IRES Track I: US-Japan Collaboration on Organic Electronics Research and Education
Overview
Seeking talented and motivated undergraduate students to participate in a summer research and learning adventure at Yamagata University Faculty of Engineering, the birthplace of the organic white light emitting diode (WOLED). YU is located in Yonezawa, the hometown of the famous Teijin Ltd Company, world leader in polymer materials production and innovation. Potential projects in various areas of physics, chemistry, and engineering span all aspects of organic electronics.
Additional opportunities supported through an NSF PIRE project will support undergraduate research visits to Yamagata University Faculty of Science in Yamagata City, and Osaka University. Projects can be tailored to participant interests and backgrounds, but will fall under the theme of excitonic soft materials.
PIRE and IRES cohorts will undergo the same orientation and training in Burlington VT, with tentative start date May 29th, 2023. The projects will cover travel and accommodation to Burlington for training and orientation (2 wks.), to Yonezawa, Yamagata, or Osaka (8 wks.), and a stipend for each participant. Prior knowledge of Japanese language and culture is not required.
The three host locations will offer different living experiences. Yonezawa is a quiet, small city of 82,000 people. It is a rural community surrounded by mountains, wildlife, and local agriculture. Yamagata city is larger, with a population of roughly 253,000, but still in the mountainous and agricultural heart of Yamagata prefecture. Yonezawa and Yamagata are roughly 2 hours north of Tokyo. Osaka is a city of 2.7 million people, located southeast of Tokyo. We encourage you to research the cities and university websites. Please clearly indicate your preferred host locations in your application. But keep in mind that the projects may determine the location of the host research lab.
Eligibility Requirements
U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program during the summer of 2023. Participants must be willing to adhere to all public health and safety guidelines related to COVID-19 specified by the University of Vermont, YU, and the US and Japanese federal governments (https://jp.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/), which will likely include proof of vaccination upon entry to Japan and may be subject to change before and during summer 2023.
Website
https://www.nsfetap.org/award/612/opportunity/622
https://www.uvm.edu/materialsciencegrad/ires
