News Releases

UWI Climate Change expert to receive 2019 ANSA Caribbean

For Release Upon Receipt - December 17, 2018

UWI


Climate Scientist Professor Michael Taylor of The University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus has been named among the 2019 laureates for the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.

Professor Taylor who was recently appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Mona Campus will receive the ANSA Award for Excellence in Science and Technology.  A UWI alumnus, Professor Taylor has done outstanding work in the area of climate change. He has been the Director of the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM) since 2007 and has successfully positioned the CSGM as a centre of regional thought and expertise with respect to climate change science and the leading centre for coordinating regional climate modelling efforts. Professor Taylor also serves on a number of national and regional boards and committees. He is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Board in Jamaica’s Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and served as a member of the Advisory Panel on Climate Change for the Ministry of Land, Water, Environment and Climate Change from 2012-2016.

Not surprisingly, Professor Taylor’s research which has produced over 100 publications and garnered over US$ 20 million in research grants and funding for The UWI has focused on determining the scientific impact of climate change in the Caribbean islands. His work has been invaluable in shaping the understanding of the region’s vulnerability to climate change; building Caribbean Climate databases; developing climate tools and improving our ability to predict Caribbean climate on seasonal timescales. These practical and timely solutions are celebrated at The UWI as the kinds of contributions that demonstrate the university’s close alignment with Caribbean needs, as set out in the 2017-2022 Triple A Strategy strategic plan.

Extending congratulations and commenting on the announcement Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles said, “We are very pleased that Professor Taylor has joined the growing list of UWI experts who have received the prestigious award and congratulate him on his sterling contribution to the Caribbean. Our University has always taken responsibility for producing the solutions to the region’s problems. When our change champions are recognized outside of our walls it is a welcomed salute, our people however are largely driven by our collective bid to become an increasingly activist university which is closely aligned to the needs of the region. This is what makes us most proud of Professor Taylor’s achievements.”

 

The UWI recognised Professor Michael Taylor’s valuable work when he was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in 2013. This year, he was also among the Climate Studies Group at the Mona Campus which received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in International Collaboration (Globalisation Award) for the Regional Climate Science Initiative (RCSI) Project.

Since 2005 the ANSA McAl Foundation has awarded outstanding contributors in the fields of Arts and Letters, Entrepreneurship, Public and Civic Contributions, and Science and Technology through the ANSA Caribbean Awards for Excellence. Professor Michael Taylor will join fellow awardees Danielle Dieffenthaller – Filmmaker, Trinidad (Arts & Letters); Kimala Bennett – Media Entrepreneur, Jamaica (Entrepreneurship); Cory Lane – Civic Activist, Barbados (Public & Civic Contributions) at a ceremony to be held in Barbados on March 30, 2019. Each will receive a citation, an award medal and TTD $500,000.00 toward their work. 

 

For more on the ANSA Caribbean Awards for Excellence visit www.ansacaribbeanawards.com. 

 

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About The UWI 

For the past 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region. In 2018, The UWI celebrates its evolution from 1948 as a university college in Jamaica with 33 medical students to an internationally respected regional university with near 50,000 students. Today, The UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and an Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. Its seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. The UWI has been a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of our people. As the regional institution commemorates its 70th anniversary milestone, it will celebrate its students, faculty, administrators, alumni, governments, and partners in the public and private sector. The anniversary commemoration will focus on reflection as well as projection for the future with an emphasis on social justice and the economic transformation of the region. Website: www.uwi.edu and www.uwi.edu/70 .

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

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