2014 pelican awards TherapeuTic orTanique peel carimac aT 40 Ba in cariBBean sign language

NOVEMBER 2014NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, MONA CAMPUS

NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, MONA CAMPUS 2014 MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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NEWS

NOVEMBER

Since its establishment, The University of the West Indies,Mona, has been at the forefront of innovation and revolutionary thinking in education. As the pioneer of

tertiary education in the Caribbean, the Mona Campus hasconsistently produced graduates who have become trailblaz-ers in all facets of the Caribbean society. From leading medical and scientific researchers discovering innovativetreatments for diseases prevalent in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora to prime ministers of the region’s strongesteconomies, UWI graduates are the epitome of world class.

Our teaching and learning framework is unrivalled and at the cutting edge in tertiary education. As a result, over thepast several decades, the UWI, Mona Campus has been ableto offer the highest quality degree programmes in Jamaica.Jamaican leaders are cultivated on our campus by individualswho are at the forefront of education and research and who possess the zeal to positively mould young minds. As a world-class institution that offers the best in educational

technology, the Mona Campus’ comfortable yet competitivelearning and teaching environment forces our students andstaff to continuously strive for excellence. This determinationto excel encapsulates the true essence of Pelican Pride.

The Mona Campus’ focus, as we move forward into a newphase of development, is to ensure that we continue to provide students with the best access to first-class tertiaryeducation. We will continue to renovate and improve ourteaching and learning infrastructure so that our students can use innovative technology to assist with their studies.Furthermore, we will continue to develop research projectsthat focus on improving the social, health, economic and developmental needs of the entire Jamaican populace.

The University embraces the responsibility of protecting the welfare and developmental needs of some of our nation’smost vulnerable and marginalised communities. Therefore,as the nation’s leading tertiary institution we will continue to implement and support social development programmesthroughout Jamaica.

The University thus remains committed to our objective of providing world-class tertiary education that will fosterworld-class thinkers and leaders who will help to strengthenour nation’s competitiveness in the global arena.

Archibald McDonaldPrincipal

16UWISERT President Garth Richards

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Mona Magazine is a publication of the 'Marketing, Recruitment & Communications Office,The University of the West Indies,Mona Campus, Jamaica

Please send comments and feedback to: The Editor, Marketing, Recruitment & Communications OfficeAssembly Hall, Kingston 7, Jamaica, W.I.Tel: 876-977-5941; 876-935-8348Fax: 876-977-6699Email: marketing.communications@uwimona.edu.jmWebsite: http://myspot.mona.uwi.edu/marcom/

UWI’S MISSIONThe enduring mission of the University of the West Indies is to propel the economic, social, political and cultural development of West Indian society through teaching, research, innovation, advisory and community services, and intellectual leadership.

EditorCarroll Edwards

ContributorsKaren CadienMarlyn DeLisserCarroll EdwardsSherina Russell

PhotographyPeter FergusonVin McKayTracey-Ann MullingsLennox QualloAston Spaulding

Design & LayoutMichael A. Grant

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher or agent.

Message from the Principal 3

NEWSUWI-Biotech Deal Signed 5

CARIMAC at 40 6

Ortanique Peel Extract for Treating Hypercholesterolemia 8

Fostering Better Communication with the Deaf 10

UWI SODECO – UWI Mona’s Newest Research Facility 12

STUDENT FEATUREGarth Richards – UWI SERT President 16

DEVELOPMENTS AT MONA New Student Housing 14

Introducing UWI’s Smart House 18

Teacher’s College Grads to get UWI Degrees 20

2014 Pelican Award Recipients 22

Pictorial Round-Up 24

UWI NEWSUWI confers 6 Honorary Degrees at Mona 28

Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence 30

AppointmentsSir Hilary Beckles is New UWI Vice-Chancellor 34

Profs. Eudine Barriteau, Julie Meeks-Gardner areNew Principal, Vice Principal of Open Campus 34

8UWI BA in CaribbeanSignLanguage 10CARIMAC

Celebrates 40 Years

Therapeutic Ortanique Peel

Think, World ClassOn the Cover

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

2014 Pelican Awardees Prof. Denise Eldemire-Shearer, Prof. Archibald McDonald and Dr. Blossom Anglin-Brown

New StudentHousing Coming 14

The University of the West Indies (UWI),

Mona Campus has signed a Memorandum

of Agreement (MOA) with Bio-Tech R & D

Institute Limited to conduct joint research

and development activities with UWI

departments on the medicinal potential of

Jamaican medicinal plants. The agreement

was executed by Pro-Vice Chancellor and

Principal of The UWI, Mona Campus, Pro-

fessor Archibald McDonald, and Bio-Tech

R&D Institute Limited founder/director

Dr. Henry Lowe.

