Day 11: Coral Reef Research Foundation & Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

HELLO!

Today we met many different people with different expertise. In the morning, we visited Patrick Colin with the Coral Reef Research Foundation. He gave a presentation about climate change in Palau and how that has affected marine life in the past and predictions for the future. After that, we visited the Palau Aquarium.

After a quick lunch break, we drove over to Palau Community College to visit their research lab. They are doing great research with the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) virus, persistent organic pollutants, and health habits in Palau. CRBs have made a serious impact on the coconut plants in Palau, and is disrupting the coconut economy. They are working to figure out why some of these beetles are becoming immune to the virus.

Finally, we visited the US Embassy to have a meeting with Amy J. Hyatt, the Palau Ambassador for the United States, along with Paul Blake with NRCS. Here, we had a great discussion on the politics between US, China, Taiwan, and Palau, along with the work that the Embassy is doing for agriculture in Palau. Unfortunately, we were not able to take any photos due to security.

Patrick Colin presenting his data on climate change in Palau.
Having fun at the aquarium!
Dissecting Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles at PCC.

 

Palau Day 2

Hello everyone!

Today was a busy and exciting day in Palau. We hiked to a waterfall, visited a beach, and made it to Ollei where we will be staying for a week. Along the way we learned about land use and forest ecology, and had a lot of fun in the water. Amy and Alec made a video of today so check it out!

1T1e1BjdKNI