People \\ where Are They Now? \\ 2010
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Where Are They Now? - NanoJapan 2010

Silvia Chan - NanoJapan 2010

Ph.D., Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara, In Progress
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 2012

>> Read More About Silvia's NanoJapan Experience

Warren Cheng - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Hardware Engineer at Boeing
B.S., Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, 2012

>> Read More About Warren's NanoJapan Experience

Kevin Chu - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Patent Engineer at Osha Liang LLP, an intellectual property firm in Houston
B.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rice University, 2013

Other International Experience: Kevin spent a semester studying abroad at the National University of Singapore through the Rice Exchange Program and participated in the 2013 INNOVATE: Technology, Globalization, and Innovation in Asia Program.

He also conducted two professional internships in Taiwan during the Summer of 2012. From May - June he worked as a Summer Law Associate at Lee & Li, Attoneys-at-Law and from June - July he worked as a Business Analyst with Deloitte Taiwan.

Other Professional Internship: During the Spring of 2012 Kevin worked as a Financial Anaylst Intern at Merrill Lynch in Houston, TX.

>> Read More About Kevin's NanoJapan Experience

Matthew Diasio - NanoJapan 2010

M.S., Materials Science & Engineering, University of Virginia, In Progress
B.S., Physics, Rice Unviersity, 2012

Other Research Experience: In the Summer of 2011 Matthew participated in the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network REU Program. He conducted research in the Mechanosynthesis Group and the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility at the University of Michigan where his research focused on on fabricating carbon nanotube-reinforced metal composites by electrodeposition of metals onto aligned nanotube structures.

>> Read More About Matthew's NanoJapan Experience

Heerad Farkhoor - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Data Scientist, UBER
M.S., Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, 2013
B.S., Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, 2012

"Looking back, NanoJapan is all about the experience of living in, working in, and exploring a foreign land with good friends. I'm now open to finding job opportunities abroad instead of remaining anchored at home, because I know that once I go through the same adjustment process again, my life and career will be rich with unique opportunities." ~ Heerad Farkhoor, Octboer 2012

Awards & Accomplishments: 2010 Gilman Scholarship, 2010 Asia Pacific Education Scholarship, Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship, Berkeley Alumni Leadership Scholarship

Further Professional Internship: Summer of 2013 Data Scientist Internship at Twitter, 2012 Summer, Gray Whale Capital, Assistant Trader

>> Read More About Heerad's NanoJapan Experience


Nabeem Hashem - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Fixed Income Strategy Analyst at J.P. Morgan
B.S., Physics & Mathematics, Yale University, 2012

>> Read More About Nabeem's NanoJapan Experience

Elyse Landry - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Process Engineer, BP
B.S., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, 2012

"I used NanoJapan to determine if research was something I wanted to pursue but after my experience I decided to try an industrial experience the next summer and decided I liked that job more. Now I am working as a professional engineer." ~ Elyse Landry, October 2012

Further International Experience:
Elyse spent the spring 2012 semester studying at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay through the Rice University Exchange Program.

Further Professional Internship:
In the summer of 2011, Elyse completed an internship with BP.

>> Read More About Elyse's NanoJapan Experience

Jeffrey Lee - NanoJapan 2010

B.S., Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Rice University, In Progress


Awards & Achievements:
Jeffrey was selected as a recipient of the Institute of International Education's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for their Summer 2010 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) cycle for participation in the 2010 NanoJapan: International Research Experience for Undergraduates program. 

>> Read More About Jeff's NanoJapan Experience

Marcus Najera - NanoJapan 2010

B.S. Student, Biomedical Engineering, University of San Antonio, Texas, Anticipated Fall 2013
A.S., Nanotechnology, Northwest Vista College, 2010

Awards & Further Resaerch
2011 Sackler Fellowship Program: This program enables undergraduates (primarily rising juniors and seniors) interested in pursuing a career in the sciences to conduct interdisciplinary research at Yale for a 10-week period during the summer. Research focuses on the intersection of biology, physics, and engineering and serves as a glimpse of what graduate school at a large research institutions is like. Marcus conducted research under Dr. Cui Hao on "Can the color of butterfly wing scales be modified by expression of Ultrabithorax?"

