March 2019


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“No other institution lends the support that UWI does,” said graduate student Riyadh Mohammed.

An MPhil candidate in livestock science, Mohammed was speaking as a valedictorian at The School for Graduate Studies and Research’s (SGSR) second Scholarship Breakfast. He continued:

“My colleagues and I often chat among ourselves and the topic is usually how life is tough but we thank UWI for this scholarship to get us through these times. As young researchers and scientists, our duty must be to make this world a better place than we found it.”

SGSR hosted its second Scholarship Breakfast on November 30, 2018 to celebrate The UWI’s 2018/2019 scholarship recipients. The University Inn and Conference Centre was filled with elated students, supervisors, industry partners and several of our senior management staff. The first Scholarship Breakfast was held in March 2018 for students who gained scholarships from 2015 to 2017. The event is now anticipated annually, with the support of Graduate Studies and Research at the St Augustine Campus and the Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) of Graduate Studies and Research.

The breakfast was chaired by Professor Patricia Mohammed, Director of the SGSR. Mr David Moses, Campus Registrar, welcomed the audience with opening remarks on behalf of the Principal, Deputy Principal and himself. Professor Stephan Gift, PVC of Graduate Studies and Research, addressed the audience on the importance of research to innovation and entrepreneurship.

Apart from sharing a delicious Trinidadian breakfast and activities that included quizzes and event prizes donated by the Alma Jordan Library (AJL) and the Faculty of Engineering, the aim of the scholarship breakfast is to focus attention on students given funding by the University.

“When we invest in students who have shown promise, we are harnessing excellence, and recognising those who have proven themselves worthy,” says Professor Mohammed.

The Scholarship Breakfast recognises students’ achievements, shows appreciation to supervisors, increases interdisciplinary networking among students, spreads knowledge of student research, and encourages research opportunities with industry and the community.

Everyone at the breakfast was encouraged to interact through mixed seating arrangements and pay recognition to the importance of their supervisors. The formal programme was designed to demonstrate the calibre of The UWI’s students to funding partners and the wider campus community.

Two valedictorians from different faculties were invited to represent their fellow students, Riyadh Mohammed and Ms Angélica Rodríguez Bencosme, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Gender and Development Studies.

Bencosme, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, said, “luckily, what I have experienced at The UWI has been a before and after. It has changed my life forever, for the better. I look forward to completing this degree successfully and giving back to the UWI and to the Caribbean as it has given so much to me. I hope you understand that by committing to our current scholarships, we’ve begun to give back!”

To further expand the opportunities for students to have a more fulfilling graduate experience the SGSR; partnering with the Office of Research, Development and Knowledge Transfer; the AJL and Faculties, announced a graduate student innovation challenge. Ms Tennille Fanovich, Administrative Officer of the SGSR outlined the scope and objectives of the competition. The competition was scheduled to be rolled out in 2019 and aims to give graduate students an opportunity to participate in a creative extra-curricular activity toward solving a problem that affects the campus community. Students are encouraged to work in multi-disciplinary groups. The innovation challenge is designed to give students an opportunity to apply their training in real-world situations.

“The UWI is a microcosm of environmental, social, economic and cultural aspects of the country and even the region,” said Fanovich. “By allowing students access to information and facilities on the campus to fully investigate the proposed problem and test solutions, we hope to help them see how they can impact their society.”

As an example of the innovation that can emerge from any discipline, Professor Mohammed displayed the conference outcomes of the Research and Development Impact (RDI) funded “Work Life Balance and Ageing in Trinidad” project. Launched in May 2015, the project led to several initiatives with industry.

Following the Scholarship Breakfast, SGSR thanked all students, supervisors, industry partners, senior management and other specially invited guests. A special thank you was given to PVC Gift for his support of the breakfast. The graduate students themselves gave extremely positive feedback on the event. Several students indicated that the breakfast did not just celebrate their successes, but motivated them tremendously to continue to strive for the best.

Professor Patricia Mohammed is Professor of Gender and Cultural Studies and the Director of the School for Graduate Studies and Research. She has been at the forefront of academic teaching, research and administration for decades, and has made an important contribution to Caribbean feminist activism and scholarship.

Chelsea Seetahal is a research assistant at the School for Graduate Studies and Research. She has completed her undergraduate degree in business management and is currently pursuing her MBA in human resource management.