Steven Young-Uhk

Biography

Steven will be joining the Vegetable Horticulture program as a PhD student in the Department of Horticulture. He earned his BS in Agriculture and a Postgraduate Diploma from the University of the South Pacific (1999, Samoa; 2007, Fiji) and his MS in Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources from the University of Guam (2022, Guam). Steven has worked for over 20 years at the College of Micronesia-Federated States of Micronesia (COM-FSM). He is currently the Vice President for the Department of Cooperative Research and Extension, responsible for administering and managing research projects and extension programs in agriculture and food security, sustainable aquaculture, climate change, health and nutrition, and youth development for his island communities. He is also the lead person for the College’s components of a Green Climate Fund project, “Climate resilient food security for farming households across the Federated States of Micronesia,” focusing on enhancing the food security of vulnerable households by introducing climate-smart agriculture practices to sustain and increase production of staple crops across the islands. Steven will conduct his research for his PhD program by exploring the use and feasibility of washed-up seagrass in sweet potato cultivation and vegetable production to address the challenges of island agriculture and food production systems. In his spare time, Steven enjoys reef fishing, participating in village work and community development projects, and spending time with his family.