About
| Mailing Address | 130-17, Kashino, Ushimado, Setouchi, 701-4303, Japan |
|---|---|
| Telephone | +81-86934-5210 |
| Fax | +81-86934-5211 |
Research Staff
| Tatsuya Sakamoto | Director, Professor | ryu@uml.okayama-u.ac.jp |
|---|---|---|
| Mayuko Hamada | Professor | hamadam@okayama-u.ac.jp |
| Satoshi Ansai | Professor | ansai@okayama-u.ac.jp |
| Tadashi Akiyama | Assistant Professor | akiyama@uml.okayama-u.ac.jp |
| Ryo Nakamura | Assistant Professor | ryo.nakamura@okayama-u.ac.jp |
| Yoshitaka Tanaka | Project leader | yoshitaka.tanaka.q1@okayama-u.ac.jp |
Technical Staff
| Waichiro GODO | godo@uml.okayama-u.ac.jp |
|---|---|
| Kazuhiro Saito | sc19412@s.okayama-u.ac.jp |
| Kanoko Nishiyama | |
| Yasue Miyake |
General Description
The Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI) offers courses in marine zoology, animal physiology, and behavioral neuro-endocrinology for students of Okayama University as well other universities in Japan. Furthermore the Institute is open throughout the year to qualified scientists to conduct their research.
The Institute was founded in 1951 in Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku Island, which is located in the Inland Sea of Japan (Setonaikai). In 1979 the Institute was moved to the town of Ushimado, located about 30 km from Okayama University on the northern side of the eastern region of Setonaikai.
The institute has been also selected as a “joint-use/collaboration center” in the field of experimental, integrative biology and as a leading center-of-excellence among the marine stations in Japan by the Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture, Science and Technology (MEXT), since April 2011.
Research in Progress
The Institute is currently conducting research on interdisciplinary/trans-scale biology of aquatic organisms at the molecular, cellular, organismal and ecological levels; homeostatic mechanisms underlying environmental adaptation and stress response; evolution and diversity of biological regulations across the animal kingdom; and molecular/genomic basis of phenotypic diversification in teleost fishes.
Facilities
The 1,380 m2 floor space of the Institute includes a classroom, dining room, and accommodation facilities for 30 visiting scientists and about 50 students. Research and teaching facilities include aquarium; laboratories for recombinant DNA and model animals (rodents and small fishes etc.); a multi photon laser scanning microscope for morphological analysis; molecular biology apparatus for genomics, environmental DNA, and genotyping; and scuba diving equipment for shallow and intermediate depths.
Vessels: The Laboratory maintains two fiber glass boats with engines, the MarinusⅡ(4.9 t, 165HP, capacity of 31 ) , the HayateⅢ (1.5 t, 107HP, capacity of 11) and the Kaiba (1.5 t, 107HP, capacity of 11).
Accommodations: Eight bedrooms can accommodate up to 10 visiting workers and about 25 students. There is no meal service except for marine course periods. Visitors can use kitchen to cook by themselves.
Traffic Guide
Transfer to the JR Ako Line at Okayama Station, get off at Oku Station (the 6 th station about 25 min from the JR Okayama station) and take a taxi there to the Institute.
Access to the Okayama station is summarized in the official web site of Okayama University.