Three University of Guam students received national recognition for their research at the 2025 SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference, the country’s largest multicultural STEM gathering. Engineering student Azer Bilimon earned the Native American/Indigenous Student Research Abstract Award, while Archancel Abellera and Cameron San Agustin received Outstanding Research Presentation awards. UOG sent a 28-member delegation 17 of them students, to the Columbus, Ohio, event, including Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio, a keynote speaker and co-principal investigator for NSF Navigating Home.
Cheryl Sangueza, Ph.D., who led months of preparation for the student presenters, said every UOG student who submitted an abstract was accepted. “SACNAS…is a key experience in the pathway to graduate school and for career decisions,” she said. The students’ participation was supported through NSF grants and programs housed within the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant and Guam Green Growth.
Bilimon’s award-winning study examined how coconut fibers and seawater can strengthen and make mortar more sustainable—addressing waste reduction, water scarcity and construction challenges across Pacific Island communities. Abellera’s research focused on propagating the endangered orchid Dendrobium guamense, while San Agustin explored propagation methods to conserve Myrtella bennigseniana, a native shrub important to restoring Guam’s savanna ecosystems.
UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez, praised the students’ achievements. “Their success reinforces our mission to empower students to advance science that serves island communities,” she said. Austin Shelton, Ph.D., director of UOG CIS & Sea Grant, added that the awards reflect the growth of locally trained scientists tackling climate and biodiversity issues.
