroad View, Glimpse or your campus paper, departmental or school newsletter, or study abroad/international engineering office newsletter.
• Submitting a paper or article on your summer research project to undergraduate peer-reviewed publications such as Catalyst, the Journal of Young Investigators, the Forum on Education Abroad Undergraduate Research Awards, the Global Hub, etc.
• Presenting on your NanoJapan Research Experience at relevant conferences or events in your field such as the Sigma Xi Annual Meeting.
• Giving a presentation on NanoJapan to local middle or high-school physics or science classes that highlights the international and research opportunities available to engineering and physics students.

Who should I ask to submit Nanojapan recommendation letters in support of my application?
All NanoJapan applicants must submit two letters of recommendation along with their online application, resume, and university transcript for their application to be considered complete. The first letter must be from a professor, research advisor, academic advisor, or other mentor at your current college or university. If you have previously done academic research one of your recommendation letters must be from your research advisor or research mentor. This letter should speak to your interest in academic research, and particularly the field of nanotechnology, the type of research you conducted, and provide a frank assessment of your research progress and performance.

Your second letter of recommendation should be from a professor, teacher, advisor, counselor, or other mentor who knows you well. This could be an individual at your current university, high school, employer, or from another organization that you belong to.

Recommendation letters should not be submitted by family or friends.

Should I wait to contact my recommenders until after I have submitted my online application?
No! Please contact your recommenders BEFORE you submit your online application to make sure they are willing to write a recommendation letter on your behalf and ensure that you have their correct email address.

Professors, teachers, mentors, advisors, employers and other professionals can be quite busy and you should ask them if they would be willing to write a Letter of Recommendation on your behalf as far in advance of the deadline as possible. Schedule a time to meet with them in person or speak with them on the phone about the NanoJapan program and your specific interests in Japan and nanotechnology research so they have a clear understanding of the program and your reasons for applying. Provide them with an updated copy of your resume and a copy of your NanoJapan application essays as these will provide helpful background information for them as they prepare your recommendation letter.

Also, be sure they are aware of the recommendation letter deadline and that if letters are not received by this date your application will be considered incomplete and may not reviewed.

How will the people I list in my application be notified about submitting recommendation letters?
Upon submission of your online application you will receive email confirmation that your application has been submitted and the two individuals you list to submit letters of recommendation on your behalf will also receive email notification of your application. This means you must ensure that the email address you list for each of these individuals is a valid, working address. Check this BEFORE you submit your online application.

This email will contain specific instructions on questions that recommenders should address in their letters and submission instructions. All lettters of recommendation must be received by February 5, 2010 for your application to be considered complete.

Recommendation letters may be submitted via email as PDF attachments to nanojapan@rice.edu or mailed to:

NanoJapan
6100 Main St., ECE MS 366
Houston, TX
77005