Education Workforce Development

July 30, 2023August 3, 2023

G3 partner GUMA holds graduation ceremony

Guam Unique Merchandise & Art (GUMA) held a graduation ceremony for its current batch of entrepreneurs on Saturday, July 29, at the Planet Hollywood at DFS by T Galleria.

The event was a celebration of the successful completion of a 16-week training and mentoring program for approximately 72 graduates from more than 50 local companies. The graduates represent various sectors, from food, retail to agriculture.

GUMA and the G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub are partners in promoting the growth of local businesses in an emerging green economy. By providing essential resources and support, the partnership aims to empower Guam’s talented artists, cultural producers, and entrepreneurs to turn their creative concepts into sustainable businesses.

With support from Guam NSF-EPSCoR, the G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub plays a vital role in nurturing the growth of new businesses in an emerging green economy. The makerspace provides a creative space for entrepreneurs to upcycle discarded materials and transform them into marketable products. With advanced tools such as 3D printers, a laser cutter, computer numerical control router, vinyl cutter, and power tools, the makerspace can process various materials, including wood, metal, and plastic.

Beyond its local impact, the collaboration between GUMA and G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub also contributes to achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which aims to promote Decent Work and Economic Growth.

By fostering an environment conducive to innovative cottage industries, the partnership seeks to reduce Guam’s dependence on imports and decrease waste generation, paving the way for a more sustainable, green economy.

Moreover, these efforts align with G3’s goals of reducing reliance on imported goods and minimizing waste generation.

The graduation ceremony concluded with a sense of hope and promise for the future of Guam’s entrepreneurial landscape. Equipped with the support of GUMA and the innovative resources provided by the G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub, these graduates are now ready to conquer the challenges of the local market and build businesses that not only contribute to the local economy but also promote environmental responsibility.

July 3, 2023July 3, 2023

Tramonte defends master’s thesis

On June 13, 2023, Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant Carlos Tramonte defended his Master of Science in Biology thesis at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory.

Tramonte’s thesis was titled, “Coral Species Replacements on Guam’s Reef Flats: Investigating the Role of Symbiodiniaceae Dynamics and Environmental Stressors.”

His chairperson was Dr. Bastian Bentlage. Along with Bentlage, Tramonte’s committee consisted of UOG Marine Laboratory Director Dr. Laurie Raymundo, and Dr. Sarah Davies from Boston University.

Following the completion of his graduate program, Tramonte will pursue doctoral work at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with the support of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program from the National Science Foundation.

Tramonte will be working on mesophotic reef systems in American Samoa and will be looking into coral physiology and environmental DNA (eDNA).

July 3, 2023July 3, 2023

UOG alum takes part in prestigious marine biology program

Prelosky stands in front of the Lillie Laboratory, where she will conduct research for the rest of the summer.

University of Guam alum Gabriella Prelosky is one of 15 students selected nationwide to participate in the highly competitive Woods Hole Diversity Partnership Education Program (PEP) in Massachusetts from June 3 to August 12, 2023.

PEP is a 10-week multi-institutional program between the six Woods Hole scientific institutions and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore that focuses on giving underrepresented groups in marine and ocean sciences practical experience and real-world training in marine and environmental science.

During her time in the program, Prelosky will participate in a variety of activities such as attending a four-week course titled “Oceans and Environmental Sciences: Global Climate Change,” experience life on a research cruise aboard the Research Vessel Tioga, attend lectures, go whale watching, as well as go on field trips with her cohort.

Over the course of the ten-week internship, Prelosky will study the development of electroreceptors in shark embryos under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Gillis and Dr. Michael Palmer.

“I feel so incredibly honored to have been accepted into this program as the first University of Guam student to attend,” said Prelosky. “I was so lucky to have been one of the 15 students picked for this incredible and competitive program.”

Prelosky recently graduated from the University of Guam with a B.S. in Biology in May 2023. Throughout her undergraduate experience, she accomplished a number of achievements such as participating in the first-ever National Science Foundation Inclusion Across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES): Supporting Emerging Aquatic Scientists (SEAS) Bridge to Ph.D. program held at the Pennsylvania State University in June 2023 and naming two potentially new species of diatoms as a 2021 NSF INCLUDES: SEAS Islands Alliance undergraduate student research fellow.

“My time in the INCLUDES program helped me to not only be more confident in who I am but allowed me to gain skills that I believe “amped” up my application skills, writing skill and general lab skills,” said Prelosky. “INCLUDES helped me gain a sense of feeling in the scientific community, and has allowed me to become proud of the scientist I know I am.”

