■Research for the past in the earth
Do you know Ostracoda? It is a kind of group in Crustacea containing crab and shrimp. The size is less than 1 mm length. Their ancestor appeared in the earth since 500 million years ago, although ostracodes found in the recent seas, ponds and rice fields. "Umihotaru" which is a name of parking area along the Tokyo aqua line highway, is also Ostracoda.
Some fossil ostracodes occurred from sandstone and mudstone which deposited in sea and lake bottoms. You can find the fossil ostracodes under the microscope, although the fossils are too small to find with the naked eye. The fossil ostracodes are my target in research. Fossil ostracodes give us informations about ancient feature in earth, such as climate were warmer and ocean was deeper than the today's conditions.
SEM photos of fossil ostracodes．Scale bars: 0.1mm．
■Geology is familiar to us
See the picture below. Large pond (Namako-ike) and a long sand road extending from lower left to upper right were identified. The sand road isolates pond from the sea. How did this pond were created? Was there a large hole in neightoring to the sea?
There was no sand road termed geologically "sand bar" there in the past, and Namako-ike was located in a part of the sea. The sand bar was gradually built by sand transportation due to coastal current. Then, the area covered by seawaters in the past was separated into two that are Namako-ike and the sea by the sand bar. These geological settings are found usually around you.
We have questions when and how did this area changed naturally. Geology can clarify these questions. It examines of strata and deposits in the bottom of lake and ocean around us.
Photo of Namako-ike, Koshiki Island in Kagoshima Prefecture.
■Interesting of space, first → failed the entrance examination of University
I tried to have entrance examinations of universities that we could learn about space, because I was interested in space in high school student. Unfortunately I never passed the exams in any university. One day, a phone call to ask possibility of entering due to supplementary success came at the end of the March, when I guessed that I had to learn next one year to pass the entrance exam to universities. The University to call me was not my first choice, but I said "Yes, I will enter." and pass the university by the bottom lank in examination.
Photo of sampling of bottom sediments in Kumihama Bay, Kyoto Prefecture.
■Changing my interest!
I realized that learning space was so hard for me. It is insufficient that I feel nice to see a beautiful picture of the stars when I study the space. Numerous number of physical formulas were needed to understand space sciences. I realized that my interest for space disagreed with studying them, though I like space yet. We had many filed trip class to learn geology in the outside. I enjoyed them and had interested to field works much more than to learn about space in the room.
Event photos in University to make dinosaurs by origami.
■What is "failure" ?
I hated studies to pass entrance examination. My result for the entrance exams to University was complete failed as described before. I became dislike English after entering high school. The results in Physics were around the border to pass the class during three years in high school. However, I am researcher in the University as a results of choosing interest things and continuing to do them everywhere I went. It is a wounder that I didn't come to the Shinshu University if I success the entrance exams to University. Things that I thought "failures" were never "failure" indeed.
Hiking with junior high-school and high-school students to learn geology in Kamikochi.
■Please come to enjoy our University!
Fuculty of Sciencei in Shinshu University has several chances to meet us to junior high-school and high-school students. You can walk in Kamikochi and Norikura with staff and students in our University to study geology, make dinosaurs in Origami, and pick up micrifossils by yourself. We are looking forward to meet you in our University.
