[:en]Ms. Ruriko Haraguchi
Hometown in Japan: Kashiwa City, Chiba
Home University in Japan: Tsukuba University
Major & School Year: College of Engineering Systems, B3
Research Host at Rice: Prof. Yildiz Bayazitoglu, Mechanical Engineering
Research Project Title: Temperature of a gold nanoparticle surrounded by a liquid film (PDF)
surrounded by a liquid film”

Why TOMODACHI STEM @ Rice University?
I chose to participate in the TOMODACHI STEM program because it provides students with not only culture and lingual experience but also technical skills with actual research experience at Rice University’s laboratory. This program relates to my personal goal of understanding and acquiring the strengths of both Japan and the US in order to become an engineer who can address global issues. Through this program, I am greatly interested in learning how different cultures and environment affect the approach to research.

Goals

• Acquire technical English skills to understand and be able to communicate with people who work in the same field.
• To gain a conclusion and accomplish the project I conduct at Rice’s laboratory.
• Make new relationships with many people regardless of fields and expand my view in both academic and cultural means.
• Understand how women in the engineering field work to be successful

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

1. How do US researchers vision applying their research to society? Is there a difference with how Japanese people vision their research?
2. What is everyday life for a graduate student in Rice? How busy are they?
3. Is there a specific relation with graduate students’ research topic and the field they hope to gain a career in?

Excerpts from Ruriko’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.

Looking out from the window of the airplane, I was excited to see the whole view of the city Houston for the first time.  Since I had lived in the States before, I knew in my mind that everything was big in America, but the whole view of the road and nature made me feel that I came to the largest state in this country.  My image of Texas had always been the cowboy hat and boots with people speaking in southern accents but I realized there were not so many people like this. I found Houston to be a very advanced city with a number of medical institutes.

One thing I noticed when I saw the roads in Houston was that there were barely any pedestrians. In other words, the drivers were not used to noticing pedestrians. We Japanese students didn’t realize this important fact until we were all crossing the road and a car suddenly turned and passed right next to us, almost slightly touching our arms.  In Japan, it was so common for people to walk and cross large roads so we were all certain that the drivers would notice us. This experience made me realize that the common sense in our home country does not always apply abroad and that it’s always important to watch how people who live there take actions.

My initial reaction to Rice University was I found the campus to be very artistic and beautifully designed. The straight view of the library from Lovett Hall was something I had been waiting to see and it made me feel I finally came to Rice.  The artistic figures on campus were things you could only find in art museums back in Japan. The design of the Brochstein Pavilion coffee shop and the carvings you could find on the buildings were very unique and seemed to make up the beautiful modern campus of Rice.

There were many events during the first week of the program such as the campus tour and a party at Prof.Kono’s home. Out of all these events, the panel discussion with Japanese graduate students at Rice was very helpful for me in terms of knowing what it’s really like to research in the US.  There was so much information and ideas that I learned through this discussion that I could have never gained by reading study abroad books in Japan. One thing I learned was that students do not have to choose a lab when applying for graduate school.  I found out it is actually better to have 2 to 3 professors you are interested in, and there is a certain period after you enter graduate school when you can rotate labs and observe what each is like in order to choose which lab best suits yourself. Hearing the voices of graduate students from Japan made me feel pursuing graduate study in the US was much more realistic.

During this first week I was very lucky to meet two kind and funny students who were alumni of the NanoJapan program.  They showed us how to enjoy Houston in every way and definitely made our stay a more exciting one. Since we didn’t have cars and the shuttle bus was limited to a few miles around the hotel, they were so kind to take us to the mall and to local restaurants and even ice cream shops.  All the fun things we did together, or in other words the cross-culture experience, made me really feel that the way American people welcomed us was different from how we would do so in Japan, but so friendly and warm. It was also very interesting to hear their experience in Japan, when they were studying in Japanese labs just like we are at Rice.  Because these two students were so kind to us, it made me feel that I wanted to treat foreign students who come to my university in the same way they did for us.