July 3, 2023July 3, 2023

Guam NSF EPSCoR assists with post-typhoon food distribution

Guam NSF EPSCoR joined the Guam Green Growth Initiative and the University of Guam Sea Grant in packing and distributing food to the island community on May 31, 2023 in response to the destructive impact of Typhoon Mawar.

The powerful typhoon hit the island on May 24, 2023.

The organizations gathered at the Guam Department of Education’s Commodity Distribution Warehouse in Piti to provide assistance to the Emergency Food Assistant Program along with the Office of the governor, government officials, and volunteers.

The program achieved its target of packing 7,500 bags of food commodities which included items such as canned beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fruit.

April 27, 2023April 27, 2023

UOG graduate student earns NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Carlos Tramonte will pursue doctoral work at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with the support of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports the most promising graduate students in STEM by providing fellows with a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees as well as access to opportunities for international research and professional development.

The fellowship program is highly competitive with annual acceptance rates of about 16 percent among more than 12,000 applicants.

“I’ve been told that the program can be really hard to get into,” said Tramonte. “When I got my acceptance letter, I had to reread it a few times before I went downstairs and told Bastian that I got it.”

Tramonte, who is under the mentorship of UOG Associate Professor of Bioinformatics Bastian Bentlage, Ph.D., originally wasn’t planning to pursue a doctorate degree.

However, he is excited that his acceptance to the fellowship program has given him an opportunity to seek higher education. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Tramonte will be working on mesophotic reef systems in American Samoa and will be looking into coral physiology and environmental DNA (eDNA).

With support from his mentor along with other members of the UOG Marine Laboratory community, Tramonte is fast-tracking his term as a GRA to complete it within two years instead of three so that he can start his time in the NSF fellowship program this summer.

His master’s thesis focuses on highlighting potential mechanisms behind observed species replacements on Guam’s reef flats.

“I’ve been thinking about how in just a few months, I’ll be out of here,” said Tramonte. “I’ve really fallen in love with this island – the people, the culture. It’s such a beautiful treasure of a place. Guam has a hold on my heart that I didn’t think would happen when I moved out here. I love this place so much and the university and the Marine Laboratory and the flexibility EPSCoR has given me to pursue whatever I want has been amazing.”

April 24, 2023May 1, 2023

JOIN US: Colin J Anthony to defend his Master of Science: Biology thesis!

Join us on Friday, April 28th, 2023 at 10:00 AM ChST as we cheer on our student researcher Colin J Anthony as he defends his Master of Science: Biology thesis!

Thesis Title: Acclimation of Endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae: Improved Insights through Flow Cytometric Phenotypic Profiling

Chairperson: Dr. Bastian Bentlage (Committee: Dr. Brett Taylor & Dr. Cheryl Ames (Tohoku University)

Location: Marine Laboratory Classroom Room 205

Zoom link: http://ow.ly/6XxQ50NQ4zP

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023

UOG student headed to the Arctic for climate change research

2023 uog loreto paulino 1 e1680587492928

Loreto Paulino Jr. was one of 11 students selected nationwide to go on an Arctic research expedition this July called the Polaris Project.

Chemistry major Loreto Paulino Jr. works at the UOG Marine Laboratory. He has been assisting graduate students with their research as a way to gain valuable experience for when he applies to doctoral programs in oceanography.

The Polaris Project field expedition in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska in 2017. Photo by John Schade and courtesy of the Polaris Project.

The Polaris Project research crew boards a seaplane on their way to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska in 2017, a remote area in the Arctic. Photo by John Schade and courtesy of the Polaris Project.

From the University of Guam

This summer will be colder than usual for University of Guam student Loreto Paulino Jr., but it will also be unforgettable. The UOG chemistry major will be looking for information on climate change while camping in an Arctic region of Alaska with no phone, no internet, and access only by small plane.

Paulino is one of 11 students selected nationwide — and the first from UOG — to be on this year’s Polaris Project research team under the Woodwell Climate Research Center. The project describes its work, funded by the National Science Foundation since 2008, as investigating the fate of the vast quantities of ancient carbon locked in Arctic permafrost as it melts. It seeks to inform decision-makers and the public about climate change and to train future Arctic researchers.

Paulino found out about the Polaris Project at the 2022 SACNAS Diversity in STEM Conference in Puerto Rico. He visited the booth for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — one of his top picks for grad school — and met Dr. Nigel Golden, a post-doctoral researcher studying the response of Arctic species to climate change, who encouraged Paulino to apply for the Polaris Project.

