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.
