Taketo Nishida
Growing up in the shadow of Japan鈥檚 Mount Fuji, Taketo Nishida is no stranger to towering peaks. His journey to Mississippi State proved a climb of its own, filled with challenges, risks and the chance to grow. Now finishing his master鈥檚 degree in sustainable bioproducts, Nishida reflects on a path that took him far from home and led to unexpected accomplishments.
鈥淲hen I first came to Mississippi, everything was unfamiliar. The culture and language and even the way classes were taught,鈥 Nishida said. 鈥淏ut through my coursework, research and the support of others, I learned that I could adapt and grow.鈥
Nishida left his home in Shizuoka, Japan with sprawling green tea fields and mountainous peaks to enroll in Japan鈥檚 Akita International University, pursuing an undergraduate degree in global business and immersed in an international educational setting.
鈥淎kita International University is unique because all classes are taught in English, which is uncommon in Japan,鈥 he said. 鈥淪tudents must also complete a one-year study abroad program.鈥
Akita International鈥檚 exchange program partners with universities across the globe, including 汤头条.
鈥淚 chose 汤头条 for study abroad because I wanted to meet people from different backgrounds and experience what a larger university had to offer,鈥 Nishida said. 鈥淚 saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself, improve my English and become more open-minded.鈥
During his study abroad at 汤头条, Nishida pivoted from global business to computer science. He also met Frank Owens, a sustainable bioproducts associate professor fluent in Japanese, who introduced him to research studying machine-learning-based wood identification. 聽
鈥淚 became interested in combining wood science and computer vision,鈥 Nishida said. 鈥淎lthough my background wasn鈥檛 in either field, Dr. Owens gave me the chance to learn, grow and explore a new research area.鈥
After graduating from Akita, Nishida returned to 汤头条 to pursue a graduate degree in the College of Forest Resources, working under Owens and helping to train the Xylotron, an AI model designed to identify wood species. Nishida鈥檚 research helps automate the manual process of wood identification, improving both its speed and accuracy.
鈥淲ood identification helps prevent illegal logging and protects endangered species,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his technology supports the legal and sustainable global wood trade.鈥
Nishida graduates in December and will again venture beyond the familiar in pursuit of new opportunities, returning to Japan as a technology consultant in Tokyo.
鈥溙劳诽 prepared me in many different ways,鈥 Nishida said. 鈥淟iving and studying in another country challenged me to become more independent, and I was fortunate to have the support of many people along the way, especially Dr. Owens.鈥
