Alumni Updates

Participant Demographics

From 2006 to 2015, 144 freshman and sophomore students participated in the NanoJapan: IREU Program, representing 49 different U.S. institutions, including two historically black colleges and universities, five community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and a wide range of public and private research institutions.

The program was particularly successful in recruiting underrepresented STEM students. Female students represented 35.4% of NanoJapan participants overall and 16.8% of participants reported being members of diverse ethnic groups in STEM fields (not Asian or Caucasian). The representation of women is particularly impressive as:

  • In 2006, when the NanoJapan: IREU program began:
    • Only 2.5% of female freshman students indicated an intention to major in engineering
    • Only 2.0% of female students indicated an intention to major in the physical sciences.
  • In 2014, among the 37.5% of female freshman students intending to major in all S&E fields:
    • Just 5.8% of female freshman students indicated engineering
    • Just 2.1% of female students indicated the physical sciences.
  • In 2013, among the 615,475 of earned bachelor’s degrees in S&E women represent 50.31% overall, but:
    • Just 2.75% of earned degrees in engineering
    • Just 1.35% in the physical sciences.

Data Sources:

Alumni Peer-Reviewed Articles Arising from NanoJapan: IREU Research
As a further testament to the impact on students’ career development as science and engineering researchers, to date, the following NanoJapan alumni have been listed as authors in peer-reviewed journal articles or conference papers from research arising from their research internship in Japan.

To date, 12 NanoJapan alumni have been listed as authors in peer-reviewed journal articles published in prestigious journals. Student author names are indicated in bold. 

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  1. C.B. Reynolds, M. Shoufie Ukhtary, and R. Saito, “Absorption of THz Electromagnetic Wave in Two Mono-layers of Graphene,” Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 49, 195306 (2016). DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/49/19/195306
  2. Ushiba, J. Hoyt, K. Masui, J. Kono, S. Kawata, and S. Shoji, “Macroscopic Ensembles of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes in Bubble Imprints Studied by Polarized Raman Microscopy,” Journal of Nanomaterials 2014, 632501 (2014).
  3. Sano, I. Kawayama, M. Tabata, K. A. Salek, H. Murakami, M. Wang, R. Vajtai, P. M. Ajayan, J. Kono, and M. Tonouchi, “Imaging Molecular Adsorption and Desorption Dynamics on Graphene Using Terahertz Emission Spectroscopy,” Scientific Reports, (2014). DOI:10.1038/srep06046
  4. He, N. Fujimura, J. M. Lloyd, K. J. Erickson, A. A. Talin, Q. Zhang, W. Gao, Q. Jiang, Y. Kawano, R. H. Hauge, F. Léonard, and J. Kono, “Carbon Nanotube Terahertz Detector,” Nano Letters, to appear (2014). DOI: 10.1021/nl5012678
  5. R. T. Nugraha, E. I. Rosenthal, E. H. Hasdeo, G. D. Sanders, C. J. Stanton, M. S. Dresselhaus, and R. Saito, “Excitonic Effects on Coherent Phonon Dynamics in Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes,” Physical Review B 88, 075440 (2013). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.075440
  6. Ushiba, S. Shoji, K. Masui, P. Kuray, J. Kono, and S. Kawata, "3D Microfabrication of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Composites by Two-Photon Polymerization Lithography," Carbon 59, 283 (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2013.03.020
  7. M. Mahjoub, A. Nicol, T. Abe, T. Ouchi, Y. Iso, M. Kida, N. Aoki, K. Miyamoto, T. Omatsu, J. P. Bird, D. K. Ferry, K. Ishibashi, and Y. Ochiai, "GR-FET Application for High-frequency Detection Device,” Nanoscale Research Letters 8, 22 (2013). DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-22
  8. Ren, Q. Zhang, C. L. Pint, A. K. Wójcik, M. Bunney, T. Arikawa, I. Kawayama, M. Tonouchi, R. H. Hauge, A. A. Belyanin, and J. Kono, "Collective Antenna Effects in the Terahertz and Infrared Response of Highly Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays," Physical Review B 87, 161401(R) (2013). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.161401
  9. T. Yuan, M. Toh, K. Morimoto, 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
  10. P. Zhao, E. Einarsson, G. Lagoudas, J. Shiomi, S. Chiashi, and S. Maruyama "Tunable Separation of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes by Dual-surfactant Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation," Nano Research 4, 623 (2011). DOI: 10.1007/s12274-011-0118-9
  11. Cooper, H. Amano, M. Hiraide, S. Houkyou, I. Y. Jang, Y. J. Kim, H. Muramatsu, J. H. Kim, T. Hayashi, Y. A. Kim, M. Endo, and M. S. Dresselhaus, "Freestanding, Bendable, Thin Film for Supercapacitors Using DNA-Dispersed Double Walled Carbon Nanotubes," Applied Physics Letters 95, 233104 (2009). DOI: 10.1063/1.3271768
  12. Murakami, B. Lu, S. Kazaoui, N. Minami, T. Okubo, and S. Maruyama, "Photoluminescence Sidebands of Carbon Nanotubes Below the Bright Singlet Excitonic Levels," Physical Review B 79, 195407 (2009). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.79.195407

To date, 2 NanoJapan alumni have been listed as authors in peer-reviewed conference papers. Student author names are indicated in bold.

