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A graduate student from the University of Guam will be going to Okinawa to study marine invertebrates as part of an internship at the University of the Ryukus from April to August 2024.  

Joseph Proietti, a Master of Science in Biology student and Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant, will be mentored by James Reimer, a professor at the University of the Ryukus whose research focuses on the biodiversity of understudied marine invertebrates.  

During the internship, Proietti will study Palythoa, a type of cnidarian closely related to corals and anemones.  

Some Palythoa, like hard corals, have symbiotic algae that live inside them that photosynthesize and feed their host in exchange for shelter and protection. These Palythoa are known to live in places with light availability such as open reefs while those without these symbionts live in caves or reef crevices.  

“We’re going to take the Palythoa that have symbionts and the ones that don’t to do what’s called a reciprocal transplant experiment, which will involve switching them between their two habitats,” said Proietti. “Then we’ll monitor to see how this change in environment affects how they function depending on which of their genes are expressed.”  

Besides networking with other professionals within his field, Proietti will learn skills that will help him advance as a scientist.  

“During this internship, I’ll learn about RNA library preparation, a very specific type of lab work that involves preparing RNA to be sequenced which is complicated and challenging to get right,” said Proietti. “I’ll also learn how to analyze gene expression data.”  

Proietti said that he is looking forward to exploring the reefs of Okinawa and taking on this new experience.  

 “I hope to go diving a lot. Okinawa has pretty healthy and diverse reefs from what I understand,” said Proietti. “I believe that traveling and experiencing as much of the world as you can is hugely beneficial to expanding your worldview and teaching you things that are hard to put into words. These experiences are beneficial to not just your professional life, but who you are as a person.”   

What do an accountant, former on-air personality, architect, and a human resources professional have in common?  

They are passionate about the future of our island and entered the newest cohort of the Guam Green Growth (G3) Conservation Corps, a workforce development program by the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, and the G3 initiative. 

Now on its 4^th cycle, the program introduced its 12 new members on Tuesday, February 27, at the UOG Global Learning and Engagement Building. 

Addressing the new G3 Conservation Corps, UOG Senior Vice President and Provost Sharleen Santos Bamba, Ph.D. said, “You represent the next generation of environmental leaders. Your enthusiasm commitment, and thirst for knowledge inspire us all. The next five months will be a journey of discovery, hard work, and profound personal growth.” 

Most members of the 4th cohort come from industries outside the environmental and conservation sectors. Some of them have already established careers in their respective fields but are interested in exploring opportunities within the emerging green economy.  

The members of the new G3 Conservation Corps are: 

• Nate Aguon (Barrigada) 
• Thomas Benavente (CNMI, Tamuning) 
• Makeo Blas (Mangilao) 
• Telel Blesam (Palau) 
• Jaevynn Cruz (Talo’fo’fo) 
• Rico Lizama (Yona) 
• Beato Manglona (Tamuning) 
• Jem Miller (Dededo) 
• Hannah Perez (Barrigada) 
• Tristan Quintanilla (Hågat) 
• Emma Sánchez (Dededo) 
• Loren Villanueva (Yigo) 

At the event, the G3 Conservation Corps members shared their motivation for joining the program. 

Quintanilla, a policy analyst for four years, stated, “I believe that this is a way to merge the past and the future. As a researcher, I would often look at problems, and search for solutions. However, I noticed a significant difference between learning about things and being able to practice them. So, I am looking forward to that.” 

Perez, with a background in human resources, expressed, “Ever since I was younger, I’ve been passionate about addressing climate change because I know it directly impacts our island. Rising sea levels, and trash in the ocean, you see that every day.” 

UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant Director Austin Shelton, Ph.D., told the new G3 Conservation Corps that diverse opportunities are available to graduates of the program.  

“Whether your interest lies in aquaculture, agriculture, or even nighttime efforts to catch brown tree snakes, there are immediate job openings in these areas. Many opportunities are available right here at the Research Corporation of the University of Guam, as well as through our various local and federal agency partners,” he said. 

Shelton added that most of the members of the previous cohorts had achieved success in pursuing their aspirations after the program. “Over 70 percent of our graduates have transitioned into green jobs or have chosen further training, all closely aligned with the green economy.” 

Throughout the five-month program, the G3 Conservation Corps will undergo training and gain exposure in various sustainability-related areas, including agriculture and aquaculture, island beautification, invasive species removal, reforestation, circular economy practices, recycling, and renewable energy.  

They will also have the opportunity to engage with diverse environmental organizations and initiatives on Guam and the rest of the Micronesia region.   

After completing the program, the G3 Conservation Corps will earn up to 80 continuing education units (CEUs) from UOG Global Learning and Engagement. 

The first G3 Conservation Corps program  was launched in 2021. 

WHAT IS G3?   

The UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant facilitates the  Guam Green Growth, or G3 initiative, in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Guam and the G3 Working Group, whose members represent all sectors of society. With the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and G3 Action Framework as a guide, G3 develops tangible solutions to sustainability challenges and contributes to a green economy for the island region.

