Kanae Koike, a fourth-year School of Biological Science student at the Shinshu University Faculty of Science, received the Best Poster Award during the 3rd International Symposium of the Benthological Society of Asia (BSA 2016).

The event was held from Wednesday, August 24 to Saturday, August 27, 2016 at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. Koike's poster, along with two others, received the highest scores of the 41 total posters shown. Her team analyzed some nuclear and mitochondrial genetic loci of all described scopurid stoneflies, which are unique to the alpine and subalpine regions of East Asia, in order to shed light on the details of their phylogeography.

Their research showed that scopurid stoneflies found in Japan had genetic compositions from two sources (i.e., northern and southern Japan) with genetic structures showing strong disparities from those of scopurid stoneflies on the Eurasian continent. The research of Koike's team received high praise for its fascinating insights into the relationship between molecular phylogenetic analyses and the formation (geological history) of the Japanese archipelago.

Koike's presentation was titled as follows: Phylogeography of scopurid stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera, Scopuridae) Authors: Koike K, Morii Y, Yoshii M, Kishimoto T and Tojo K

Koike is a student of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Science and Mathematics Students Support Project Advanced Course, in which the University's Faculty of Science is a participant. She joined the Faculty research laboratory during her second year at Shinshu University, has been involved in research activities since her third year, and has taken part in the Science Intercollegiate nationwide competition. Koike's award is considered to be part of the successful results of MEXT project efforts.