Washington, DC

Briefing Given on JSPS Summer Program at NSF's East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes Orientation

The JSPS Washington Office cooperated in carrying out the National Science Foundation's 2006 East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes Orientation held on 27-28 March. NSF's East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes is similar in operation to the JSPS Summer Program. Attending the orientation were altogether about 150 graduate students who would be going from the US to summer internships in China, Korea and Australia as well as Japan. Among them, 65 would be participating in the JSPS Summer Program. This group received an extensive 2-session briefing on the program from the staff of JSPS's headquarters and Washington Office.

On the first day of the orientation, a session was held on "logistical arrangements," in which Dr. Junku Yuh, director of NSF's Tokyo Regional Office, and Dr. Akira Masaike, director of JSPS's Washington Office, spoke about preparations, both physical and attitudinal, that need to be made in advance of doing research in Japan. Then, the Office's deputy director Mr. Hideshi Kobayashi and JSPS Overseas Fellowship Division staff Ms. Hisae Takada explained the summer schedule, fellows' allowances and other program-related matters, after which they answered the participants' questions. Finally, Ms. Akiko Kakuta, section chief of the Overseas Fellowship Division, talked about the alumni program at JSPS.

The second day featured a "language and culture" session, in which Mr. Kobayashi gave a lecture on the rudiments of the Japanese language and introduced some basic phrases useful to living in Japan. Following him, Washington Office staff Mr. Thet Win gave a video-aided presentation on Japanese culture and customs as seen from the perspective of foreigners. The session was interactive: that is, the participating graduate students did not just sit quietly and listen to the lectures, but made zestful attempts to use Japanese, with the more fluent members tutoring those who were encountering the language for the first time.

The 2-day orientation for the 65 young researchers heading to Japan was considered to be very successful as it greatly eased their minds of any anxiety they might have had about doing research and living in Japan.

- JSPS Washington Office

Bonn

JSPS Summer Program Pre-Orientation Held in Bonn

On 12 May, the JSPS Bonn Office held a pre-orientation at the Bonn Scientific Center (Wissenschaftszentrum) for the JSPS Summer Program in Japan. This was the second year for the office to organize a pre-departure orientation for participants of the Summer Program. It was attended by six of the ten 2006 German participants. The other participants were out of the country at the time; however, two of them were able to take part in the pre-orientation held by the JSPS London Office.

The orientation started with remarks from Prof. Yasuo Tanaka, director, Bonn Office and Dr. Ursula Toyka-Foung, section head, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). They were followed by self-introductions from each of the participants, and a briefing by the Office staff on the Summer Program and other JSPS international fellowships and activities.

After the coffee break, two participants in last year's Summer Program talked about their experiences. Both said how deeply impressed they were with not only their firsthand exposure to research in Japan but also their experience of living there. Speaking to the young participants about building networks after their return to Germany, JSPS Club chair Prof. Dr. Heinrich Menkhaus introduced them to the activities of the alumni association open to researchers who share the experience of participating as fellows in JSPS programs. In the ensuing Q&A session, questions were asked and an active discussion evolved on the program contents and research and life in Japan.

Afterwards, the participants praised the pre-orientation as being very useful in that it gave them the opportunity to learn about the program directly from last year's fellows, and it heightened their already strong motivation to spend the summer in Japan, while giving them the chance to meet each other at the preparation stage in advance of departure.

- JSPS Bonn Office

London

Pre-Departure Fellowship Program Seminar and Alumni Evening in UK

On 2 June, the JSPS London Office and British Council Japan co-organized a pre-departure seminar for participants of JSPS's upcoming Summer Program and short-term fellowship program for young researchers. Held at the Strand Palace Hotel in London, the seminar gave the participants information that will be helpful to them on doing research and living in Japan. It introduced JSPS's programs and those of other UK-based organizations for which researchers returning from Japan are eligible to join, and described one Anglo-Japan joint research activity currently underway. Briefings were given by representatives of the JSPS London Office, British Council Japan, The Royal Society, The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, and Centre for Global Atmospheric Modelling. A member of the UK Alumni Association also talked about her experience as a JSPS fellow in Japan.

Following the seminar, the participants repaired to the Japanese garden of the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies for an Alumni Fellowship Evening organized by the alumni association. The event offered an excellent opportunity for the pre-departure fellows to meet JSPS alumni, other researchers interested in Japan, and the staffs of JSPS partner agencies in the UK.

- JSPS London Office