FACULTY RESEARCH ACTIVITY 2014

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53Bioresource and Environmental ScienceCreating new silk from silk worms and developing biological, highly functional fiber that is easy on the environmentBioresource and Environmental ScienceDivision of Applied BiologySpider thread is garnering attention as the strongest fiber in the world, but large-scale cultivation has proven difficult. In response, my lab has been successful in using genetic manipulation to insert spider genes into the silkworm's genomic DNA to make silkworms create spider thread. We are currently working on raising silkworms that generate silk made from a mixture of silk thread and spider thread.Professor Nakagaki took his current position in 1999 after serving in the Faculty of Textile Science and Technology at Shinshu University as an asistant professor and associate professor. His areas of research include the genetics and pathology of insects, resource molecular entomology, and applied entomology.We collaborated with a sock manufacturer to create prototype socks made from silk containing spider thread. In addition to clothing, uses for spider thread likely include industrial materials, medical and military applications, aircraft and vehicle bodies, sporting goods, foods, and cosmetics.Outlook for researchGraduates are employed by food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and textile companies and by analysis and inspection companies in the medical and environmental domains.Outlook for students after graduationConducting research on human health and the protection of freshwater environments and analyzing water environment changes using aquatic insects as indicatorsDivision of Applied BiologyI am researching the relationship between the benthonic fauna of freshwater environments (i.e., rivers, lakes, and marshes) and water qualities (trophic status). My lab uses changes in species composition, density, biomass, and role in aquatic ecosystems to study changes in freshwater environments. We capture the signals given by aquatic organisms to learn about the current water environment and predict future trends.Professor Hirabayashi took his current position in 2007 after working as an associate professor at Yamanashi Women's Junior College and as an associate professor in the Faculty of Textile Science and Technology at Shinshu University. He has served on the academic sta at University College London in the UK and at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Research keywords include applied ecology, freshwater biology, sanitary zoology, and environmental hygiene.Coexisting with nature is a great challenge. We believe it is important to nd ways to coexist by becoming highly knowledgeable about nature and living things. Why not become a professional student of organisms?Outlook for researchGraduates are active as researchers at research facilities operated by pharmaceutical companies, local public organizations, insect and pest control companies, and private water quality inspection companies.Outlook for students after graduationStudents line up silkworm eggs to inject spider thread DNA.Left: A Joro spider (Nephila clavata) that creates webs with strong spider silkCenter: Prototype socks made from silk that includes spider thread from the Joro spider Right: A silkworm generating silk that includes spider threadA larva of the akamushi Chironomidae, an insect used as an environmental indicatorStudents carry out a survey of aquatic life forms by damming a portion of a river as part of a joint project with the Public Works Research Institute of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.Students carry out a survey of aquatic insects in the Kamikochi Special Protected Zone with permission from the Ministry of the Environment. The water of the Azusa River feels cold on the skin as Mount Yakedake rises in the background.Masao NakagakiProfessorKimio HirabayashiProfessor

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