Our Achievements (Student Tracking)

A total of 58 undergraduate students and six community college faculty have participated in research internships and activities under the University of Hawaii UMEB Program (Table 1, below).

Intern Evaluations

We have recently completed in-depth evaluation of the UMEB program via a questionnaire sent to each former intern for whom we have electronic addresses in January - February 2008. The questionnaire asks for information about each former intern's current location and activities, what college degrees they have earned, and their employment. It also requests their opinion of the program and whether or not it has positively affected their lives subsequent to their internships. There were no negative comments about the program from the 40 respondents.

Comments from former interns in the UH-UMEB program included the following:

Vanessa Fread (Home island, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia; UMEB intern in 2000, '02 & '03; B.Sc., University of Queensland, Australia 2004; currently employed as an Environmental Programs Development Officer for the Yap Community Action Program, an NGO, with projects including atoll-resource management, coral-reef monitoring, sea-turtle conservation and ecological assessments):

"I strongly believe that the UMEB program is a profound one in that it reflects our needs and provides Pacific Islanders like myself in the field of environmental biology a chance to experience and learn skills and processes that are not only essential, but fundamental to our careers as students and later as working professionals."

Lue Dee Kotaro (Home island, Palau; UMEB intern 2003; currently pre-medical student, Utah):

"I honestly am thankful for the program because it was such a good opportunity to learn more about something I actually love. Not only that but I think the Program allowed me to be part of something that can help shape my Island Home Palau in the very near future. In my experience with the Program , we addressed some real problems that Palau and other Island Nations will be facing with concerns of the Global Warming."

Aja Reyes (Home island, Guam; UMEB intern in 2002; B.S. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2006; currently a research assistant in the Univ. Guam Water and Environmental Research Institute and an M.S. candidate at the Univ. of Guam):

"The UMEB program allows participants to not only gain experience and confidence in their field, but they are also able to expand their network. In a field/discipline that is multi-dimensional, it is necessary and beneficial to know what resources are available and where to go to ask for ask for assistance. The network of people I established from the time I was in the UMEB are now great colleagues and friends whom I have repeatedly sought out for their advice and support."

Lekelong S. Seccharraimul (Home island, Palau; UMEB intern 2004; B.S. Grand Valley State Univ., Michigan, 2007; now a legal researcher for the Senate of the Palau National Congress):

"I feel the UMEB experience was very important. In my current job we need individuals that have some kind of scientific understanding of the environment. I am not saying the I have a full and complete understanding, like my mentor, but the understanding I have through UMEB helps me understand environmental and biological issues much better, e.g., a bill that will open a season for fishing the adult humpback parrotfish, a bill establishing a Protected Areas Network, and an Oil and Gas Act."

Peltin Olter Pelep (Home island, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia; UMEB intern 2005 - 08; currently University of Hawaii at Manoa, B.S. candidate in Biology):

"UMEB is the appropriate program for us Pacific Islanders that inhabit places that still have a fighting chance to protect the native terrestrial organisms as well as those from fresh water and ocean environments. Not only that, UMEB has given us the opportunity to learn more about science through literature, (and) it also provides the essence of knowledge attained through practical moments that can take place in research laboratories or in actual field sites. UMEB is an important asset to my past, present and future life."

Publications

Because most of our interns have little in-the-lab scientific training, publications have been slow to emerge from the University of Hawaii UMEB program. However, the following papers are out or soon will be. The UMEB interns' names in in bold.

Nakahashi, C. D., K. Frole and L. Sack. 2005. Bacterial leaf nodule symbiosis in Ardisia (Myrsinaceae): does it contribute to seedling growth capacity? Plant Biology 7: 495 - 500.

Chris Nakahashi was a UMEB intern from May '04 through July '05, when he graduated from Chaminade University. He is now a M.S. candidate in Botany at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Zabin, C. J., J. Zardus, F. B. Pitombo, V. Fread and M. G. Hadfield. 2007. A tale of three seas: consistency of natural history traits in a Caribbean-Atlantic barnacle introduced to Hawaii. Biological Invasions 9(5): 523 - 544.

Vanessa Fread, from the Micronesian Island of Yap, was a UMEB intern for three successive summers, first as a student from the University of Guam and subsequently at the University of Queensland, Australia, where she graduated with a B.S. in Biology in 2005. She now works at the Yap Community Action Program.

Perez, K. III, K. S. Rodgers and P. L. Jokiel. 2008. Impact of terrigenous sediment on larval survival and settlement in the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis. Submitted to: Coral Reefs.

Kaipo Perez, a native Hawaiian student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, joined the UMEB program in summer 2007 and was selected for year-round support. He will continue in the program until the end of the current grant on Aug. 31, 2008.

Pelep, P. O. and B. Lynch. 2008. The status of the endemic species of the tree-snail genus Partula on Pohnpei: extinction is likely. To be submitted to Micronesica in 2008.