The agreement will be effective for a period

of three years and is designed to promote

training in Research and Development and

high-quality research which will lead to

wealth creation.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Professor

McDonald noted that the agreement was

part of a multi-faceted approach which

The UWI, Mona was taking in its efforts to

promote and encourage the development

of a pharmaceutical industry in Jamaica.

He added that it was also another in a

series of novel and innovative arrange-

ments between The UWI, Mona and private

sector entities.

In his remarks, Dr. Lowe stated that the aim

was to focus on indigenous plants which

had the potential to develop pharmaceuti-

cal drugs which could be used in the treat-

ment of cancer and diabetes.

Under the terms of the MOA, The UWI,

Mona has agreed to provide access to

laboratory space in the Faculty of Science

and Technology and other sites, subject to

the approval of the Principal, and will also

provide access to UWI facilities such as

library, online database etc. to facilitate

the joint research activities.

The UWI, Mona will also facilitate training

of Bio-Tech personnel through structured

post-graduate programmes of study or any

other specially designed programme in

the Faculties of Science and Technology

and Medical Sciences, as well as through

specially designed training seminars to be

conducted jointly with Bio-Tech.

For its part, Bio-Tech will make a J$59

million investment in the renovation of

the old Pharmacology Building on the

Mona Campus to bring it to state-of-the-art

research laboratory international standards,

and a recurrent contribution of J$6 million

per annum for the next three years to

provide a minimum of two post-doctoral

fellowships and a minimum of two post-

graduate scholarships to candidates work-

ing within the collaboration.

Bio-Tech will also facilitate technical and ac-

ademic training of UWI students and staff,

through its local and international partners

by providing research fellowships, local

and international training seminars or

online courses relevant to the conduct of

collaborative work. Further, the company

will provide training in drug research and

development activities, product develop-

ment, marketing and other relevant areas to

staff and students in the conversion of Sci-

ence and Technology into wealth creation.

Researchers at The UWI, Mona will collabo-

rate with researchers at Bio-Tech R & D

Institute on screen extracts and compounds

provided by Bio-Tech for the prevention

and treatment of cancer infection and

inflammation, toxicity against normal

animal and human blood cells, antiviral,

antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and any

other bioactivity; and the design and

conduct of experiments in order to elucidate

the mechanism of action of select extracts

and compounds found to be bioactive.

Keynote speaker at the ceremony was

Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald

Thwaites, who noted that the signing was

a significant example of the partnership

which could take place between academia

and industry to encourage research and

innovation. He also commended the

University on its efforts to develop new

revenue streams which would assist in

making it financially self-sufficient and

less reliant on public resources.

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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NEWSMONA SEPTEMBER 2013

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PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY GETSBOOST FROM UWI-BIOTECH DEAL

Scene at the signing of an agreement between the UWI and Biotech R&D to boost the local pharmaceutical industry.From left (standing): National Director General for Science and Technology, Professor Errol Morrison; Campus Registrar,Dr. Camille Bell-Hutchinson; Education Minister the Hon. Ronald Thwaites; Prof. Ishenkumba Kahwa, Deputy Principaland (seated) UWI Campus Principal Prof. Archibald McDonald and Dr. Henry Lowe, founder of Bio-Tech R&D Institute.

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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UWI NEWSMONA NOVEMBER 2014

NEWS

second small television studio is under construction at Mona to

accommodate student productions and ‘campus media’ reporting

and productions. A new radio studio is also shortly to be built at

the WJC campus. At Mona, CARIMAC has acquired the radio stu-

dio located at the former Radio Education Unit (REU) now used for

dedicated student training in radio production.

