The first Graduate-level Research in Industrial Projects for Students program in Sendai, Japan (GRIPS-Sendai) concluded in August.  The projects gave the two teams, composed of students from the U.S. and Japan, a challenging problem in industrial applications of math proposed by the industry sponsors, Toyota and NEC.

Four U.S. students had an intense summer engaged in collaborative research, and a memorable cross-cultural experience.  One student wrote, “I would definitely recommend GRIPS to other graduate students, especially if they have any interest in traveling abroad.  GRIPS is a great program for students to get applied research experience and the opportunity to live in a foreign country.  Working with an international team on an industrial problem is a great experience to help prepare for a career in research after graduate school.”

IPAM and its partner in Japan, the Research Alliance Center for Mathematical Sciences at Tohoku University, will offer the program again in 2019, with four projects and support from the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.