Peltin Pelep joined the Hawaii-UMEB program in summer 2005, then returned in summer 2006 and remained as a year-round student. He will receive his B.S. in Biology in Dec. 2008. The research reported in this paper resulted from Peltin's efforts during 2005 - 2006, following his first summer in UMEB, and advised by one of our program's ROA-trained mentors at the College of Micronesia, Brian Lynch.

Table 1: University of Hawaii UMEB Interns, 2000-2007

Student Name	Home Island / College¹	Year	Mentor Institute	Mentor	Now?
Alexander, Alfonso alfoalex at comfsm.fm	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'05 / '07	UH Manoa	Kinzie	UH Hilo
Anson, Jorg kisin_jorg at yahoo.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'06 - '07	UH Manoa	Richmond	UH Manoa
Bisalen, Mary Ann mbisalen at chaminade.edu	Chuuk, FSM / Chaminade	'04	UH Manoa	Smith
Churney, Robert galaxyrob at lycos.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'01 - '02	UH Hilo	Price	UH Hilo B.S. '05
Delemel, Keib turz9blue at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'05	UH Manoa	Freed	UH Hilo to U.S. Army
Filrang, Romeo rfilrang3117 at yahoo.com	Yap (Wolei) / PCC	'01 - '02	UH Manoa	Hadfield	US Marines
Finik, Achena finikchen at hotmail.com	Chuuk / COM-FSM	'02	UH Hilo	Price	UH Hilo B.S. '05, working
Fread, Vanessa freadv_yapcap at mail.fm	Yap / U Guam	'00 / '02 / '03	UH Manoa	Hadfield	U Queensland B.S. '04, Yap Community Action Program
Gallen, Jimmy sin_form at yahoo.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'07	UH Manoa	Smith	COM / U. Guam B.A. candidate
Gebauer, Imelda i.geabuer at yahoo.com	American Samoa / ASCC	'05	Chaminade	Grabowsky	UH Manoa
Gold, Eugene eugegold at comfsm.fm	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'07	UH Manoa	Sack	COM / U. Guam B.A. candidate
Idechong, Jacques idechong at hawaii.edu	Palau / PCC	'00 - '02 / '04 - '05	U Guam / UH Manoa	Richmond	UH Manoa
Iriarte, Brandon biriarte05 at wou.edu	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'05	UH Manoa	Richmond	E. Oregon Univ. B.S. candidate
Isalias, Sierra isemei at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'05	UH Manoa	Toonen	UH Manoa
Jacob, Menoleen meno_jay at yahoo.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'06	UH Manoa	Smith	COM A.A. candidate
Kabua, Amata atkabua at gmail.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'07	UH Manoa	Sherwood	UH West Oahu B.S. candidate
Kabua, Souvenior souvie79 at yahoo.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'03	UH Manoa	Hadfield	CMI / work
Konelios, Laban lkonelios at yahoo.com	Marshall Islands /CMI	'03	UH Manoa	Smith	CMI
Kotaro, Lue Dee taoch55 at hotmail.com	Palau / CMI	'03	U Guam	Richmond	PCC
Langidrik, Emrina elangi21 at yahoo.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'01	UH Manoa	Smith	UH Manoa, Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority
Lee, Monica monicale at hawaii.edu	Hawaii / UH Manoa	'03	UH Manoa	Freed	UH Manoa
Leiataua, Toepo suanilei at yahoo.com	American Samoa / ASCC	'04	UH Manoa	Smith
Lomae, Houston houlom2002 at yahoo.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'04	UH Manoa	Toonen	UH Manoa
Lomwe, Tobikle t_lomwe7 at yahoo.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'05	UH Manoa	Smith
Lucky, Julius tupaclolo at gmail.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'06	UH Manoa	Hunter / Forsman	UH Hilo
Manase, Milton miltoon03 at yahoo.com	American Samoa / ASCC	'07	Chaminade	Grabowsky	ASCC
Mongkeya, Marian shallyanne at hotmail.com	Kosrae / COM-FSM	'02	UC Berkeley	Gillespie	UH Hilo B.S.
Nakahashi, Chris cdn at hawaii.edu	Hawaii / Chaminade	'04 - '05	UH Manoa	Drake / Sack	UH Manoa M.S. candidate in Botany
Nanpei, Jeannie jnanpei at hotmail.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'07	UH Manoa	Aeby	Honolulu
Nelber, Chestwood chestwoodnelber at hotmail.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'01	U Guam	Richmond	FSM, working
Nestor, Victor vnestor05 at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'05	UH Manoa	Sherwood	Palau, Pacific International Coral Reef Center