According to Professor Dunn “We are continuing to contribute

to the development of educated and professionally trained

communications professionals and media entrepreneurs for work

throughout the Caribbean region and globally. We are also actively

engaged in building and strengthening the research culture of

CARIMAC and the hands-on nature of our technical courses.”

The Caribbean Institute of Media

and Communication (CARIMAC)

based at UWI Mona celebrated its

40th anniversary this year with the

introduction of four innovative, new

degree programmes and advanced plans

for transition to a School of Media and

Communication.

This major transformational phase, includ-

ing the introduction of over 40 new

courses, will be highlighted by two new

undergraduate degree programmes in Film

Production and in Animation. Two news

Master’s degree programmes will also be

introduced, one in Media Management

and the other in advanced Integrated Mar-

keting Communication. University approval

of these programmes has been secured,

for introduction by September 2015.

Director of CARIMAC, Prof. Hopeton Dunn,

who is leading the reform process, says the

Institute is pleased and proud about these

new initiatives, which reflect changes in

the media industry regionally and globally.

“CARIMAC is proactively responding to

emerging demands from students and as-

sisting The UWI to play its role in quicken-

ing the pace of growth of new economic

opportunities in areas such as Animation,

Game Design and other Cinematic Arts,”

Prof Dunn remarked. He attributes the

pace of change at CARIMAC to the energy,

creativity and dedication of CARIMAC’s

staff and its partners and associates within

and outside of The University, all of whom

have worked tirelessly to help prepare and

critique the relevant new programmes.

Major changes have already taken place in

the manner of delivery of existing pro-

grammes. “There was a time when we had

specialisations in Print, Radio, Television

and Audio - Visuals. Now, all journalism

students have to do Print, Television,

Radio, Marketing Communication and New

Media. These are the conditions under

which media and communication are

taught today all over the world.” In addi-

tion to a restructured Journalism degree

programme, CARIMAC now also offers first

degrees in Digital Media Production (DMP

at the Western Jamaica Campus - WJC) and

a BA in Integrated Marketing Communica-

tion (IMC At Mona and WJC).

Other CARIMAC programme offerings

range from the doctorate in Communica-

tion by Research, to existing Master’s

degrees in Communication for Social and

Behaviour Change (CSBC) and Communica-

tion Studies (CS). There is also a long-

standing diploma programme in Media and

Communication and short certificate

courses covering over 20 topics, including

Animation, Public Speaking and Video

Production.

Over the last two years, CARIMAC has been

accepting close to 200 students annually in

keeping with continued strong demand for

the Institute’s programmes at both Mona

and WJC. The media institution accepts the

highest level of qualified students seeking

entry to the Faculty of Humanities and Ed-

ucation. The degree student population at

CARIMAC is now well over 400, with scores

of others in informal educational and train-

ing programmes and special projects. With

the old Admission Test now abolished,

CARIMAC students are selected on the

basis of a close review of their prior aca-

demic performance at the secondary level

and, where necessary, through interviews.

Courses are offered at both Mona and the

WJC. Since 2008, CARIMAC's undergraduate

degree programmes in IMC and DMP have

been offered at WJC in Montego Bay, form-

ing the largest student presence there from

the Faculty of Humanities and Education.

Currently, 118 CARIMAC students are en-

rolled at WJC in the DMP and IMC

programmes.

CARIMAC is planning to expand laboratory

facilities for expanded future cohorts of

certificate and degree students in Anima-

tion, Motion Graphics and Game Design,

working in association with international

and local industry partners. The first two

cohorts in 2D cartoon animation graduated

from CARIMAC programmes at both Mona

and WJC, providing the first group of 100

trained animators from Mona and the

Caribbean region overall. The majority

have been offered employment within

weeks of graduating, while others are seek-

ing to upgrade their skills further or to

establish their own Animation enterprises.

EXPANSION PLANS

The growth and development of its curricu-

lum and student population are but a part

of a wider process of expansion underway

at CARIMAC . An additional 250-seat class-

room has been acquired in 2012/13 and a

NEW PROGRAMMESAND NEW VISION

CARIMAC journalism student grills Sir Dennis Byron, president of the CaribbeanCourt of Justice, after his presentation to some 200 media students from The UWI,the University of Technology and the Northern Caribbean University.

