Georgia Tech and the Nakatani Foundation for Advancement of Measuring Technologies in Biomedical Engineering signed an agreement on October 14, 2019, that facilitates the exchange of Georgia Tech and Japanese university students. This agreement creates the Nakatani Research and International Experiences for Students Fellowship Program (Nakatani RIES program).

The program will send up to 12 Japanese undergraduate students to Georgia Tech, including the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, for five to six weeks starting in mid-August 2020, and up to 12 Georgia Tech biomedical engineering undergraduate students to laboratories in Japan for 10 weeks starting in mid-May 2020.

“It is a great honor that we, the Nakatani Foundation, implement the Nakatani RIES program with one of the best universities—Georgia Tech. We hope undergraduates will use this opportunity to be an active researcher who can think and act on a global basis,” said Kaouru Takarada, secretary general of the Nakatani Foundation.

The Nakatani Foundation aims to promote the broad development of biomedical engineering measuring technologies and thereby contribute to global economic and social development and to the improvement of people’s lives. While its core business is to support the development of leading technologies in the field of biomedical engineering measuring technologies, the Nakatani Foundation also conducts other activities such as subsidizing technological exchanges and awards to researchers who have attained remarkable achievements in technology development.

“Through the generosity of the Nakatani Foundation, both Georgia Tech and Japanese undergraduates will gain exposure to cutting-edge research in a range of science and engineering fields,” said Susan Margulies, chair of the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.

The agreement was signed by Yves Berthelot, vice provost for international initiatives at Georgia Tech, and Isao Karube, president of the Nakatani Foundation. Currently, Coulter Department Professor Shuichi Takayama is the primary contact for the program at Georgia Tech.

“In addition to the research opportunities and exposure to the latest technologies, students from both countries will gain an invaluable cultural experience that will provide a better understanding of our increasingly smaller and more connected global world,” said Takayama.

Attendees at the signing event included:

Kenji Ogawa, Nakatani Foundation

Kaouru Takarada, Nakatani Foundation

Yutaka Nakamura, Japanese Consulate

Yves Berthelot, Vice Provost for International Initiatives at Georgia Tech

Susan Margulies, Chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Shuichi Takayama, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Coulter Department

Amy Henry, Executive Director, Office of International Education at Georgia Tech

Brian Woodall, Professor of International Affairs at Georgia Tech