[:en]Mr. Kota Katsumi
Hometown in Japan: Tokyo
Home University in Japan: University of Tokyo
Major & School Year: Physics, B4
Research Host at Rice: Prof. Junichiro Kono, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Research Project Title: 2 Dimensional Materials Magneto Spectroscopy of Bulk InSE (PDF)

Why TOMODACHI STEM @ Rice University?
There are two reasons why I choose to participate in this program. First, I want to experience many things in America firsthand. Second, I want to blush up my English speaking skill. This program will help me understand American culture and broaden my field of vision. I am interested in optic experiment in strong magnetic field because I will study it in graduate school.

Goals

• Interact with as many people as possible
• Speak English more fluently
• Do my best doing my research

Questions I have About Research or Life in the U.S. – Prior to Departure

1. How is the academic lecture in America?
2. What should I do in advance to do my research smoothly?
3. I have read the research papers related to my research. Is there anything else I should do?

Excerpts from Kota’s Weekly Reports

• Week 01: Arrival in the U.S.
• Week 02: Critical Incident Analysis
• Week 03: Research in the U.S. vs. Research in Japan
• Week 04: Final Week at Rice University
• Final Research Project Presentation
• Week 05: Science & Technology Policy Study Tour in Washington, DC
• Final Report

Week 01: Arrival in the U.S.

Thanks to the convenient media such as the Internet or TV, we can get to know about the U.S. culture while we are in Japan. At first, I believed this is strongly true and I felt I understood the U.S to some extent, though I had never been to the U.S before. But the moment I arrived the U.S, I realized this was completely wrong.

Everything was new to me and I was reminded of the proverb, “Seeing is believing.” Though there were things I had already known, I was surprised at many differences between Japan and the U.S. For example, I can use the Wi-Fi almost everywhere. The stores are huge and I can buy anything there.

The most interesting difference is personality. People in the U.S are very cheerful to talk to me. In Japan, people whom I met for the first time would not talk to me that cheerfully. I think if I make the best of the opportunities talking to many people in English, my English might be improved little by little.

But not everything is good. There are many trains in Tokyo, but there are a few trains in the U.S. and most people use vehicles. I think I cannot do without cars in the U.S. to go anywhere.

The most amazing difference which was not good for me was a meal. In Japan, people care about their health and eat healthy meal. On the contrary, people in the U.S almost always eat fatty food and the amount is enormous. Though some dishes in the U.S taste very good, I missed Japanese food.

On the next day, we went to Rice University. The buildings were beautiful and the grass was well-kept. The campus was too large to show around in one day. I could see many squirrels almost everywhere and it was cute. I like the landscape of Rice better than that of universities in Japan, but I was surprised that there is no convenience store on campus.

My first weekend, I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science with some of the program participants. They said it was the second most popular place in Houston. We were lucky to visit the exhibition for free! There were exhibitions of Energy, ancient animals, wildlife, gems and so on. One of my favorite exhibitions was the dinosaurs. They were actual size and made me feel in the age. They were fabulous beyond description.

Some of Japanese visiting students were kind enough to take us to restaurants. They told me about tips for living in Houston or the restaurants they liked. It was very helpful and I appreciated it.

It took me a few days to get used to living in the U.S, but the first week I had a good time. I would like to enjoy all of the activities in this program to my heart content.

Research Project Overview
My research project in the Kono Lab at Rice is the measurement of transmission spectrum of InSe. Electrons in semiconductors absorb energy and excited when light is irradiated which energy is higher than energy gap. Analyzing the absorption energy from transmission spectrum tells us about the properties of InSe, which has a very unique band structure. Also, measuring the transmission spectrum in magnetic field, we are able to observe the Zeeman splitting, which is the phenomena energy of charged particles shifts due to magnetic field. This is very unique because Rice has a very strong pulse magnet called “Rambo”. In Japan, few labs have such a good magnet and the opportunity to use it is very rare.

Now I’m working with Fumiya Katsutani and Dr. Tim Noe. Fumiya teaches me how to do the experiment kindly. Tim tells me what I ask about the research and it is very helpful. I often go lunch or dinner with Yoichi Harada, one of the visiting members in Kono laboratory.