CARIMAC Director Prof. Hopeton Dunn (centre) sharesa light moment with former Governor-General and former Mona Campus Principal Prof. Sir Kenneth Hall(left) and Obediah Wilchcombe, Bahamas Minister ofTourism (right), during 40th anniversary celebrations.

Members of the CARIMACclass of 1996 celebrate withDirector, Prof. Hopeton Dunn.

‘Team Alumni’ members (l-r)Jileen Pearson, DwayneBerbick and Janella Preciuscompete against faculty inthe Anniversary Grill-Off.

Dr. Gary Liu (right) pauses between sessions with participants at the first nationalconference on digital game design and development hosted by CARIMAC at TheUWI, Mona Campus in October. Liu led a hands-on workshop on the fundamentalsof game design on the second day of the conference.

MAJOR CARIMAC 40TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

CARIMAC’s 40th Anniversary celebrations brought together some of the thousands of former students who may be found in every majormedia house and sector in Jamaica, the Caribbean and wider afield. The Homecoming Celebrations October 2014 also involved staff, current students and other stakeholders.

The following key 40th Anniversary activities took place successfullyduring October 2014:

• Anniversary Academic Conference October 14–15, 2014 in the area ofDigital Game Development under the theme “Changing Game: Designingfor Development. It was well attended with industry professionals andstudents joining specially invited international presenters to create modelgames during the event as part of the demo and training exercises.

• 40th Anniversary Church Service held on Sunday October 19, 2014 at the University Chapel, followed by a Homecoming bunch at UWI Founders Park near CARIMAC, on the Mona Campus.

• Gala Anniversary Banquet was held to a capacity gathering on Saturday,October 25, 2014 at the Grande Jamaica Ballroom of the Jamaica PegasusHotel in Kingston. The event was led by former students, including GuestSpeaker the Hon Obie Wilchcombe, Minister of Tourism of the Bahamas,and former CARIMAC student.

• Public Panel Discussion on the Jamaica Music Industry, and a special40th Anniversary Cake Cutting Ceremony at CARIMAC Western JamaicaCampus on October 30.

graphical origin affected the levelsof flavonoids. Phase 2 entailed

in vivo testing of the PMFsextract in rat models of hypercholesterolemia com-pared with Niacin, one of

the most potent anti-cho-lesterol drugs on the market.

“Results showed that thePMFs significantly reduced the

total serum cholesterol by 45per cent compared to untreated

hypercholesterolemic rats. Niacin reduced total cholesterol by

20%, compared to untreated hypercholesterolemic rats. This reduction was without adverse effects,” Green said.

Green, along with Prof. Barrie Hanchard and Dr Tracey Gibson of theDepartment of Pathology, did a histopathological assessment of allthe organs to see the effect of hypercholesterolemia and whether or not the extract reduced any damage or injury that resulted fromhypercholesterolemia.

Dr Donovan McGrowder of Pathology was also instrumental in theclinical chemistry assessment of serum samples. “When we fed theortanique peel extract to the rats, it reduced the deposition of fatdroplets in the liver as well as other abnormalities in organ struc-tures that resulted from hypercholesterolemia. It also reduced organfunction parameters which corroborated histopathological findingsindicating no damage to the organs,” Green said.

GOOD, COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVEApproximately 1 in 500 persons worldwide are affected by hypercho-lesterolemia, which is implicated in many kinds of cardio-vasculardisease – the leading cause of death in the Caribbean. The majorconventional drugs used to treat hypercholesterolemia are expen-sive and can result in adverse side effects. However, the ortaniquepeel extract is a cost-effective, natural alternative without adverseeffects. Moreover, it significantly increases the level of good choles-terol, making it more potent than previously tested citrus varieties.

The product is also a readily available citrus byproduct which is underutilised and sometimes inappropriately discarded, resulting in environmental problems. Green never throws away the peel, butstores it at home. “Once dried, they can last for a very long time. You can use a little piece of the rind to make a tea,” Green said.

