2025 Graduate Student Research Symposium
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Guam Time | Hyatt Regency Guam
Monday, April 7, 2025 | 12:30 – 4 p.m. Hawaiʻi Time | Livestream
The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) will host the Graduate Student Research Symposium on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Guam. Students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and the University of Guam will present their research projects across a range of topics, including coral reef management, invasive species, native bird populations, and remote sensing technologies to aid natural resource management.
The Symposium is free and open to the public for in-person or online attendance. Lunch will be provided to in-person attendees at 12 p.m. (limited to the first 60 registrants). Register to reserve space or to receive a link to the event livestream.
The PI-CASC Graduate Student Research Symposium is a pre-conference event at the 2025 University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability, a premier gathering for researchers, policymakers, and community members dedicated to building a more sustainable future for island communities. For more information and to register for the conference, visit uog.edu/cis2025.
Agenda
Welcome and opening remarks
Presentations
“Using bioacoustics and machine learning model to estimate native bird abundance of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge”
Josephine Tupu, Manager Climate Corps, UH Hilo
“What to plant where? Using species distribution modeling for restoration species selection in Hawaiʻi’s lowland wet forests”
Konapiliahi Dancil, Manager Climate Corps, UH Hilo
“Integrating satellite imagery and sUAS data for predictive modeling of agroforestry resources in Micronesia”
Nikki Henry, Graduate Scholar, UH Hilo
“Wildfire management with the Guam Department of Agriculture”
Ajalyn Omelau, Climate Adaptation for Resource Management, UOG
“Microbial community response to management in loʻi kalo across Hawai’i”
Sebastian Church, Graduate Scholar, UH Mānoa
“Developing a wetlands monitoring plan for the Guam Environmental Protection Agency”
Melanie Mendiola, Climate Adaptation for Resource Management, UOG
“Temperature enhances swimming performance of invasive species in Hawaiian streams”
Leigh Engel, Graduate Scholar, UH Mānoa
“Predicting sea level rise impacts to coastal wastewater infrastructures and water quality along the Kailua-Kona shoreline”
Ihilani Kamau, Manager Climate Corps, UH Hilo
“Assessing the impacts of coastal acidification and eutrophication on the persistence of coral reef framework in Maui, Hawaiʻi”
Raffi Isah, Graduate Scholar, UH Mānoa
“Statistical downscaling of climate models with deep learning”
Yusuke Hatanaka, Graduate Scholar, UH Mānoa
“Science communication on climate adaptation”
Farron Taijeron, Invited Speaker