On the first day I went to my lab, Fumiya showed me around the laboratory and explained to me what I have to do in this program. The theme was very similar to what I had done before in Japan, so I was a little confident of doing this research. However, Fumiya and I were very worried because I had only 4 weeks to do the research.

Then, we began to prepare for the experiment from the first day. A few days later, we conducted the experiment and the results seemed good. I was happy to get good results in a few days. But at the same time, I began to feel sorry because I only followed Fumiya’s instructions. I made up my mind to think what I should do next or what I can improve about the experiment.

In Japan, most graduate students are very diligent, but usually obey their professors and have little opportunity to do research by themselves, though it was not always true. On the contrary, most graduate students in the U.S take action before their professor told them how to do. I think their positive attitude toward research is important and I should learn from them.

Question of the Week
What kind of career do graduate students in the U.S pursue after they get Ph.D, except for academic one?

• Here is a helpful website from Columbia University’s Career Education Center outlining some career opportunities for STEM PhD’s outside of academia.

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Week 02: Critical Incident Analysis

These days, we can travel abroad easily, and many people come to Japan every year. It is sometimes broadcast on TV, such as the massive shopping by Chinese tourists. I also saw a lot of people from abroad in Tokyo, but actually, I had few opportunities to interact with them.

So I would like to talk with people from other countries, and fortunately, it came true. I attended the party held by Professor Kono at his house. Many people were invited and I talked with people from different countries. I realized cultural differences between Japan and other countries there.

I bowed to people there whom I met for the first time, and they are interested in my behavior. In Japan, people often bow when seeing someone. We put an emphasis on politeness. However, people in other countries don’t bow but shake their hands or hug with people they see.

When someone gives me a way, I said “I’m sorry”. But he told me that in that case, I should have said “Thank you” in English. Japanese people often say “Sorry” when they thank to someone or just ask a favor. But in that case, we should say “Thank you” or “Excuse me” in English. I think this is because they often say “Sumimasen”, which means “I’m sorry” in Japanese but can be used in varieties of situations. That is one of the reasons why Japanese people are thought to be modest or easy to apologize. We have to choose correct word depend on the situation.

Maybe I can learn such cultural differences from books or the Internet, but the firsthand experience tells me a lot. It is important to understand cultural differences in order to be internationally minded, so I would like to learn about them much more.

Research Project Update
We got good results last week, but we couldn’t interpret them very well. So this week, I tried to interpret the result by reading related papers. Also, I worked mainly on improving the experiment. For example, we have to use circularly polarized light and I tried to make more complete one than before. These preparations for the experiment took me many hours, but I learned a lot from them. Since I did something related to the experiment every day, I got used to using the tools and optics. Then, I conducted the experiment at no magnetic field because the result last week at no magnetic field seemed strange.

Then Fumiya and I noticed there was something wrong with the experiment last week. Though we had to measure the right circularly polarized light and left one separately, the system was incorrect. We decided to conduct the experiment again after changing the set up just a bit next week. In order to conduct more precise experiment, we would like to see the sample during the experiment using CCD camera. This is important because the sample moves when strong magnetic field is applied. But there was a problem using the camera. The camera didn’t work shortly after we triggered it. We had to know how long this delay was and discussed how to check the efficiency of it. Finally we hit upon a good idea. We tried to do but it failed. This is an assignment I have to do next week.

This week I was a bit satisfied with being able to take action more positively than I did a week ago. I thought the more positively I do something, the more satisfying it would be.

Question of the Week
How do people in the U.S from the other countries learn English? I’m studying English, but I would like to know better way to learn it.

• In the U.S., most schools offer so sort of English as a Second Language programs that can be quite helpful for those seeking to improve their English. These programs are particularly attractive to students who want to apply for degree study at the undergraduate or graduate level as a way to improve their English before applying to their chosen school/s.  These programs typically emphasize spoken comprehension and conversational English since most students who learn English abroad tend to have strong reading/writing skills but may have limited opportunity to practice or improve upon their spoken English conversational skills.

