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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 2 JUNE 2019
SCIENCE & SOCIETY
“Science in Communities”
, FST’s week-long exhibition
showcased innovative products and services, including
alternative energy, industrial and laboratory equipment,
computer equipment, medical supplies and more.
Each day of Science and Technology Week was filled
with presentations on a wide range of research areas. Various
departments, as well as partners and sponsors, showed their
stuff at informative and interactive booths, with visiting
secondary school students especially in mind. All sessions
were free and open to the public.
At the opening ceremony, chaired byDr RicardoClarke,
Deputy Dean of Graduate Studies, Research and Innovation
in FST, participants were told about the aims of the expo.
Focusing on the “Science in Communities” theme,
FST Dean Dr Brian Cockburn said the Science and
Technology Week was all about “embracing innovation”,
while encouraging the idea of “learning science outside the
classroom or the lab... through community engagement”.
He made reference to American writer and futurist
Alvin Toffler’s famous quote: “The illiterate of the 21st
Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but
those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn,” stressing
the need for a more relevant mode of research and study.
He said his faculty was in the business of “training
students for jobs that have not yet been invented,” because
modern living was creating new and unforeseen needs.
But he assured: “A science education is a portable toolkit,”
allowing for adaptability.
“With a solid scientific foundation,” he said, “our
graduates will be ready.”
UWI Deputy Principal Professor Indar Ramnarine
congratulated FST teamon its Science and TechnologyWeek
initiative, expressing his hope that it would be the first of
many annual events.
He said there was a need to align the University’s
educational programmes with the needs of society, such as
green technologies, climate change amelioration and, most
importantly, more sustainable agricultural production. He
said the issue of increased crop productivity was crucial,
and he was proud to note that some of the Faculty’s work
was in the food production field.
He said the Science and TechnologyWeek would “make
the case to secondary school students,” and infuse themwith
the same passion for innovation.
Dr Patricia Mohammed, Director of Graduate
Studies and Research, praised the community focus of the
exposition, remarking that there was a lingering perception
that the University was an “ivory tower”, “disconnected from
the real problems of society”.
But she said UWI was evolving to ensure that subject
matter for research came “directly from the community”,
and that methods of data collection and the process of
communicatingfindingsweremore integratedwith the public.
Former President of the Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago, Justice Anthony Carmona advocated for climate
change amelioration as a focus of development.
He said “a role should be played by the University in
helping tomeet with the UnitedNations’ sustainability goals,
especially as “these outcomes have huge potential to change
people’s lives in the foreseeable future.
He focused on the need to ensure a reliable supply of
potable water as a pillar of industrial development and as
a basic human right.
Terry Mohammed, FST Deputy Dean of Outreach,
described the week’s schedule where each day covered
a different theme. The focus on the first day was on
Climate Change, Disaster Preparedness and Management,
Embracing Innovation
Sci-Tech Week shows off modern solutions
B Y G I L L I A N M O O R E
Environmental and Earth Sciences; Tuesday, Data
Application and its Management and Security, and
Information Technology. The spotlight fell on Energy,
Fuels, Green Technology, and Renewables on Wednesday;
and on Health, Safety, Medicine and Medical Technology,
Pharmaceuticals, and Wellness on Thursday. Highlight of
Friday’s presentations was a panel discussion on “Cannabis
– the Science and the Issues”, culminating in a closing
ceremony.
Participants were encouraged to visit the display booths
mounted by different departments and sponsors.
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics had
their area set up with logic and pattern games and a maze to
engage visiting students, along with information on different
career paths available to the Mathematics graduate.
VHMarketing Ltd’s booth showed some of the medical
equipment they supply, “from latex gloves to CT scan
machines”, as well as equipment for industry, science and
school labs, along with a line of wellness products.
Owner Keegan Harricharran said partnering with the
event was an “opportunity to invest in T&T by investing in
UWI’s graduating students”, as well as to offer internship
possibilities with a chance “for graduating students to find
a job in their field”.
In-Corr-Tech Ltd showcased their construction
services, including a Scanning Electron Microscope and
metallurgy lab in San Fernando.
The Seismic Research Centre’s spin-the-wheel game gave
visitors a chance to answer questions and win prizes, while
the Department of Physics displayed a solar energy-powered
circuit to show how clean energy can power the future.
The Department of Life Sciences’ National Herbarium
of Trinidad and Tobago showed a selection of native flora
with some rare fruit like “fat pork” and pois doux, along
with information about their free school tours at their Sir
Frank Stockdale Building.
They shared a space with the UWI Zoological Museum,
whose display included taxidermy models of indigenous
animals like bats, squirrels, spiders and birds.
Over the period, student and staff researchers showed
over 40 multimedia presentations of their studies and
findings.
Former President
Justice Anthony
Carmona spoke
forcefully about the
need for environmental
conservation.
A solar-powered bicycle or “e-bike” on display along with solar panels. The e-bikes were shown by the firm ECT Solutions Ltd, headed by
Haroon Ali Soobrattee, a UWI engineering graduate.
PHOTOS: ANEEL KARIM
