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THE ISLAND TIDES
Newsletter of the SEAS Islands Alliance 
June 2023

Our hearts go out to our Guam friends and colleagues who are dealing with the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar. We are grateful to know that everyone is safe; many are still without power or water or both. If you are looking for ways to help in the short term, one of our alumni participants from Guam shared this list put together by the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance. The list continues to grow, but 3 vetted organizations include: MCCA is providing mutual relief, Guahan Sustainable Culture is providing relief to local farms and farmers, Habibi Catering is providing food for families with no meals. 

Alliance Happenings: All-Alliance Meetup in Guam

In April, more than 30 students, workforce fellows, and staff from across the Alliance came together for the University of Guam’s 2023 Conference on Island Sustainability. Before the conference began, we had a day-long strategic planning meeting that focused on the future directions of the SEAS Islands Alliance. Then the main conference kicked off and attendees enjoyed two full days of talks and panels. After the conference was the STEM symposium, which was a real highlight for the students and included a blended STEM pathway panel, an early career Ph.D. panel, and a science communication panel.

Beyond meetings and conference events, this time was an invaluable opportunity for Alliance members to connect. Guam and its people welcomed us and truly made us feel at home. Our hosts Cheryl, Austin, Else and the rest of the Guam hub shared with us their island’s beautiful sights and pristine waters. They showed us breathtaking views from the top of the mountains, and a magical sunset at the beach. They took us around the island, and some of us went hiking on Mount Lam Lam, while others visited Guam’s National Wildlife Refuge, or went scuba diving and swimming. Thank you to the Guam hub for making this such a memorable experience for many in the Alliance.
SEAS Spotlight: New Graduates

Congratulations are in order to the many SEAS students who graduated in May 2023!

From the USVI Hub:

  • Allison Holevoet (Bridge 2021) successfully defended her Master’s thesis titled, “Out of a landfill and into a mangrove nursery: how does the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle grow in recycled, crushed glass?” Allison has accepted a SEAS Islands Alliance long-term Workforce Fellow position with the GRROE USVI Mangroves Program and the Grimes Lab starting in Summer 2023.

  • Ver Néle Callwood (ECS Program 2019, 2021, 2022) earned her BS in Marine Biology and has accepted a short-term NSF Securing STEM Islands Pathways Workforce Fellow position with Dr. Paul Jobsis at UVI and the sea turtle/movement ecology laboratory for Summer 2023.

  • Kahlifah Powell (ECS Program 2021, 2022) earned her BS in Marine Biology and was accepted to UVI’s Masters in Marine Biology Program.

  • Michael Niemeyer (ECS 2022) earned his BS in Marine Biology.

  • Amanda Boissiere (ECS Program 2021, 2022) earned her BS in Marine Biology and has accepted a new NSF Securing STEM Island Pathways Workforce Fellow position with The Nature Conservancy on St. Croix.

  • Chloé Camacho (ECS Program 2021, 2022) earned her BS  in Marine Biology and has accepted a NSF CTGC Navigating Home Workforce Fellow position with the Brandt Lab.

From the Guam Hub:

  • Anela Duenas (UG alumni 2021, Bridge to Ph.D. and student mentor 2022, and UG admin fellow 2023) earned her BS in Biology. Anela will be attending the University of Guam Graduate Biology Program. Anela was accepted into the Guam NSF EPSCoR Graduate Research Assistantship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

  • Kyle Dahilig (UG alumni 2020) earned his BS in Biology. Kyle Dahilig has been accepted into the University of California, Davis, for the Ph.D. program in Ecology. Kyle was accepted into the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). 

  • Anna Aguirre (UG alumni 2021, Bridge to Ph.D. 2022) earned her BS in Biology.

  • Gabriella Prelosky (UG alumni 2021, Bridge to Ph.D. 2022) earned her BS in Biology. Gabriella will be participating in the WHOI Partnership Education Program this summer. 

  • Louise Pascua (Bridge to Ph.D. 2022) earned her BS in Bio-Medical with a minor in chemistry. 

  • Britney Sison (HS alumni 2018, UG alumni 2021) earned her BS in Biology and Chemistry. Britney will be participating in a post-baccalaureate program in the Jackson Laboratory in Maine after graduation.

From the Puerto Rico Hub,

  • Alondra Ortiz Sotomayor (TORTUGA 2021) earned a BS in Biology, and is applying to medical school.  

  • Millie Lopez Inostroza (TORTUGA 2021) earned a BS in Biology

Making Waves

 

Guam Hub's Angel Payumo (HS alumni 2022) placed second as an Overall High School Winner in the 45th Guam Annual Island Wide Science Fair. Angel’s project is titled “Understanding the Role of Coral Pigmentation in Response to Coral Bleaching.” Angel represented Guam at the International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) on May 14-19th in Dallas, Texas. 

Jendahye Antoine (USVI SEAS undergraduate and graduate alumni, UVI Master’s of Marine and Envirionmental Science graduate), accepted a position as an Extension Specialist working for the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service! 

Kaleigh Schlender (Bridge 2019) accepted a permanent job in the Dry Tortugas working for the National Park Service!

Tara Thompson (SEAS undergraduate) was offered a position in the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology REU Program for Summer 2023 with Dr. Craig Young studying deep sea ecosystems.

Puerto Rico Hub Workforce Fellow, Mairim M. Villafane Vicente has been accepted into the Marine Estuarine Environmental Science (MEES) program for a Masters’ degree! Mairim will be working with SEAS co-PI Jamie Pierson at the Horn Point Laboratory. For her Masters project, she will be working on data from the PhytoChop coastal observatory installed on a pier in the Choptank River at Horn Point Laboratory. 

Corymar Muller Hernandez (TORTUGA 2021) will participate on a summer STEMSEAS expedition in the research vessel RV Endeavor from RI to FL

Adnerys L. Burgos Lopez, Criselys Perez and Luzmarie Reyes Vicente have been accepted into the NASA OCEANOS summer research Internship in Puerto Rico

On The Horizon


June & July 2023 - The USVI Hub will hold its Junior Ocean Explorers and Youth Ocean Explorers in June and July on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. The Hub is also gearing up to support UVI undergraduate students in 6-week summer internships with territorial partners, including UVI researchers, the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, and The Nature Conservancy.

August 2023 - Look for the Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation’s Late Breaking Call for Abstracts to attend and present at the November meeting!
The SEAS Islands Alliance is an NSF INCLUDES Alliance funded by the National Science Foundation Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES). 

Visit our website at seasislandsalliance.org for more information. Please reply to this email if you have any questions, if you are interested in getting more involved with the SEAS Islands Alliance, have information you'd like to share in an upcoming newsletter, or If you would like to be removed from the email list.






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