Program Schedule | Archived Site: 2016 – 2018 Nakatani RIES: Research & International Experiences for Students

2019 Application Cycle for U.S. Fellows (Tentative)

To receive notification when the online application for 2019 opens, send the following information to nakatani-ries@rice.edu:

Full Name
Home University
Major/Field of Study
Year in School
Interested students are also encouraged to ‘Like’ our Facebook page to receive program announcements.
For steps you can take now to prepare for the online application, see our Application Overview page.

Date	Activity
Late November	Online Application Opens
Mid-January	Online Application Deadline & 2 Reference Letters Due
mid-February	Finalist Interviews
by mid-March	Notification of Participants

2019 Program Dates (Tentative)

Program dates listed below are tentative and subject to change. Final 2019 program dates will be posted when the online application opens. 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.

Tentative Date	Activity
by mid-March 2019	Notification of Participants
Mid-March – Early May	Submission of Pre-Departure Documentation
Late April 2019	Online Pre-Departure Webinar
By Evening of May 7	Arrival Into Houston
May 9 – 10, 2019	Orientation Program at Rice University in Houston, TX
May 11, 2019	International Flight Departs U.S. Lose one day as you cross the International Date Line
May 12, 2019	Arrival in Japan
May 13 – June 1, 2019	Language & Culture Orientation in Tokyo
June 2, 2019	Travel to Research Host Laboratories in Japan
June 3 – June 28, 2019	Research Internship (Part I)
June 29 – July 3, 2019	Mid-Program Meeting in Kyoto
July 4 – August 2, 2019	Research Internship (Part II)
August 3 – 4, 2019	Final Weekend in Japan
By evening of August 4, 2019	Arrive Tokyo Sunday Night & Check-in to Hotel
August 5, 2019	Closing Presentations in Tokyo
August 6, 2019	Depart Japan & Arrive Houston Gain one day as you cross the International Date Line
August 7 -8, 2019	Re-Entry Program at Rice University
August 9, 2019	Present Final Research Poster at Small-Curl Institute Summer Research Colloquium
August 10, 2019	U.S. Fellows Depart Houston for Flights Home

FAQ: My final exams don’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 couple day overlap you may be able to speak with your professor/ss and academic advisor/s to see if it would be possible for you to take your final exams early.

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 must reimburse the Nakatani RIES program for all proctoring costs including any scanning or 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.