Representatives from the BSU Institute of Social Research and Development (ISRD), College of Nursing (CN), College of Social Sciences (CSS), and the University of Guam (UOG) gathered for a discussion on possible Research and Extension (R&E) collaboration at the R&E Everlasting Hall, on March 16.         Dr. Johnny G. Dati Sr., Vice President for R&E, remarked that collaboration enables organizations to support each other by leveraging, combining, and capitalizing on complementary strengths and capabilities of both universities. “Because of these benefits of collaboration, funding agencies have increasingly required collaboration as the condition of support,” he observed. 

During the discussion, CSS Extension Coordinator, Dr. Ruth S. Batani and CN Dean, Dr. Vicente Panagan Jr., shared the agenda and extension programs of the two colleges. In exchange, UOG Professors Dr. Tricia Lizama and Dr. Tressa Diaz also shared their research on some of the indigenous practices of Guam. 

Dr. Diaz emphasized the importance of community involvement in conducting research on any indigenous groups or community, commenting that it is something that has often been unheeded in the past. “As the lead for community outreach, our job is to try to build a bridge between research and community because we know that research speaks one language and community speaks another language. We also know as (being part of an) indigenous people… that historically, there have been many times when research has not been kind… when we’ve been researched on instead of being researched with as a community,” she said. 

BSU and UOG representatives further expressed their desire to continue building collaborative research by setting up a webinar on how to write research proposals for funding. In her closing remarks, Ms. Freda Kate D. Samuel, ISRD Division Chief-Gender and Development, thanked both parties for their active and interactive participation in the event. She also acknowledged the similarities and differences between the two cultures and hoped for continued learning from each other. The discussion was a step towards building stronger research and extension programs that benefit both institutions and respective communities.//CANapiloy