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September 2014
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The Department of Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago is the first recipient of the newly implemented Vice-Chancellor's Departmental Award for Excellence. Professor Jonas Addae from the Department of Preclinical Sciences at the St. Augustine Campus will be recognised for his accomplishments in teaching. Professor Simon Mitchell, Head of the Department of Geography & Geology, and Professor Marvin Reid, Director of the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, will receive the honour for their research accomplishments while Professor Hopeton Dunn, Director of the Caribbean Institute of Media & Communication, will be honoured for his contributions to public service. All three are at the Mona Campus in Jamaica. The history of the Department of Life Sciences dates back to 1922. Among its exemplary accomplishments, the Award recognises its well managed processes and procedures, data driven decision-making, student and stakeholder centred development, innovation and demonstration of a results-oriented focus. In the last four years, the Department of Life Sciences has earned external funding in excess of 4.3 million US dollars, won The University’s 2012 Award for the most productive research department and a campus award for the most successful project for its work on the Caroni Swamp Research and Development Impact Fund. In the last decade, its teaching accomplishments have been reflected in an estimated 46% increase in the year-one student pass rate and transition to the advance part of the degree. Professor Addae, Professor of Physiology in the Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences at the St. Augustine Campus, has made a stellar contribution to teaching at The University. He has served as the Head and Principal of the Preclinical Sciences Department and, since 2008, has occasionally acted as Dean of the Faculty. He was one of the winners of the first UWI/Guardian Life Premium Teaching Awards held in 2000. Professor Addae describes his teaching methodology as intended to generate in students the passion to learn new information using an inquiry based teaching method, in which students generate most of the relevant questions rather than being given the questions by the lecturer. He is an advocate of contextual learning as well as learning outside of the classroom and believes in the importance of students understanding their learning skills. As such, for more than a decade, Professor Addae has been conducting learning skills sessions for first-year students in all schools of the Faculty. Since 1994, The UWI’s Vice-Chancellor has been recognising and rewarding outstanding performance by academic and senior administrative staff. In the 2012 to 2013 academic year, a departmental award for excellence was added, allowing for one annual award valued at US$10,000 to be made to any department, institute, section, site, research unit, or centre that clearly demonstrates the highest commitment to quality, to service and operational excellence. The 2014 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence will take place on October 27 at the Mona Visitors' Lodge and Conference Centre at The UWI in Jamaica. |
The UWI will recognise an entire department as well as four faculty members at its Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence Ceremony this October.