Green foresees great potential for the commercialisation of the ortanique peel extract, which will be useful for both the treatmentand prevention of hypercholesterolemia. An effective amount of thepeel extract can be administered to subjects in a variety of ways. Itcan be sold as oral pharmaceutical tablets, capsules, pills, powders,granules and in liquid dosage forms.

The extract can also be incorporated into various foods and beverages,forming a nutraceutical. Suitable beverages include fruit juices andsodas, and foods include chocolates, snacks, confectionery, pizza,foods made from cereal flour and seasonings and spices used to prepare meat. “The possible applications are numerous. The peel or extract can be added to whatever food or beverage you desire,”Green said.

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Several accounts have been cited for the origin of the ortanique –that sweet, juicy, flavourful citrusfruit native to Jamaica. A naturalorange-tangerine hybrid, many

growers claim to be responsible for the development of this tangor. The most credible account is that the ortanique wasfirst found in a market in Christiana in theearly 1900s by a man called Swaby, of HarryWatch, Balinoor, Manchester, who purchasedsix of the fruits from an old woman andplanted the seeds. Swaby grew six seedlings,and took their produce to an agriculturalshow at Shooter's Hill. It was at this showthat C. P. Jackson, of Chellaston, Mandeville,first saw and bought two of the fruits. Jackson planted the seeds and developedthe produce commercially. He named thefruit “ortanique” — because he regarded it as an “orange-tangerine unique hybrid”.The rest is history.

Today, Swaby and Jackson would be pleasedto know that the latest discovery about theirprized ortanique is that the peel is loadedwith bioactive compounds including poly-methoxylated flavones (PMFs) which can be used to treat high levels of cholesterol(hypercholesterolemia) in the body. Dr. Cur-tis Green, lecturer and laboratory managerat UWI-SODECO (Solutions for DevelopingCountries), Faculty of Medical Sciences,Mona, made this discovery while pursuing

his doctoral degree under the supervision of Prof. Helen Asemota and Dr. AndrewWheatley in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Biochemistry Section.Green developed a potent ortanique peel extract which was awarded a United Statespatent in 2012.

“We were the first to characterize poly-methoxylated flavones in the peels of all

citrus grown in the Caribbean. The resultsshow that the ortanique not only containsthe highest quantity of PMFs, but also has a unique composition of the most potentPMFs in comparison to other citrus fruits. Ofall the citrus fruits, the ortanique ranks thehighest in PMFs, then the tangerine, sweetorange, sour orange, shaddock, grapefruitand limes in that order,” Green said.

Prior research was published in 2004 by Dr.Elzbieta Kurowska of Canada and Dr. JohnManthey from Florida which showed thatcompounds in the tangerine peel reducedcholesterol levels. Green began his researchthat same year with the aim of filling in thegaps. In 2005, he did a comprehensive studyof the available literature on hypercholes-terolemia and citrus flavanoids. “I had tolook at what was missing and wrote my Ph. D.thesis based on that. I looked at how the cit-rus flavanoids reduced the cholesterol levels,the mechanisms of action and the effect onthe organs. These factors were not in theavailable literature,” Green said.

Green conducted his research in two phases.Phase 1 involved the extraction and chemicalcharacterization of the flavonoids whichwere compared in 14 different types of citruspeel extracts and found to be highest in theortanique. Jamaican citrus varieties werealso compared to Mexican citrus varieties in order to determine whether or not geo-

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

NEWS

Dr. Curtis Green preparing ortanique peel extract

A TREATMENT FOR HIGH

CHOLESTEROL LEVELS

TherapeuticORTANIQUE

Dried ortanique peel

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

in medicine and dentistry and the focus ison different areas depending on the areaof selection, whereby the students breakinto different streams such as physiother-apy, general medicine, dentistry and radi-ography. It must be noted, however, thatthough this course is mandatory for alldental students who have to pass thecourse in order to graduate, for the otherstreams they have the option to do a signlanguage course that counts towards theirdegree as it is deemed a non-English language foundation course. Additionally,weekly tutorials in all the courses areguided by deaf tutors, forcing the studentto learn quickly through the immersionprocess.