Questions of the Week
Do people in Texas ever feel the air conditioning too cold?

• Yes, the A/C indoors in the U.S. is much stronger and colder than is typical in Japan.  It is always helpful to bring a light sweater, shawl, or jacket with you to put on inside if you get chilly – even in the middle of summer.

How many students besides foreign students, choose to study in the STEM field?

• Check out the NSF’s 2016 Science & Engineering Indicators report which has lots of great data on student enrollment, research, publications, and even international collaboration.

Research Project Update
My current research title is “Transient Heat Conduction of a metallic nanoparticle surrounded by a liquid film”.  This research is based on numerical analysis rather than experiments, and mainly focuses on the calculation of heat transfer and temperature distribution of a single metallic nanoparticle when surrounded by a liquid film.  It is thought to be applied in heat storage and therefore I am considering a nanoparticle in a phase change material which is used for heat storage.

Now I would like to reflect back to my first meeting with my host professor, Prof. Bayazitoglu.  Before my flight to Houston, I had only had contact with Prof. Bayazitoglu through email and therefore I was very curious and nervous to meet her for the first time. However, once I entered her office I was very relieved to meet such a nice and caring professor who welcomed me so warmly to her lab.  Instead of jumping right into the research topic or about the study in her lab, she asked me about my university in Japan and shared her experience of when she had visited my home country. On the way to her lab from her office, she also took a picture with me and sent me the photo afterwards.

In her lab she first introduced me to my mentor and then to everyone else in the lab.  Not only my professor, but the students in her lab were also very kind and I had a chance to speak with most of them that day.  One thing I found unique about my lab was that there were multiple languages spoken between different people.  The two Turkish students would speak Turkish with each other and the three Chinese students would speak Chinese. However, when everyone gathered up and talked, we would all speak English which made me realize how international the labs in the US could be compared to Japan.

For the first couple of days in the lab I was assigned to read the text book which had the fundamentals of heat transfer and areas relevant to my research. Although I was able to understand the parts which I had learned in my university, it was difficult to refer each technical term on the textbook into Japanese.

My mentor Murat who is doing his PhD currently, was always so supportive, asking me how I was doing with my research every once in a while and discussed with me about my questions whenever he had time. Besides from research, I really enjoyed going to lunch with him and hearing the culture of Turkey which is his home country. He once took me to a Turkish art gallery and explained each picture referring to his own experience.

All in all, I was very glad my start off in the lab turned out very nice, surrounded by kind people and I look forward to my second week!

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Week 02: Critical Incident Analysis

I had never really thought I behave or speak in the typical Japanese way until I experienced a very small and funny misunderstanding in Houston.  In Japan, there is a culture to be humble about yourself and speak with honor to the people around you.  We tend to not say our thoughts directly, but rather say what is polite towards the other in public.  The cultural incident which made me realize the Japanese culture within myself, took place at a local ice cream shop in Houston.

It was a normal warm day and two Rice students took us to a local ice cream shop near campus. I walked into the shop with two other Japanese students and a friendly woman was standing by the counter welcoming us.  Because we were taking pictures of the cute design of the ice cream shop, she easily noticed it was our first time.  Up on the wall were so many flavors of ice cream and I knew it was going to take me a while to decide what I wanted. She kindly asked us if we wanted to try some flavors and so I replied with delight that I’d love to.  After I tried 2 flavors I thought I needed to decide what I wanted.  She asked me if I wanted to try some more and so I replied, “it’s ok” although in my mind, I still wanted to try some more flavors of course.  The phrase “it’s ok” is such a typical Japanese word we tend to use often to hold back our thoughts or opinions and respect the others. I thought I would be asking for too much to try tasting more than 3 flavors. In Japan, we usually wouldn’t ask to taste or try something more than 3 times or else the employee would think we do not have good manners.  Sometimes we would even say “it’s ok” the first time we are offered something as an expression of being humble, and if they offer it once more, we accept it.

