SUNDAY 3 MARCH 2019 – UWI TODAY
23
CAMPUS NEWS
“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 ProfessorMohammed.
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.
Graduate students celebrated at
SECOND SCHOLARSHIP BREAKFAST
B Y P R O F E S S O R P A T R I C I A M O H A M M E D A N D C H E L S E A S E E T A H A L
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 ofThe
UWI’s students to funding partners and the wider campus
community.
Two valedictorians fromdifferent 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 changedmy 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 inmulti-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, seniormanagement
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.
Angélica Rodríguez
Bencosme, PhD student:
‘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.’
Thirty graduate scholarship recipients and their supervisors at the Scholarship Breakfast. Professor Patricia Mohammed is seated at the front.
