The Nakatani Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of the 12 participants in the 2017 Nakatani RIES Fellowship for U.S. students.  Nakatani RIES U.S. Fellows were selected from a highly competitive application pool of 141 applicants overall, a selection ration of just 8.5%, and 50% of our 2017 U.S. Fellows are women. These students represent a range of science & engineering fields of study and ten different U.S. universities or colleges including: Bethel University (1), Carnegie Mellon University (1), Case Western Reserve University (1), Columbia University (1), Rice University (3), University of Hawai’i, Manoa (1), University of Pittsburgh (1), University of Rochester (1), University of Texas, Austin (1), and Washington University in St. Louis (1).

The 2017 Nakatani RIES U.S. Fellows will travel to Japan in mid-May to participate in a three-week language and culture orientation program in Tokyo followed by a nine-week science & engineering research experience in one of our host labs in Japan. They will return to Rice University at the end of the summer where they will present a topical research poster on their summer project at the Smalley-Curl Institute Summer Research Colloquium. While in Japan, our U.S. Fellows will also have opportunities to network with our 2017 Japanese Fellows at various points in the summer as well.

Congratulations everyone! We wish you the best as you embark on your summer in Japan!

	Savannah Cofer Rice University, Freshman Mechanical Engineering, Computational & Applied Mathematics, and Japanese Host Lab in Japan: The University of Tokyo – Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Maruyama-Chiashi Laboratory
	William Funkenbusch University of Rochester, Sophomore Chemical Engineering and Japanese Host Lab in Japan: Toyota Technological University – Energy Materials Laboratory
	Jakob Grzesik Rice University, Freshman Electrical Engineering and Mathematics Host Lab in Japan: Tohoku University – Dept. of Physics, Saito Laboratory
	Rose Huang Columbia University, Freshman Computer Science and Materials Science & Engineering Host Lab in Japan: Keio University – Dept. of Applied Physics & Physico-Informatics, Itoh Laboratory
	Alexander Hwang Rice University, Sophomore Electrical Engineering and Minor in Physics Host Lab in Japan: Kyoto University – Institute of Advanced Energy, Matsuda Laboratory
	Aaron Ludvigsen Bethel University, Sophomore Physics and Computer Science; Minor in Mathematics Host Lab in Japan: Osaka University – Inst. of Laser Engineering, THz Photonics, Tonouchi Laboratory
	Katelyn Miyasaki Washington University in St. Louis, Sophomore Biomedical Engineering and Minor in Design Host Lab in Japan: Osaka University – LaSIE, Kawata-Fujita Laboratory
	Emily Nishiwaki Case Western Reserve University, Freshman Materials Science & Engineering and Minor in Japanese Host Lab in Japan: Kyoto University – Dept. of Energy & Hydrocarbon Chemistry, Kageyama Laboratory
	Trevor Shimokusu University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa, Sophomore Mechanical Engineering Host Lab in Japan: Chiba University – Division of Nanomaterial Science, Aoki Laboratory
	Shivani Shukla Carnegie Mellon University, Freshman Materials Science & Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Host Lab in Japan: Nagoya University – Dept. of Chemistry, Shinohara Laboratory
	Kaylene Stocking University of Pittsburgh, Sophomore Computer Engineering and Bioengineering Host Lab in Japan: Kyoto University – Institute for Integrated Cell-Materials Sciences (iCeMS), Kamei Laboratory
	Joshua Yang University of Texas, Austin, Sophomore Electrical & Computer Engineering and Mathematics Host Lab in Japan: The University of Tokyo – Dept. of Applied Physics and Quantum-Phase Electronics Center, Iwasa Laboratory