However, when I said “it’s ok” at the ice cream shop, the women looked at me in a surprised face and said “Are you sure? You’re not full already are you?” I smiled and realized at the same time that she didn’t take my reply as an expression of self-restraint just like any Japanese person would think, but rather in the most direct meaning that I didn’t want to try any more flavors.  So I replied, “Am I allowed to try some more?” and she was such a kind lady she said to us “You three need to go through all our flavors first before you make your decisions.” And therefore, we basically went through most of their flavors and actually got a little full in the true meaning.

One thing I should note is that the lady at the ice cream shop was extremely nice and it’s not so common you can try most of the flavors before you order in America. However, through this experience I thought the words I would use in an indirect meaning, would be taken directly here in the US.  The way Americans communicate is so much more direct compared to the way Japanese people speak to each other. Also at the same time, I was able to realize the Japanese custom within myself.

Question of the Week
How do students at Rice learn such fluent foreign language such as Japanese in 1 or 2 years? How is foreign language taught in the US?

• Actually, in the U.S. the numbers of students studying a foreign language are delcining.  Many high school students are required to take 1 or 2 years of language study in high school and students choose most commonly between Spanish, German, French and, in some cities, Chinese or Arabic.  The foreign languages offered in high school vary greatly by city/school district.  Some universities require college students to take 1 – 2 years of foreign language but this is becoming more rare.  At Rice University, there is no requirement that students take a foreign language to graduate but if they choose to take these classes language courses can count toward their distribution or liberal studies (non-major) course requirements.  Depending on the university, perhaps only 1 or 2 years or levels of a language is offered so if students want to really learn how to speak fluently their best option is to do a study abroad program.  But this is also rare, and only about 1.5% of students currently enrolled and 10% of U.S. undergraduates study abroad.
• However, students who have previously studied abroad, such as the NanoJapan Alumni you met at Rice, are highly motivated to not only continue to use their language skills but also to interact with and help new international students and researchers.  So, perhaps, the students you met at Rice were students who had a personal interest/desire to speak in Japanese and really help incoming Japanese students.  Perhaps, when you return to Japan you will be able to do the same for new foreign students or visiting researchers at your university as well.

Research Project Update
Compared to my first week at Rice which passed through in a rush, my second week gave me the time to get used to my lab and concentrate on my study.  I started to work on the assignment that my professor gave me on the heat conduction of a nano particle surrounded by a liquid film.

For the first few days, I worked on the differential equations writing them down in my notebook and figuring out the ways to solve the problem. I started off with the most basic condition of when the nanoparticle is heated and the heat conducts into the liquid film, neglecting all the small factors which could affect the particle temperature.   Using the solution I reached from my first simple equation, I used my computer to calculate the results in order to see how a nanoparticle is heated.  The results I got were fairly reasonable and everything seemed to going well.

For the next step, I started to include the factors which I first neglected, such as the “interface resistance” which exists in the boundary of the particle and the liquid film.  The greater this resistance is, the smaller the amount of heat which conducts into the film.  However, when I included this factor into the equation the problem suddenly became very complicated. I was stuck on the equation for hours and I didn’t know how to go to the next step. Trying to get some kind of a clue, I tried testing actual numbers for the variables in the equation but the resulting values I got were far different from the values I was supposed to be getting.

This was the most challenging experience for the second week but I am really glad my graduate student mentor was very supportive, trying to solve this problem with me throughout the week. We went to the library to see if there were any helpful books, and the other graduate students in my lab also took some time with me to discuss about the problem. Because of these small steps, my understanding about the “interface resistance” increased but unfortunately I couldn’t find what was wrong in the equation which was giving illogical calculation results.

To summarize for this week, this issue is carried on to the third week, and hopefully I will find a solution by the end of next week.  Experiencing research for the first time, I realized already that you really need perseverance to get to the result you wish.

