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Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

Full of field training and experiments.
Explore marine life in depth
An environment unlike any other university.

Kaoruhi ImaiFaculty of Marine Life Sciences, Department of Marine Bioresources, 4th year (at that time)

Q1. Why did you choose a department/faculty?
I met a teaching intern from the University of Marine Science and Technology and became interested in the ecology of marine life.
The big reason I decided to pursue this university was when I was in my first year of high school, I met a teacher trainee who had graduated from Maritime University. The expression on his face as he talked about his research and sea creatures was very lively, and I still remember how excited I was to see him. This encounter led me to learn about how the marine life we ​​see at aquariums and the seafood we eat on a daily basis live in nature, and how they confront the risks of global warming and environmental pollution. I started to get interested. The Department of Marine Bioresources conducts education and research on how to conserve and sustainably use the diversity of living things in ecosystems, so it was exactly what I wanted to learn. I did.

Q2. What was the good thing about choosing this department/faculty?
Full of field training and experiments at the station
Our department offers many specialized lectures on marine life, but the most appealing thing is the abundance of experiments and hands-on training at university-affiliated facilities to further deepen the knowledge you have learned. For example, in the summer, you can actually collect sea creatures at Tateyama Station, a research facility in Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture, and learn about measurement methods, environmental impact assessment methods, and conservation. In autumn, at the Oizumi Station, a cold-water fish research facility located at the foot of Mt. Yatsugatake in Yamanashi Prefecture, we will be teaching about aquaculture techniques and biotechnology using salmon and trout during the breeding season, and at the Yoshida Station in Yoshida Town, Shizuoka Prefecture. You can learn about fish diseases using eels, carp, etc. The many on-site experiences where you can actually see and touch living creatures in a variety of research environments are all new and exciting. In addition, many students in this department have hobbies related to the sea, so it is easy to make friends with common hobbies such as visiting aquariums, fishing, collecting living things, and diving.

Q3.What is your research theme?
Researching the effects of global warming on the sex of fish
I am researching the effects of global warming on the sex of fish. Global warming has been a hot topic in recent years, and recent research has pointed out that abnormally high water temperatures bias the sex ratio toward males in many fish species. In order to evaluate and predict the impact of rising water temperatures due to global warming on the sex of fish, I am conducting field surveys and breeding experiments using a coastal fish called the golden sardine as an indicator species. Our laboratory has a breeding system that allows detailed computer control of water temperature and day length. Using this system, we reproduce various conditions of global warming expected in the future in the laboratory, raise young fish, and investigate how environmental changes will affect the sex and reproduction of fish. Masu.

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I also enjoy watching fish in the sea on my days off.
Also practicing scuba diving

Last year, I obtained my scuba diving license as part of my studies. In the past, I often observed living creatures from above the sea, but my world changed completely when I experienced the underwater world from the same perspective as the fish. Currently, I often dive into the sea in Tateyama, where our university's research facility is located, to investigate the golden sardine, which is my research subject, but I also dive into oceans around the world that I don't know about yet, and see beautiful marine life that I have never seen before. I am training every day to improve my skills with the goal of meeting new people.

Q4.What is your ideal future image?
I want to pursue my scientific curiosity while interacting with living things.
Originally, I wanted to become a science teacher to convey the fun of science to junior high and high school students. However, after getting involved in research activities such as field surveys and breeding surveys of living organisms in the laboratory, I am now using my favorite living things to uncover things that no one else in the world knows about and that are not written in textbooks. I am also very attracted to researchers who do this. After graduating from my undergraduate degree, I will continue my research career for two more years as I will go on to graduate school, but no matter what path I take in the future, I want to be someone who continues to pursue the joy of scientific exploration.

Message to those aiming to enter Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
There are many students in the Department of Marine Bioresources who are interested in sea creatures. On the other hand, even if you are a student who doesn't know much about marine life now, but would like to learn about marine life in the future, you can rest assured that the instructors will follow you closely. Because it is an environment where you can deeply explore marine ecosystems and living things that you cannot find at other universities, there are many people you can meet and knowledge and experiences you can gain. There are many senior students in this department who use the knowledge they have acquired to work as researchers at public institutions, curators at aquariums, and research positions at food manufacturers. I think this is definitely a university for those who are thinking about marine life and a career related to it.