8
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 2ND AUGUST, 2015
OUR CAMPUS
The Smart Start programme
was designed to support
prospective Trinidadian students who have applied to
The UWI and are awaiting acceptance. This year, 504)
prospective students attended. Some of the key objectives
were:
1) To prepare prospective students to become aware of the
realities, demands and responsibilities of university life
2) To understand the purpose of higher education and the
mission of The UWI
3) To allow students to navigate the physical environment
of the campus and to understand the services available
to them
4) To facilitate an opportunity for students to connect
with their peers
Patricia Brown spoke on issues regarding the admission
process, including acceptance information being emailed
to students. She admonished the students to become
responsible university students, who are willing to take
charge of their own learning.
This year more entertainment elements were added to
make the overall programme more appealing. One piece
was done by student dancers from DCFA and the other a
pan performance by soloist Adrian Jaikaran.
Feedback from the students highlighted that overall
they enjoyed the programme and they would recommend
Smart Start to other prospective students. Majority of
prospective students said they understood the purpose of
attending a university and what it means to be university
students. Overall the students were very appreciative to
have the opportunity to attend the Smart Start programme.
Starting Smart @ The UWI
“Make an impact in 54 hours”
was the task at hand for UWI
Computer Science students, David Charles andWarren O’Connell
when they competed in the local edition of
Startup Weekend
, a
global technology driven competition powered by Google. The
local leg, titled
Startup Weekend to Improve Lives, Trinidad and
Tobago
took place on June 12-14 and saw participation from local
technologists and budding entrepreneurs. The competition was
co-sponsored by the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB).
Startup Weekend
takes place in over 100 countries annually
and challenges budding entrepreneurs to develop innovative
ideas and make them a reality. Local participants were invited to
pitch ideas, and through collaboration with other enthusiasts at
the event, were expected to build a product that could potentially
improve lives. Additionally, teams were asked to create a concept
and develop a business model and market plan all within 54
hours. David andWarren, together with their teammates, certainly
made an impact, taking home the top honour at the end of the
competition for their app,
Mobile Donate
.
For David andWarren, participating in competitions such as
Startup Weekend
has become a hobby of sorts. Along with two of
their classmates, Aaron Yuk Low and Nicholas Mendez, the group
has taken an active interest in technology-driven competitions that
would allow them the opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired
in the classroom. This proactive approach to their education is
fuelled by their collective aspiration of starting their own company
one day. This time around however, David and Warren got an
edge for the
Startup Weekend
event, as their team mates came in
the form of mentors from the Campus Information Technology
Services (CITS) Office.
Derrick Lewis (Information Technology Officer), Abigail
Wren (E-learning Technical Specialist) andAkeemDeare (Software
Developer) lent their expertise to the students and it ultimately
made a difference for the team. Rounding off the group was
Maurice Garcia, a graphic designer the teammet during the event.
David, 22, who is currently a student intern at CITS, attributes
the win to the guidance his team received from their CITSmentors.
“I have entered competitions before with my other friends, but we
never came first, we would come second or third. I really think the
mentorship made the difference because they helped us especially
with the business and market development part, we really relied
on their knowledge and experience,” he said.
As is the tradition, this year’s
StartupWeekend
culminatedwith
a series of presentations to local and international entrepreneurial
leaders who determine the viability of each product and provide
critical feedback.
Mobile Donate
, which was conceptualised by
David, was named the overall winner by the judges. The mobile
app provides persons with the capability to make contributions to
causes/charities through the use of their mobile devices.
David said that he got inspiration for the app when he was
watching television one day and felt the desire to help but felt
he could not do so easily. While the app is not yet available for
download, the team is working assiduously on its completion in
preparation for the REACH Caribbean Innovation Competition
(CIC) competition.
A major challenge the team faced at the competition was the
negativity from naysayers. “We had a lot of naysayers, at one time
we were surrounded by a crowd of persons saying it would not
work. But one of the main things we learnt from the competition
was the importance of guarding an idea, staying positive and not
losing steam,” Derrick summed.
Overall, the teamadmits that the experience was motivational
and they are excited about the next chapter. Following the
TeamUWI wins at Google’s
StartupWeekend
B y S h a n e l l e G l a s g o w
competition, the team is now automatically entered into the
REACH Caribbean Innovation Competition (CIC), a regional
contest which will take place in August.
The REACH Caribbean Innovation Competition (CIC) is
a regional contest and business start-up accelerator for young
entrepreneurs. With financing from the IDB’s Regional Public
Goods Initiative, the REACH Project will be executed The
University of the West Indies in partnership with the World
Intellectual Property Organization and the Young Americas
Business Trust.
“I am most looking forward to winning,” David joked. “We
have triumphed this past year in a lot of different competitions, but
the experience and knowledge we gained is the best part,” he added.
He also ended by saying that he hopes the team’s experience would
inspire other students to realize their true potential: “We want to
show people that they can have success while still being students.”
Shanelle Glasgow is a projects & events Officer in The University’s Marketing and Communications office on the St Augustine Campus.
Left to right: Abigail Wren (E-learning Technical Specialist), Warren O’Connell (Computer Science Student),
Maurice Garcia (Graphic Designer), Derrick Lewis (Information Technology Officer), David Charles (Computer Science
student), Akeem Deare (Software Developer)
