2026 WERI Guam Advisory Council Meeting
Guam USA · Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) · Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Doors open 8:30 AM
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Fort Santa Cruz & San Rafael, Dusit Beach Resort Hotel, Guam
The annual meeting is a forum for discussion of water resources management and development, and exchange of thoughts about solutions to issues relevant to freshwater resources in Guam. The meeting will start with greetings and introduction of participants, the WERI director’s talk about WERI and USGS 104b program, and be followed by presentations on current and completed projects. Round table discussions will be focused on research, education, training needs and outreach activities, and feedback. A questionnaire form will be distributed to collect topics on updated research and training needs in water
resources management and development in Guam.
WERI organizes the annual Advisory Council Meetings for the Western Pacific, including Guam, FSM, and CNMI. These meetings engage a diverse audience from government agencies, the military, private sectors, and other interested parties. WERI uses these meetings to present updates on its mission, vision, and recent research achievements, and to provide expert perspectives on water resources, water quality, climatology, groundwater modeling, and information access. The meetings also serve as a platform to solicit research interests and concerns from participants.
Register Now
Should you wish to participate, please send your name and contact information to UOG-Global Learning Engagement at uog.gle@triton.uog.edu or call 671-735-2600/01 and look for Mr. Daniel Ragmar.
Kindly RSVP by May 15, 2026.
Agenda
- 08:30 AM | Doors Open
- 09:00 AM | Welcoming Remarks & Introduction – Dr. Hiroshan Hettiarachchi, Director, WERI
- 09:10 AM | Overview of WERI and USGS 104B Program – Dr. Ross Miller, Interim Associate Director, WERI
- 09:30 AM | Addressing Knowledge Gaps in Guam’s Land Cover History Through Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing | Ms. Nicole S. Mathews, Research Assistant III, WERI (Presenter); Dr. Yuming Wen, Professor, WERI
- 09:50 AM | Data Transfer and Online Resources: The Guam Hydrologic Survey Website and Data Visualization Projects – Ms. Dannika Kate Valerio, Research Assistant III, WERI (Presenter); Dr. Nathan Habana, Associate Professor, WERI
- 10:10 AM | Application of the integrated Ridge-to-Reef management to the Apra Harbor, Guam | Ms. Adriana Chang, Research Assistant III, WERI (Presenter); Dr. Chris Yeo, Associate Professor, WERI
- 10:30 AM | Break
- 10:40 AM | Hydrogeological Forensic Study for PFAS contamination of groundwater in Hagatnas, Guam – Dr. Juhee Kim, Korea University (Presenter), Dr. Soonja Lee, Dr. Barry Kim, Associate Professor, WERI
- 11:00 AM | Quantitative Assessment of PFAS Releases from Septic Systems in Guam| Dr. Barry Kim, Associate Professor, WERI (Presenter); Claire Marzan, Research Assistant III, WERI; Ferdinand Galsim, Daneil Encio
- 11:20 AM | 2025 Seasonal Recap, Rainfall, and a Look Ahead – Mr. William Brandon Aydlett, National Weather Service, Guam (Presenter)
- 11:40 AM | Roundtable Discussions
- 12:00 PM | Lunch Buffet, Questionnaire Forms