My time at NIG is one of my most memorable to date. It gave me an opportunity to experience the fun side of research.

　From my very first day in the Kawakami lab, I felt very involved in the lab and the project I was going to work on. I was able to take an active part in the entire process of trying to solve a problem, right from the planning stage. Kawakami sensei as well as the other members of the lab provided invaluable guidance, at the same time they gave me a certain amount of independence to learn from my own experience. This really made me think and learn how to troubleshoot. I think as a researcher, it is very necessary to be able to understand positive as well as negative results and try to find explanations. This is what I learnt to do. Their guidance also helped me learn to organise my thoughts better and document my results systematically.

　Being in NIG also helped me interact with many other researchers at the top of their field. The weekly seminars had a variety of speakers from different institutes as well as research areas. We also visited other Institutes as well as attended an International conference during the programme. The high level of exposure to varied research really helped me broaden my knowledge.

　One of the other high points of the internship was the chance to immerse myself in Japanese culture. Japanese people are very warm and friendly and this ensured that language was never a barrier. We learnt the language, sampled the food, and in true Japanese style enjoyed Karaoke! It was an adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed and I would love to return some day.

　The time in Japan has given me a wealth of great memories, both personally and professionally and I will always remember it.

Kawakami Laboratory