News Releases

International Conference to honor UWI Scholar

For Release Upon Receipt - February 1, 2008

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine will host the first conference of the Latin American & Caribbean Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (LACCOTAM) from February 13-14, 2008. The conference will be held in honor of Professor Harold Ramkissoon on the dual occasion of his retirement and on his 65th birthday.

The conference is co-sponsored by the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM), the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and The University of the West Indies. It is organised jointly by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Department of Civil Engineering at UWI St. Augustine, Trinidad, as well as the Institute of Theoretical Physics, State University of Sao Paulo (IFT-UNESP, Brazil) and the Centro Nacional de Cálculo Científico of the Universidad de Los Andes (CeCalCULA).

Prof. Ramkissoon will present the first keynote address, titled “A Journey into the Past.” Among the international scholars participating in this conference are Prof. K. Sreenivasan, Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics (Italy); Prof. N. Gupta, Henry Ford Chair Emeritus Professor of the Indian Institute of Technology (India); Prof. F. Malpica, former Rector of the Universidad de Simon Bolivar (Venezuela); Prof. E. Pelinovsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia); Prof. Hendrik Kuhlmann (Austria); Professor Roberto A. Kraenkel (Brazil); and Prof. J. L. Mansot (Guadeloupe).

Prof. Ramkissoon is one of the world’s leading experts in the mathematical theory of a class of complex fluids called micropolar. Out of his over 75 international publications, 25 are in this area of micropolar fluid theory. For his contribution to research, Prof. Ramkissoon has been the recipient of a Personal Chair in Applied Mathematics at The University of the West Indies, (the first West Indian to be so honoured), an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (Germany), a Fulbright Fellowship (USA), a Third World of Academy of Sciences Fellowship (China), a CARICOM Science Award, the Academic Gold Medal of Universidad de Simon Bolivar, membership in the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, Venezuela, The Caribbean and the Third World and the Chaconia Gold Medal. He has been an Invited Scientist to several leading universities including Princeton, Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Goettingen and the Indian Institute of Science.

In addition, a number of Professor Ramkissoon’s past students will be commemorating his retirement with an “Evening of Appreciation” on April 19, 2008.

For more information on the “Evening of Appreciation”, contact Ms. Janice Joseph at JaniceJoseph63@hotmail.com or (868) 620 5288.

ABOUT UWIThe University of the West Indies (UWI) is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

For more information on the LACCOTAM Conference, contact Dr Shanaz Wahid, Head, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at shanaz.wahid@sta.uwi.edu or (868) 662 2002 Ext 3081.

Contact

  • Dr Shanaz Wahid, Head

  • Faculty/Department

    Faculty of Science & Agriculture
    Maths & Computer Science

  • Tel.: (868) 662 2002 Ext 3081
  • Email: shanaz.wahid@sta.uwi.edu