In April 2025, the University of Guam welcomed visiting researchers as part of an ongoing collaboration on the development of a new research instrument that can be used to assess the bleaching risk of different types of coral.

Christian Valencia, an economist working on a valuation study of the Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative, shares his initial findings at the Green Growth Summit at the 16th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability. According to Valencia, every dollar invested in the G3 Conservation Corps returns over three times its value to Guam.

Initial results of valuation study show Guam NSF EPSCoR’s G3 socio-economic potential

Louella Losinio April 22, 2025

For every dollar invested in the Guam Green Growth (G3) Conservation Corps at the University of Guam, the island receives more than three times that amount in economic and social value, according to the partial results of an economic valuation of the G3 initiative.

Christian Valencia, an economist, revealed a snapshot of the ongoing study during the 3rd day of the 16th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.

Republic of the Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, PhD, signs the Blue Planet Climate Agreement, committing the Marshall Islands’ transition to full renewable energy by 2045. Present at the signing are Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez, DBA, Blue Planet Alliance Executive Director Francois Rogers, UOG Center for Island Sustainability Director Austin Shelton, PhD, and UOG CIS&SG Associate Director for Communications and Community Engagement Kyle Mandapat. The event also coincided with the signing of the Marshall Islands as the newest member of the Green Growth movement on April 9, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency, Guam.

Marshall Islands joins Green Growth movement, commits to 100% renewable energy at UOG sustainability conference

Louella Losinio April 21, 2025

The University of Guam facilitated a historic moment for green economic growth and sustainable development when the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) embraced the Green Growth movement and committed to full renewable energy during the 16th UOG Conference on Island Sustainability.

EPSCoR undergraduate student researcher Napu Camacho with his poster at the 2025 Conference on Island Sustainability.

EPSCoR research showcased at 2025 UOG Conference on Island Sustainability

Ruzelle Judicpa April 21, 2025

From undergraduate students to faculty members, researchers from the University of Guam NSF EPSCoR program showcased their recent and ongoing projects at the 16th University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability (CIS2025).

UOG NSF EPSCoR welcomes Dr. Michalis Mihalitsis, the Biorepository's new assistant professor of vertebrate morphology.

UOG NSF EPSCoR Biorepository welcomes new fish expert

Ruzelle Judicpa April 15, 2025

Born and raised in Greece by the Mediterranean Sea, Michalis Mihalitsis, Ph.D., gained an interest in fish as a child, fishing with his family and keeping aquariums in his home. He went on to study marine biology and earned his Ph.D. at James Cook University, studying the ecology of predatory fishes.

Behind the Guam EPSCoR library of life

Ruzelle Judicpa February 28, 2025

Off the shores of Guam is one of the most complex marine systems in the United States, home to thousands of organisms – many of which are still being documented and identified to this day. The Guam NSF EPSCoR GECCO Biorepository is part of an on-going effort to understand those organisms as well as their habitats.

Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistant Anela Duenas presents her thesis proposal "Ecophysiology of Coral Species Replacement on Reef Flats of Guam."

Duenas presents thesis on coral-friendly microalgae

Ruzelle Judicpa January 29, 2025

In preparation for her master’s thesis defense this summer, Anela Duenas, a Guam NSF EPSCoR graduate assistant, presented her proposal, “Ecophysiology of Coral Species Replacement on Reef Flats of Guam,” that examines the relationship of the microalgae Symbiodiniaceae with reef-building corals Acropora pulchra and Pavona decussata.

Dr. Ciemon Caballes, a senior research associate at the University of Guam's NSF EPSCoR and assistant professor at the UOG Marine Lab, presented findings from a study during the "Guam Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Outbreak Response Strategy" workshop in December at the UOG Marine Lab.

UOG workshop reveals findings on tackling crown-of-thorns outbreaks

Louella Losinio January 15, 2025

Insights into reproductive trends, predation patterns, and climatic triggers observed before a crown-of-thorns (COTS) outbreak are crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies to protect coral reefs, according to Ciemon Caballes, Ph.D., a senior research associate at the University of Guam’s NSF EPSCoR.

Sargocentron spiniferum or Sabre Squirrelfish, the largest member of the family Holocentridae (Squirrelfishes and Soldierfishes), are able to communicate with sound as detailed in a scientific paper recently published and co-authored by Guam NSF EPSCoR’s Terry Donaldson, Ph.D., at the University of Guam. Photo credit: Dave Burdick/Guam Reef Life

UOG’s Donaldson co-authors paper on fish that communicate with sound

Ruzelle Judicpa January 2, 2025

University of Guam Professor of Ichthyology Terry Donaldson recently co-authored a paper on bioacoustic communication within the family Holocentridae, a group of marine fishes commonly known as squirrelfishes and soldierfishes. These fishes are known to communicate by sound production. The paper, “Sounds as taxonomic indicators in holocentrid fishes,” was a collaboration with Marine Banse, Eric Parmentier and Estrelle Bertimes (University of Liege, Belgium), David Lecchini (PSL University, French Polynesia), and Frederic Bertucci (University of Montpelier, France).