GECCO Education and Workforce Development (EWD) will advance the jurisdiction’s STEM capacity needs and contribute to improved island sustainability through expanded place-based and culturally relevant activities. GECCO contributes to the local workforce, stimulating Guam’s competitive research capabilities and encouraging a green economy. GECCO will meet four NICE (Natural Resources, Information Technology, Circular Economy, Engagement) objectives.

Natural Resources (N): GECCO will expand training and education in natural resources-related research. Student research experiences, professional development trainings, connections to national opportunities, and natural resources curricula will be expanded, impacting 20-36 students and 19-25 faculty/7 researchers/postdocs each year.

Information Technology (I): GECCO will build IT capacity for the jurisdiction while supporting research activities. GECCO will support professional development, coursework, and certifications for UOG Office of Information Technology (OIT) team members, coding camps for students and community members, and coordination for gatherings of Silicon Village.

Circular Economy (C): GECCO will catalyze the Guam Green Growth (G3) Initiative to spark a new green economy in the jurisdiction and improve island sustainability through the cultivation of a circular economy. GECCO will support a business incubator and makerspace and redesign a business capstone course to accelerate a circular economy in Guam.

Engagement (E): The communities of Guam and Micronesia are underrepresented and underserved in STEM on the national landscape. GECCO will add considerably to the work accomplished under Guam’s previous NSF-EPSCoR award, the Guam Ecosystems Collaboratorium (GEC). GECCO will greatly increase STEM awareness and engagement through a variety of educational outreach activities through special courses, conferences, science fairs, and the coordination of environmentally sustainable campus operations.