University of Tennessee to Launch Exchange Program With Japanese Research Institution

KNOXVILLE, TN – A new institutional partnership between the University of Tennessee (UT) and Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) will send graduate students from UT’s Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education to Japan as visiting scholars to study materials science and advanced manufacturing.

NIMS, a Japanese national research institute focused on materials science, is charged with research and development and advancing expertise in the field. NIMS has collaborative agreements with several universities to provide research and training opportunities to graduate students.

“This program further develops our strong research connections to Japan,” says Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor David Manderscheid. “It is exciting to continue to build on the Bredesen Center’s interdisciplinary research strengths with an international cooperative program.”

As part of the International Cooperative Graduate Program, two UT students in the Bredesen Center will be selected to conduct research for up to a year at NIMS in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, alongside leading scientists from around the world. NIMS researchers will supervise the students as they work toward obtaining their degrees.

Earlier this month, Manderscheid and Vice Provost for International Affairs Gretchen Neisler traveled to Japan to meet with NIMS officials and sign the agreement.

“This agreement represents one of 24 programs available to UT students to engage with Japanese universities and helps expand our research visibility in Japan and in Asia,” Neisler says. “NIMS has strong connectivity to its regional partners and to industries around the globe.”

The Bredesen Center is based at UT in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Suresh Babu, Governor’s Chair for Advanced Manufacturing and director of the Bredesen Center, played a key role in connecting the institutions and advocating for a partnership.

“Dr. Babu is the driving force behind this opportunity, and we are very grateful for his work to help create this program,” Neisler says.

NIMS serves as a designated national research and development institute with the aim of making Japan the most innovation-friendly country in the world. In producing some of the world’s highest level of research and development results, NIMS brings together scientists, knowledge, and funding from industry, academia, and government.

Featured

  • DreamBox Math

    Discovery Education Debuts Enhancements to DreamBox Math

    Discovery Education recently announced that DreamBox Math, an online math program for K–8 students to supplement core instruction, has been updated to improve accessibility for K–5 students, according to a news release. DreamBox Math provides personalized instruction by adapting to individual learners’ responses and providing an engaging, dynamic learning environment.

  • Kimball International Debuts Health & Education Experience Center

    Kimball International recently opened a new facility at its corporate headquarters in Jasper, Ind., that will act as a hands-on showroom for a variety of its furniture products and solutions, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot Health & Education Experience Center was originally designed by Gensler as the headquarters for Kimball International’s National brand.

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • KnowBe4 Releases Report on Education Sector’s Preparedness for Cyberattacks

    Cybersecurity platform KnowBe4 recently released a new research report titled “From Primary Schools to Universities, The Global Education Sector is Unprepared for Escalating Cyber Attacks,” according to a news release.