University of Guam Marine Laboratory U.O.G. Station Mangilao, Guam 96913 U.S.A.

The University of Guam Marine Laboratory (UOGML) has been a Research Unit of the University for more than 36 years. The Marine Laboratory serves the Micronesian region, including the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Kosrae, and Pohnpei), the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The Marine Laboratory's primary mission is to conduct basic and applied research on the biology of coral reef organisms, with emphasis on the conservation and development of marine resources of the nearshore waters of Guam and Micronesia. Faculty teach undergraduate and graduate courses in biology and the marine sciences, involving graduate and undergraduate students as active participants in research projects to give them "hands-on" training in marine biology. Community service is promoted through the activities of a Marine Extension Agent, the research faculty, and graduate students.

The UOGML is located on the shore of Pago Bay, on the eastern coast of Guam, and is presently housed in three buildings. The two-story, 1800-m² research building contains a physiology laboratory, an analytical research laboratory, a lecture hall, conference room, faculty laboratories and offices, a computer lab, and student offices. The technical building (302 m²) includes wood and metal shop facilities and storage for boats and SCUBA equipment. The Marine Lab Annex (1100 m²)is a shared facility between the Marine Laboratory and the Water and Environmental Research Institute (WERI); this building houses our reference collection, a genetics/molecular biology lab, and additional office space for graduate students, postdoctoral investigators, and visitors.

The lab currently has three small research boats (ranging from 4-7 m) for studies of Guam coastal waters. A flowing seawater system allows for the maintenance of live organisms.

The research topics studied at the Marine Laboratory are directed toward investigating areas of concern to Guam and Micronesia. Research activities have focused on the structure and function of coral reef communities, and field research has always been an important component of research projects at the Lab. Our research programs include community ecology, ichthyology, chemical ecology, marine microbiology, biogeochemistry, larval biology, genetics of reef fishes, systematics, evolutionary biology, tropical fisheries, and aquaculture. In conjunction with these studies, synoptic collections of invertebrates (especially corals and molluscs), seaweeds, and fishes have been developed.

The UOGML offers a two-year program leading to a Master of Science in Biology degree. The program is centered at the Marine Lab and is administered by the Graduate Program Coordinator through the Office of the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences. The Laboratory's facilities support thesis research for 12-18 resident graduate students year-round. Undergraduate courses in Marine Biology, Natural History of Guam, Ichthyology, and Biometrics are also offered at the UOGML by Marine Lab faculty .

Terry J. Donaldson, Ph.D., Ichthyology, behavioral ecology, biogeography
Alexander M. Kerr, Ph.D., Marine invertebrates; holothuroid and cnidarian systematics
Jennifer L. McIlwain, Ph.D., Fish population biology; fisheries biology
Laurie Raymundo, Ph.D., Coral diseases, coral reef resource management
Robert Rowan, Ph.D., Molecular and evolutionary biology
Tom Schils, Ph.D., Phycology; marine algal biogeography
Peter J. Schupp, Ph.D., Marine chemical ecology, natural products chemistry
Barry D. Smith, M.Sc., Marine advisory services, malacology, conservation biology

Guam, a U.S. Territory, is located at 13° N latittude and 143° E longitude. Guam is the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Archipelago. The UOGML is uniquely situated near a variety of thriving coral reef habitats that are easily accessible by land and by small boats. Guam's coastal waters contain more than 220 species of benthic marine algae, 267 species of scleratinian corals, 1400+ species of molluscs, and 880 species of coral reef fishes.

The laboratory is administered by a Director who is selected from the faculty to serve for three years on a rotational basis.

Director
University of Guam Marine Laboratory
Mangilao, Guam, USA 96923
Telephone: (671) 735-2175; Fax: (671) 734-6767
E-mail: akerr@guam.uog.edu
Web Site: http://www.uog.edu/marinelab