2010 UTSA's Minority Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Student Training for Academic Research Award

Further Presentations of NanoJapan Research: Marcus received a 2010 Student Presentation Award in Chemical Sciences for the presentation of his NanoJapan research poster at the 2010 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). Held in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 10-13, 2010 the ABRCMS conference is designed to encourage underrepresented minority students to pursue advanced training in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, including mathematics and provide faculty mentors and advisors with resources for facilitating students’ success.

>> Read More About Marcus' NanoJapan Experience

Nicholas Riggall - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Asana, Inc.
B.A., Philosophy, Rice University, 2012

"It was an invaluable personal and professional learning experience. It has helped to shape my career in that I was able to more fully explore my options and learn what was right for me, all the while experiencing a different culture. I would say the greatest impact of NanoJapan on my career was not in the hard-science, but more in the soft categories of who I want to be and how to be a more international individual." ~ Nicholas Riggall, October 2012

Other Research Experience: Undergraduate Researcher, Laboratory for Biofunctional Materials, January 2009 - June 2011

Other Professional Internship:
Summer 2011 internship at Novak Druce + Quigg LLP a firm specializing in intellectual property law.

>> Read More About Nicholas' NanoJapan Experience

Cody Sewell - NanoJapan 2010

Ph.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rice University, Expected 2019
B.S., Engineering Physics, University of Tulsa, 2013

Further International Experience:

  • In August 2015, Cody will return to Japan to participate in a seven month graduate research intership with the Tonouchi Lab at Osaka University.
    In September 2014 Cody returned to Japan as a graduate student to attend the GMSI-GSDM Summer Camp and the IONS-Asia 5 OSA Student Network Conference in Hokkaido. He's also conducted a few research visits, including to Prof. Maruyama's lab at the University of Tokyo.
  • Cody spent the Fall of 2012 studying at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University through the Global E3: Global Engineering Education Exchange Program.

    >> Read More About Cody's NanoJapan Experience

Aleksandra Simicevic - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Associate Structural Engineer at WorleyParsons
M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Houston, Expected 2016
B.S., Civil Engineering, Louisiana State University, 2012

Aleks received her Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering and Mathematics from Louisiana State University in May of 2012. She is now working at Worely Parsons in their Houston office. She is looking forward to participating in activities with the NanoJapan Program at Rice now that she is in Houston. In the future she plans to pursue a graduate degree in Civil Engineering.

>> Read More About Aleks' NanoJapan Experience

Kirby Smithe - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Beginning in Fall 2013
B.S., Engineering Physics, University of Tulsa, 2013

Awards & Accomplishments
2013 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
2011 Goldwater Scholarship

Further International Experience:
Kirby was awarded a 2011 DAAD RISE Scholarship to pursue research in Germany with Professor Horn von Hoegen at the University of Duisburg-Essen. His research project focused on "Experimental Evaluation of Electrochemically Etched Tungsten Tips for Scanning Tunneling Micorscopy".

"My time with NanoJapan was definitely one of, if not the, best experience of my undergraduate career. It not only provided me with a broader perspective on the international science community, but also helped to cement my interests in physics and engineering."


>> Read More About Kirby's NanoJapan Experience

Wei-Lin Tan- NanoJapan 2010

Ph.D., Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, In Progress
M.S., Materials Science, Stanford University, 2012

B.S., Chemistry, Brown University, 2011

Peer Reviewed Publication from NanoJapan: IREU Research: H. T. Yuan, M. Toh, K. Morimoto1, W. Tan, F. Wei, H. Shimotani, Ch. Kloc, and Y. Iwasa, "Liquid-gated Electric-double-layer Transistor on Layered Metal Dichalcogenide, SnS2," Applied Physics Letters, 98, 012102 (2011). DOI: 10.1063/1.3535613

Other Resaerch: Undergradute Research Assistant, Brown University, August 2009 - May 2011.

Norman Wen - NanoJapan 2010

Current Position: Microdevice Design Research Assistant, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
B.S., Mechanical Engineering; B.S. Materials Science, University of California Berkeley, 2012

"I am very proud to be a NanoJapan alumnus. The program served as an exciting and adventurous platform to promote my intellectual growth and cultural appreciation as a young undergraduate, which I carry with me to this day. It has also given me a group of like-minded close friends, who I share some of the best memories of my life." ~ Norman Wen, October 2012

Further Research Experience & Professional Internships:


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