At the Board of Directors meeting held at Hokkaido University's Tokyo Office on June 2, candidates for each award were recommended to the Board following a rigorous screening process by the Award Selection Committee. Following deliberation, the Zoological Society of Japan Board of Directors decided to confer the 2018 Zoological Society of Japan Awards as follows. The Zoological Society of Japan
2018 Zoological Society of Japan Award for Excellence in Education in Zoology
Hiroshi Fukuda, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University: "Educational promotion of animal taxonomy and academic advancement of biodiversity conservation" 

Reason for the Award: Dr. Hiroshi Fukuda has been actively conducting research on the phylogeny and natural history of mollusks, and through numerous publications and lectures, he has widely communicated "what taxonomy is" to society. The "description of a new species of Japanese turban shell," which was featured in various media, is one of his representative research achievements. The widespread coverage of this research provided a valuable opportunity for a broad segment of society to develop an interest in and deepen their understanding of "species classification" and "scientific names." Furthermore, he has worked to promote the international dissemination of the "flesh-extraction method" for preparing mollusk specimens and has cooperated in museum exhibition planning and species identification sessions. In addition, backed by his extensive knowledge of mollusks, he has played an important role in biodiversity conservation activities, serving on various committees for the Ministry of the Environment and prefectural governments, where he has been involved in compiling Red Data Books, selecting rare species, and planning and implementing conservation policies. Dr. Fukuda's diverse contributions to animal taxonomy and biodiversity conservation are highly commendable, and it has been decided to present him with the Zoological Society of Japan Award for Education.