  1. Harada, B.S. Berggren, S. Deckoff-Jones, D. Renaud, A. Winchester, J. Madeo, J. Hu, X. Liu, Z. Mao, J. Wei, D. Talbayev, C. Weber, and K.M. Dani, "Nonlinear Optical Responses of Protected Atomically Thin Black Phosphorous", CLEO: QELS_Fundamental Science 2016, San Jose, California United States, 5–10 June 2016. DOI: 10.1364/CLEO_QELS.2016.FTu4L.8
  2. S. Ceron, H. Nagasawa, and M. Suemitsu, "Interactions Between Gliding Dislocations in 3C-SiC(001)", MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference (URTC), IEEE, 7-8 Nov. 2015. DOI: 10.1109/URTC.2015.7563749

NanoJapan: IREU Alumni – Graduate Schools Represented to Date
Out of our 144 NanoJapan Alumni, 91, or 63.2%, have gone on to pursue further graduate or professional degrees. Of these, a total of 74, or 51.4% of total alumni, are pursuing or have received master’s or doctoral degrees in STEM fields. An additional 15 alumni, or 10.4% of total alumni, have gone on to pursue professional degrees in medicine or business following completion of the program. Institutions represented include:

To date, NanoJapan have attended 35 different U.S. institutions to pursue master's or Ph.D. degrees in a STEM field. Institutions represented include: 

  1. California Institute of Technology (2)
    • Scott Steger (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering, 2014
    • Wei-lin Tan (NJ 2010): Ph.D, Materials Science, In Progress
  2. Carnegie Mellon University (3)
    • Nathan Brooks (NJ 2007): Ph.D., Robotics, In Progress
    • Amal El-Ghazaly (NJ 2008): M.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering, 2011
    • Benjamin Shih (NJ 2011): M.S., Computer Science, 2014
  3. Columbia University (1) 
    • Rocco Vitalone (NJ 2015): Ph.D., Physics, Commencing in Fall 2017
  4. Cornell University (3)
    • Bahar Akyurtlu (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Science & Technology Studies, In Progress
    • Kriti Charan (NJ 2007): Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, In Progress
    • Steven Ceron (NJ 2015): Ph.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering 
  5. Duke University (1)
    • Andrea Moffitt (NJ 2008): Ph.D, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, 2017
  6. Georgia Institute of Technology (1)
    • Christine Kiehlhorn (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, 2013
  7. Harvard University (1) 
    • Dylan Renaud (NJ 2015): Ph.D., Applied Physics (Commencing Fall 2018)
  8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (10)
    • Amneet Gulati (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Biological Engineering & Minor in Management Studies, 2013
    • Valla Fatemi (NJ 2007): Ph.D., Physics, In Progress
    • Jeffrey Russom (NJ 2007): M.S., Physics, 2012
    • Matthew Behlmann (NJ 2008): Ph.D., Experimental Particle Physics, In Progress
    • Tolulope Ogunbekun (NJ 2008): M.Eng, Transportation, 2015
    • Shomesh Chaudhuri (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, In Progress
    • Leora Cooper (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Physical Chemistry – Spectroscopy, In Progress
    • Georgia Lagoudas (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Biological Engineering, In Progress
    • Yi-an (Morgan) Lai (NJ 2010): M.Eng., Computer Science, 2014
    • Nicole Moody (NJ 2014): Ph.D., Chemistry, In Progress
  9. Northwestern University (2)
    • Julia Downing (NJ 2015): PhD, Materials Science and Engineering, Commencing September 2017
    • Ramya Gurunathan (NJ 2014): PhD, Materials Science & Engineering 
  10. Princeton University (1)
    • Kevin Lai (NJ 2011): M.S., Computer Science, 2015
  11. Rice University (8)
    • Kanes Sutuntivorakoon (NJ 2007): M.E.E., Electrical Engineering, 2012
    • Yiming Wang (NJ 2007): M.E.E., Electrical Engineering, 2010
    • Tiffany Kuo (NJ 2008): M.E.E., Electrical Engineering, 2011
    • Clare Ouyang (NJ 2008): M.B.E., Bioengineering, 2012
    • Cody Sewell (NJ 2010): Ph.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering, In Progress
    • Mitchell Trafford (NJ 2012): Ph.D., Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, In Progress
    • Lauren McCarthy (NJ 2014): Ph.D., Chemistry, In Progress
    • Alena Klindziuk (NJ 2015): Ph.D., Applied Physics, In Progress
  12. Stanford University (8)
    • Amal El-Ghazaly (NJ 2008): Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, 2017
    • Barney Cruz (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Chemistry, In Progress
    • Michelle Jin (NJ 2009): M.S., Electrical Engineering, In Progress
    • Heerad Farkhoor (NJ 2010): M.S., Electrical Engineering, 2013
    • Kirby Smithe (NJ 2010): Ph.D., Electrical & Electronics Engineering, In Progress
    • Wei-Lin Tan (NJ 2010): M.S., Materials Science, 2012
    • Ohiremen Dibua (NJ 2011): Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, In Progress
    • Dante Zakhidov (NJ 2013): Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, In Progress
    • Brandi Ransom (NJ 2015): Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, In Progress
    • Ajay Subramanian (NJ 2015): Ph.D, Materials Science & Engineering, In Progress 
  13. University of Arizona (1)
    • Gleb Zhelezov (NJ 2007): Ph.D., Mathematics, In Progress
  14. University of California, Berkeley (2)
    • Ethan Schaler (NJ 2008): Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, In Progress
    • Hsin-zon Tsai (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Physics, In Progress
  15. University of California, Davis (1)
    • Andrew Bradshaw (NJ 2007): Ph.D., Physics, In Progress
  16. University of California, Los Angeles (1)
    • Austin Head (2007): Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, In Progress
  17. University of California, San Diego (1)
    • Benjamin Shih (NJ 2011): Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, In Progress
  18. University of California, Santa Barbara (4)
    • Jaret Lee (NJ 2006): M.S., Electrical Engineering, 2010
    • Daryl Spencer II (NJ 2008): Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, In Progress
    • Claire McTaggart (NJ 2009): M.S., Electrical Engineering, 2013
    • Silvia Chan (NJ 2010): Ph.D., Materials Science, In Progress
  19. University of Colorado, Boulder (1)
    • Eric Rosenthal (NJ 2012): Ph.D., Physics, In Progress
  20. University of Houston (1)
    • Aleksandra Simicevic (NJ 2010): M.S., Civil Engineering, 2016
  21. University of Illinois, Chicago (1)
    • Mitchell Connolly (NJ 2013): Ph.D, Physics (Biomedical), In Progress
  22. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1)
    • Jacob McAlpin (NJ 2012): Ph.D., Physics, In Progress
  23. University of Maryland, College Park (1)
    • Dvir Kafri (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Quantum Information Science, In Progress
  24. University of Pennsylvania (2) 
    • Jennifer Gillenwater (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Computer & Information Science, In Progress 
    • Michael Chien (NJ 2009): M.S., Physics, 2011
  25. University of Rhode Island (1)
    1. Christopher O'Connell (NJ 2008 & 2009): M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2013
  26. University of Southern California (1)
    • Arthur Win (NJ 2015): M.S., Computer Engineering, Expected Completion, May 2019
  27. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1)
    • James Hitchcock (NJ 2011): Ph.D., Physics, In Progress
  28. University of Texas, Austin (3)
    • Christopher Corbet (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering, In Progress
    • Craig Cocoran (NJ 2007): Ph.D., Computer Science, In Progress
    • Stephen Jong (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, In Progress
  29. University of Utah (1)
    • Precious Cantu (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering, 2015
  30. University of Virginia (1)
    • Matthew Diasio (NJ 2010): Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, In Progress
  31. University of Washington (1)
    • Erin Sanehira (NJ 2009): Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, In Progress
  32. University of Wisconsin, Madison (1)
    • Matthew Carlson (NJ 2007): M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2012
  33. Vanderbilt University (1)
    • Kofi Christie (NJ 2012): Ph.D., Civil & Environmental Engineering, In Progress
  34. Washington University in St. Louis (1)
    • Christine Kiehlhorn (nee Moran) (NJ 2006): M.S., Biomedical Engineering, 2011
  35. Yale University (1)
    • Benjamin Foust (NJ 2014): Ph.D., Physics, In Progress