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

The main reason I chose to participate in this program was I wanted to find out through my own experience, the difference of US and Japanese research.  Back in Japan, I had read several books and articles about US graduate schools which built up my image of doing research in the US. However, after experiencing research in the US along with other cultural activities with the graduate students in Rice, there were many things I realized that was different from what I had expected which were never written in those articles I had read.

One thing I found unique about my lab which I hadn’t expected was that there were many professional masters course students.  Before I came to Rice, I always believed that the majority of graduate students in the US were PhD students and therefore applying for only a master’s degree was very uncommon. However, many of the Chinese graduate students in my lab were planning to get a master’s degree in 2 years.  This widened my view, finding out that enrolling in US graduate schools for master’s degree is also possible.

Another thing I hadn’t expected which was very different from Japan was the diversity of the language used in the labs. I always thought that graduate students in the US used English for communication or discussions about the research. From my experience at Prof. Bayazitoglu’s lab this was not the case. Turkish and Chinese were the language you would hear most of the time since most of the students were from these 2 countries. I understood why this would happen because I would use Japanese when speaking to Japanese students at Rice for the reason that it was easier and more efficient. Also, because most students had come to the US for their graduate study, it was very interesting to ask them why they chose to come to the US for graduate school instead of their home country.  Many of the answers I heard was they wanted to try researching in a different environment and expand their perspective.

Compared to Japan, I feel that the education and research in the US value the ability to convey the importance of one’s research through presentations.  I strongly noticed this fact when I went to see the 90 second thesis competition for graduate students.  In this event, graduate students had to introduce their research in just 90 seconds and it was amazing how interesting they explained their research.  Research in Japan value the accuracy and consistency of education.  Therefore presentations would only be given to people in your field.

After noticing these differences in the values and environment of US and Japan, I feel that it is ideal to gain the strength of both cultures in order to be successful in research regardless of country.

Question of the Week
How did the Rice Coffeehouse start?

• Check out the Rice Coffeehouse website for more on its history.

Research Project Update
On the first day of my third week, it was hard to believe more than half of my stay at Rice had passed and I only had a week left until my presentation. My research project remained the same, focusing on the heat conduction of a nano particle surrounded by a liquid film. However, I had to figure out the problem from the previous week about the resistance between the particle and the liquid film in order to reach any conclusion for my research. Using the equation I was given for this boundary surface, the calculations were giving unreasonable results and I just couldn’t figure out why. Therefore I thought there was some kind of mistake in the equation itself but unfortunately I could not verify it because the equation was found experimentally.

The only thing left for me to do was to read the paper which explained the experiment and the analysis of this equation. I asked my professor if I could see the paper which she got the equation from and she kindly emailed it to me. Carefully reading over the analysis on the experiment which was conducted and how the equation was given, I was finally able to figure out why I was getting illogical results.  The units used in the paper was different from SI units which I had assumed was being used.  When I realized this fact, I thought I should have asked sooner for this paper perhaps last week and then I wouldn’t have suffered so much!

The next day, I fortunately had a chance to discuss with my professor on the project I had been working on. When she heard that the calculation problem had been solved and the root was such a small unit conflict、she told me that it’s a good experience to suffer and get stuck on those small problems.  At first, I thought getting stuck on one problem during my short term stay at Rice was not an efficient way to use my time, but her words made me realize that solving these small problems and taking careful steps was the reality of research.

Also she explained to me the assumptions made in the research and how there were many more factors which should be considered when applying this in reality. I realized there are so many steps to consider and it was really interesting to understand the next steps as it gets closer to the complex condition in reality.

To prepare for my research presentation next Friday, I especially worked this week on how to give an interesting and effective presentation. I found that it was so hard to take out all the technical words and replace them with words we would use on a daily bases.

All in all, my final week turned out well as I was able to figure out the calculation problems, understand the steps and future works of my research, and be prepared for my final presentation. I hope everything goes well on Friday!

