* Information concerning affiliation/profile of the awardee is current at the time he/she received the award.
Host institution/organization in Japan:
The University of Tokyo
Institute of Industrial Science
Prof. Yoichi Sato
May-July 2017
My internship experience in Japan has been outperformed my expectation by orders of magnitude. Getting a dream opportunity to research at the fore-front of research field in the leading laboratories under the guidance of eminent professors in the area is definitely overwhelming but the added benefits of personality enhancement and cultural interaction presented by the Japanese culture, customs and ethics is also a pleasant surprise.
Academically, the exposure I gained by the guidance of Prof. Sato is extra-ordinary. Not only as a proficient academician and a successful researcher, he also inspired me on personal fronts with his punctuality, politeness and mentorship! I eagerly look forward to continuing the project I’ve started here and have more possible collaboration with his lab in future. It has been a very rigorous and intensive but equally rewarding and fruitful experience. Initially, a bit overwhelmed by the advanced state of the art and an “apparent” lack of my understanding from theory to practice, I was able to put to rest my apprehensions and gain the required skills with the help of not only the supervising professor, Yoichi Sato but also the kind help of my lab mates and other professors in the lab. The environment was conductive and felt secure for new out-of-the box ideas which though naïve were certainly encouraged and polished to their full potential.
Socially, Thanks to Honda, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to travel to many places in Japan including Kamakura, Enoshima, Fuji and Okinawa among others. I’ve had the good fortune of meeting some people who had left deep long lasting impressions on my mind and have taught me invaluable lessons about mind and heart. Overall, my experience in Japan during these short TEN weeks will remain etched in my memory for years to come