Name:  Yohka Tanaka

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Japan International Food for the Hungry

Major(s)/Minor(s): Interdisciplinary Studies

Expected Graduation Year: 2014

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service- learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I got my intern site, Japan International Food for the Hungry (JIFH), by typing "npo kiga (meaning "hunger" in Japanese)" in a search box, getting the site's website, and contacting them if they provide an internship opportunity, even though I found on their website saying: "At this time, there are no volunteer opportunities available." I just ignored it and asked them if there are internship opportunities available. The result is: I got an internship opportunity. 

What I'm doing is:
1) Learn about JIFH (what it does, how it works, etc)
2) Inform myself about what has happened in areas where JIFH have supported (9 countries in Africa, 7 countries in Asia, and 1 country in South America).
3) Office work (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, sorting documents), including translation between English and Japanese.
4) Event planning, preparing, and facilitating
5) Summarize information to make a report, which will be read by other NPOs, FAO Japan office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affair (Japan).
At the very beginning, I spent most of my time for learning, and then I've moved on to the next step: JIFH will ask me to write a report, plan/ prepare/ facilitate events, or join meetings for the World Food Day.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

Specifically, I was so excited at the meeting for the World Food Day. People from FAO Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affair, Table For Two, Second Harvest Japan, and six other NPOs working on food-related issues came by and talked about what we can do in Japan to support World Food Day. I was just listening to what they said, but it was pleasure to be there and to get their business card.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

Face-to-face talk with people whose work is my dream job.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Don't give up. Actively seek an opportunity.

As I described how I got my internship opportunity...
(copied and pasted from the question #1)
I got my intern site, Japan International Food for the Hungry (JIFH), by typing "npo kiga (meaning "hunger" in Japanese)" in a search box, getting the site's website, and contacting them if they provide an internship opportunity, even though I found on their website saying: "At this time, there are no volunteer opportunities available." I just ignored it and asked them if there are internship opportunities available. The result is: I got an internship opportunity. 

How do you see your experience as meaningful? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.

I want to eradicate hunger. On UMBC campus, I established Table For Two UMBC (Table For Two is a Japanese NPO simultaneously addressing under-nutrition and over-nutrition). My experience as an intern at Japan International Food for the Hungry will directly contribute to my future, which is to establish a NPO to eradicate hunger. I'm feeling how my intern site is operated and connecting with people working at NPOs and the government that are interested in World Food Day. I feel that everything is meaningful.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process / the Shriver Center:

Networking: I could meet people and get their contact information, which will be surely used once I could establish my own non-profit organization.

The C2B2/NSF REU program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in meaningful research alongside faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students at each of our four partnering institutions. Students will be conducting research in one of C2B2's six thrust areas at either the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado school of Mines in Golden, or the national Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

Along with research duties, all students participate in educational seminars, C2B2 institution site visits, industry site visits, planned social activities, and cultural experiences.

Students will learn how researchers of varying disciplines at all four sites collaborate to solve biofuel and biorefining challenges. This program provides the students a rich and diverse ten week experience within the beautiful backdrop of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Students interested in applying to the C2B2/NSF REU should thoroughly research C2B2's Research Thrusts in order to gain an understanding of the type of research C2B2 performs. Accepted REU students will be matched to projects based on their thrust preference indicated in the online application.

The logic of carpooling is simple: it reduces the costs for all parties involved and takes at least one car off the road. If other students are coming from the same area and heading to UMBC around the same time, carpooling may be an easy way to meet other UMBC campus members, reduce UMBC’s carbon footprint, and save money as well as a number of other benefits.

Creating a carpool with UMBC students is easy—join the online “Casual Carpooling” forum just for UMBC members and discuss the details of a carpool (http://my.umbc.edu/groups/casualcarpooling).  The Casual Carpooling myUMBC group now has over 400 UMBC members! For an enjoyable and safe ride, we posted some suggestions and tips such as “carpool etiquette” on the webpage.

Face-to-face socials are also hosted by the office of Off-Campus Student Services throughout the year. The next carpool social is on February 14, 2014 with a Valentine’s Day theme at Lower Flat Tuesdays in The Commons from 12-1PM.

The REU in Microbiology at The University of Iowa seeks to foster the careers of the next generation of microbiologists. We do this by providing an intensive 10-week research experience for bright and ambitious undergraduates who are considering a PhD in microbiology or an allied discipline. We hope that this experience will encourage students to pursue a career in basic science and give them the skills they need to succeed in that career path. The focus of the program is a hands-on research project conducted under the guidance of faculty and graduate student mentors. A range of research projects will be available, including basic mechanisms of bacterial and viral gene expression, virus structure and assembly, biofilm formation, microbial development, and prokaryotic cell biology. Students will also attend lectures to broaden their understanding of microbiology and educate them about graduate school and career options. 

Overview of the Program

• Participants conduct full-time, hands-on research in microbiology, microbial genetics, or molecular biology.
• An overview of research programs in our department can be found by clicking here, and a list of recent summer REU projects can be found here.
• Enrichment activities include weekly seminars and workshops on graduate school and career opportunities. Schedules from past years: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.
• At the end of the summer students present their findings in a campus-wide poster session.
• Program lasts for 10 weeks (May 27-August 1, 2014).
• Participants receive a $5,000 stipend plus a $515 food allowance.
• On-campus housing is provided at no cost to the participants.
• Travel costs are paid by the program.

Eligibility

The program is intended for undergraduates who:

• Have completed at least two years of college.
• Will be returning for at least one semester of undergraduate study before graduation.
• Are majoring in a biological science.
• Are interested in pursuing graduate school and a career in biological research.
• Are United States citizens or permanent residents (hold a green card).
• Have limited access to research opportunities at their home institution.
• Prior research experience is NOT a requirement.

REU- Nanotechnology for Biology and Engineering