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Week 03: Research in the U.S. vs. Research in Japan

In Japan, I had an opportunity to research for about 4 months last year. It was the first time for me to do research and it was a precious experience. I got used to doing experiments step by step, and could learn a lot of things. The curriculum in my department was unique and the research class was third in a week, because there were also many classes.

Also, I am working in the lab in the U.S for about 4weeks. There are few classes and I can do my experiments almost all day. Though this program is a little short, I felt that I could do my research intensively.

Now I would like to compare the lab in Japan and ones in the U.S. Both of them have a group meeting once per week and many members gave each other helpful advice. It is better to talk with other researchers to solve difficult problems than to try to solve them alone, because we have different perspectives from each other.

Though they have something in common, there are a lot of differences. In Japan, all of the members are Japanese. It is easier to interact with other members. In the U.S the members come from a variety of countries. Although we have to learn English, we can learn a lot of different perspectives, cultures and so on from other members.

In general, undergraduate students in Japan do not have much time to do research on their own or practice giving a presentation. In most cases, students begin their research from only their senior year. However, students in the U.S can do their research from high school. They can get used to doing research or giving a presentation much earlier than students in Japan do.

Both Japanese and American labs have advantages and disadvantages, so we cannot decide which is better. We should imitate the advantages of the other in order to do better research.

Research Project Update
Fumiya and I investigated how the sample moves when applying magnetic field up to 30T. When magnetic field is applied, the current in the coil feels force and that makes sample move even though we fix it tightly. We know the fact that sample moved somehow, but we didn’t know the precise length. It is important to know the length because we have to take into account how and when the sample moves during our experiment.

It took me a long time to take data, because once I shot the magnetic field, I had to wait for about 10 minutes. Fumiya wrote an excellent code and we could easily analyze how the sample moved. Finally, we realized that we can ignore the movement because it is much smaller than the size of the sample. This can be applied to other experiments like ours using strong magnetic field.

We asked how to improve our experiment in the meeting and we understood how to do the next experiment. We made a mistake to put some of the device in the former experiment. We decided to conduct the next experiment next week and I began to prepare for it, such as rearranging the optical system, making as perfectly polarized light as possible, fixing the sample and so on. I hope we can get good results.

Question of the Week
What do researchers in the U.S think about taking PhD in Japan?

• Many U.S. STEM undergraduates who study abroad in Japan are interested in returning for graduate study however, as you have learned, in the U.S. Ph.D. students in STEM fields are typically paid a salary/stipend and receive free tuition for graduate study in return for their work as a research or teaching assistant.  This means that Master’s or Ph.D. programs in Japan may not be as attractive due to the additional cost they would incur – though there are a number of scholarships that foreigners can apply for. Often, U.S. professors advise American students to get their Ph.D. at a university in the U.S. and then apply for a JSPS Post-Doctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers. As you learned during the visit to the JSPS Washington, DC office, they also offer post-doctoral fellowships for Japanese students to do research abroad too.

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Week 04: Final Week at Rice University

My last week at Rice had come. We prepared for the last experiment on Monday and conducted it on Tuesday. Though there were a few problems and the experiment took a whole day, we got good results. They were better than we had gotten three weeks ago

because it seemed to follow the theoretical analysis we made before. We discussed how to figure out the result and analyzed the data on Wednesday. Fortunately, I had an opportunity to talk with Prof. Kono and asked him about our analysis so I could understand the theoretical background better.

After that, I prepared for the last presentation on Thursday. It was difficult for me to explain about my experiment easily. In addition, I have had few opportunities to give a presentation in English – or even in Japanese. So I practiced hard. At first, I made a script for the presentation and tried to learn it by heart. But one of the members in my lab told me that it is much better to remember not all of the script but only the outline.

Finally, the day had come. Though I was very nervous and went on past the time limit, I managed to give my presentation. I was glad that some of the audiences said to me it was easy to understand. But at the same time, I thought I had to practice speaking English much more and study how to give a far more attractive presentation.

