The Pew Charitable Trusts organization recently awarded Yimnang Golbuu, CEO and Chief Researcher of the Palau International Coral Reef Center a 2013 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to assess the connectivity of marine protected areas in Palau. PICRC researchers and colleagues developed a hydrodynamic model to track coral and fish larvae as they move through the ocean.

The prestigious Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation is awarded annually to outstanding global leaders or teams working to preserve and protect the world's oceans and marine species. Dr. Golbuu will determine the best design for an expanded protected area network and use oceanographic models to identify priority locations for additional reserves to protect the country's biodiversity.

Dr. Golbuu is currently a co-principal investigator of a National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science's (NCCOS)-supported project 'Linking Coral Reefs, Coastal Watersheds, and Human Communities in the Pacific Islands: Using a Science to Management Approach.' The hydrodynamic model upon which his Pew Fellowship is based was funded in part by NCCOS.