Program Schedule | Nakatani RIES: Research & International Experiences for Students

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.