Washington, DC

Washington Office Holds Orientation for Summer Fellows

On 31 March to 1 April, the JSPS Washington Office assisted the National Science Foundation (NSF) in holding an orientation for its "2008 East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes" program. Under it, about 195 graduate students from US universities would be dispatched to Japan, China, Korea, Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries for summer training and interning. Sixty-five of the attendees were slated to participate in the JSPS Summer Program. For them, Dr. Akira Masaike and his Washington Office staff prepared two specially tailored sessions.

The first day's session was held on the theme "Living and Doing Research in Japan." Lectures were given on how the students should prepare themselves to do research in Japan by Dr. Tatsushi (Tats) Arai from SIT Graduate Institute, and Ms. Christine Ho, an alumna of the 2007 Summer Program. They were followed by two members of JSPS's Overseas Fellowship Division, Ms. Sachiko Mitsui and Ms. Chihiro Yamanaka, who explained JSPS's activities and briefed the students on the details of summer schedule and answered their questions. The session discussions were facilitated by Dr. Machi Dilworth, director, NSF Tokyo Regional Office, and Mr. Kotaro Kodera, deputy director, JSPS Washington Office.

In the second day's session, Mr. Masami Watanabe, science counselor at Embassy of Japan, introduced Japan's science and technology policies and activities, after which, Mr. Kodera's wife Aoi gave a lesson on Japanese language fundamentals, teaching the students some basic phrases useful in daily living. She was followed by Mr. Thet Win, who offered advice on Japanese culture and customs from the perspective of his own experience. The session was not a mere listening exercise, but a dynamically interactive one in which the students put their newly acquired Japanese to the test, and those with some prior knowledge of Japanese tutored others around them.

The 2-day orientation is thought to have been very meaningful in helping the Japan-bound students in overcoming any anxiety they may have had about living and doing research in Japan.

- JSPS Washington Office

Bonn

Summer Program Pre-Departure Orientation Held by Bonn Office

On 5 June, the JSPS Bonn Office held a pre-departure orientation for young German researchers selected to go to Japan to participate in this year's JSPS's Summer Program. It was also attended by past participants in the program, who conveyed their research experiences in Japan to the departing participants, strengthening the bonds of colleagueship between them. Taking this opportunity, presentations were given to better familiarize the young researchers with the German-Japan collaborative programs of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which assists JSPS and its Bonn Office in recruiting applicants for the Summer Program and other JSPS fellowships.

The meeting started with welcome remarks from the Bonn Office director Prof. Yasuo Tanaka, followed by DAAD administrator Ms. Karin Möller, who briefed the participants on researcher exchange programs between Germany and Japan. Each of the participants then introduced themselves. Three researchers who participated in last year's Summer Program told about their experiences. They were Dr. Melanie Wurm, Hannover Medical School; Dr. Andreas Orth, German Aerospace Center; and Mr. Hendrik Steigerwald, University of Bonn. They used a plethora of pictures to vividly describe their host laboratories and the research they conducted with Japanese colleagues at them along with their experiences of living in a Japanese community, giving the new participants a concrete image of what they could look forward to experiencing when they get to their host destinations in Japan. A spirited give-and-take of questions and answers followed these presentations. The departing fellows said afterwards that they found this interaction with the former participants to be very meaningful.

Finally, JSPS Club executive Prof. Dr. Ingrid Fritsch introduced the German alumni association, which the departing fellows would be eligible to join upon their return home. After the meeting, a dinner was held for all the participants, at which they continued their inquiries and discussions about life, culture and customs in Japan late into the evening.

- JSPS Bonn Office

London

Pre-Departure Seminar and Alumni Evening in UK

On 23 May, the JSPS London Office held a pre-departure seminar for British graduate students and junior researchers going to Japan under the JSPS Summer Program and short-term postdoctoral fellowships. Eighteen Japan-bound scholars attended the seminar held at JSPS's London Office. The seminar provided the new JSPS fellows with advanced information on research and life in Japan and introduced them to programs they can join after returning home to continue their collaborative activities with Japanese colleagues.

The seminar started with opening remarks from the Office director Prof. Yuko Furukawa. The seminar also featured the following presentations: An introduction of JSPS was given by Mr. Takeshi Sekiguchi, deputy director of the London Office, followed by talks on research experience in Japan by Ms. Jessica Langer and Dr. Che Connon. An introduction was given to the Royal Society by Dr. Hans Hagen, senior manager of the Society. Following an introduction of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, a briefing was delivered on the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation by its chief executive Mr. Stephen McEnally.

Following the seminar, the UK JSPS Alumni Association held an Alumni Fellowship Evening with about 35 attendees. The event gave new JSPS fellows an excellent opportunity to converse face-to-face with former fellows who have considerable firsthand experience in and knowledge on doing cooperative research in Japan.

- JSPS London Office