Ngirmeriil, Ngirmeriil dngirmeriil at gmail.com	Palau / PCC	'04	UH Manoa	Hadfield	UH Manoa B.A. candidate
Nu`usila, Lunetta lnuusila at yahoo.com	American Samoa / ASCC	'02	UH Manoa	Smith	BYU-HI
Palsis, Larson seealot at hotmail.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'06	UH Manoa	Sherwood	Palau
Pelep, Peltin olterp at yahoo.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'05 - '07	UH Manoa	Hadfield	UH Manoa B.S. candidate in Biology
Perez, Kaipo kaipop at hawaii.edu	Hawaii / UHM	'07	UH Manoa	Gokiel	UH Manoa B.S. candidate in Marine Biology
Rayphand, Abe koolphan at hotmail.com	Chuuk / COM-FSM	'01	U Guam	Paul	COM-Chuuk, teaching
Remengesau, Shelley sremengesau at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'07	UH Manoa	Toonen	PCC
Reuney, Laurie lreuney at hotmail.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'01 / '03	UC Berkeley	Gillespie	UH Hilo
Reyes, Aja reyes.aja at gmail.com	Guam / UH Hilo	'02	U Guam	Richmond	UH Manoa B.S. Marine Biology, U Guam M.S. candidate
Ruiz-Jones, Guadalupe guadalupe.ruizjones at student.chaminade.edu	New Mexico / Chaminade	'06 - '07	UH Manoa	Hadfield	Chaminade
Santos, Jansen jansens at hawaii.edu	Pohnpei, FSM / UH Manoa	'04 - '05	UH Manoa	Freed	UH Manoa
Satele, Sasauli sasauli at yahoo.com	Amer. Samoa / ASCC	'02	UH Manoa	Kinzie	ASCC / work
Secharraimul, Lex lekelongs at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'03 - '04	UH Manoa	Hadfield	Grand State University, Michigan B.S. '07, working Palau legislature
Segal, Bond bond_segal at yahoo.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'06	UH Manoa	Tricas	UH Hilo
Siatu`u, Batta bata_79 at excite.com	American Samoa / Chaminade	'01	UH Hilo	Senock	teaching
Sinsak, Muriell mechellins at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'01	UH Manoa	Daehler	Palau, Dept. of Finance
Sisior, Gwendolyn gwsisior at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'02 / '04	UH Manoa	Smith	UH Manoa B.S., M.S. candidate in Natural Resources and Environmental Management
Sisior, Leticia lksisior at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'01 / '02	UH Hilo / UH Manoa	Hemmes / Cowie / Ticktin	UH Manoa B.S. Anthropology, M.S. candidate in Pacfic Island Studies
Solomon, Morthy morthy12 at yahoo.com	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'00	U Guam	Richmond	teaching, Pohnpei schools
Swei, Dilrreng hngobe33 at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'03	UH Manoa	Drake	PCC
Thomas, Lynna lynnatho at hawaii.edu eride at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'01 / '02 / '04	UH Hilo / UH Manoa	Senock / Cowie / Ticktin	UH Manoa, B.S., M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management
Toala, Saipologa stoala_81 at yahoo.com	American Samoa / ASCC	'04	UH Manoa	Kinzie / Carlon
Ucharm, Gerda gucharm at gmail.com	Palau / PCC	'04 - '05	UH Manoa	Richmond	PCC, Palau International Coral Reef Center
White, Melba li_melba at hotmail.com	Marshall Islands / CMI	'01	UH Hilo	deMaintenon	James Cook Univ., Australia B.S., Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority
Williams, Jonathan Jr. jpeleliupridej at yahoo.com	Palau / Chaminade	'07	UH Manoa	Stimpson	Chaminade Univ.
Williams, Sunny krayziesouljah31 at yahoo.com	Palau / PCC	'03	UH Hilo	Price	UH Manoa B.S. '07, Sonoma State Univ., Calif., M.S candidate in Cultural Resource Management
Yuen, Stanley stanman at uclink4.berkeley.edu	Hawaii / UC Berkeley	'01	UH Manoa	Morden	Grad. Sch.

Table 2: University of Hawaii UMEB-ROA Interns, 2005-2006

Faculty Name	Home Island / College¹	Year	Mentor Institute	Mentor	Now?
Braun, Karolyn	American Samoa / ASCC	'06	UH Manoa	Hadfield	ASCC
Harriss, Frankie	Marshall Islands / CMI	'05	UH Manoa	Hadfield	CMI
Hess, Donald	Marshall Islands / CMI	'06	UH Manoa	Hadfield	COM-FSM
Lynch, Brian	Pohnpei / COM-FSM	'05 - '06	UH Manoa	Hadfield	COM-FSM
Rengiil, Geraldine	Palau / PCC	'06	UH Manoa	Hadfield	PCC
Yuji, Vernice	Palau / PCC	'05	UH Manoa	Hadfield	PCC

¹ ASCC: American Samoa Community College

CMI: College of the Marshall Islands
COM: College of Micronesia
FSM: Federated States of Micronesia
PCC: Palau Community College