2018 Application Cycle for U.S. Fellows
Date | Activity |
November 9, 2018 | Online Application Opens |
January 16, 2018 | Online Application Deadline & 2 Reference Letters Due |
mid-February to early March | Finalist Interviews |
by mid-March | Notification of 2018 U.S. Fellows |
For more information and to access the online application see Apply Online.
2018 Planned Program Dates for U.S. Fellows
Selected participants must be able to participate in all scheduled program activities. No exceptions to the schedule below are allowed. If you have questions about the program schedule please email nakatani-ries@rice.edu.
Date | Activity |
by mid-March, 2018 | Notification of Participants |
April 22, 2018 | Online Pre-Departure Webinar |
Mid-April – Early May | Submission of Pre-Departure Documentation |
By Evening of May 9 | Arrival Into Houston |
May 10-11, 2018 | Orientation Program at Rice University in Houston, TX |
May 12, 2018 | International Flight Departs U.S. Lose one day as you cross the International Date Line |
May 13, 2018 | Arrival in Japan |
May 14 – June 2, 2018 | 3-week Language & Culture Orientation |
June 3, 2018 | Travel to Research Host Laboratories in Japan |
June 4, 2018 | Start Research Internship Experience |
June 30 – July 4, 2018 | Mid-Program Meeting in Kyoto |
August 3, 2018 | Final Day of Research Internship |
August 4 – 5, 2018 | Final Weekend in Japan |
By evening of August 5, 2018 | Arrive Tokyo & Check-in to Hotel |
August 6, 2018 | Closing Ceremony in Tokyo |
August 7, 2018 | Depart Japan & Arrive Houston Gain one day as you cross the International Date Line |
August 8 – 9, 2018 | Re-Entry Program at Rice University |
August 10, 2018 | Presentation of Research Poster at Rice University Colloquium |
August 11, 2018 | Depart for Home |
FAQ: My spring semester doesn’t end until mid-May and there is a slight overlap between the start of the Nakatani RIES Fellowship and my final exams. What can I do?
In this situation, we would still encourage students to apply to the program. If you are selected as a participant in the Nakatani RIES Fellowship, you will be notified of your final status by mid-March. If there is only a slight overlap between the start of the program and the end of your term you can speak with your professors and academic advisor/s to see if it would be possible for you to take your final exams early. If at all possible, it is strongly recommended that students complete all final exams prior to the start date of the program or, at very least, prior to departure for Japan.
If it is not possible to take your exams early, the Nakatani RIES Fellowship may be able to arrange a proctor if your university will allow you to take your exams either during the Pre-Departure Orientation at Rice University or the three-week Orientation Program in Tokyo. Taking exams by proctor may or may not be allowed depending on your university and/or academic departmental policy but we have had students from institutions such as Harvard University, Columbia University, the University or Rochester and a number of other schools take 1 – 2 exams via proctor in the past.
If your university asks you to take an exam via proctor, the professor would need to send the final exam and any instructions/forms to the Nakatani RIES program and then one of the program staff would administer the exam to you in a private room or office. Once complete, the finished exam would be either scanned and emailed back to the instructor by the Nakatani RIES program or sent via express mail (e.g. FedEx) to the instructor (or both if required). Students would be individually responsible for reimbursing the Nakatani RIES program for all proctoring costs including any shipping fees.
However, the program schedule is very full and it is not recommended that students taken more than 1 or 2 exams via proctor. Additionally, if you are taking exams while in Tokyo you must be aware of the significant time difference between Tokyo and the U.S. For example, if an exam is supposed to be taken at 3:00 PM Eastern time that would be 4:00 AM on the following day in Tokyo. Furthermore, during the first week in Japan you will be dealing with significant jet lag and our program schedule is very full with classes and seminars from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM most days. There are also 1 – 2 evening activities each week.
Archived Program Schedules
For more information on what the Nakatani RIES Fellowship experience is like you may want to review the PDFs below of our archived program schedules. Please note that program dates and activities may vary and the information below is provided for informational purposes only.