 

 

To date, NanoJapan: IREU alumni have attended 5 international institutions to pursue master's or Ph.D degrees. Institutions represented include: 

  1. Australian National University (1)
    • Jaret Lee (NJ 2006): Ph.D., Physics, 2013 (ABD)
  2. Erasmus Mundus Masters in Nanoscience and Nanotechonlogy
    • Michael Walker (NJ 2013): 2014 – 2016 Program with my first year at KU Leuven, Belgium and second year at Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble France.
  3. Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (1)
    • Alec Nicol (NJ 2012): Ph.D, Bioengineering, In Progress
  4. King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (1)
    • Tyler Barth (NJ 2006): M.S., Computer Science, 2010
  5. POSTECH, South Korea
    • Aren Siekmeier (NJ 2012): Ph.D. Computer Science and Engineering, Machine Learning Group, Advisor: Seungjin Choi, In Progress 
  6. University of Cambridge
    • Ethan Schaler (NJ 2008): M.Phil., Micro- and Nanotechnology Enterprise, 2012
    • Ramya Gurnathan (NJ 2014): M.Phil., Scientific Computing, In Progress

 

 

To date, 14 NanoJapan alumni have attended 10 medical schools, 3 business schools, and 1 law school to pursue professional degrees. Institutions represented include: 

Medical Schools (10) 

  1. Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (1)
    • Tiffany Yeh (NJ 2006): M.D., Global Health, 2013
  2. Baylor College of Medicine (1)
    • Rohini Sigireddi (NJ 2011): M.D., In Progress
  3. Jefferson Medical College (1)
    • Andrew Gomella (NJ 2009): MD, In Progress
  4. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1)
    • Shiv Gaglani (NJ 2008): MD, In Progress (Joint MD-MBA program with Harvard University)
  6. Louisiana State University School of Medicine (1)
    • Trey Halliburton, III (NJ 2011): M.D., In Progress
  7. Stanford School of Medicine
    • Mika Tabata (NJ 2012): M.D., In Progress
  8. New York University School of Medicine (1)
    • Benjamin Lu (NJ 2008): M.D., In Progress
  9. University of Buffalo, School of Medicine (1)
    • Jeansol Kang (NJ 2011): M.S., Biomedical Science, In Progress
  10. University of TX Southwestern Medical School (1)
    • Joseph Vento (NJ 2011): M.D., In Progress

Business Schools (3)

  1. Harvard University
    • Kevin Chu (NJ 2010): MBA 
    • Shiv Gaglani (NJ 2008): Joint MBA-MD program with Johns Hopkins University, In Progress
    • Aanchal Raj (NJ 2008) MBA, 2015
  2. Stanford Graduate School of Business
    • Alec Walker (NJ 2007): MBA, 2015
  3. University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School 
    • Norman Pai (NJ 2008): MBA, Health Care Management, In Progress

Law Schools (1)

  1. University of New Mexico School of Law
    • Camille Martinez (NJ 2011): J.D., In Progress

Professional Positions in STEM Fields
A total of 54 NanoJapan alumni, or 37.5%, are currently employed in academia or industry positions in a STEM related field. Below is a list of some sample job titles.

A sample of some of the professional titles held by NanoJapan alumni working in STEM fields include: 

  • Dvir Kafri (NJ 2006): Physicist at Quantum A.I. Lab at Google
  • Jaret Lee (NJ 2006): General Manager, PlanarTech  2D Materials & Process Equipment Solutions Provider
  • Matthew Carlson (NJ 2007): Advanced Nuclear Concepts – Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories
  • Precious Cantu (NJ 2008): Post-doctoral Fellow, Mirkin Research Group, Northwestern University
  • Amal El-Ghazaly (NJ 2008): Postdoctoral Fellow, Nanoelectronics & Nanostructures Group, University of California, Berkeley
  • Andrew Gomella (NJ 2009): National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Han Wen Research Team Member
  • Paul Russel (NJ 2009): High School Physics Teacher 
  • Warren Cheng (NJ 2010: FPGA Design Engineer at Raytheon AST
  • Elyse Landry (NJ 2010): Process Engineer, BP
  • Jeffrey Lee (NJ 2010): Pipeline Engineer, Exxon Mobil 
  • Leela Christian-Tabak (NJ 2011): Process Development Engineer at Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma
  • Grace Meikle (NJ 2012): Japan Desk Officer, Office of International Nuclear Energy Policy & Cooperation, Department of Energy
  • Julianna Richie (NJ 2014): Scientist, Naval Surface Warfare Center
  • Rebecca Wong (NJ 2015): Post-Bachelor Researcher at Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Student Profiles and Alumni Impact Quotes
Nothing is a better testament to the long-term impact of the NanoJapan: IREU Program that the words of some of our 144 participants.

