I felt very inspired by this island where so many people are doing what they really want to do.

At KIKAI College, we offer an internship program .
This time, we are featuring Peppi Heikkilä's internship experience!

●Name：Peppi Heikkilä
●Age：26
●Country：Finland
●Internship period：26.02.2024-17.05.2024 (12weeks)
●School：University of Oulu

Why you choose this internship?

I am interested in marine biology and climate change. I wanted to learn how climate change will affect corals and do research with the help of corals. Kikai institute for Coral Reef Sciences sounded like a really great opportunity to do that. I applied to this internship because I believed it would be a great step for my studies and for my ambition to engage in scientific research work later at an international level and in different working environments. 

What did you do in your internship?

My internship started by helping with the sango-festival. It was a really great way to meet everyone! After that I focused on my own research project that was about coral fossils and land area use. I also joined high school students research projects and helped with any task needed around the institute. 

I really liked field work and it was very interesting to explore the research area. I enjoyed learning how to take samples, photograph them (CT-photos, UV-photos), and analyze them. This way, I got to learn different phases. 

What realizations did you have through the internship?

I learned a lot about corals and how to use them when creating the past climate. I had not realized before how much information they can hold in them, so this was one of the biggest things I learned. 

What is your future goals?

Doing an internship abroad was a very interesting and beneficial experience for me and I am grateful I could do that. I hope to work in an international environment later and, like I mentioned before, engage in scientific research work. I am not sure yet which way to go. I have three topics I am especially interested in, and marine biology is one of them. Next, I will focus on illegal wildlife trafficking in my master’s thesis, and I have thought combining marine biology with that topic. For example, the problem with poaching corals is something I am concerned about. I hope to work with environment and people, because I believe interdisciplinary approach is necessary, and popularize science. 
I am also considering doing PhD after my master’s degree, maybe(hopefully) in Japan. 

What did you do on your day off?

There was so much to do in Kikai, and I don’t think I felt like I had nothing to do during my 3-months stay once. I loved to snorkel, SUP, swim and in general enjoy the ocean around me. Spotting dolphins was always such an awesome experience! And if you are lucky, you can also spot whales in the beginning of the year. I had a chance to meet and interact with many people even if I am not fluent in Japanese, and made some friends, and we did many things together – went to live concerts, had dinner parties, movie nights, played pool, and tried different restaurants. I also tried playing tennis, visited a local cat center, joined shamisen class, visited kindergarten, and hung out with “my grandmas” who lived close to Onotsu dormitory. 

What left a lasting impression in KIKAI island?

I didn’t really have expectations before coming to Kikai and I think that is always a pretty good way to come to a new place . One thing people “warned” me about was that there is no convenience store. Living in Kikai was truly a memorable experience. I noticed immediately that the people were very welcoming and warm. No matter where I went, there was always someone to help me out or to talk to. I felt very inspired by this island where so many people are doing what they really want to do. So, personally, it was the people who really made my time here unforgettable. I really got used to living in the “shima-jikan” too, as locals often said. The island itself was also very interesting. There were so many cool snorkeling spots and I loved to explore them. It was so easy to go snorkeling and I could honestly stare at corals all day. 

To everyone interested in the internship program

Go for it! It is a unique opportunity to work with coral fossils and learn how to get information out of them and how to use it. You will gain many important skills and work in the field, laboratory as well as in the office and get very full experience. I would recommend “do your research” a bit before coming to Kikai if you are not familiar with the topic. I started basically from zero and in the beginning, it can be a lot of information at once. Therefore, it helps you to start your project when you have an idea what you are doing, how you are doing and why you are doing it. 

Internship Program　 | KIKAI college for coral reef sciencesInternship Program　

KIKAI College is now accepting applications for interns!
University students, graduate students, and professionals are all welcome to join us. Let's work together!