Overview on the 'Tokyo Institute of Technology International Research Opportunities Program (TiROP)' - Season One: 2012

摘要

This paper gives an overview of the establishment of the new Tokyo Institute of Technology Research Opportunities Program (TiROP) to promote bilateral student research exchanges with US/EU and Asian research universities. TiROP was funded by a grant from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) in the Re-inventing Japan Project that led to the formation of a 10 week summer research exchange program in 2012, which consisted of a student led research project, Japanese classes, factory tours, cultural activities and a workshop for science and engineering majors. Participating student's travel, housing and living expenses were paid by the grant. The first cohort of 17 exchange students came to Tokyo, and their evaluation of the summer program revealed a high level of satisfaction but also noted areas in need of improvement. The student's learning outcomes revealed a greater understanding of their topic of research and appreciation for Japanese language/culture as well as confidence to work in a Japanese language speaking environment. Japanese students were also dispatched to overseas universities and their feedback is still being gathered.