Louella Losinio - Guam EPSCoR

October 25, 2021December 22, 2021

EPSCoR researcher participates in a collaborative paper on genetic data recording

A report that brought together researchers all over the United States highlights the need to address gaps in data recording to improve biological diversity monitoring across the globe.

Justin Berg, a University of Guam EPSCoR graduate research assistant, collaborated with other researchers to produce the paper, “Poor data stewardship will hinder global genetic diversity surveillance.” PNAS published the brief report in July this year.

For the study, the researchers looked at publicly available data in the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC). The study notes that most scientific journals require authors to archive their genetic data in a permanent database, and the INSDC is the leading repository of raw genomic data.

With the available data in the INSDC and other open-access repositories, the study notes that researchers can now “genotype thousands of loci or sequence whole genomes from virtually any species.”

During the research process, Berg said they found gaps or missing metadata in these data sets, or it indicated different geographical locations. According to Berg, as of October 2020, the Sequence Read Archive of INSDC contained 16,700 unique wild and domesticated eukaryotic species and 327,577 individual organisms. He said only 14 percent of the genomic data had spatiotemporal metadata for genetic diversity monitoring.

Berg said, “That essentially means when people place their genetic sequences in a database, from an international level all the way to the United States NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information), they may be missing data sets and missing metadata that are concurrently in past or current studies. Right now, through this project, we show that 86 percent of these projects were missing some form of metadata, including the year that it was collected or the location where it was collected.”

According to the report, the researchers looked at aquatic and terrestrial domesticated species recorded in the INSDC through the NCBI because biodiversity studies mostly focus on these targets.

The report notes that, in principle, these data can “provide time-stamped records for genetic diversity monitoring, to support the goals of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).” In addition, the data can be used to shed light on “the evolutionary and ecological processes that shape biodiversity across the globe.”

As an instrument for sustainable development, the CBD focuses on the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

“This study can help with genetic diversity monitoring through the United Nations Convention on Biological biodiversity. It can do this by including increased metadata in the future. So, if someone from another part of the world wants to go in, anyone can access this genetic data,” Berg said.

Berg and the other researchers said they join others in calling for ambitious goals to safeguard genetic diversity and the knowledge structures that will support this goal. “Common to proposed genetic diversity monitoring agendas is a shared vision whereby agile pipelines would intake raw genomic data and produce outputs that directly inform conservation policies and decisions,” the researchers said.

The researchers emphasized that without appropriate archival genomic data that include the spatiotemporal metadata, crucial information will be unavailable to such pipelines, and researchers will be unable to monitor genetic biodiversity or reconstruct past baselines.

Berg said they are planning to release a more comprehensive report on their findings.

The paper can be accessed through PNAS, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

October 20, 2021December 22, 2021

Conservation Corps explores circular uses for invasive vine

With its pink and white blossom, the cadena de amor or “chain of love” has been a ubiquitous part of the island’s landscape, but not in a good way. The invasive vine’s canopy of flowers and tendrils choke native forests, preventing the growth of native understory plant species.

But the University of Guam G3 Conservation Corps found a way to fight back by repurposing parts of the invasive plant into viable products for the circular economy. As part of their training, the G3 Conservation Corps members cleared portions of Yona land overrun by the invasive vine in September. After that, they turned the harvested plant materials into a variety of products, from edible food items such as pesto, furikake, tea, to nonedible products such as clothing dye and bath bombs.

The corps members presented the products at a circular economy workshop. “The reason we did this workshop was to encourage the members to think of how to prolong the life of resources. The discussion that we had was how to get the community to come back to the idea of the circular economy,” G3 circular economy coordinator Myracle Mugol said.

Guam currently follows a linear economic model where resources are extracted, turned into products, and then disposed of after use. The circular economy, in comparison, closes the loop by prolonging the product life cycle and finding another purpose for waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Doing so keeps materials in use and, in the long run, lessens the burden on natural resources and regenerates natural systems.

At the workshop in Santa Rita, participants showcased the products made from parts of the plant.

Amanda Dedicatoria, science communicator for NSF EPSCoR prepared a pesto recipe using the chain of love leaves. “The leaves are a little bitter, so it was a little tough to think of what to make out of it. But pesto came to mind. I thought that the basil and the garlic — which are two very strong flavors used in pesto — would mask the bitterness or even complement it. It took two nights of recipe testing to see if it would work,” Dedicatoria said.

20210910 140143 — Sustainable Snack: Amongst the new ideas to use the vine was Pesto, prepared by G3 team member Amanda Dedicatoria.

Meanwhile, Joseph Certeza, a conservation corps member, prepared a textile dye using plant tubers. “As conservation corps members, we are tasked and challenged by each other as well as the project to create products out of the chain of love. I am a textile designer, someone who likes to use natural dyes,” he said.

Jasmine Flores-Cantrell of Numa’lo Refillery also lead a workshop that incorporated the leaves and flower of the invasive plant in a bath bomb recipe that aimed to reduce waste in an ecological way.

“We know that invasive species do harm to native species, and to remove them is one thing, but what do you do with that waste,” said Flores-Cantrell. “To use them and reuse them in a product that is beneficial to the body, is also beneficial to the core.”

The G3 Conservation Corps program prepares the community for the emerging green economy. The program is aligned with the current island-wide efforts to achieve sustainability and other UN SDGs.

The implementation of a circular economy on the island contribute to achieving multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 8 (economic growth), SDG 12 (sustainable consumption and production), SDG 13 (climate change), among others.

September 15, 2021December 22, 2021

S/T committee explores pandemic recovery opportunities to move priorities forward

At the University of Guam EPSCoR Science and Technology (S/T) Committee meeting earlier this month, members looked at addressing its priority challenge areas by tapping into resources that recently opened to support the recovery of communities during the pandemic.

The S/T committee’s priority challenge areas include IT and cybersecurity, biosciences and technology transfer, medical and healthcare, and sustainability (food-waste-energy nexus).

Robert Underwood, committee vice-chair and voting member, said possible funding sources include the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration grants. The EDA grant received around $3 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act to reinvest in communities across the US. The program can support both the development of pandemic recovery strategies and the implementation of recovery projects.

The recovery projects under the grant are aligned with the focus of the S/T committee. The list of eligible projects includes construction and development of technology-based facilities, wet labs, science and research parks, workforce training facilities, and telecommunications infrastructure. The EDA grant could potentially generate anywhere between $500 thousand to over $5 million in funding.

With the committee’s mandate to expand the University’s research capabilities, tapping into statewide planning, research, and network grants supported by EDA was also discussed during the meeting.

The meeting also highlighted several gains achieved by committee members which address the priority challenge areas. For example, Melanie Mendiola, GEDA administrator and committee voting member, provided updates on the government’s plan to build a medical campus facility, which addresses the medical and healthcare challenge area. According to Mendiola, the first phase of the project includes constructing a Center for Disease Control laboratory on Guam. She said the Office of Island Affairs (OIA) under the CDC has approved around $30 million for the project.

At the start of the meeting, UOG President Thomas Krise also provided updates on the University’s infrastructure projects such as the School Engineering, the Student Center, and the Guam Cultural Repository building. He anticipates the repository to open by the end of this year. Krise also highlighted the importance of delivering the message that research advances can help the community, and activities relating to science and technology are investments that yield returns.

For the next few months, the S/T steering committee will be developing a new Guam Science and Technology plan focusing on the following areas: Micronesia/international research collaboratorium; STEM capacity-building; STEM infrastructure; communication, and; diversified economy.