Shigako Nigi

Onboard laboratory, core curation, life onboard, Chikyu, Kochi Core Center, onboard positions

Disclaimer

This transcript is based on a video-recorded interview deposited at MarE3, JAMSTEC (Yokosuka, Japan).

The transcripts of the research project Oral Histories of Scientific Ocean Drilling are polished representations of oral conversations, and are intended solely for the purpose of preserving and documenting personal accounts and memories. They are not a literary product, and are not intended to exhibit literary qualities.

The primary goal of this transcript is to capture the spoken words and memories of the interviewee as accurately as possible. Minor editing and polishing works have been performed to enhance clarity and readability while maintaining the authenticity of spoken discourse, including non-standard grammar, inconsistencies, repetitions, and pauses. The interviewee has been allowed to review and edit the transcript, and they have approved the publication of this version before posting it.

The reader must be aware that memories of an event can vary between individuals and may evolve over time due to various factors, such as subsequent experiences, interactions with others, and personal emotions.

Use and citation

This transcript is the property of JAMSTEC and is subject to its regulations. Quoting, reproducing, or distributing this transcript, in its entirety or in part, is prohibited without written permission from JAMSTEC.

Please cite the interview as:

Interview of Shigako Nigi by Lisa Smith on 2024 September 27, DV Chikyu, Japan. [link]

Lisa Smith (LS): Could you introduce who you are and what do you do?

Shigako Nigi (SN): I’m Shigako Nigi, from Marine Works Japan, and I’m an onboard lab curator.

LS: Can you explain what a curator does, as well?

SN: When I’m onboard, I’m taking care of the samples and core sections retrieved from the subseafloor. My task is to add scientific meaning to mere but precious mud/rock retrieved from the seafloor by adding accurate depth, sample codes, and other information for present and future scientific usage.

LS: Where are you from?

SN: I’m from Japan. From my childhood I was moving to different places, so I have many hometowns. But now I’m living in Kochi. It’s a very local place, a small town. I came here more than 20 years ago, so Kochi is the longest place in which I’ve lived.

LS: Can you tell us how did become a lab curator?

SN: That’s a long story (laughs). Originally, I majored in macromolecular science, doing research on the function of muscle protein, at my graduate school. And after that, I used to be a researcher of an animal pharmaceutical company. We conducted tests and did research to develop vaccines for aquaculture. But already, at that time, I felt like that was the limit of my career as a scientist, as a researcher. And when I moved to Kochi because of my marriage, I started to look for another career. But still, I wanted to, and would love to, do some job with some kind of relation to science. But, as I said, Kochi is a very, very local place. It’s not like Tsukuba city, where I was previously working. Tsukuba is like a ‘science city’. So, at that time, I gave up my career as a scientist.

When I moved to Kochi, I met a former university classmate, and he was working for my company, Marine Works Japan, here in Kochi. He invited me to show me his business place, the facilities. That was the Kochi Core Center (KCC). I was so surprised, with such a state of the art instruments, and so many equipment… I was so excited. So, because of him, I could get a job as a kind of technical assistant at Kochi University. After two years, I got a new job as curatorial assistant, and I changed my affiliation to Marine Works Japan.

LS: That’s a cool pathway, and it’s good that you could still be involved in science.

SN: Yes, exactly. Oh, and the guy who invited me to this company, still now he is in our company and he is kind of my boss. (both laugh)

Shigako and the team of core curators at the Kochi Core Center in 2009. The team appears classifying legacy core sections that were transfered from the Gulf Coast Observatory to Japan. Photos courtesy of Shigako Nigi.

LS: Oh, that’s great. How did you learn about scientific ocean drilling?

SN: That’s a good question! I joined this company almost 17 years ago, but for the first almost ten years, I never sailed. I worked in the repository as a curatorial assistant. So, I learned about this project from my colleagues, who worked in the crew onboard and with me at the core repository. But, to be honest, (laughs) I’m still not a specialist of this field (laughs).

LS: In Kochi, even before you find out about scientific ocean drilling, you worked with the cores?

SN: Yes, yes. When I’m not onboard, I usually work at the KCC with the cores.

LS: So, you knew about the cores even before you got into the expeditions.

SN: Yes.

LS: This kind of leads to this question: How did you end up coming to the expeditions, and how many times have you been on Chikyu before?

SN: Uhm… Well, can I bring something I did? Just a minute. This is a table for us, our team, curatorial team. My previous onboard curator began from here. This is the start of the Chikyu.

LS: Around what year, was that?

SN: Around 2015 or 2016. And how many times? Maybe more than ten times. But… You know, the people like me, curators, are only onboard when there are cores, only for the coring expeditions.

LS: So, there’s been expeditions were there are no cores to curate?

SN: Yes.

LS: In terms of your work as a curator, obviously training is a big part of the job.

SN: Recently yes, because the more experienced people has gone (laughs); they have changed their jobs or careers. They have also moved to other departments within our company, which has many departments.

LS: So, when you do a training of people, what tasks you do? As in, labeling the cores, decide which ones to move…

SN: As main tasks, I would say core processing. Yes, the whole core processing and all the jobs and tasks involved. We follow the core flow, from the core cutting area to downstairs, through all the lab stations… I can say that we train them in core processing and core curation. It is so general, rather than specific, and it does not necessarily require special knowledge, skills or background to deal with it. But to do that work accurately, efficiently, and safely requires experience and a comprehensive understanding of the entire core processing. Therefore, I think it is very important to train the general core flow not only to scientists, but also inexperienced lab technicians, who tend to focus only on instrument operation and analytical methods.

