Dear _________________________,

I am a graduate student at Vanderbilt University studying __________ [research interest(s)]. I will apply to the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students in for summer 2008. This program is supported in Japan by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) through the Graduate University of Advanced Studies (Soken-dai).

I have read about your research studies on the ____________________ [name of institution] web site. I am interested in the work performed in your laboratory. My own research interests are [similar or complementary] to yours. I have included with this letter a profile of my interests for your information.

I hope that you might be able to host me in the summer of 2008. I would be pleased to discuss the possibilities with you. Information on the Summer Program in Japan is available on-line through the U.S. National Science Foundation web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/eapsi

Thank you for considering my request.

Sincerely,