By Riyo Anne Reyes, REEF intern
The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant) joined other organizations in a community-wide food distribution effort to support residents affected by Typhoon Champi.
At the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), we define sustainability as the balance between meeting current needs and safeguarding the resources of future generations. Established in 2009, UOG CIS & Sea Grant is the region’s lead institution for supporting the transition toward a sustainable, self-reliant, and prosperous island community.
Since our founding, UOG CIS & Sea Grant has evolved into the region’s focal point for sustainability research and community outreach. We collaborate closely with government agencies, NGOs, and community groups to address critical island needs across four key pillars: Environment, Economy, Society, and Education.
With an expanding portfolio of implementation projects and strong community partnerships, UOG CIS & Sea Grant is moving the region toward a sustainable tomorrow. Our work is defined by action. Through transformative programs like Guam Green Growth, the SEAS Islands Alliance, and Navigating Home, we are turning sustainability plans into on-the-ground reality.
University of Guam (UOG) students will not only present their research this week at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference, but will also gain access to scholarships, internships and research opportunities, according to program leadership.
By Riyo Anne Reyes
From delicate orchids and tropical fruits to coconut crabs and seashells, a little piece of Guam is making its way across the Pacific.
The Guam Green Growth (G3) Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub is bringing a collection of locally made, island-inspired creations to the 2026 Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) conference in Long Beach, California, showcasing the island’s creativity, culture and commitment to sustainability.
Navigating Fellow Nico Valencia will present the research poster, “GWAS for Khat Use and Khat Use Frequency in Eastern Africans Identifies Genetic Risk Loci and Psychiatric Links,” at this year’s SACNAS conference.
For Nico Valencia, this year’s SACNAS conference is a return trip. His first was in 2023 in Portland, Oregon, where he presented research from an earlier grant-funded program. His topic then was childhood nutrition. “I presented on the protective effects of breastfeeding in children for obesity. In short, the more a child is breastfed, the lower their likelihood of obesity later in childhood.”
By Leilani Sablan Naden, program lead for Guihan for Guåhan
Fishers know the ocean in ways that can take a lifetime to learn. They recognize familiar fishing grounds, notice shifts in the size and abundance of certain species, and carry generations of knowledge about the waters that sustain our island. But what happens when we bring that knowledge together with fisheries data? What more can we learn when the people who depend on the ocean have access to the information their own catches help generate?
When Clementine Schnabel agreed to mentor Kyle Dahilig through the Navigating Home Fellowship, she got more than research assistance. She got a firsthand look at what it means when local talent comes home.
Schnabel took Kyle in and involved him in one of the Micronesia Challenge’s key projects, a regional effort to manage 50 percent of near-shore marine resources and 30 percent of terrestrial resources by 2030. Reaching those goals takes money, so their task was to research and explore ways to build self-sustaining revenue.
By Riyo Anne Reyes, REEF intern
One thing I’m quickly learning as a Research, Education, and Extension Fellowship (REEF) intern is that no two days look quite the same. This week was full of new experiences, from conducting interviews and covering events to trying something completely new.
303 University Drive
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913
Phone: (671)735-5631
Email: cis@uog.edu
seagrant@uog.edu
©2026 University of Guam
Sea Grant. All rights reserved.
303 University Drive
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96913
Phone: (671)735-5631
Email: cis@uog.edu
seagrant@uog.edu
©2026 University of Guam
Sea Grant. All rights reserved.