Jacqueline Baidoo
Xavier University of Louisiana
Major: Chemistry & Chemical Engineering
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Profs. Nobuyuki Aoki & Yuichi Ochiai, Chiba University
NanoJapan Research Project:  Field-Effect Characterization of Polymorphic Molybdenum Disulfide using Scanning Probe Techniques (PDF)

"I think my experience taught me that I am independent and can be my own person. Since returning I (and friends) have noticed that I have more confidence in expressing myself. I feel less like a burden about how I need to take time to think things through before answering, so I'm less prone to automatically agreeing with whoever I'm talking to. Having NanoJapan on my resume also makes me more confident when applying to programs, scholarships, and transfer schools alike."

Anish Bhattacharya 
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Major: Electrical Engineering
Class Standing: Freshman
Anticipated Graduation: May 2018
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Yukio Kawano, Tokyo Institute of Technology
NanoJapan Research Project: Terahertz Detection at Room Temperature with Wafer-Scale Films of Highly-Aligned Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes (PDF)

Other Research Experiences

  • Summer 2017: I will return to MIT Lincoln Laboratory and will be working with Group 105: Airborne Radar Systems and Techniques.
  • Academic Year 2016-2017: I was a participant in the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) SPIN Program here at UIUC. My research was with Dr. Kaiyu Guan and is titled The Effect of Climate Variables on Vegetation Productivity on Different Temporal Scales.
  •  Summer 2016: I participated in the Summer Research Program at MIT Lincoln Laboratory working with Group 36: Ballistic Missile Defense System Integration.

"The NanoJapan Program has really widened my perspective on international work and research. It has encouraged me to consider more international opportunities for study, and it has also helped me find new research interests. The deep exposure to Japanese culture was an incredible experience and invaluable learning opportunity."

Steven Ceron 
University of Florida
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Maki Suemitsu, Solid State Electronics Group, Tohoku University
NanoJapan Research Project: 3D Simulations of Interacting Gliding Dislocation in 3C-SiC(001)

"The NanoJapan program allowed me to explore a new field of research in a completely new setting. After finishing that incredible experience I am thinking about exploring more research opportunities in Japan in that same field or a related field."

Julia Downing
University of Maryland, College Park
Major: Materials Science & Engineering and Project Management
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Profs. Koichiro Tanaka & Takashi Arikawa, Solid State Spectroscopy Group, Kyoto University
NanoJapan Research Project: Nonlinear Terahertz Responses of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Films (PDF)

Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Materials Science and Engineering, Hersham Research Group, Northwestern University (Commencing Fall 2017) 

"I would just like to reiterate how valuable NanoJapan was in offering me a view of graduate-level research, particularly with a research advisor. Apart from mastering the material in courses I simply haven't taken yet, I feel as though I could comfortably enter a graduate program with the full capability to succeed based on the skills I began to develop during NanoJapan. Although I am unsure if I will continue to study my discipline with a specific focus on nanotechnology, I am hooked on research. NanoJapan also instilled in me a strong desire to travel and learn more about other cultures and international collaboration. Thank you so much!"

Alena Klindziuk
Bryn Mawr College
Major: Physics
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Shigehiko Sasa, Department of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology
NanoJapan Research Project:Fabrication of ZnO Thin Film Transistors Using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PDF)

Current Position: Ph.D Student, Applied Physics, Rice University, Commencing Fall 2017

Katherine Kolar 
Central Michigan University
Major: Electrical Engineering and Mathematics
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Profs. Nobuyuki Aoki & Yuichi Ochiai, Chiba University
NanoJapan Research Project: Conductance Fluctuations in Fabricated h-BN/graphene/h-BN Devices at Low Temperatures (PDF)

Aaron Long
Yale University
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Satoshi Kawata, LaSIE, Osaka University
NanoJapan Research Project: Electroporation-introduced Gold Nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Biomolecules in Cells (PDF)

Brandi Ransom 
Rice University
Major: Materials Science & Nano Engineering
Class Standing: Freshman
Anticipated Graduation: May 2018
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Shigeo Maruyama, University of Tokyo
NanoJapan Research Project: Transferring Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene onto Antireflective Surfaces for High-efficiency Solar Cells (PDF)
1st Annual Smalley-Curl Institute Summer Research Colloquium Undergraduate Poster Prize: Third Place

Dylan Renaud 
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Major: Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
Class Standing: Freshman
Anticipated Graduation: May 2018
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Keshav Dani, Femtosecond Spectroscopy Group, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University (OIST)
NanoJapan Research Project: Protection of the Optical Properties of Few Layer 2D Phosphane (PDF)

Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Applied Physics, Laboratory of Low Dimensional Materials – Kim Group, Harvard University (Commencing Fall 2018)

"NanoJapan, in the strictest sense of the phrase, changed my life. Before participating in the program, though I had participated in research, I didn't have a proper understanding of what research was and what it could be for me. A significant amount of the success I've achieved during my collegiate career stems from my NanoJapan experience."

Cole Reynolds 
Texas A&M University
Major: Physics and Mathematics
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Riichiro Saito, Tohoku University
NanoJapan Research Project: Study of Electromagnetic Wave Absorption in Graphene (PDF)

Ajay Subramanian 
Rice University
Major: Materials Science & Nano Engineering
Class Standing: Freshman
Anticipated Graduation: May 2018
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Yuichiro Kato, University of Tokyo
NanoJapan Research Project: Eliminating Gate-Voltage Hysteresis in suspended Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors (PDF)

Other Research Experiences

Other Awards

Rocco Vitalone 
The Pennsylvania State University
Major: Physics and Mechanical Engineering
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Ryo Shimano, University of Tokyo
NanoJapan Research Project: Searching for Two Higgs Modes in Superconducting MgB2 Using Terahertz Pump – Terahertz Probe Spectroscopy (PDF)
1st Annual Smalley-Curl Institute Summer Research Colloquium Undergraduate Poster Prize: First Place

Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Physics, Columbia University, Commencing Fall 2017 

Arthur Win 
The University of Tulsa
Major: Electrical & Computer Engineering
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Taiichi Otsuji, Ultra-Broadband Signal Processing, Tohoku University
NanoJapan Research Project: Terahertz Emission and Detection in Graphene-Based van der Waals Heterostructures (PDF)

Current Position: M.S., Computer Engineering, University of Southern California, Commencing Fall 2017 

"NanoJapan has definitely influenced me to pursue further opportunities in Japan and affirmed the reality of graduate school. I fully intend to return to Japan and attend graduate school because of this program. Additionally, NanoJapan has allowed me to network with researchers from all over Japan, Rice, and students from all over the country. There isn’t a day that I don’t think about the impact that NanoJapan had on me.  The opportunity to conduct research in a top class laboratory and meet brilliant people from all over the world has forever changed me.  I’ve already gone back to Japan for another research program because of NanoJapan, and I fully intend to return again someday."