I hope that what I did at Rice will help Fumiya and he will get an excellent result someday.

Finally, thanks to this program, not only did I do my research but also I learned how graduate students do research at Rice University. In my lab, students do their own research positively and were eager to publish their articles on their own on famous papers. Of course, some Japanese graduate students are similar to them, however, in the U.S, more students have this attitude. This may because they can be laid off by their research advisor if they don’t get good result [because they are paid a stipend to do research]. This program made me interested to go on to graduate school in the U.S, but I cannot decide which is better from only my experience, so I would like to think whether to go on to pursue PhD in the U.S or not carefully.

Question of the Week?
How students in the U.S prepare for doing their presentations?

• It’s different at each university, but at Rice University the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership offers Communication Support to both undergraduate and graduate students.  These are the same instructors and coaches that helped the TOMODACHI STEM students with practice sessions in preparation for their final research presentations too!

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Final Research Project Presentation

On Friday, March 18 all TOMODACHI STEM students gave a research project presentation at Rice University. To view a PDF of their presentation, click the project title link below.

Research Host at Rice: Prof. Junichiro Kono, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Research Project Title: 2 Dimensional Materials Magneto Spectroscopy of Bulk InSE (PDF)

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Week 05: Science & Technology Policy Study Tour in Washington, DC

After finishing the research at Rice University, we left Houston for Washington, DC. The city was ordered and completely different from that of Houston. We visited Smithsonian Museums (I was amazed there were so many kinds of museum), historical monuments, universities and so on.

The most interesting thing to me was the United States Holocaust Museum. Though I had studied about the Holocaust by Nazis to some extent, the exhibition told me historical facts much more strongly. The exhibition was based on a diary which had been written by a Jewish boy. In the era of the World War II, Jews had been oppressed and even killed by the German military. Additionally, there were other exhibitions about civil wars all over the world and I was shocked to know that there are more people who cannot live peacefully than I thought. It is said that people should not resort to violence and I thought I could truly realize that more deeply.

In addition, I participated in the TOMODACHI Met Life Women’s Leadership program. The members except for the TOMODACHI STEM students were almost all in the humanities, and I could learn a lot, such as careers in the U.S for both students in the humanities and those in the science course.  There was even another session on how to give a good presentation. I was stimulated that there were so many Japanese under graduate students in the humanities who were preparing for their job or considering what they want to do eagerly. Though my major is different from theirs, I thought I should begin to think what I would like to do in the future more specifically.

Thanks to this program, I learned about graduate school in the U.S and I was interested in it. However, I should decide whether to go to study abroad based not on where but on what I would like to study, so I am going to think it seriously after I go back to Japan seriously.

Question of the Week
What people in the U.S think about Japan, especially the World War II?

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Final Report

From February 21 to March 27, I participated in this research internship program and visited Houston and Washington DC. I did my research at Rice University for four weeks and visited Washington DC for one week. Since it was the first time for me to go to the U.S, everything was new to me and I reminded the proverb, “Seeing is believing.”

Though there were things I had already known, I was surprised at many differences between Japan and the U.S. For example, I can use the Wi-Fi almost everywhere. Though most people in Japan are Japanese, there were so many kinds of people in the U.S.

The most interesting difference is personality. People in the U.S are very cheerful to talk to me. In Japan, people whom I met for the first time would not talk to me that cheerfully. I think if I make the best of the opportunities talking to many people in English, my English might be improved one by one.

But not everything in the U.S is good. There are many trains in Tokyo, but there are a few trains in the U.S. and most people use vehicles. I think I cannot do without cars in the U.S. to go anywhere.

The most amazing difference which was not good for me was the meals. In Japan, people care about their health and eat healthy meals. On the contrary, people in the U.S almost always eat fatty food and the amount is enormous. Though some dishes in the U.S taste very good, I missed Japanese food.

