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).

Grace McDermott displays coral samples at the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, Florida. Photo courtesy of Grace McDermott.

Graduate research assistants continue to make impact

Christian Sumalpong December 6, 2024

As the year 2024 reaches its end, four former Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) share where they are now, and how their time

Bastian Bentlage, associate professor of Bioinformatics at the UOG Marine Lab and one of the leads from UOG, speaks at the November town hall meeting, 'Ocean Energy Systems to Power Guam Aquaculture.' Bentlage states that UOG'd primary role in the project is to provide insights into site-specific considerations for evaluating the feasibility of deploying ocean energy systems.

UOG-hosted town hall explores ocean energy for aquaculture, island power-source

Louella Losinio November 25, 2024

Bastian Bentlage, associate professor of Bioinformatics at the UOG Marine Lab and one of the leads from UOG, speaks at the November town hall meeting,

UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant Director Austin Shelton, Ph.D., and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio facilitate the July Guam Green Growth (G3) Steering Committee. At the meeting, G3 working groups share updates that feed into the island-wide action framework dashboard.

Guam Green Growth reports regional and local initiatives at July meeting

Louella Losinio July 8, 2025

At the July Guam Green Growth (G3) Steering Committee meeting, members highlighted progress toward the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals—both locally and regionally—including the launch of a new Green Growth hub in Micronesia and a watershed restoration workforce initiative that expands the G3 Conservation Corps.

Ernesto Guades, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Guam School of Engineering, works with COMPASS NextGen undergraduate interns to prepare a plastic lumber prototype using an extruder machine at the Guam Green Growth (G3) Circular Economy Makerspace & Innovation Hub.

UOG School of Engineering research at G3 Makerspace explores plastic as construction material

Louella Losinio July 8, 2025

The Guam Green Growth (G3) Circular Economy Makerspace & Innovation Hub is collaborating with Ernesto Guades, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Guam School of Engineering, on a research project exploring how certain types of recyclable plastic can be prototyped into construction materials.

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Students board the Nautilus vessel before Marianas Trench expedition

Kyle Mandapat June 30, 2025

Students from the University of Guam’s (UOG) National Science Foundation Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES), Navigating Home and Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) programs recently embarked on an extraordinary journey of scientific discovery, touring the state-of-the-art research vessel, Nautilus Live. This unique opportunity provided future island scientists with an invaluable firsthand look into cutting-edge ocean exploration and research.

Reflections on the 2024 Guam NSF EPSCoR Summer Math Research Program

Ruzelle Judicpa May 6, 2025

As EPSCoR prepares for its fifth year of the Summer Math Research Program (SMRP), we take a look back at our 2024 program and its students.

$The Guam NSF EPSCoR Summer Math programs are open for applications. The Summer Math Research Assistant and Summer Math Research Experience is open for students from Sophomore, Junior, Senior and Graduate levels.$

UOG opens applications for summer math programs

Kyle Mandapat April 24, 2025

The University of Guam (UOG) has exciting summer research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students passionate about mathematics through two distinct programs supported by the National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (Guam NSF EPSCoR). Applications are now being accepted for both the Summer Math Research Assistant and the Summer Math Research Experience programs.