A program focused on diversity

Paulino said he was drawn to the opportunity because of the project’s focus on addressing climate change and its focus on building diversity in STEM and among future leaders in Arctic research. When reviewing the application, Paulino said one question stood out to him: How do justice, equity, and inclusion relate to addressing climate change?

“I immediately thought of Guam and how unfair it is that the people living in this region, who will be hit the hardest by the effects of climate change, are not included in climate votes in the United States,” he said. “This exclusion highlights the urgent need to empower and include the most vulnerable communities in our efforts to tackle climate change.”

‘Being part of a bigger picture’

Paulino will head to Massachusetts in April for field safety training. He will then spend two weeks in July with the Polaris Project faculty and research staff doing intensive fieldwork in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska. Each of the students will conduct their own research project there and then spend another two weeks back at Woodwell Climate Research Center analyzing their data.

“Alaska is a place I never imagined I would go, but I am excited to explore its beautiful wildlife and scenery,” he said.

Paulino is pursuing a degree in chemistry and a minor in mathematics with the ultimate goal of obtaining a doctorate in chemical oceanography, a field that studies the composition of seawater and how it interacts chemically with the atmosphere and marine organisms. It’s a field he hopes more students from Guam will get into as well.

Prepping for a Ph.D.

Set to graduate this May, Paulino has made a point to build a diverse portfolio of research experience as an undergraduate in preparation for post-baccalaureate opportunities and eventually a Ph.D. program.

Paulino said his participation with the Guam EPSCOR Student Research Experience at UOG, in particular, helped advance his skills in advanced mathematical skills and coding and also built his confidence.

“This was one of my favorite experiences as it helped me realize that I have what it takes to succeed in the challenging field of research,” Paulino said.

He also participated in an undergraduate research experience at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, where he investigated the presence of fluorinated contaminants in the air using different sampling tools.

“This was by all standards a very challenging project, but Loreto did very well in mastering the tasks […],” said University of Rhode Island Professor of Oceanography Rainer Lohnmann, Paulino’s mentor during the REU. “Loreto is a very smart student. […] I was impressed by his determination.”

Though the STEM fields can be challenging, Paulino said he hopes his achievements will encourage other students from Guam that they have what it takes to be in STEM.

“I want them to be inspired by the work I do, by just knowing someone is taking part in projects like the Polaris Project — someone that was in their shoes and that came from public high school,” he said. “[…] It’s about how badly you want it.”

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023

NSF Guam EPSCoR graduate research assistantship now accepting applicants

Are you a prospective graduate student interested in ensuring the sustainability of coral reefs and the marine environment? If you’re self-motivated, well-organized, and have a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Environmental Science, or related field, NSF Guam EPSCOR has a valuable graduate student research experience for you — and it’s paid!

The Graduate Research Assistantship is a three-year long program designed to train graduates in scientific research. Selected students will benefit from a tuition waiver of up to 3 years or 36 credits for the pursuit of a master’s degree, research training, faculty mentorship, potential travel opportunities, a Guam Green Growth Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub membership and an $18,000 annual stipend ($1,500 per month).

Selected applicants will participate in Marine ecology, genomics, and oceanography in the field and lab. Depending on chosen specialization, students may learn about DNA extraction and sequencing and/or how to read and analyze data to characterize marine environments. The program may involve hands-on fieldwork to investigate coral reefs or to deploy and retrieve oceanographic instruments while working at the UOG Marine Laboratory or biorepository. Graduate students will also receive support for their individual thesis defenses.

The program seeks to increase the number and diversity of students who choose careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). All qualified students are encouraged to apply, in particular Pacific islanders, LGBTQIA+, women, minorities, and students with disabilities.

The deadline to apply is 12 a.m. CHST on February 10, 2023. Late applications may be considered until the UOG Masters Application Deadline, pending availability of positions. For more information and to apply, visit https://guamepscor.uog.edu/gra/

About NSF Guam EPSCOR

The NSF Guam EPSCoR program at the University of Guam is funded by a five-year, $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Established Program for the Stimulation of Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The program aims to broaden the participation of underrepresented students in STEM fields through developing a research program that helps ensure the sustainability of coral reef ecosystems in the face of environmental change. NSF Guam EPSCoR aims to situate Guam as a premier research and STEM education hub bolstering sustainability, economic development, and informed decision-making by engaging communities in 21st-century science.

December 28, 2022December 28, 2022

UOG students make waves, broaden connections at SACNAS 

Guam NSF EPSCoR student researcher Louise Angela Pascua proudly holds her presenter badge at the SACNAS NDiSTEM conference in Puerto Rico. Pascua's presentation is about native snails.

The University of Guam delegation to SACNAS included mentors, leadership and student researchers from Guam NSF EPSCoR and the NSF INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance Guam Hub. Student researchers presented posters and findings throughout the conference.