Since joining the Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistantship program, these graduate students will receive mentorship, training, and fieldwork experience as they pursue their master’s degree over the next three years.

ANELA DUENAS

“What made me want to get into marine science is when I got to experience a summer program as an elementary student and I was able to look at coral under a microscope at one of the beaches in Saipan,” said Anela Duenas. “I got to see the coral and how they move and how they’re alive and not rocks in the ocean. That experience inspired me and that made me keep going until now.”

While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Duenas was an NSF INCLUDES: SEAS Islands Alliance fellow as well as a Guam NSF EPSCoR student researcher.

Duenas joined the GRA program to encourage her peers to enjoy research. During her time in the Student Research Experience program, she received mentorship and guidance from a GRA named Justin Berg.

“Working with Justin was really fun and how he helped me as an undergrad encouraged me to help others and do what he did,” said Duenas.

Under the mentorship of Bastian Bentlage, Ph.D., an associate professor of bioinformatics and co-principal investigator of Guam NSF EPSCoR, Duenas is looking into assemblages of Symbiodiniaceae in two coral species – Acropora pulchra and Pavona decussata.

As a CHamoru scientist, Duenas hopes to inspire others within the region to pursue careers in STEM.

“I’ve felt personally connected to the land and the ocean ever since I was growing up, so it’s really cool for me to actually be working in this field and try to better our environment,” said Duenas. “I feel like I don’t see as many local scientists from here and

doing work here, so I hope I get to do some great work and hopefully inspire other locals in this area.”

DIANA NOTO

Diana Noto has always liked the ocean.

“I grew up on Long Island, so I lived in proximity to the water,” said Noto. “They weren’t particularly beautiful or clear beaches, but I always loved it. When I moved to Florida, I didn’t get to be closer to the water, but I got to go to the beach a lot more and get exposed to coral reefs. That’s how I got interested in the marine sciences.”

Noto heard about the program through Garret O’Donnell, a GRA who joined the program in 2022.

“Before he joined the program, Garret had also worked at the Florida Museum in the same lab as me,” said Noto. “When I was applying, I heard that Dr. Robert Lasley, who I worked with before, was taking on a student so I decided to just go for it.”

Robert Lasley, Ph.D., is a crustacean biologist and the associate curator of the Guam Ecosystems Collaboratorium for Corals and Oceans (GECCO) Biorepository, a natural history collection of specimens operated by Guam NSF EPSCoR.

“The program’s been really fun so far,” said Noto. “All the other students have been super great. I’ve learned a lot of cool things. Just being near so many cool sites to do fieldwork has been pretty amazing.”

NIKKO GALANTO

Nikko Galanto’s interest in marine biology was fostered in his junior year of high school.

“My teacher was really influential, and she taught us that Guam is unique and that whatever we do on the island has a huge impact on our surrounding oceans,” said Galanto.

Galanto heard about the GRA program in 2019 while he was pursuing his undergraduate degree. During that time, he became a student researcher as part of Guam NSF EPSCoR’s Student Research Experience and eventually went on to work as a DNA barcoding technician at the GECCO Biorepository.

“I thought that since graduate school was a part of my plans and that I’ve always been a part of EPSCoR, I decided to apply to the GRA program,” said Galanto. “I just hope to become a more well-rounded scientist. I’ve learned now that there’s so much I don’t know and that’s a good thing. “

Under the mentorship of Diego Vaz, Ph.D., a fish morphologist and the associate curator of the GECCO Biorepository, Galanto is exploring the systematics and morphology of blenny fish. Blenny fish are small, elongated fish that can be found on the ocean floor, in reefs, or in burrows.

As someone who grew up on Guam, Galanto said that his perspective as a local scientist gives him a really great insight into both the island’s environment and its community.

“I want to emphasize that we need a lot of representation in the field of STEM,” said Galanto. “I think it’s important to see POC in all walks of science and I think that’s

important because we all have different experiences – especially if we come from different islands and backgrounds. We all have something to contribute.”

Karina Mejia, a Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant in the University of Guam’s Master of Science in Biology program, presented her research at the 2023 Indo-Pacific Fish Conference which was held at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.  

The Indo-Pacific Fish Conference, which happens every four years, is one of the world’s premier ichthyological conferences and is highly anticipated by marine, estuarine, and freshwater specialists. The event is organized by the Australian Society for Fish Biology, which aims to promote research, education, and management of fish and fisheries across the Indo-Pacific.  

Mejia’s presentation was entitled, “Population Genetics of the Catadromous Eel, Anguilla marmorata, in Guam and the Indo Pacific.”  

Giant mottled eels (Anguilla marmorata) are the most common eels in the Indo-Pacific and Guam. They are an important food fish and an apex predator in many tropical islands and continental streams of the Indo-Pacific, according to the study’s abstract. Determining the eel’s geological and oceanographic location and temporal spawning patterns will provide information key to effective conservation.  

 During the event, Mejia found it exciting to meet people within her field. She connected with a doctoral student named Yusuke Amai who invited her to explore doctoral programs at the University of Tokyo, which she was able to visit in December. While she was in Japan, Mejia met with Nina Yasuda, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Tokyo who has been helping her with the genetic portion of her research.  

