FUTI Travel Award Supports Early-Stage Scholars in Advancing Global Research and Collaboration

The FUTI Travel Award for Early-stage Scholars was established in December 2023, and has awarded two recipients: Rin Yokoyama, Project Assistant Professor, Center for Nuclear Study at The University of Tokyo; and Misaki Matano, Project Assistant Professor, Center for Social Research and Data Archives at The University of Tokyo.

In July 2024, Prof. Yokoyama participated in the Nuclear Structure 2024 Conference at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois, where he presented a poster on his recent publication. Yokoyama’s main research subject is neutron emission after beta-decays from very neutron-rich atomic nuclei. The conference, which attracted attendees from all over the world, presented an excellent opportunity for Prof. Yokoyama to present his work to an international audience, especially in the nuclear structure field. He also visited the University of Tennessee to collaborate on data analysis and give lectures on theoretical models. A visit to the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University provided insights into cutting-edge nuclear physics experiments. Additionally, a visit with a friend at Amazon Web Services sparked ideas for applying modern data analysis tools to nuclear physics research. The trip facilitated valuable scientific discussions and potential international collaborations for Prof. Yokoyama.

In August 2024, Prof. Matano attended the RC28 Summer Meeting 2024 held at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she presented research on intergenerational resource transfers. She also attended the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting in Montreal to learn about recent developments in research on social stratification, social mobility, and intergenerational transfer of resources. Additionally, she met with a graduate student of the Department of Sociology at Princeton University, receiving valuable feedback on improving the analysis of the study where due to the competitive relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, grandchildren of grandparents with lower educational levels tend to have lower educational outcomes, leading to intergenerational reproduction of educational attainment across three generations. At Princeton, she also participated in a workshop with other graduate students from the sociology department which helped to understand the importance of incorporating a family demographic perspective in research on intergenerational resource transfers.

The FUTI Travel Award is open to non-tenured, early-stage scholars at the University of Tokyo. Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. Eligible fields include Natural Science: e.g., Medical, Biology, Public Health, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Data Science, Information and technology; STEM-eligible Social Science (broadly defined): e.g., Quantitative Political Science, Economics, and Quantitative Approach to Public Policy. This award provides support for a short-term stay of less than 30 days for attending an international conference of small size (no more than about 300 participants where conference participants stay and have meals together in a small venue) and a “side trip” to visit colleagues at academic institutions.

Applications are being accepted throughout the year, and non-tenured, early-stage scholars at the University of Tokyo are encouraged to apply and to spread the word of this award. Priority is given to US visits, but non-US trips will also be considered depending on the volume of applicants.

* This article is based on the reports submitted by the applicants. For details of the program and recipients’ reports, visit friendsofutokyo.org/futitravelaward