The core-to-core program of JSPS

"The HOPE Internship Program for Foreign Students"

Description of "The HOPE Internship Program for Foreign Students"

The Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University (KUPRI) is a national and international center of primatology. Since 1996, the institute has sponsored an internship program for foreign students in order to give young students the opportunity to learn about various aspects of nonhuman primates and to be exposed to the methods of research. Based on the previous achievement, we start a new program called "The HOPE Internship Program for Foreign Students". In general, the program accepts one to two interns at any given point in the year in each of the four major units for the study of mind, body, society and genome. It focuses on foreign students at the undergraduate and graduate level. The intern is supervised by the faculty members of the institute and participates in the on-going projects under their guidance.

Objectives of internship program

The program aims to introduce foreign students to the current experiments at KUPRI. This is a rare opportunity, being involved in the front line of studies run at one of the best primatology research institutes in the world. The program hopes to enhance the participants' understanding of the importance and necessity of primate research through hands-on participation in the current projects.

Details of the program

Those who are interested in the program should contact one of the faculty members of the institute in advance. The application should be sent to the faculty member, who will be the intern's "supervisor," and will be carefully examined and evaluated by the HOPE committee for the program. The program takes place at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University in Inuyama (not in Kyoto), Aichi, Japan. Interns will take part in the on-going projects to help with the experiments,observation, and animal care. They will be given an e-mail account as well as free access to the information networks and the library at the institute. They are also invited to join the seminars and lectures by the faculty members and visiting scholars. In some cases, participants will be taken to the main campus of Kyoto University in Kyoto, and some field work sites of Japanese monkeys, such as Arashiyama, Koshima, and Yakushima, under the supervisor's guidance. In general, the interns should expect to cover their own travel expenses and other necessary costs except for the following, which is covered by the program: accommodation in the dormitory on site and a small stipend (usually 10 US dollars a day). The participants should submit a recent health record including a TB test and have their own health insurance during his/her stay. For further information on this program, please contact faculty members of KUPRI or write an e-mail to the following address:

Previous Paritipants

The following is a list of interns during the past five years.
2004, July-Aug., Pan Jing, University of Science and Technology of China, China
2004, May-July, Mariko Yamaguchi, Department of Psychology, Yale University, USA
2003, July-Sept., Claudia Sousa, alumni of the program, Lisbon University
2003, Jan.-June, Dora Biro, alumni of the program, Oxford University, UK
2002, Sept.-Nov., Carol Betsch, Department of Ethology, University of Liege, Belgium
2002, July-Aug., Amelie Dress, Biology, Ecole Normale Superiere, France
2001, Apr.-Sept., Nadege Bacon, Biological Engineering, Univ. of Tech. Compiegne, France
2000, Mar.-July, Celine Devos, Department of Ethology, University of Liege,Belgium

 Notable alumni of the program.

Dora Biro, 1996, 1997 alumni, Junior Research Fellow at Worcester college, Oxford Univ. UK
Claudia Sousa, 1999 alumni, Lecturer, Lisbon University, Portugal