Amphibian Research Lab @ Bucknell University
Ecology, Ethology & Conservation
I was born and grew up in Japan until I came to the US in my late 20s. Raised by school teachers, I became interested in education in my teens, pursued a career in teaching high school science, and became certified as a high school teacher in Japan. In the meantime, I had always loved nature and had become more passionate about a dynamic process of scientific discovery through a thrilling undergraduate research project that resulted in my first publication (Tomaru et al. 1998. American Journal of Botany). These experiences led me to graduate work in the US and eventually to Bucknell. As a teacher-scholar, I thoroughly enjoy my job at this selective liberal arts college.
Pedagogical Courses Taken at Tsukuba University
Educational Counseling / Educational Psychology / Principles of Education / Fundamental Theory of Education / Guidance and Counseling / Introduction to Science Education / Moral Education / Teaching Methodology / Teaching Method for Biology and Earth Science / Education Training for Handicapped Students in Science
Recent Invited Talks
Little Known Giant: Expanding knowledge on the life history of the World’s largest amphibians. 2024. Raincoast Educational Society Speaker Series (online)
My carrier as a scientist. 2023. 豊島岡女子学園 中学校・高等学校 (in person)
オオサンショウウオの子育て行動. 2023. ゆるふわ生物学 (online)
Little Known Giant: Expanding knowledge on the life history of the threatened Japanese Giant Salamanders. 2023. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (CBCS) Seminar, University of Queensland, AU (in person)
Little Known Giant: Expanding knowledge on the life history of the threatened Japanese Giant Salamanders. 2023. Illinois Natural History Survey Seminar, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (in person)
Mizuki K. Takahashi (高橋瑞樹)
Associate Professor of Biology and Animal Behavior, Bucknell University
mt027@bucknell.edu; +1 577-570-1142
Education
Ph.D. in Biology, University of Memphis, Tennessee, USA
M.S. in Biology, Marshall University, West Virginia, USA
M.S. in Forestry, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
B.S in Agriculture & Forestry, University of Tsukuba, Ibaragi, Japan
Academic Appointments
2019-Present: Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Bucknell University
2019–2020: Visiting Assistant Professor, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
2013–2019: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Bucknell University
2015–2016: Visiting Assistant Professor, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
2011–2013: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Bucknell University
2010–2013: Adjunct Graduate Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University
2008–2011:Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Bucknell University
Editorial Contributions
Herpetological Conservation & Biology, Amphibian Section Co-Editor (2017 - Present )
Current Herpetology, Editorial Board (2022 - Present)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Herpetological Conservation & Biology, Co-chair (2021 - Present)
Ad Hoc Reviewer
Acta Zoologica / American Naturalist / Animals / Animal Behaviour / Biochemical Systematics and Ecology / Biological Conservation / Biological Journal of Linnean Society / Bulletin of Herpetological Society of Japan / Canadian Journal of Zoology / Copeia / Current Herpetology / Diversity / Ecosphere / Ecology / Ecology and Evolution / Ethology Ecology & Evolution / Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata / Entomological Science / Herpetological Conservation &Biology / Herpetologica / Hydrobiologia / Insects / Journal of Applied Ecology / Journal of Biogeography / Journal of Comparative Zoology (Zoologischer Anzeiger) / Journal of Ethology / Journal of Herpetology / Molecular Ecology / Northeastern Naturalist / Oecologia / Oryx / PeerJ / PLOS ONE / Wetlands / Western North American Naturalist
As much as I love amphibians, I am passionate about sustainable land use. The Satoyama ecosystem in Japan serves as an excellent model where humans exist as part of nature and sustainably use natural resources by maintaining biodiversity.
"Is mass extinction going to happen again?"
The Earth's biodiversity is eroding at a concerning rate. This itself is very sad for people who love nature. Even for people who are careless about nature, the global loss of biodiversity is an urgent issue because the way humans have treated nature is now negatively affecting all of us. What is the current status of global biodiversity loss? Can we learn lessons from the past five mass extinctions? What can we do to improve the current status for future generations? This book written in Japanese targets younger audiences such as middle and high schoolers as well as any adults who are not experts in the field.
In one of the chapters, I talked about the importance of grassroots conservation organizations, one of which was the Naruse Nature Conservation Society. I grew up in the Naruse area, Machida City, Tokyo. I spent a lot of time in the nearby Satoyama, chasing after beetles, freshwater crabs, aquatic insects, and frogs. By the time I became a middle schooler, housing developments were going to take over the nature that I adored. The Naruse Nature Conservation Society was a group of civilians who fought against the developments and save a critical portion of the Satoyama. When the book was published, I decided to give the society a call. The person who picked up my phone was the former president and one of the original members, Ms. Takahashi (yes, the same last name by chance!). I got to meet with her for the first time and gave her a copy of my book as my "thank you for what you did."