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The national program recruits high-potential early-career scientists and engineers and supports their research training through a master鈥檚 or doctorate program at a U.S.-accredited institution. After an extensive review process, Mu帽oz was notified that she was one of 2,000 awardees selected as a fellowship recipient for 2019. More than 12,000 students typically apply.

鈥淚 still can鈥檛 wrap my head around it,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople from the science community say that once you get this, you鈥檙e set for life.鈥�

As an NSF graduate research fellow, Mu帽oz will receive an annual stipend of $34,000 for three years within the five-year fellowship period along with a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the institution in which she enrolls.

鈥淲e鈥檙e extremely proud of Sefa and know that she will go far,鈥� said Austin Shelton, director of UOG Sea Grant and investigator on two NSF-funded grant projects at UOG. 鈥淪he is only the second UOG alum to be selected for this prestigious fellowship. We look forward to her returning home with graduate degrees and continuing to help our island.鈥�

The first UOG student to be selected was biology major Jerilyn Calaor last year. Shelton said the Sea Grant program will continue seeking opportunities to increase its research capacity, research training for students, and benefits to the community.

A calling to help the haggan

Mu帽oz received her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology from UOG鈥檚 College of Natural & Applied Sciences in May 2017. During her studies, she availed of several opportunities to take internships abroad for research projects, including studying avian bioacoustics in Costa Rica and deep-sea microbiology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. But she always came back to Guam鈥檚 native green sea turtles, or haggan.

鈥淚 felt like I assumed responsibility for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t all started at UOG when my class got a visit from the Department of Agriculture鈥檚 sea turtle expert. She asked for volunteers for Haggan Watch, and I signed up. I learned so much about monitoring, and I just loved being around the turtles.鈥�

As a sea turtle biologist, Mu帽oz spends most of her mornings at the beaches on Andersen Air Force Base for turtle monitoring and nesting excavation.

Upon verifying a nest, Mu帽oz conducts inventory to determine hatching success. Guam鈥檚 green sea turtle is endangered, so it is important that close monitoring is done so that potential dangers to its population are identified and mitigated, she said.

Joining a bigger current

In February, Mu帽oz attended the 2019 International Sea Turtle Symposium in Charleston, S.C., where she presented data on green sea turtle nesting activity on the Air Force base. She also had the opportunity to meet Christine Figgener, the sea turtle expert whose team received international acclaim after capturing footage of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose. The video started a worldwide movement to ban plastic straws.

鈥淭he conference was so inspiring,鈥� she said. 鈥淕etting together with people who also work with sea turtles every day motivated me even more to pursue this field. It also made me want to stay and work on Guam. Just being there really showed me how unique Guam is.鈥�

Inviting others to action

The other half of her job consists of extensive outreach in the community, from schools to public fairs and festivals. Mu帽oz gathers the information from her work and presents it to the public so that residents are aware of the ongoing conservation efforts that benefit Guam鈥檚 native species and natural resources.

鈥淭he more you know about something, the more you can help protect it,鈥� she said.

Most recently, she delivered a presentation of her work experience as a Seed Talk at the 10th UOG Regional Conference on Island Sustainability. In a similar format to TED Talks, Mu帽oz shared how plastic waste on Guam is harmful to the native sea turtles and that the community should adopt sustainable habits to prevent further harm of the species. Her call to action 鈥� 鈥減ick up three, use three, and tell three鈥� 鈥� encouraged people to be good stewards of the land by picking up trash, using reusable water bottles, bags, and cutlery, and telling others to do the same.

鈥榃here my heart is鈥�

While she hasn鈥檛 made official where she plans to continue her education, she said she is excited to continue her research proposal that she submitted to NSF 鈥� understanding mating strategies and the sex ratio for green sea turtles born in Guam in the face of ongoing climate change, as warmer conditions breed more females, which could become problematic for the green sea turtle population as a whole. With her research, she hopes to establish a baseline of data for the nesting population of sea turtles on Guam so that the impacts of climate change on the species can be measured over the years.

鈥淭his is where my heart is. I want to do my research here,鈥� she said.