FY2025 application is open now.
The annual Misasa International Student Internship Program (MISIP) is designed to promote international collaborative research and education. The program was first initiated in 2005 for advanced undergraduate (3rd to 4th year) and graduate (1st to 2nd year, including master course) students. The MISIP program will be held as part of the joint-use research program of the Institute for Planetary Materials (IPM). During the internship program, each student will work on an active IPM research project under the supervision of IPM faculty members and their research groups.
Successful applicants will participate in one of the following internship projects described below. The goal of the program is for participants to become acquainted with research activities and the state-of- the-art research facilities at the IPM, and to gain first- hand scientific research experience. At the conclusion of the program, an internship symposium will be held for each participant to give an oral presentation of their research in English.
The Institute for Planetary Materials (IPM) is located in Misasa, Japan, which is a well-known hot-spring resort. The IPM is a leading research institute in the field of Earth and planetary material science, with a diverse range of cutting edge experimental and analytical facilities and expertise. Active research is being conducted by IPM members alone or in collaboration with researchers from around the world. The IPM excels in the areas of isotope and trace element geochemistry, high-resolution geochronology, high-pressure and -temperature material science and planetary surface processes. The aim of the research at the IPM is to understand the origin, evolution and dynamics of the Earth and other planets.
For more information, please visit the IPM website.
(1) How much water is in the Martian mantle? (supervisor: T. Ishii*, T. Yoshino* and D. Yamazaki / students:3)
(2) Elucidating differences in light elements between chondrules, chondrules rims and matrix phases in CM2 chondrites (supervisors: C. Potiszil*, K. Kobayashi, R. Tanaka, T. Kunihiro, H. Kitagawa, T. Ota, M. Yamanaka and C. Sakaguchi / students:3)
(3) Advancing Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques and Remote Sensing for Future Exploration (supervisors: T. Ruj*, J. Kameda*, M. Izawa, M. Ohtake (will join IPM in April, 2025) and K. Onodera / students:2)
For details of above projects, see this pdf.
The program is open to advanced undergraduate (3rd to 4th year) or graduate (1st to 2nd year, e.g. master course) students. Candidates should be majoring in earth sciences, physics, chemistry, materials sciences, or related fields, and should have a strong interest in a career pursuing scientific research. Students from either within or outside Japan, regardless of nationality, are eligible to apply. As the program will be conducted in English, candidates should be proficient in English.
from July 1 (Tue) to August 7 (Thu)
Travel expenses and daily living expenses will be covered, and accommodation in the Misasa Guesthouse will be provided.
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All application materials except for the reference letter must be submitted by March 24 (23:59, JST), for an applicant to be considered. Notification of acceptance will be made by the beginning of May. The application should be prepared in English and applicants should do the following:
(1) Arrange to have one reference letter, preferably from your current supervisor or departmental head, and ask them before the application. During the registration process, their academic institution’s official e-mail address is necessary.
(2) Arrange to have an official transcript of your academic record, from the institution you currently attend, and make it ready for upload (PDF file). Successful applicants may be asked to send their original official transcript at a later date.
(3) Please follow the instructions on the submission page. Your supervisor will also receive the e-mail about instructions for submission of the reference letter (deadline: March 31).
For inquiries about the program, please contact Associate Professor Tak Kunihiro (chair of the MISIP2025 organizing committee).
Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama Univ
Misasa, Tottori 682-0193, Japan
Please check the FAQs page before contacting Tak Kunihiro, in case your question has already be answered there.