You have entered the website of the Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) at the University of Guam. We are currently six faculty and five staff and our mission is to seek solutions through research, teaching and outreach programs, to issues and problems associated with the location, production, distribution and management of freshwater resources in Guam, the CNMI and the FSM.
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Gary Denton, Ph.D Prof. Environmental Toxicology Phone: 671-735-2690 (fax 734-8890) (GMT+10 hrs) gdenton(weriguam)uguam.uog.edu?subject=Faculty - WeriGuam.org |
Hello and welcome to the website of the Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific, otherwise known as WERI. This recently updated version of our website provides you with a brief overview of the Institutes evolution and regional mission, and introduces you to the faculty and staff. It gives you a glimpse of our faculty research interests and the research programs they oversee. It also provides you with summaries of their recently completed research projects as well as those currently underway. Our research priorities are determined largely by local needs and are identified by stakeholders represented at our annual advisory council meetings. As a consequence, basic and applied research projects that focus on local water quantity and water quality problems are the order of the day. We are fortunate in having experienced, well rounded faculty with collective expertise in all major fields pertinent to the management, distribution and protection of water resources in the tropical Pacific region.
The current website has updated WERI's technical report listings. These reports are in pdf format for direct viewing and retrieval at your leisure. One may search the technical report data base by title, year, author and/or keywords in order to retrieve the report or reports that are of greatest interest to you. If, for any reason, you are unable to view a report, or have comments or suggestions for improvement to the website in general, please feel free to contact me at gdenton(weriguam)uguam.uog.edu?subject=Weriguam.org - Contact.
On behalf of the Institute, I would like to thank AJ Rosario and Ron Brigman, and their creative team at iCONPACIFIC for their inspiring redesign and upgrade of our previous website. We would also like to thank the Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, for funding this web renovation project through the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) Program. Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo deserves special mention here for continued interest and support of WERI and the WRRI program. Finally, we are indebted to the University of Guam and the people of Guam, the CNMI and the FSM, for their unfailing support of the ongoing water research programs we currently have underway at WERI.
The Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) was established at the University of Guam in May 1975. It is one of 55 institutes established by U.S. Congressional legislation at each Land Grant University in the United States and in several territories. Originally named Water and Energy Research Institute of the Western Pacific, WERI changed its name in 1998 in line with expanding research interests in water related areas of other disciplines, e.g., meteorology, geology, hydrology, geohydrology, engineering, environmental toxicology, environmental chemistry, mapping and modeling.
The role of the Institute is to facilitate and conduct high quality research that addresses water problems and water-related phenomena; train students, teachers and future water resource professionals, and disseminate research results to the community at large. Base support for WERI comes from the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) 104-B Program administered through the U.S. Geological Survey. The Institute also seeks funding for research projects from local and other federal sources.
Consistent with the regional role of the University, the Institute devotes part of its program effort to Western Pacific islands other than Guam. It is the only research center of its type in this geographic area and endeavors to respond to the unique conditions that exist here. WERI officially became the first Regional Water Resources Research Institute in the WRRI program by extending its mission to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in 1991 and to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI) in 1997. This designation has opened a broad new spectrum of research and service opportunities for the University of Guam.
WERI works closely with an Advisory Council established for each of its three regional entities. Each council is composed of representatives from various government departments that deal with water and water related issues, public and private sector engineers, environmentalists and planners as well as academics and interested members of the community. The Institute draws from the varied expertise of its research faculty members, University of Guam faculty, research affiliates from other universities, and local professionals.