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Week 04: Final Week at Rice University

As I finished up my research and prepared for the presentation, my final week turned out to be a very significant one which made my relationship with the students in my lab even closer. For the previous weeks, I had been mainly working with my mentor and I only had chances to speak with other lab mates during lunch time. However, in my final week I was very lucky there were events which gathered us all together.

One event was the heat exchanger manufacture field trip which we all got to go with the junior students in our professor’s class. The bus ride to the manufacture was quite long and I really enjoyed speaking with the Chinese female student in my lab.  We talked about music, food, culture back in our home country, future plans and many different things.  As two Asian girls, it was surprising how much we found in common.  I was really inspired by the way she considered choosing your own path, and how she respected different kinds of people she met.

The other event was the hot-pot dinner at Chinatown. This was the most funny and joyful experience I had at Rice. For the two Turkish guys in my lab, it was their first time to try hot pot and eat with chop-sticks so their reaction to the food brought to the table was very unique and funny.  I will never forget this dinner we had all together, and would certainly miss this strong bond of international students most of all.

Before experiencing research at Rice, my mind was all focused on the application process of graduate schools in the US, and how it could be such a hard process for Japanese students. However, after seeing and hearing the voices of students already enrolled in a Ph.D. course at Rice, I thought the application was not something impossible to go through if you knew the right method.  At the same time, I also felt that what I should consider more was not just the application process, but the reason I would really want to enroll in a graduate school in the US. I thought that without a clear vision or purpose, 5 years would be a really long path to keep yourself motivated in an environment completely different from your home town.

The four-week research experience at Rice gave me so many connections with a number of amazing people. I began to feel that I wanted to be in a position someday where I could help create relationships between STEM people from around the world and Japanese institutions just like how Professor Kono and Sarah does today.  Meeting and speaking with people from around the world, who were talented in different ways was so inspiring and it made me want to keep meeting these people and continue the relationship.

Out of the many events within this program, the panel discussion we had with Japanese graduate students turned out most helpful for me. It was really inspiring hearing their true voices, understanding the reality and the hardships of studying abroad along with the benefits which comes with it. By seeing these students currently going through the graduate course education, I came to believe it could also be a possible option for me.

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Final Research Project Presentation

On Friday, March 18 all TOMODACHI STEM students gave a final presentation on their research project.  To view a PDF of the student’s presentation click on the project title below.

Research Host at Rice:
Prof. Yildiz Bayazitoglu, Mechanical Engineering

Research Project Title
Temperature of a gold nanoparticle surrounded by a liquid film (PDF)

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Week 06: Science & Technology Policy Study Tour in Washington, DC

My final week in the US was something completely different from my stay at Rice. From the moment I arrived and felt the breeze as people passed by me busily, I noticed everything in DC to be different from Houston. There were many pedestrians and people using the metro, along with so many federal buildings uniquely designed. The purpose of our visit was science and technology policy study, and therefore we visited quite a few places such as JSPS, George Washington University, and Howard University. Out of these events, visiting Howard University was very significant, as I was able to see a historically black university for the first time and understand its high research and education. The lectures given by the professors were very technically advanced and their laboratories had many precision machines essential for research especially in material science. It was also very inspiring to hear the graduate students in Howard sharing their thoughts about choosing graduate schools and why they chose this particular university.

In Japan, education on science and technology study was provided, but I had never learned this combined with public policy.  Therefore, through this week tour on science-policy I found out a few surprising facts which I had never known. The professors at George Washington University taught us that if two nations were not in politically good relationship, there would not be a one-on-one research collaboration between them.  However, he added on that, collaborations can still be made as a group research including other nations. Also, it was surprising to understand that research between two nations can not necessarily hold the relationship between them and that the cause-effect was actually the other way around.  If the relationship becomes worse, the fund for the research project between the two countries would be reduced causing the stagnation of the project.  My overall impression was, good research collaboration cannot be made without a strong policy and public relationships.