“At first, I was intimidated since I was surrounded by experts, but I learned to not be scared and shy to interact with fellow scientists,” said Mejia. “I am glad I learned to overcome my nervousness since I was able to meet a variety of wonderful people and interact with potential mentors for a Ph.D.” 

The Guam Green Growth (G3) Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub (G3 Makerspace) opened its doors to Junior Achievement (JA) Guam teams as they prepared for a competition for young entrepreneurs.  
 
JA is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.  
 
In February of this year, the non-profit held the 2023-2024 JA Company of the Year Competition at the Guam Community College in Mangilao to recognize these young entrepreneurs and their innovative products.  
 
Each year, G3 Makerspace has been actively involved in assisting JA teams such as Prikura (Preserve) Guahan, whose members consist of students from Harvest Christian Academy and St. John’s School.  
 
In December, Prikura Guahan attended mentorship sessions and workshops focused on using the cutting-edge equipment at the G3 Makerspace. At the end of the sessions, Prikura Guahan used the G3 Makerspace equipment to turn locally sourced wood and invasive bamboo into a latte-stone-shaped stamp and inkpad set for the competition.  
 
“The reason why we chose the stamp is because we wanted to show how invasive bamboo is to Guam. So, for our inkpads, we used invasive species bamboo to make the ink itself,” said Yang Wang, Harvest Christian Academy student and Prikura Guahan president.  
 
The team engraved positive messages such as ‘good work’ and ‘hafa adai’ into the latte stone-shaped stamps. “For the stamp, we used locally sourced wood and laser-cutting and wood-cutting machines to create the (latte stone) shape and laser-engraved parts,” she added.  
 
Wang credits G3 Makerspace and Innovation Hub coordinator Abby Crain for providing guidance in the production process. Wang said Crain suggested using charcoalized and crushed invasive bamboo for the inkpads. 
 
“We assist the teams however we can — whether mentoring, counseling, consulting on materials to use, packaging, and even during conceptualization. We also help them develop and find the most cost-effective ways for production,” Crain said on the range of assistance provided by G3 Makerspace to Prikura Guahan and other JA teams.  
 
 “We have a partnership with Junior Achievement. Our (Makerspace’s) mission is to promote circular economy and sustainability, and we also aim to promote local production and utilize the plethora of resources available on Guam. We encourage people to buy local instead of importing, and we want to help business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs,” Crain added. 
 
According to a release from JA, 146 high school students joined this year’s competition, with nine student companies stepping up to the challenge. Companies such as Graphic Center, Title Guaranty of Guam, GTA, Dusit Thani Resort Guam, Bank of Hawaii, and Community First Guam provided support to the student teams.

The Guam Green Growth (G3) Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub (G3 Makerspace) opened its doors to Junior Achievement (JA) Guam teams as they prepared for a competition for young entrepreneurs.  
 
JA is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.  
 
In February of this year, the non-profit held the 2023-2024 JA Company of the Year Competition at the Guam Community College in Mangilao to recognize these young entrepreneurs and their innovative products.  
 
Each year, G3 Makerspace has been actively involved in assisting JA teams such as Prikura (Preserve) Guahan, whose members consist of students from Harvest Christian Academy and St. John’s School.  
 
In December, Prikura Guahan attended mentorship sessions and workshops focused on using the cutting-edge equipment at the G3 Makerspace. At the end of the sessions, Prikura Guahan used the G3 Makerspace equipment to turn locally sourced wood and invasive bamboo into a latte-stone-shaped stamp and inkpad set for the competition.  
 
“The reason why we chose the stamp is because we wanted to show how invasive bamboo is to Guam. So, for our inkpads, we used invasive species bamboo to make the ink itself,” said Yang Wang, Harvest Christian Academy student and Prikura Guahan president.  
 
The team engraved positive messages such as ‘good work’ and ‘hafa adai’ into the latte stone-shaped stamps. “For the stamp, we used locally sourced wood and laser-cutting and wood-cutting machines to create the (latte stone) shape and laser-engraved parts,” she added.  
 
Wang credits G3 Makerspace and Innovation Hub coordinator Abby Crain for providing guidance in the production process. Wang said Crain suggested using charcoalized and crushed invasive bamboo for the inkpads. 
 
“We assist the teams however we can — whether mentoring, counseling, consulting on materials to use, packaging, and even during conceptualization. We also help them develop and find the most cost-effective ways for production,” Crain said on the range of assistance provided by G3 Makerspace to Prikura Guahan and other JA teams.  
 
 “We have a partnership with Junior Achievement. Our (Makerspace’s) mission is to promote circular economy and sustainability, and we also aim to promote local production and utilize the plethora of resources available on Guam. We encourage people to buy local instead of importing, and we want to help business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs,” Crain added. 
 
According to a release from JA, 146 high school students joined this year’s competition, with nine student companies stepping up to the challenge. Companies such as Graphic Center, Title Guaranty of Guam, GTA, Dusit Thani Resort Guam, Bank of Hawaii, and Community First Guam provided support to the student teams.