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COMPASS students present on their internships in ag and natural resources

COMPASS students present on their internships in ag and natural resources

COMPASS students present on their internships in ag and natural resources


12/27/2023
Shaylin Salas, career counselor for the COMPASS program at UOG, opens the student internship symposium on Nov. 30, 2023.
Biology major Kyla Tuazon shares photos from her internship with the War in the Pacific National Historical Park.
Communication studies major Tatiana Ananich shares what she learned about ko'ko' birds during her internship with the Guam Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture major Ricardo Mendoza presents on his internship with the UOG Center for Island Sustainability.
Students enjoy the COMPASS Student Symposium on Nov. 30, 2023, at the Science Building lecture hall. 
Students enjoy the COMPASS Student Symposium on Nov. 30, 2023, at the Science Building lecture hall. 
Agriculture major Don David shares about his internship with the Pohnpei Conservation Society helping farmers eradicate an invasive plant. 
Biology major Claire Marzan shares how she and her fellow interns learned to identify more than 200 species of corals during their internship with the War in the Pacific National Historical Park.
The COMPASS team (from left): Dr. Filma Calalo; Dr. Rachel Jolley; Shaylin Salas; and Dr. Kate Moots.
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The first group of students to complete internships under the newly branded COMPASS program — a U.S. Department of Agriculture NextGen grant program — shared their experiences at a student symposium on Nov. 30, 2023, in the University of Guam Science Building.

Seven students presented on their newfound skills through their internships, which ranged from nursery management, plant identification, and plant propagation with the Center for Island Sustainability to using ArcGIS software to survey and identify more than 200 coral species underwater with the War in the Pacific National Historical Park. Others worked on projects to sustain Guam’s endemic ko’ko’ bird on Cocos Island and to mitigate a problematic invasive plant on farms in Pohnpei.

“The most valuable part of the experience was getting a head start on learning the valuable skills used within the marine science field, such as navigating ArcGIS, collecting data from transects, and using databases to input our data,” said biology major Eliza Manglona on her internship conducting coral surveys.

The symposium served to inspire other students to get involved with COMPASS and explore science and agriculture careers. Additionally, it provided an opportunity for the students to practice their presentation and science communication skills.

Read more about their internship experiences

The COMPASS program is funded by a $10 million USDA NextGen grant awarded to the College of Natural & Applied Sciences this past summer. The program will be working over the next five years to increase student qualifications prior to applying for food, agriculture, nutrition, natural resources, and other science-related jobs, particularly in the federal sector.

Explore an internship through COMPASS

Internship opportunities for students interested in gaining hands-on work experience in the fields of science and agriculture are ongoing. To inquire about getting connected with a regional internship, contact career counselor Shaylin Salas at (671) 735-2003 or salass13788@triton.uog.edu.