Miss Jun-Young Song is a doctoral student of the Division of Aquatic Biology and Ecology in the Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Japan. Her research is on the effects of chemical pollutants on fish immunity in marine ecosystems. Specifically, the focus of her research is to clarify the relationship between marine pollution and outbreak of infectious diseases in fish. Among several pollutants found in marine ecosystems, she is interested in heavy oil contamination, because oil spills associated with their transportation in the sea, such as tanker accidents and offshore production facilities are the two most prominent sources of marine pollution in the world. She has found that pollution by heavy oil causes suppression of immune-system related genes including immunoglobulin M, CD45 and MHC class II antigen and thus might induce bacterial infection in fish as noticed in the Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. Additionally, she has analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkyl-PAHs in seawater and fish liver exposed to heavy oil, and discovered that low molecular weight PAHs such as fluorene, acenaphthylene and 1,2-dimethlnaphthalene in heavy oil showed a high potential for bioaccumulation and thus higher bio concentration factors (BCFs). In this context, she presented a poster entitled “Analysis of Immune-system Related Gene Expression Levels in Japanese Flounder Exposed to Heavy Oil” and won the “Best Poster Award” in the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Environmental Sciences which was held during 11-13 November 2008 at Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan. Especially, her interdisciplinary approach between fish infectious diseases and environmental toxicity were highly commented.

The symposium was organized by the G-COE Program committee in Ehime University to establish a network of environmental researchers in Asian countries. During the symposium, there were five excellent keynote lectures, 24 oral presentations and 55 poster presentations. More than 100 researchers participated in the symposium, everyone enjoying fruitful discussion and the opportunity to renew old friendships and build new collaborations. For further information on the symposium, please visit http://ehime-u.cyber-earth.jp/g-coe2007/en/report/report55.aspx