Misasa International Student Internship Program 2016 at Okayama University’s Institute for Planetary Materials:Students from all over the world gather to try their hands at research

Okayama University’s Institute for Planetary Materials (located in Misasa-cho, Tohaku-gun, Tottori Prefecture) held the Misasa International Intern Program 2016 from July 4 to August 10, 2016. With the aim of promoting international research and education, this program has been held each year since 2005, inviting third and fourth year undergraduates and master’s course students from universities in Japan and overseas to participate. This year, 98 students from 26 countries applied to participate in the program, and 12 from six countries (USA, Canada, United Kingdom, France, India and China) were selected as student interns.

The student interns were divided into four groups with different research topics, and participated in their respective sub-programs for the six week program under the guidance of members of faculty and research groups at the Institute for Planetary Materials. A seminar was held at the program’s conclusion, where each of the student intern presented their research findings to all of the other participants and teaching staff. At the farewell party, Professor Eizo Nakamura, Director of the Institute for Planetary Materials, awarded each student intern a certificate of completion.

Through this program, not only do the participants get a chance to use state of the art experimental and analytical technology, the organizers also hope that the experience of conducting experiments in such an environment, will infuse the participants with passion to conduct cutting edge research in the future.