Born and raised in Japan as part of a military family, Christine Pilcavage knows first-hand about the value of an immersive approach to exploration.
"Any experience in a different context improves an individual," says Pilcavage, who has also lived in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Kenya.
It's that ethos that Pilcavage brings to her role as managing director of MISTI Japan , which connects MIT students and faculty to Institute collaborators in Japan. In her role, Pilcavage sends students to Japan for internship and research opportunities. She also shares Japanese culture on campus with activities like Ikebana classes during Independent Activities Period and a Japanese Film Festival .
MIT's connection to Japan dates back before 1874, when its first Japanese student graduated . Later, 1911 saw the foundation of the MIT Association of Japan, Japan's first MIT trans-Pacific alumni club. That organization later evolved into the MIT Club of Japan .
MISTI Japan predates the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI)'s creation. The MIT-Japan Program was established in 1981 to prepare MIT students to be better scientists and engineers who understand and work effectively with Japan. The program sought to foster a deeper U.S.-Japan collaboration in science and technology amidst Japan's growing economic and technological power. MIT-Japan began sending students to Japan in 1983.
Students in the MIT-Japan Program complete a three-to-12-month internship at their host institution, and the immersive experiences are invaluable. "Japan is so different from the Western world," Pilcavage notes. "For example, in Japanese, verbs end sentences, so it's important to develop patience and listen carefully when communicating."
Pilcavage believes there is tremendous value in creating and supporting a program like MISTI at MIT. Traveling to areas outside the Institute and the United States can expose students to diverse cultures, aid the exploration of challenges, help them discover solutions, improve language learning, and foster communication.
"We want our students to think and create," she says. "They need to see beyond the MIT bubble and think carefully about how to solve difficult problems and help others."
Japan, Pilcavage continues, is monocultural in ways the United States isn't. While English is spoken in larger cities, it's harder to find it spoken in rural areas. "MIT students teach STEM topics to rural Japanese kids in Japanese," Pilcavage says, citing a program that's been teaching STEAM workshops in the tsunami-affected area in Northern Japan since 2017. "Learning to code switch means they improve their language skills while also learning important cultural nuances, like body language."
Pilcavage emphasizes the importance of "learning differently" for MIT students and the Japanese people with whom they interact. "I wanted our students to engage with the local population," she says, encouraging them to develop what she calls "cultural resilience."
Journey to MIT
Pilcavage - whose educational background includes master's degrees in international affairs and public health, and undergraduate study in economics and psychology - has also worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Japanese government, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the World Health Organization on global health and educational issues in Africa and Asia.
Pilcavage first came to Cambridge, Massachusetts, looking for hands-on experience in public health and community outcomes in a role with Management Sciences for Health , co-founded by MIT Sloan School of Management alumnus Ron O'Connor SM '71. There, she investigated reproductive and women's health and supported a Japanese nonprofit affiliated with the organization.
She has since developed strong ties to Cambridge and MIT. "I was married in the MIT Chapel to an MIT alum, and our reception was held in Walker Memorial," she says. "I was a migratory bird who landed on a tree, and my husband is the tree that has deep local roots here."
In keeping with her ethos of overcoming roadblocks to success, Pilcavage encourages students to challenge themselves. "I've tried to model that behavior throughout my career," she says.
Following her arrival at MIT In 2013, Pilcavage worked with the Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE), an MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning project established in 2012 to develop new methods for product evaluation in global development. Formerly funded by USAID, Pilcavage administered the $10 million research program, which sought to learn which low-cost interventions worked best by evaluating products designed for people living in lower-income communities.
"It's important to learn how to manage real-world challenges and deal with them effectively," she argues. "Creating a collaborative environment in which people can discover solutions is how things get done."
A career of service
Pilcavage has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to encouraging positive relations between America and Japan. She received the Foreign Minister's Commendation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the John E. Thayer III Award from the Japan Society of Boston .
"I'm honored to join a community of people who have dedicated their lives to strengthening ties between the U.S. and Japan," Pilcavage says when asked about the awards. "It's exciting and humbling to be recognized for doing something I love."
"Chris is a determined, empathetic leader who inspires our students and is committed to advancing both MIT's mission and U.S.-Japan relations," says Richard Samuels , the Ford International Professor of Political Science at MIT, and founder and faculty director of MISTI Japan. "I can think of no one more deserving of these awards."
Pilcavage is excited about new MISTI Japan initiatives that are in development or already underway. "We're launching our first global classroom with [MIT historian] Hiromu Nagahara and [lecturer in Japanese] Takako Aikawa ," she notes. "Students will visit cities like Kyoto and Hiroshima, and explore Japanese history and culture up close."
Additionally, Pilcavage is developing social impact workshops and consistently questioning how to improve MIT Japan's work and its impact. She's always looking for new projects and new ways to engage and encourage students. "How can I make the program better?" she asks when considering MISTI Japan and its value to MIT and its students.
"I tell people I have the best job in the world," she says. "I get to share my culture with the MIT community and work with the best colleagues who are nurturing and supportive. I believe I've found my home here."
