By: Yuji Chibana, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI MĀNOA
Alii and Aloha! My name is Yuji Chibana; I grew up in the Republic of Palau and I transferred to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and I am currently a senior achieving a degree in Marine Biology Bachelor of Science. I want to use my degree to get into coral research and conservation. During any free time I get, I generally do not do anything too extreme but I do enjoy playing volleyball along with being outdoors and appreciating nature.
Palau is not just a place where I will conduct my research, it is my home where I have great cultural ties. Our culture impairs us to be conscious of our surroundings and how we as people of the land affect nature; to be Palauan or a Pacific Islander is to acknowledge the ocean as not a resource but rather a living organism we live in tandem with. My love for nature and respect for my cultural values has pushed me to pursue my degree in Marine Biology to better help my island’s coral reefs. I believe indigenous scientists contribute substantially to science, especially when concerning our people, culture, and spaces. Coral reefs are one such space and entity that is integral to many Pacifica cultures and nations.
Coral reefs worldwide have been devastated by changing climates and anthropogenic stressors. My research will be focusing on corals found in Ngermid Bay in Palau where, despite increased temperatures and lowered pH levels, there are significant coral communities. Studies of this bay are limited and conducting research on this area would expand knowledge on both Ngermid Bay and coral response to changing climates. My project will be examining skeletal structures of a common reef-building coral, Porites lobata, from different sites around the bay. This research will contribute to existing knowledge of skeletal structure on P. lobata, and will
provide further information on how harsh environmental conditions can potentially affect the anatomy of this species.
I will be working in the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) for the entirety of the summer, after which I will be returning to Hawaiʻi for the fall. There are several goals I am aiming to accomplish while in Palau. I intend to collect the coral skeleton and DNA samples for later analysis, shadow and intern under professionals in my field, conduct outreach and educational efforts regarding marine sciences and climate change to the general public, and network with people and organizations within the field of marine sciences. PICRC has a research department filled with terrestrial and marine biologists, ecologists, aquarists, and conservation experts, which I intend to gain as much knowledge from. PICRC also has an outreach department specializing in creating programs that are utilized to disseminate scientific and conservation information to the general public along with creating community involvements and relationships. Using PICRC as a common link, I want to connect with other people and organizations that share the same goals as I do in order to create pathways for any potential future endeavors both in and out of Palau.
I look forward to not only laying the foundation of my research in Palau, but to also connect and help my community and people.
Mesulang and Mahalo!
Picture of myself on my first week at the Palau International Coral Reef Center. The
background consists of seabed tanks and the Ngermalk limestone rock islands.
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