Towards the end of our stay in DC, we had a joint day with the TOMODACHI Metlife Women’s Leadership Program and I found it unique for our STEM group to be surrounded by a number of female students. This event was very encouraging, having the opportunity to hear the voices of successful women in diverse fields, and understand how they came to that positions through hardships of being a female.  However, I noticed through their talk that they were all positive about being a female and looked at that aspect as a strength. They kept challenging different things regardless of age, and enjoyed every unexpected events that came along the way.

Apart from our visits and public policy study, I really enjoyed sight-seeing in DC.  I especially enjoyed the Smithsonian Air and Space museum, thinking back about our visit to NASA in Houston and remembering the Apollo mission control.  In this Smithsonian museum there were so many models of machines used in the past with references very well explained.  After this visit, I felt there were so many things I haven’t understood about science yet which made me want to learn more and contribute to the next discovery in the future.

Although I had visited DC before, my visit this time became very special since I was able to see the beautiful view of the monuments with the blooming cherry blossoms.  I had never known there were so many cherry blossoms in DC and I really enjoyed feeling a taste of Japan in the capitol of the United States.

 

 

Question of the Week
Are people in DC familiar with the fact that cherry blossoms are Japanese?

• Yes, people in Washington, DC are likely aware of the history and connection with Japan because there is also a Cherry Blossom Festival with many Japan-related booths, events, and activities held during this time.  They may not know the exact history and details, but people who live in DC probably do connect the cherry blossoms with Japan in some way.  This is not necessarily true though for all Americans as most cities in the U.S. don’t have large group of cherry trees like in Washington, DC.

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Final Report

What impact can a 5-week research internship in the US give to Japanese students?  Compared to the students actually enrolling in a graduate course, 5 weeks may not have been enough for me to gain technical knowledge in research or understand the real hardships of living in a foreign country filled with different cultures.  However, the 5 weeks at Rice University and Washington DC was filled with new relationships and experiences which really gave me a clue on how I can envison my future life and make decisions along the way.  Coming back to Japan, there are so many stories I wish to share, it makes me wonder if I will ever have enough time to go through all of them.  Therefore before I forget, I would like to share in this essay what I wish to speak to family members, professors, employers, and students about my experience in the TOMODACHI STEM program.

Through my research experience at Rice, I have never felt so thankful to my parents for giving me the opportunity in my early years to learn and communicate in English.  Language was such an essential tool to not only discuss and ask questions about research, but to also build trust with your mentor and professor.  I learned that building this relationship through communication comes before anything.  This does not mean to speak fluently or have good pronunciation, but more of showing the effort to really listen and trying to convey your thoughts directly to the other.  These qualities were something a lot of the international students in my lab obtained and it made me realize the importance of building relationships through communication.

Another thing I learned from this program which I’d like to share with my family is that students can become financially independent from graduate school. In Japan, most students have to pay for their tuition in graduate school and therefore this can become a financial concern for parents.  In addition, when it comes to studying abroad, many Japanese people tend to think that a large amount of money is needed to cover not only tuition but also housing, medical care, airline tickets and many others.  However, hearing from the students already enrolled in US graduate school I learned that this was not the actual fact.  In fact, I noticed that most of the students in US graduate schools have some kind of scholarship or fellowship which is sufficient to cover tuition fees along with other necessary costs.

On my flight back to Japan, I wondered what I would tell my professor when he asked me about my experience at Rice and what I gained from it.  One thing I would like to share would be how America and Japan have different strengths in research.  The strength I found in the US which I thought was unique is how they value diversity and networking.  I felt that people in the States were very open minded, ready to apply a scientific knowledge to different areas where others have never tried before.  They were never afraid of challenging new fields and that may be the reason there are a number of entrepreneurs compared to Japan.  Also, seeing how students and professors at Rice valued networking, I learned how relationships can become such a vital role in creating something.  When students talked about selecting their laboratory or getting an official job, most of the time them would say they had some kind of connection with the people in the field which supported their path in earning that position.  I always thought these types of networking were usually planned, but it was quite surprising how a lot of these connections were made unintentionally.  Understanding this strength in which students in the US obtain, I thought I can become more open minded and increase my opportunity by valuing the relationships I gained even after I go back to Japan.