More than the experience of attending a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) event off-island, the University of Guam delegation, which included Guam NSF EPSCoR student researchers, also earned accolades, learned more about diversity and expanded their network at the National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) conference in Puerto Rico.

The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) organized the event from October 27 through October 29. The conference drew thousands of college-levels through professional attendees from historically excluded communities throughout the states and territories.

The conference seeks to equip, empower, and energize participants for their academic and professional paths in STEM.

Austin Shelton, Ph.D. UOG Sea Grant and Center for Island Sustainability director, Education Workforce and Development coordinator for Guam NSF EPSCoR and SACNAS board member said the conference is the perfect place to expose students to opportunities in STEM. “This is really an important event for our students at the University of Guam. It is the largest multicultural and multidisciplinary STEM diversity conference in the nation. This year, it is the biggest that the conference has ever been. Over half of that are students and over half of them are professionals, and as important, exhibitors who are bringing in opportunities to students in the areas of graduate school or employment in agencies, in nonprofits, in nongovernmental organizations.”

According to Shelton, 51 students and faculty from UOG took advantage of these tremendous opportunities at the conference. Aside from immersing participants in STEM research and professional development sessions, the conference also encouraged engagement in and the sharing of multicultural celebrations and traditions.

Cheryl R. Sangueza, Ph.D. assistant professor of secondary education said attending the conference was a success not only for academic and research opportunities, but also because the Guam delegation left a positive footprint for the island and the university. She believes that the experience “possibly changed life trajectories for the UOG students.

“Our students were engaged in professional networking and found exciting academic and research opportunities, they met new friends and explored new places and cultures, and they were successfully immersed in a culture of scientific research. “Seeing and feeling like they belong at a STEM conference combined with connecting with graduate school and research opportunities illuminated new options and choices for many,” she said.

Sangueza is also the co-principal investigator for the National Science Foundation’s INCLUDES SEAS Islands Alliance Guam Hub and oversees student experience for NSF Guam EPSCoR.

More than 10 UOG students took part in the poster presentations at the conference. One of the students, Michael Fernandez, received recognition for his undergraduate poster presentation on “Host Tree and Mycorrhizal Diversity of Epiphytic Orchids Native to Guam.”

Alyssa Calalo, an NSF INCLUDES student researcher, also presented a poster on “Assessing the Use of Pre-germinated and Soaked Seed of Native Plant Species for Badland Restoration: Lab and Field Trials.”

The UOG undergraduate in biology described her SACNAS experience as inspirational. “It was eye opening meeting scientists with the same culture and values, and it made me feel seen and motivated to keep going! My presentation revolved all around using native plants important to the CHamoru culture to restore badlands that have been affected by erosion. I conducted my research project at Ugum Watersheds. My presentation was a great experience for me, and I was able to connect with people from different labs and cultures – network and share ideas on how to keep the project going!”

SACNAS fosters the success of underrepresented Americans – from college students to professionals – in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and leadership positions in science, technology engineering, and mathematics, otherwise known as STEM. It is the largest multicultural and multidisciplinary STEM diversity organization in the United States, serving more than 20,000 students and professionals.

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022

Graduate student studies box jellyfish at Tohoku University

Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant Colin Anthony is a Special Research Student in the Graduate School of Agricultural Studies at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan.

As a Special Research Student, Anthony is receiving mentorship from Cheryl Ames, Ph.D., a leading expert in marine biology whose research focuses on jellyfish systematics, genomics, and using environmental DNA to understand marine biodiversity.

“Many of the leaders in my field are Japanese, so [Dr. Ames and I] thought it would be a good idea for me to do some research, network, teach, and present in Japan,” said Anthony.

During his time at Tohoku University, Anthony will study the protein differences across different structures in box jellyfish (Alatina alata) along with Ames. Box jellyfish get their name from the cube-like shape of their bell and can be found in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean.

“We have these [jellyfish] in Guam, but my samples are from the Netherlands,” said Anthony. “It is the only species found all the way around the world. To do this we pair genomic (DNA), transcriptomic (RNA), and proteomic (amino acids) data using various bioinformatic techniques. We hope this provides novel insight into how box jellyfish produce venom-related proteins.”

During his time at Tohoku University, Anthony has led an introductory coding workshop for the university’s undergraduate and graduate researchers, presented at a joint conference with the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, as well as given a guest lecture on the role of presentation design in effective science communication.

“The food and people are the best, but my language skills are not very good,” said Anthony. “So, I look forward to improving my Japanese in order to eat more great food and meet new people.”