07/08/2026
Moana family, we love it when our students are proactive in their educational journey by seizing opportunities to contribute to studies and efforts to SAVE OUR MOANA.
At the ASCC Science department, we highlight and celebrate our student wins, local and off island. Please help us congratulate three ASCC students, Sio Kim (Marine Science), Atalina Masoe and Danytra Tigilau (Nursing students), who just completed an intense weeklong Advanced Computing Student Collaborative training in Honolulu, Hawaii.
When asked what the key takeaway from this training was, Mr. Sio Kim shared the following response: "Working on this presentation taught me a lot about reef science and how research works. I learned about different ways scientists study reefs, like ROVs, belt transects, and quadrats. I also learned why it’s important to collect data for multiple years because reefs can naturally change over time. Looking at Japan’s monitoring after the 2011 earthquake helped me understand how we can use past data to see how the environment changes after a major event. It also made me realize that American Samoa has a chance to collect data before seabed mining happens, so we can compare it to the data after. I also worked with real data from BISMaL, JAMSTEC, PacIOOS, and NOAA. I used Python and Jupyter Notebook to create graphs for my presentation, which was new to me. I learned that research isn’t just finding information online. You have to use real data and evidence to support what you’re saying, especially when it’s about something that could affect American Samoa."
Congratulations, students! We hope your hard work and dedication to studying and gathering data will contribute to the ongoing efforts by many local and federal organizations to . Have a safe journey home, and we look forward to seeing everyone in the Fall 2026 semester!
**Special thanks to our ASCC Science Lab Technician, Ms. Raijeli Veresoma, for her ongoing support in helping our ASCC Science Majors find research internships.