On the other hand, there were strengths I realized about Japan by stepping out of the country and experiencing research abroad. Through research in the heat transfer field at Rice, there were so much knowledge I could use from what I learned in my early undergraduate classes and even high school education. I was surprised that the theoretical and fundamental knowledge which education on Japan provide students in their early years become the basics of research.  Seeing Professor Kono being so successful in America, I thought this theoretical strength Japanese STEM students obtain can truly be applied in research world-wide.

When speaking to an employer about my experience, my topic would be about money.  Nothing can start or continue without this.  This was something which I found people in the States more severe compared to Japanese people.  One factor which US students would always say they considered when choosing graduate school was the fellowship they can earn and the amount of funding the laboratory gets. I came to understand how these two factors are very important but in Japan, we never really consider these financial issues. In relation, I began to think that students in the US are talented at conveying the importance of their research to people in diverse fields because it’s a skill essential for seeking partnerships and grants.  Considering too much about collecting fund can prevent researchers from concentrating on their study but at the same time, money always comes along with anything. This is why I felt the balance between genuine scientific research and financial issues is very difficult.

Now what would I say to a student wondering about graduate study in the US just like how I was before I participated in this program?  The first thing would be the importance of collecting actual voices of people already in the path which you wish to pursue. There are many books in Japan which compares US and Japanese graduate study but now I notice these comparisons to be very general. We must always keep in mind that there are good labs as well as bad labs in both countries and therefore it is important to define the ones which best suites you.  The best way to do this would be to contact the graduate students in the particular lab and ask questions.   I remember how a student in my lab would say that the people in this lab were very warm and it’s a great environment for discussions and learning, but on the other hand the study was very theoretical they didn’t have many opportunities to conduct experiments.  I could never know this fact through the web page.

Another thing I learned from this program which I would share with other students would be that there is no need to decide your future path in a rush.  The one question I asked many students at Rice is “What do you plan to do in the future as a career?” I was quite surprised at how a lot of students didn’t have an exact answer just like me. Of course there is nothing better than having a clear goal but for people wondering like how I am, I came to believe that it’s more important to have knowledge and skills ready to be applied when needed instead of narrowing your future vision to just one path.  Also, through the panel discussion with Japanese women leaders in DC, it was very inspiring to hear them say that you can always change your path because it’s rare in life that things will flow as you planed.

Now that I have reflected through my 5-week experience, I would like to think about how this would influence my life in Japan from now on.  First comes the small changes.  I think I learned how to give a good presentation even in Japanese.  In Japan, many people only consider the facts and analysis in the presentation to be accurate and they barely think about the audience.  However, from now on I would like to consider more on “how to convey the facts” rather than just “the facts”. The way students at Rice used hooks and interesting examples to grab the audience’s attention was amazing and I hope one day I can give presentations like them.

Another small change would be the interest I gained in Chinese.  Through the interactions with many international students, I met so many Chinese students. The Chinese female graduate student in my lab which I became really good friends with could speak a little bit of Japanese which really made me feel a sense of closeness. Hearing the fact that there are many Chinese students around the world, I thought learning their language would not only be useful but would also help me feel close just like how I felt when people from other countries spoke Japanese to me.

Last comes the big change. Experiencing labs in US for my first time and seeing the reality of where I had dreamed, I came to think that I need to find out what I really want to study before I consider enrolling in a graduate school abroad. I especially felt that strong interest and motivation in some type of field is essential in order to live through the busy and challenging graduate school life in the US. US graduate schools welcome students willing to learn regardless of age, so I may one day be studying in one of the labs when my research goal becomes clear in the near future.  This 5-weeks really inspired me in many ways, and I feel so grateful to have experienced this before making important decisions in my senior college years.

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