Shigako training the onboard scientists on core processing, during IODP Expedition 405, onboard Chikyu. Both images credited to: ©️Doriane Letexier / JAMSTEC / IODP.

LS: Is it almost as managing? Like making sure that everything goes to its place?

SN: Yeah, management, and also organization, yeah.

LS: What do you find the most challenging part of this work?

SN: Not only for me, but for my colleagues as well – as I said, some of us are not specialists of this field, ocean geosciences. So, especially for me, I’m not good at geology, and I don’t know well about what’s going on at the subseafloor. So, to be honest, I don’t know much about what a fault is. I’m still… If I can say it honestly, I’m still… Not so interested in them? (laughs)

LS: That’s fair, your background was different.

SN: But I have to take care of their sample requests. So, I need to look over their papers, proposals and summarize them before the Expedition.

LS: That should be trickier, without the background.

SN: Of course, the EPM [Expedition Project Manager] and the co-chief scientists are there. So, I’m just following them. But to summarize their sample requests is my task and my job. So, I have to keep a close contact with them.

LS: In the amount of times you’ve been on Chikyu, has it changed at all? What kind of things are different and what remain the same?

SN: I don’t think so, there are not so much big differences. But in these like ten years, the lab layer has been changed. That’s one of the big changes.

LS: Upgraded?

SN: Yes, upgraded of course.

LS: New instruments?

SN: Yes, new instruments, like the COMET [Core Measurement Track], and also these tables – working tables that can move wherever we want, so we can change the lab layout depending on the expedition.

LS: It used to be fixed?

SN: Kind of… Not so flexible as now.

LS: That’s good, it makes is easier.

SN: Oh, and more light! (laughs) Now we have LED, that’s perfect!

LS: (laughs) Yes!

SN: Myself, other people working with me, Lena (Maeda) as well, and the scientists, we are getting older (laughs) and our eyes are getting aged (laughs). So, we need more lights, and good lightning.

LS: What do you do, in managing the scientists to do this work? How do you direct the scientists?

SN: I guess my first big task is to summarize their sample requests and make a sampling plan, to help the scientists take the samples correctly. For that task, I try to a have a lot of conversations with the scientists.

LS: When the cores are coming up, are you with the scientists, as well?

SN: When I’m not at the core cutting area, I’m always here (in the core lab), where I curate the cores and samples. And I watch the scientists, if they are undergoing the sampling correctly (laughs).

Shigako and the team of core curators of MWJ at the core cutting area of the D/V Chikyu, in 2015. After being retreived, the cores first arrive to the core cutting area, where the MWJ team does the first evaluation, cuts them into sections, label, and prepare them to be transported to the labs dowsntairs. Left, Shigako is standing in the left side, face to the camera. In the right, Shigako looking at the core. Both images courtesy of Shigako Nigi.

LS: Yeah, it’s always good to have someone who’s helping with making sure. How this what you do here connect to your work on shore?

SN: Basically, all the core sections retrieved on this ship in the expedition for academic research, will go to the Kochi Core Center. I also work at the Kochi Core Center as a curatorial specialist. So, when I’m on shore, many scientists come to the Kochi Core Center, to take samples by themselves. So, usually I’m helping them, same as here.

LS: Same but on land.

SN: But at the Kochi Core Center there is an IODP curator and I’m working with him. He is the responsible, as an IODP curator. So, when this kind of IODP cruise expeditions happen, I’m here instead of him, representing him.

LS: That makes sense. What do you think is the most valuable thing of working on Chikyu, offshore?

SN: I can see the highest and top science by myself, directly. And, you know, I can work with many talented scientists from all over the world. It’s so valuable for me, to work with them.

LS: That must be really thumbs on.

SN: Because only one person – I cannot do anything by myself. But when I become a piece of the puzzle or… a piece of the gear (laughs), when I become a part of the gear of this Chikyu, we can reach great achievements. That’s a big, great, happiness (laughs). It’s a very special moment, for me. And also, I love to work with my colleagues and cooperate. They are also specialists on their own backgrounds, and they are also talented and super-technicians. I’m so happy to work with them.

LS: That’s perfect. The people make it special, as well. That’s all the questions I had. Is there any thoughts, memories of being on expeditions… that you want to share?

SN: It’s not a special memory, but it’s fun for me… It’s not only fun, to work with such kind of curious people (laughs) the scientists (laughs). It’s not always happy and fun, but after a whole expedition, in the end, it turns like good memories for me, always (laughs). That’s weird.

LS: No, it means that you enjoyed it. So, is there something about being at sea, away from home, that is especially difficult? Do you find hard being at the sea, on the expedition? Do you prefer being on shore?

SN: Uhm… Fifty-fifty (laughs). For this expedition, I will be onboard six weeks, and maybe ten days off; and after that, six weeks again. It’s a little bit too long (laughs), so sometimes I feel like, “Oh, I want to sleep in my bed, drink some wine…” (laughs) But on the other hand, when I’m on shore, I cannot focus only in the job. Like most of you, I have many things to do at my home, as a married woman…

LS: So in the expedition you can really focus.

SN: Yes. I feel lucky and I feel it’s something very interesting, in my life, to be able to focus on my professional science work in such a special environment, with the help of my family and the people around me.

LS: That’s amazing.

SN: Can I say one more thing?

LS: Yes, absolutely.

SN: I really feel a lot of respect for my preceding colleagues. I always respect their achievements and accomplishments. So, I want to be like them.

LS: That’s really nice. Do you think it’s an inspiration?

SN: Yes. Those were tough but lovely days, when I worked with them. Maybe, now it’s my turn. So, I have to give my experience to the younger people and train them. It is my big task, for the next generation.