Professor Karen Abbott and Dr. Katie Dixon (CWRU Biology alum: BS 2015 / MS 2017), along with their collaborator Professor Gaku Takimoto (University of Tokyo), hosted a research symposium on Critical Transitions in Ecology on May 30, 2026. The symposium took place in Tokyo and featured talks by researchers from across Japan. The event was supported by a joint program between the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) to support exchange between US- and Japan-based researchers working in mathematics and related disciplines. Through this program, Takimoto hosted Abbott and Dixon as visiting researchers in his lab from April to June, 2026.