ORTT, Chaconia Gold and more for St Augustine Campus
Education, advocacy, community service, culture, research, science – on September 24, Republic Da, the nation celebrated the outstanding contributions of those in these fields and others at the 2022 National Awards. Several members of The UWI St Augustine campus community were recipients of some of T&T’s highest honours at the ceremony hosted by the Office of the President of Trinidad and Tobago.
Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, warmly congratulated the 2022 National Award recipients, thanking them for their contributions to The UWI and the wider community.
“Your dedication and talents that you have shared with your community brought you to this point, and you richly deserve this mark of success,” said Principal Antoine. “I am sure you and your families are overjoyed with this national recognition. We, in the St Augustine campus community, share in your joy and are so proud of your inspiring achievements!”She also extended congratulations to Mr Darren Paul, an employee of the Bursary at the St Augustine Campus and father of Hummingbird Medal (Gold) recipient and sportsperson Nicholas Paul.
Dr Sterling Frost, Professor of Practice – Management Studies at UWI St Augustine and Chairman of The UWI Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF), received the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for Distinguished and Outstanding Service in the spheres of banking, education and community service. He said the acknowledgment was “a privilege and honour”.
“I am humbled to be considered amongst the members of the Distinguished Society of Trinidad and Tobago,” commented Dr Frost. “I continue to pursue standards of excellence wherever I serve, and having received the nation’s highest award, I am strengthened in my resolve to contribute more meaningfully every day towards the improvement of our people and this country which I love.”
Professor Christine Carrington, recipient of the Chaconia Medal (Gold) for her leadership in molecu-lar genetics and virology, said she was “truly honoured and very pleased” that her body of work over the last 30 years and expertise have been valued by Trinidad and Tobago.
“The work for which I have been recognised would not have been possible without the support and hard work of many individuals, particularly the graduate students and technicians in my research group at the UWI, and our collaborators both within and outside of the UWI,” she explained.
She was also very grateful for the award, she said, because her work is in basic research (seeking to advance knowledge) rather than applied research (finding a solution to a specific problem).
“Since basic research is not always of immediate and obvious relevance, it can be a particularly hard sell in a setting such as ours, where resources are limited. So, I am very grateful for the spotlight that the award shines on this type of work,” she said. “In addition to the scientific insights gained through it, it meant that we had the knowledge base, expertise and capacity required to help guide Trinidad and Tobago through the COVID-19 pandemic, and to contribute to public education and to the global body of knowledge.”
Professor Kit Fai Pun, Professor of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Education and Research, said his Hummingbird Medal (Gold) was “incredibly gratifying”.
“I am so thankful for this recognition in the spheres of Engineering Education and Research,” he told UWI TODAY, emphasising that “the award belongs to us – colleagues, researchers and everyone who devotes consistent work and commitments in our UWI community to foster engineering education and research.”
Dr Primnath Gooptar, Lecturer in Indian Cinema at The UWI Film Programme, received the Hum-mingbird Medal (Gold) for his singular contribution to national culture.
“It is a signal honour to receive this prestigious national award from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago,” said Dr Gooptar. “I consider it a lifetime achievement award.”
Dr Gooptar, who is a writer, biographer, social worker, cultural promoter, former school principal, and Hindi film scholar, thanked “all those who played a part in my journey to this point: my parents, my family, my siblings, my friends and the various organisations I worked with throughout the years.”
He added, “it is with all humility that I accept this award, not only on my behalf, but on behalf of all those who have played a role in this great achievement.”
Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, recipient of the Hummingbird (Gold) for education and volunteerism, said, “I am humbled by this award and glad that my years of ideas, voluntary work and writings have finally been publicly recognised.”
A historian whose advocacy work includes the reviving of International Men’s Day, Dr Teelucksingh said the award showed that UWI is “making a worthwhile contribution to improving our Caribbean society”.
Significantly, honorary graduates of The UWI were among these distinguished national award hold-ers, such as Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram, who received The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for Distinguished and Outstanding Service in the sphere of public health; and Ms Marina Salandy-Brown, Founder and President of the Bocas Lit Fest, for the Hummingbird Medal, Silver, for arts and literacy.
Dr Sterling Frost
Professor of Practice, Faculty of Social Sciences – The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for Distinguished and Outstanding Service, in the spheres of banking, education and community service
Professor Christine Carrington
Professor of Molecular Genetics and Virology at the Faculty of Medical Sciences – the Chaconia Medal (Gold) for leadership in molecular genetics and virology
Professor Gordon Rohlehr
Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Education – the Chaconia Medal (Silver) in the spheres of literature, culture, history and education
Ms Hazel Franco
Dance Coordinator, at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts – the Chaconia Medal (Silver) for her contribution to the performing arts
Professor Edgar Duncan
Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Food and Agriculture – the Chaconia Medal (Bronze) education and research
Professor Kit Fai Pun
Professor of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Education and Research at the Faculty of Engineering – the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for engineering education and research
Dr Primnath Gooptar
Lecturer in Indian Cinema, The UWI Film Programme – the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for his singular contribution to national culture
Dr Jerome Teelucksingh
Senior Lecturer in History, Faculty of Humanities and Education – the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for education and volunteerism
Dr Gabrielle Hosein
Senior Lecturer, Institute of Gender and Development Studies – the Medal for the Development of Women (Gold) for her work in the sphere of public education and advocacy
