Island Summer Fellowship program in Saipan, CNMI...I recently accepted a research fellowship for the summer. Believe it or not, I'll start out studying the culture of micronesia at the University of Hawaii, then fly to Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for a couple weeks of research, and finally return to Washington DC to write and present my findings. It sounds like one of the most interesting fellowships ever offered! The goal of the program is to assess the business climate of Saipan, CNMI. More specificlly I will be researching factors such as tax policy, business and investment incentives, regulatory policy, the permitting process, and the general relationship between the public and private sectors within the islands. Besides myself, there are 7 other MBA students that will take part in the summer program (students from UPenn, Harvard, Northwestern, Georgetown, and Univ of Hawaii). We will work in groups of two and study different territories of the US, such as Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, and the CNMI. The research project is funded by the US Department of Interior (Office of Insular Affairs) and administered by the University of Hawaii. I'm excited for the start of the project and expecting it to be an extremely unique summer experience!