Rebecca Wong 
Grinnell College
Major: Physics, minor in Environmental Studies and East Asian Studies
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Prof. Masayoshi Tonouchi, Osaka University
NanoJapan Research Project:Characterizing MoS2-Si p-n Heterojunction Using Laser Terahertz Emission Spectroscopy (PDF)
1st Annual Smalley-Curl Institute Summer Research Colloquium Undergraduate Poster Prize: Honorable Mention

Other Research Experiences

Other International Experience

  • For my environmental studies and East Asian studies minors at Grinnell College I did my capstone project based on independent research and interviews at Koyasan, Japan on "Religious Constructions of Environment on Japanese Sacred Mountains".

"NanoJapan broadened my horizons on the meaning of international cooperation and collaboration to solve global issues. It inspired me to continue to explore new cultures and customs, to identify methods and strategies unique to individual countries in solving these problems, and to create meaningful relationships through an open mind. NanoJapan was truly a one-of-a-kind experience, and I hope these kinds of programs continue to be available to aspiring scientists in an increasingly globalized world."

Lisa Chiba
Rice University
Major: Chemical Engineering
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: LaSIE, Prof. Satoshi Kawata, Osaka University
NanoJapan Research Project: Deep Ultraviolet Excitation of Fluorescent Proteins for Multi-Color Imaging (PDF)
28th Annual Rice Quantum Institute Summer Research Colloquium Poster Award: National Instruments Award
Current Position: Business Analyst at Capital One

"After coming back from NanoJapan, I started working in Dr. Deepak Nagrath's Systems Biology of Human Diseases Lab at Rice University during the school year; my decision was deeply influenced by the time I spent in Kawata-sensei's lab, as I became very interested in the biological side of my experiments and wanted to continue learning about experimental techniques in a cancer research lab. This summer, I am continuing to pursue biology/medical related opportunities and am working at Celgene, a biotechnology company in San Francisco through the Leadership Rice Mentorship Experience program. after graduation, I plan to work in industry for a couple years to figure out what I want to do in life with regards to graduate school or medical school, and make decisions from there. NanoJapan was the catalyst for finding my interests and giving me the confidence and experience to pursue them long after the program had ended."

Skylar Deckhoff-Jones
Tulane University
Major: Physics
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab:Femotosecond Spectroscopy Group, Prof. Keshav Dani, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology
NanoJapan Research Project: Construction and Calibration of Compact Optical Pump Terahertz Probe Spectrometer (PDF)
28th Annual Rice Quantum Institute Summer Research Colloquium Poster Award: National Instruments Award
Current Position: Ph.D Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Materials Science, In Progress

"The NanoJapan program not only cemented my love for research, but also further led to my 8 month return to OIST for the Spring 2015 semester. This time at OIST has gotten me even more excited for graduate school, as well as provided me with useful technical and analytical skills which will be extremely valuable for my graduate studies."

Benjamin Foust
Rice University
Major: Physics & Mathematics
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Saito Lab, Prof. Riichiro Saito, Tohoku University
NanoJapan Research Project: Investigating Plasmon Transport Properties in a Graphene Interface (PDF)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Physics, Yale University, In Progress

Ramya Gurunathan
Pennsylvania State University
Major: Materials Science & Engineering
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Solid State Electronics Lab, Prof. Maki Suemitsu, Tohoku University
NanoJapan Research Project: Monte Carlo Study of Stacking Fault Interactions during 3C-SiC Epitaxial Growth (PDF)

Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Materials Science & Engineering, Snyder Thermoelectrics Group, Northwestern University 

Other International Experience: Churchill Scholar, Cambridge University, MPhil Candidate is Scientific Computing, 2017 

"NanoJapan encouraged me to pursue a future study abroad experience and it gave me confidence to consider graduate programs and career options abroad."

Vernon E. Londagin III 
University of Tulsa
Major: Physics & Mathematics
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Ultra Broadband Signal Processing, Prof. Taiichi Otsuji, Tohoku University
NanoJapan Research Project: Terahertz Emission and Detection in Double Graphene Layer Structures (PDF)

Lauren McCarthy 
University of Florida
Major: Chemistry
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Solid State Spectroscopy Group, Prof. Takashi Arikawa, Kyoto University
NanoJapan Research Project: Stochastic Impact Ionization in Nanostructured Semiconductors (PDF)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Chemistry, Rice University, In Progress
Awards: 2017 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2015 Goldwater Scholarship

"NanoJapan has certainly had a positive and lasting impact on my life. Because of this experience, I came to know about Rice University and therefore applied to the Rice Chemistry program when it came time to apply for Ph.D. positions. I fell in love with Rice on the visit weekend and now am an extremely happy student at Rice. In addition, I studied Japanese formally for a year at my undergraduate institution because I was inspired by my time in Japan to learn more about its interesting language. To sum up, the NanoJapan program is a huge part of the reason I am where I am now, and is responsible for my knowledge of a new language and culture." 

