Tokyo Tech News

Information sessions on the TiROP outbound program

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Published: July 15, 2015

Funded by the "Re-inventing Japan Project"*1 of Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Tokyo Institute of Technology International Research Opportunities Program (TiROP) is a platform for undergraduate and graduate student research exchanges with 17 elite universities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, where Tokyo Tech is the hub. The research-oriented cross-cultural leadership and educational program allows students to conduct lab research under the joint supervision of academic advisors from both the host and home university. The program offers an unequalled opportunity for participants to establish networks with fellow students in the same field of expertise from around the world.

Emily Evans
Emily Evans

Recruitment for the TiROP outbound program was the topic of the June 17 and 18 information sessions held on the Ookayama Campus. The outbound program allows selected Tokyo Tech students to conduct research in labs at world-leading science and engineering universities overseas.

The International Student Exchange Division organized the sessions, each of which began with an overview of the program and description of application procedures. Inbound students from Europe and the U.S. who are participating in the TiROP Summer Program acted as guest speakers in the information sessions. They introduced their universities and talked about conducting research in the labs on their home campuses. Provoking further interest, the inbound students also emphasized the unique characteristics of the cities in which their home universities are located.

Hannah Fergen

Hannah Fergen

Guest speakers for the June 17 information session were Emily Evans from Carnegie Mellon University (U.S.) and Hannah Fergen from RWTH Aachen University (Germany). The latter described RWTH's "Be Buddy Program" in which each international student is assigned a fellow student who supports him or her in navigating university and daily life in Aachen. The program is similar to the peer adviser system available to international students at Tokyo Tech.

Philip Jean-Remy (left), Jessica Roche (center)

Philip Jean-Remy (left), Jessica Roche (center)

In the session held the following day, U.S. students Jessica Roche from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and Philip Jean-Remy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) shared information about academic life and research at their home institutions.

Due to the number of exchanges conducted over the years between Tokyo Tech and UCB and between Tokyo Tech and UW-Madison, Tokyo Tech students have a high degree of familiarity regarding those universities. At the same time, the information sessions provided an opportunity for Tokyo Tech students to speak directly with Roche and Jean-Remy, their UCB and UW-Madison counterparts. After each of the information sessions ended, participants remained at the venue to continue conversations with the TiROP inbound students.

Given the distinction of TiROP as a platform for bilateral exchanges between Tokyo Tech and its overseas partner universities, the program organizes numerous events throughout the year to encourage interaction between TiROP inbound and outbound participants, including a variety of activities conducted during the TiROP Summer Program.

*1
Funding of the "Re-inventing Japan Project" will conclude in March 2016.

Contact

Re-Inventing Japan Project TiROP office

Email tirop@jim.titech.ac.jp
Tel +81-3-5734-2984

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