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The extremely large slip that occurred on the shallow portion of the Japan Trench subduction zone during the 2011 Mw 9.1 Tohoku-oki earthquake directly contributed to the devastating tsunami that inundated the Pacific coast of Japan. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 405 (Tracking Tsunamigenic Slip Across the Japan Trench) aimed to investigate the conditions and processes that facilitated the extremely shallow slip on the subduction interface during the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake to improve understanding of the factors that allow slip to the trench on subduction zones. Expedition 405 implemented a combined logging, coring, and observatory operational plan at two sites: Site C0026, ~8 km seaward of the Japan Trench, to characterize the input sediments to the subduction zone and Site C0019, ~6 km landward of the trench, where the plate boundary fault zone is present at ~825 meters below seafloor (mbsf). At Site C0026, the input section was logged to ~430 mbsf with a logging-while-drilling (LWD) assembly that characterized the succession of sediments and rocks from the seafloor to the basaltic rocks of the oceanic crust. Cores recovered from four holes as deep as 290 mbsf contain a sequence of hemipelagic and pelagic sediments that will be input into the shallow subduction system and therefore control both the localization of the plate boundary fault zone and the slip behavior of the plate boundary. Site C0019 was previously drilled in 2012 during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 343 (Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project [JFAST]), and revisiting this site allowed temporal variations in the frontal prism and plate boundary fault zone to be evaluated. The LWD data to ~980 mbsf characterized the frontal prism, plate boundary fault zone, and lower plate to the basaltic volcanic rocks. Cores were recovered from multiple holes that contain a variety of muds from the frontal prism and the plate boundary fault zone, as well as lower plate materials. Comparison with the sediments from Site C0026 provides a basis to interpret the tectonic and sedimentological processes operating in the dynamic environment of the frontal prism. Cores from the plate boundary fault zone provide a unique window into the structural complexity of an active plate boundary fault that is known to host large seismic slip. Two borehole observatories were installed at Site C0019 that contain temperature sensors deployed to take measurements over a period of years and reveal the hydrogeologic structure of the shallow subduction system. These hugely successful drilling operations, combined with postexpedition work to measure the mechanical, frictional, paleomagnetic, and hydrogeologic properties of the core samples and to constrain the history of past seismic slip at Site C0019, will provide an unprecedented opportunity to advance our understanding of shallow subduction systems. Outreach during the expedition leveraged and elevated the success of the operations by sharing the outcomes with a variety of domestic and international audiences, including scientists, students, educators, stakeholders, and the general public. Thanks to the efforts of a large group of onboard outreach officers and their onshore support, activities included ship-to-shore broadcast events; interviews with science party members and crew; the publication of videos, blogs, magazine articles, and social media posts; and development of formalized classroom lesson plans and materials. 

Standardized protocols are an essential asset for research requiring the maintenance of live organisms. Ecological studies often involve collaborations between multiple teams that are spread across locations, and these collaborations benefit from sharing successful laboratory procedures. Our research team has studied the ecology of the fall webworm moth (Hyphantria cunea, hereafter FW) in North America for >10 years, during which time we have established reliable procedures for starting and maintaining FW colonies under laboratory conditions. Here, we present a detailed review of the methods used to find and collect FW caterpillars in the field, house and rear caterpillars in the laboratory, handle pupae, and initiate diapause for overwintering. We also describe how to end diapause the following summer, care for emerging adult moths and mate them, and tend to eggs. Lastly, we test the effectiveness of some of our protocols related to mating adult moths to determine whether fertile eggs are produced. FW is a North American species that has been introduced to Europe and Asia where it is a major pest. FW is also becoming a model study system for ecological and evolutionary studies related to diet breadth. As more researchers begin studying the ecology and management of FW, laboratory colonies will play an important role for these projects. Our protocols will provide guidance to inform the successful study of this important insect. 

Standardized protocols are an essential asset for research requiring the maintenance of live organisms. Ecological studies often involve collaborations between multiple teams that are spread across locations, and these collaborations benefit from sharing successful laboratory procedures. Our research team is studying the ecology of the fall webworm moth (Hyphantria cunea, hereafter FW) in North America for >10 years, during which time we have established reliable procedures for starting and maintaining FW colonies under laboratory conditions. FW is a North American species that has been introduced to Europe and Asia where it is a major pest. Here, we present a detailed review of the methods we use to find and collect FW caterpillars in the field, house and rear caterpillars in the laboratory, handle pupae, and initiate diapause for overwintering. We also describe how to end diapause the following summer, care for emerging adult moths and mate them, and tend to eggs. Lastly, we test the effectiveness of some of our protocols related to mating adult moths to determine whether fertile eggs are produced. FW is becoming a model study system for ecological and evolutionary studies related to diet breadth. As more researchers begin studying the ecology and management of FW, laboratory colonies will play an important role for these projects. Our protocols will provide guidance to inform the successful study of this important insect.