Christopher Miller
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Major: Physics & Japanese
Class Standing: Freshman
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Oda – Kawano Lab, Prof. Yukio Kawano, Tokyo Institute of Technology
NanoJapan Research Project: Terahertz Photoconductivity in Disordered Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Films (PDF)

Nicole Moody 
Rice University
Major: Physical & Theoretical Chemistry
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Tonouchi Lab, Prof. Masayoshi Tonouchi, Osaka University
NanoJapan Research Project:"Terahertz Spectroscopy of Graphene: Examining the Substrate and Temperature Dependence of Optical Conductivity (PDF)
28th Annual Rice Quantum Institute Summer Research Colloquium Poster Award: Kuraray Award
Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Physics Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, In Progress

Julianna Richie 
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Major: Physics
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Femotosecond Spectroscopy Group, Prof. Keshav Dani, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology
NanoJapan Research Project: Study of Terahertz Emission from MoS2 Interdigitated Antennas (PDF)
Current Position: Scientist, NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC)

Chris A. Salinas 
Northwest Vista (Community) College
Major: Physics & Nanotechnology
Class Standing: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Aoki/Ochiai Lab, Prof. Noboyuki Aoki & Yuichi Ochiai, Chiba University
NanoJapan Research Project: Magnetic-Domain Structure of Cobalt Nanomagnets with Single-Notch and Y-Branch Geometries (PDF)
Current Position: B.S. Student, Physics, University of Texas, Austin, In Progress

"NanoJapan opened up the world to me and increased my personal growth exponentially."

Benjamin Wang
Rice University
Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a Minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Class: Sophomore
Anticipated Graduation: May 2016
NanoJapan Research Lab: Maruyama-Shiomi Lab, Prof. Shigeo Maruyama, University of Tokyo
NanoJapan Research Project: Direct Growth of Sub-nm-Diameter SWNT Films on Si/SiO2 Substrates by Alcohol Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition (PDF)
Current Position: Simulation Engineer, Exxon Mobil

Jade Warren
Harvard University
Major: Chemistry & Physics
Class Standing: Freshman
Anticipated Graduation: May 2017
NanoJapan Research Lab: Aoki/Ochiai Lab, Prof. Noboyuki Aoki & Yuichi Ochiai, Chiba University
NanoJapan Research Project: Characterization and fabrication of monolayer graphene on h-BN semiconducting devices (PDF)

Eric Rosenthal
US University: University of Pennsylvania
Research Host in Japan:
Prof. Riichiro Saito, Tohoku University
Research Project: Coherent Phonon Model for Radial Breathing Mode in Carbon Nanotubes (PDF)


Current Position: Ph.D. Student, Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder
Research Group: Lehnert Laboratory

"I'm now a 4th year PhD student in Konrad Lehnert's group at CU Boulder. My research is on developing chip-scale superconducting circuits for microwave signal processing (e.g. non-reciprocal devices and switches), and integrating them with superconducting qubits." ~ Eric Rosenthal (October 2018) 

Leela Christian-Tabak
University at Buffalo, SUNY
Major: Chemical Engineering, Sophomore
NanoJapan Research Host Lab:  Prof. George Hirasaki, Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University 
NanoJapan Research Project: "Adsorptivity of Cationic and Anionic Surfactants on Dolomite Powder in Deionized Water and in Brine" (PDF) 
Undergraduate Degree: B.S., Chemical Engineering, University at Buffalo (SUNY), 2013
Current Position: Process Chemistry Division, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma, Osaka, Japan 

"I am just writing with an update on what I'm doing now, 7 years after NanoJapan. For the past year and a half, I've been working at a Japanese pharmaceutical  company in Osaka. I'm the first foreign employee at the company, outside of, I think, a few people on temporary assignments in the Tokyo office. I use almost exclusively Japanese at work, reading, writing, and talking with coworkers. I work with a group of chemists, using my engineering knowledge to support the scale-up of processes developed in the lab. My NanoJapan experience gave me some basic Japanese cultural competencies, and the trip to the TeraNano conference was the reason I started studying some Japanese. Additionally, having NanoJapan on my resume was what caught a manager's eye that I would be useful to this company. This is because Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma has daughter companies in the US and therefore was looking for people who could bridge the two cultures." ~ Leela Christian-Tabak


Alumni Fellowships, Scholarships & Other International Experiences
Our alumni have also gone on to win many prestigious fellowships and scholarships and participate in a wide array of other international experiences.

Global engagement among alumni also remains high. To date, 47 program alumni have participated in other international research, study, and internship programs abroad representing 32.6% of participants.

To date, a total of 27 NanoJapan: IREU alumni have received NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Two alumni have also received Honorable Mentions.  

  1. 2019 NSF GRF - Steven Ceron (NJ 2015) 
  2. 2019 NSF GRF – Julia Downing (NJ 2015) 
  3. 2019 NSF GRF – Brandi Ransom (NJ 2015)
  4. 2019 NSF GRF – Dylan Renaud (NJ 2015) 
  5. 2018 NSF GRF – Anish Bhattcharya (NJ 2015) 
  6. 2017 NSF GRF – JJ Allred (NJ 2013)  
  7. 2017 NSF GRF - Jay Giuliani (NJ 2013) 
  8. 2017 NSF GRF – Ray Moya (NJ 2013) 
  9. 2016 NSF GRF – Jordan Hoyt (NJ 2013) 
  10. 2016 NSF GRF - Dante Zakhidov (NJ 2013)
  11. 2016 NSF GRF - Skylar Deckhoff-Jones (NJ 2014)
  12. 2016 NSF GRF – Lauren McCarthy (NJ 2014)
  13. 2015 NSF GRF – Kofi Christie (NJ 2012)
  14. 2015 NSF GRF – Matthew Feldman (NJ 2012)
  15. 2015 NSF GRF – Jacob McAlpin (NJ 2012)
  16. 2015 NSF GRF – Mitchell Trafford (NJ 2012)
  17. 2013 NSF GRF - Ohiremen Dibua (NJ 2011)
  18. 2013 NSF GRF - Erin Sanehira (NJ 2009)
  19. 2013 NSF GRF - Kirby Smithe (NJ 2010)
  20. 2012 NSF GRF - Georgia Lagoudas (NJ 2009)
  21. 2011 NSF GRF – Precious Cantu (NJ 2009)
  22. 2011 NSF GRF – Amal El-Ghazaly (NJ 2008)
  23. 2011 NSF GRF – Daryl Spencer II (NJ 2008)
  24. 2010 NSF GRF – Craig Cocoran (NJ 2007)
  25. 2010 NSF GRF – Andrea Moffitt (née Barrett) (NJ 2008)
  26. 2009 NSF GRF - Nathan Brooks (NJ 2007)
  27. 2009 NSF GRF - Scott Steger (NJ 2006)

Honorable Mentions

  • 2019 NSF GRF – Honorable Mention – Jacqueline Baidoo (NJ 2015) 
  • 2017 NSF GRF - Honorable Mention: Julia Downing (NJ 2015)
  • 2017 NSF GRF – Honorable Mention: Nicole Moody (NJ 2014) 

To date, two NanoJapan: IREU alumni have received NDSEG Graduate Fellowships. 

