Overview:
Dr. Becki Lawver of Utah State University is seeking a motivated student researcher to collaborate one-on-one on an innovative project reimagining how off-island internships can strengthen local innovation and sustainability in the Marianas. Her project — titled "Return Voyage Internships – Transforming Off-Island Internships into Pathways for Local Innovation"  — focuses on creating “return voyage" internship experiences that bring knowledge and skills gained abroad back home to serve our islands, reducing "brain drain" and linking global expertise to local challenges in agriculture, health, and sustainability. She will present the project at the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) Research Conference from May 18–21, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Ideal Candidate:

• Undergraduate student based in Guam or the Marianas.
• Interested in community engagement, global learning, research, conference presentation, agricultural education, sustainability, or local traditions and modern solutions, etc.
• Strong writing, organization, and curiosity for research.

Your Role:

• Help locate and summarize research to support this innovative idea.
• Collaborate on writing the project abstract for conference submission.
• Serve as first author on the poster presentation, with the opportunity to present at the AAAE Conference if accepted.

Timeline & Commitment:

• Work begins in the Fall 2025 semester and continues through the AAAE poster proposal deadline (Feb. 11, 2026, 6 p.m. EST).
• Flexible hours with remote collaboration

If you’re excited about connecting global experiences with local impact and want to co-author a national conference project, please contact Dr. Kate Moots kmoots@triton.uog.edu OR Dr. Becki Lawver at rebecca.lawver@usu.edu to learn more or express your interest.