As soon as I went to my laboratory, my mentor, Fumiya explained to me about my research and I began my research. My research project was the measurement of transmission spectrum of InSe in magnetic field. When light is irradiated to a semiconductor, electrons in semiconductors absorb energy of light and excited to higher state. This phenomenon occurs when energy of light is higher than energy gap. Analyzing the absorption energy from transmission spectrum tells us about the properties of semiconductors. As monolayer InSe has a very unique band structure, no one can tell what will happen. Also, measuring the transmission spectrum in magnetic field, we are able to observe the Zeeman effects, which is the phenomena energy of charged particles shifts due to magnetic field. This phenomenon also tells us a lot of properties of semiconductors. But making strong magnetic field is very difficult, and there are few laboratories which are researching this theme. Fortunately, Kono laboratory has one of the strongest magnets in the world, called “Rambo”. This enabled me to do experiment in magnetic field.

We used bulk InSe before using monolayer. As I had only four weeks to do research, I and Fumiya had a lot of things to do and were nervous. At first, Fumiya was so kind that he told me a lot of things and I only followed Fumiya’s instructions because I had had few opportunities to do experiment in Japan. But I felt sorry and I tried to think what I should do next or how to make the experiment better. Gradually, I get used to do experiment almost by myself.

After we investigated how the sample moved when magnetic field was applied, or made as perfectly circularly polarized light as possible, we conducted the last experiment. Though there were a few problems and the experiment took whole day, we got good result. It was better than we had got before because it seemed to follow the theoretical analysis made before.

Now my research at Rice is over, but monolayer should be studied. I hope what I did will help Fumiya do next experiment.

By doing my research with Fumiya, I could learn a lot of things about doing experiments, the attitude towards research, how to give a good presentation and so on. In addition, through this program, I could learn about difference between graduate schools in Japan and the U.S.

In Japan, I had an opportunity to research for about 4 months last year. It was the first time for me to do research and it was a precious experience. I got used to doing experiments step by step, and could learn a lot of things. The curriculum in my department was unique and the research class was third in a week, because there were also many classes.

Also, I am working in the lab in the U.S for about 4weeks. There are few classes and I can do my experiments almost all day. Though this program is a little short, I felt that I could do my research intensively.

Now I would like to compare the lab in Japan and ones in the U.S. Both of them have a meeting once in a week and many members gave each other with helpful advices. It is better to talk with other researchers to solve difficult problems than to try to solve them alone, because we have different perspective from each other.

Though they have something in common, there are a lot of differences. In Japan, all of the members are Japanese. It is easier to interact with other members. In the U.S the members come from varieties of countries. Although we have to learn English, we can learn a lot of perspectives, cultures and so on from other members.

In general, undergraduate students in Japan do not have much time to do research on their own or practice giving a presentation. In most cases, students begin their research from senior. However, students in the U.S can do their research from high school. They can get used to do their research or give a presentation much earlier than students in Japan do.

Both Japanese and American labs have advantages and disadvantages, so we cannot decide which is better. We should imitate the advantages of the other in order to do better research.

After finishing the research at Rice University, I left Houston for Washington, DC. The city was ordered and completely different from that of Houston. We visited Smithsonian Museum, historical monuments, universities and so on.

The most interesting thing to me was the Holocaust museum. Though I had studied about holocaust by Nazis to some extent, the exhibition told me historical facts much more strongly. The exhibition was based on a diary which had been written by a Jewish boy. In the era of the world war two, Jewish had been oppressed and even killed by German military. Additionally, there were other exhibitions about civil wars all over the world and I was shocked to know that there are more people who cannot live peacefully than I thought. It is said that people should not resort to violence and I thought I could truly realize that more deeply.

In addition, I participated in the other TOMODACHI program. The members except for us are in the humanities, and I could learn a lot, such as career in the U.S for both students in the humanities and those in the science course, how to give a good presentation. I was stimulated that there were so many Japanese under graduate students in the humanities who prepared for their job or consider what they want to do eagerly. Though my major is different from theirs, I thought I should begin to think what I would like to do in the future more specifically.

Through this program, I could learn various things in the U.S, such as research, culture, food, language and so on. However, I couldn’t do these experiences without everyone’s help. I appreciate all those who helped me in this program.

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