  1. 2013 NDSEG – Amal El-Ghazaly (NJ 2008)
  2. 2012 NDSEG - Valla Fetmi (NJ 2007)

To date, one NanoJapan: IREU alumnus has received a Hertz Graduate Fellowship. 

  1. 2012 Hertz - Andrea Moffitt (née Barrett) (NJ 2008)

To date, one NanoJapan: IREU Alumni has received at Graduate Fellowship from the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM). 

  1. 2011 GEM – Precious Cantu (NJ 2009)

To date, seven NanoJapan: IREU alumni have received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. 

  1. 2017 Goldwater – Dylan Renaud (NJ 2015) 
  2. 2015 Goldwater - Lauren McCarthy (NJ 2014)
  3. 2014 Goldwater - Skylar Deckhoff-Jones (NJ 2014)
  4. 2014 Goldwater - Mitchell Trafford (NJ 2012)
  5. 2011 Goldwater - Kirby Smithe (NJ 2010)
  6. 2009 Goldwater - Andrea Moffitt (née Barrett) (NJ 2008)
  7. 2009 Goldwater - Ethan Schaler (NJ 2008)

To date, one NanoJapan: IREU Alumni has received a U.S. Student Fulbright Award. 

  1. 2015 – 2016 U.S. Student Fulbright to Switzerland – Precious Cantu (NJ 2009) Read more… 

To date, one NanoJapan: IREU Alumnus and 1 TeraNano PIRE Graduate Student have received NSF East Asia Pacific Summer Institute Fellowships. 

  1. 2017 EAPSI (Japan) – Preeya Kuray (NJ 2012) – Osaka University 
  2. 2012 EAPSI (Japan) - Erin Sanehira (NJ 2009) – University of Tokyo 
  3. 2009 EAPSI (Japan) - Layla Booshehri (TeraNano PIRE Graduate Student) – Osaka University 

To date, four NanoJapan: IREU alumni have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for undergraduate study abroad. These scholarships were awarded for participation in the NanoJapan: IREU program. 

  1. 2014 Gilman – Skylar Deckhoff-Jones (NJ 2014)
  2. 2014 Gilman – Vernon Londagin III (NJ 2014)
  3. 2010 Gilman - Jeffrey Lee (NJ 2010)
  4. 2010 Gilman – Heerad Farkhoor (NJ 2010)

To date, two NanoJapan: IREU alumnus have received Churchill Scholarships to pursue graduate study in the United Kingdom. 

  1. 2016 Churchill – Ramya Gurnathan (NJ 2014) 
  2. 2011 Churchill - Ethan Schaler (NJ 2008)

To date, one NanoJapan: IREU alumnus has participated in the JET: Japan English Teaching Program. 

  1. 2014 – 2015 JET - Preeya Kuray (NJ 2012)

To date, 4 NanoJapan: IREU Alumni have participated in the DAAD RISE Germany (for UGs) or DAAD RISE Pro (for graduate students) programs in Germany. 

  1. 2016 DAAD RISE Germany – Dylan Renaud (NJ 2015) at the University of Marburg 
  2. 2012 RISE Germany - Trey Halliburton (NJ 2011) at University of Bonn
  3. 2011 RISE Germany – Kirby Smithe (NJ 2010) at University of Duisburg-Essen
  4. 2013 RISE Pro - Leela Christian-Tabak (NJ 2011) at Evonik in Darmstadt

The following NanoJapan: IREU Alumni have received other scholarship, fellowships, or awards of note. 

  1. 2017 Japanese Medical Society of America Scholarship – Mika Tabata (NJ 2012) 
  2. 2015 Boren Scholarship for NanoJapan Program – Jacqueline Baidoo (NJ 2015) 
  3. 2014/2015 Hong Kong PhD Fellowship - Alec Nicol (NJ 2012)
  4. 2014 Singapore International Pre-Graduate Award - Alec Nicol (NJ 2012) 

To date, 47 NanoJapan: IREU alumni have participated in other international study, research, or internship programs abroad. This represents 32.6% of the 144 program alumni. 

  1. Alena Klindziuk (NJ 2015)
  2. Aaron Long (NJ 2015)
    • Richard U. Light Fellowship for Intensive Language Study in Japan (AY 2015 – 2016)
  3. Brandi Ransom (NJ 2015)
    • Summer 2016 Research Internship at RWTH Aachen in Germany where her research focused on textiles with fibers with non-circular cross sections, focusing on improving the synthesis process by looking at various capillary dimensions. Modeling fluid dynamics through the end of the extrusion process for trilobal fibers using theoretical. Coding this model into a program the textile institute will be able to use to predict shape factors for future products.
  4. Dylan Renaud (NJ 2015)
    • 2016 DAAD RISE Program in Germany at theUniversity of Marburg where his research focused on spectroscopy of 2D materials
  5. Rocco Vitalone (NJ 2015)
  6. Arthur Win (NJ 2015)
    • Summer 2016 Hokkaido University Internship Program in Information Science and Technology between June 1st and August 15th. I worked under Dr. Yasuo Takahashi in the Laboratory of Nanomaterial Science with the research project "Variation of Coulomb diamonds and excited states in Si single-electron transistors."
  7. Skylar Deckhoff-Jones (NJ 2014) 
    • Spring 2015 Research Internship at Okinawa Institute of Technology: I interned with the Femotsecond Spectrocopy Unit led by Professor Keshav Dani where I studied the optical properties of a variety of 2D materials. 
  8. Rayma Gurunathan (NJ 2014)
    • 2016 Churchill Scholar to the United Kingdom
    • Fall 2015 EuroScholars Program at Leiden University where she conducted research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Jan Aarts at the Faculty of Sciences, Leiden Institute of Physics department.
  9. Lila Rodgers (NJ 2014)
    • Spring semester study abroad in Spain
  10. Chris Salinas (NJ 2014)
    • 2016 – 2017 Student Abroad Exchange Program at Kyoto University in Japan
  11. Jade Warren (NJ 2014)
    • Summer 2015 research internship at the Tokyo Institute of Technology
  12. Arthur Win (NJ 2014)Summer
    • 2016 Research Internship at Hokkaido University in Prof. Yasuo Takahashi's Laboratory
  13. Ron Hobson (NJ 2013)Summer
    • 2014 Optics in the City of Light IREU in France
  14. Michael Walker (NJ 2013)
    • 2014 – 2016 Erasmus Mundus Masters in Nanoscience and Nanotechonlogy in Belgium & France
    • Research internships in Turkey (Spring 2015) and Belgium (Summer 2015).
  15. Dante Zakhidov (NJ 2013)
    • Spring 2015 Rice University Baker Institute Public Diplomacy and Global Policymaking Colloquium in Doha, Qatar
  16. Matthew Feldman (NJ 2012)
    • Summer 2013 Optics in the City of Light IREU in France
  17. Preeya Kuray (NJ 2012)
    • 2017 NSF East Asia Pacific Summer Institute (NSF EAPSI) at the University of Osaka
    • Japan English Teaching Program (JET) in 2014 – 2015
  18. Jacob McAlpin (NJ 2012)
    • Summer 2014 community service project in Ecuador through LSU's Change Break team
  19. Grace Meikle (NJ 2012)
    • Summer 2013 IREU at Tsinghua University in China
  20. Alec Nicol (NJ 2012)
    • HongKong PhD Fellowship
    • Singapore International Pre-Graduate AwardSummer
    • 2013 IREU at Tsinghua University in China
  21. Eric Rosenthal (NJ 2012)
    • Summer 2014 and Summer 2013 IREU at MINATEC in Grenoble, France
  22. Leela Christian-Tabak (NJ 2011)
    • 2013 DAAD RISE PRO at Evonik in Darmstadt
    • Spring 2012 semester abroad at the University of Wuerzburg in Germany.
  23. Trey Halliburton (NJ 2011)
    • 2012 RISE Germany at University of Bonn
  24. Benjamin Shih (NJ 2011)
    • 2014 – 2015 research internship in soft robotics at the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland
  25. Rohini Sigireddi (NJ 2011)
    • 2013 INNOVATE: Technology, Globalization and Innovation in China Program
    • 2012 Baker Institute Public Diplomacy and Global Policymaking Colloquium in Doha, Qatar
  26. Joseph Vento (NJ 2011)
    • Rice University Engineers Without Borders, Nicaragua
  27. Kevin Chu (NJ 2010)
    • Rice Semester Exchange Program at National University of Singapore
    • 2013 INNOVATE: Technology, Globalization and Innovation in China Program.
    • He also conducted two professional internships in Taiwan during the Summer of 2012.
  28. Elyse Landry (NJ 2010)
    • Spring 2012 Rice University Exchange Program at IIT Bombay, India
  29. Cody Sewell (NJ 2010)
    • Seven month graduate research internship in the Tonouchi Lab at Osaka University (August 2015 – February 2016)
    • Fall 2012 semester abroad at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University through the Global E3: Global Engineering Education Exchange Program.
  30. Kirby Smithe (NJ 2010)
    • 2011 DAAD RISE Germany at University of Duisburg-Essen
  31. Precious Cantu (NJ 2009)
    • 2015 – 2016 U.S. Student Fulbright Award/Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship to conduct research at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
    • PASI Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute on Frontiers in Imaging Science in Bogota, Colombia in Summer 2011
  32. Leora Cooper (NJ 2009)
    • Summer 2012 Visiting Researcher in the Stefani Lab at the Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil
  33. Michelle Jin (NJ 2009)
    • Rice Semester Exchange Program at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
  34.  Erin Sanehira (NJ 2009)
    • 2012 NSF EAPSI Fellowship to Japan 
  35. Amal El-Ghazaly (NJ 2008)
    • Summer 2009 Vira I. Heinz Scholarship for Women in Global Leadership in Cairo, Egypt
  36. Shiv Gaglani (NJ 2008)
    • 2009 Summer Spanish Learning Program in Chile as a Harvard University Cordeiro Fellow.
  37. Tiffany Kuo (NJ 2008)
    • 2010 INNOVATE Technology, Globalization & Innovation in Vietnam and Taiwan
    • Rice Semester Exchange at IIT Bombay, India
  38. Clare Ouyang (NJ 2008)
    • 2010 INNOVATE: Technology, Globalization & Innovation in Vietnam and Taiwan
  39. Norman Pai (NJ 2008)
    • 2011 INNOVATE: Technology, Globalization & Innovation in China
    • Rice Global Health 360 Trip to Rwanda
  40. Aanchal Raj (NJ 2008)
    • Semester at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland
  41. Ethan Schaler (NJ 2008)
    • Churchill Scholar
    • Summer 2009 Research Internship at RIKEN
    • Fall 2009 Semester at Tohoku University through the Global E3: Global Engineering Education Exchange Program
  42. Alec Walker (NJ 2007)
    • Spring 2008 Rice Exchange at National University of Singapore
  43. Tyler Barth (NJ 2006)
    • Summer 2007 Study Abroad in Taiwan via Freeman-Asia Scholarship
  44. Jennifer Gillenwater (2006)
    • Spring 2007 Rice Exchange Program at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  45. Amneet Gulati (2006)
    • MIT Sloan Action Learning Program Graduate Internship in Belgrade, Serbia
  46. Jaret Lee (2006)
    • 2007 Internship at NTT Tokyo in Japan
  47. Tiffany Yeh (2006)
    • 2007 Semester Study Abroad at the Universidad de San Francisco en Quito in Ecuador
    • 2008 Summer Beyond Traditional Borders Internship in Terrier Rouge, Haiti and Antigua, Guatemala