In addition to the sign language and deafculture courses, there are also the requiredlinguistics and language structure courses.“We have the language and interpretingside also, where translation is includedeven though they are separate fields,” shenoted. Students are also required to pur-sue ‘The Profession of Interpreting’ courseso that they learn about ethics, businesspractices and conventions in industry toget an understanding that signing is aservice- based industry. A practicum is alsoincluded, where students are required todo a range of settings, be it medical, legaland educational interpreting, so that theycan move among the different domainswhich require different skills. In thatcourse, they do interpretation from voice to sign and sign to voice.

In the meantime, interest in the pro-gramme has been encouraging as thenumbers have improved from the initialeight persons referred by Jamaica Associa-tion for the Deaf to pursue the one-yeardiploma in the field in 2006. Since then,scores of students have pursued the pro-gramme as a minor, while not cognizantthat they could obtain sign language as aundergraduate degree. To rectify this, thedecision was made last year to include asign language introductory course in thefirst year instead of the second year, as an

option in the foundation courses category.As it stands now, the first student pursuinga B. A. degree in Caribbean Sign Languagewill graduate later this year.

As for the future of the programme, Cum-berbatch desires that more people supportthe deaf as they try to become more inte-grated into society. “I want more people to

be educated in the area. Also, I want moreinterpreters and more professionals whohave sign language as part of their skillset,” she said. And with the deaf popula-tion, according to the 2011 national censushovering at 75,000 (which includes theelderly who have lost hearing) and pur-portedly growing, the need will becomemore urgent.

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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There are so many assumptions madeabout the deaf, common amongthem is that they like being called

hearing impaired in this age of politicalcorrectness. Truth be told, they are very offended by the term and would stronglyprefer to be called deaf. As for the assump-tion that most deaf folk can lip read: Wrong.They are equally offended by this assump-tion. It is these nuances and many morethat students learn when pursuing a Bach-elor of Arts in Caribbean Sign Language inthe Department of Language, Linguisticsand Philosophy at The UWI, Mona.

Specifically, students pursuing this degreeas a major or minor or even as a diplomawill leave with a deep appreciation thatdeaf persons operate under differentnorms and values from the ones used bythe hearing society, and therefore they will

be less likely to marginalize the deaf. “Amongthe several courses, we have a course exclu-sively dedicated to deaf culture so that inter-preters and others do not go out there andcommit a whole range of faux pas … thecourse also promotes an understanding ofthe deaf,” explained the architect of the pro-gramme, Dr. Keren Cumberbatch, who is alsoa lecturer in the Department of Language,Linguistics and Philosophy and the Faculty ofMedical Sciences.

In discussing the genesis of the programme,which was in 2006, Cumberbatch said thata source of inspiration stemmed from anobservation while at conferences whereshe noticed that the authors she had beenreading were actually deaf scholars. “Whywere there no Caribbean deaf researchersin attendance? The deaf have brains andwe are just not educating them properly,”

she reasoned.

However, it may be argued that it wassomewhat destiny for Cumberbatch to develop the programme, as her exposureto the deaf dates back to childhood whenattending an Anglican primary school inTrinidad and Tobago which included deafpupils and also through her father Rev. Dr.Niles, who was heavily involved with thedeaf through his church.

A self-described “CARICOM lady at heart,”Cumberbatch pointed out that that theuniqueness of the programme lies in thefact that it is Caribbean focus oriented.“Normally when you learn sign languageinterpreting outside of Jamaica you learnAmerican Sign Language interpreting, butyou are clueless of the needs of the region.As Caribbean people we should pursuethis degree to find out about theCaribbean deaf user and what differentCaribbean islands experience,” she noted,while stressing that obtaining the degreewould allow for graduates to movethroughout the region to meet the demand for the special skill set.

To facilitate this drive, the programme isconstructed so that upon graduation, students are expected to be fluent in threelanguages – Jamaican Sign Language, Jamaican Creole and English. However,given that there are students from the re-gion sitting the programme, Cumberbatchstated that a variant of the sign in theirhome territories is usually highlighted.“They leave learning about different signlanguages,” she said.

Delving further into the programme, Cumberbatch pointed out that four signlanguage courses are offered at The UWI,three in the beginner, intermediary andadvanced categories. The fourth course is specifically geared towards students

NEWS

Dr. Keren Cumberbatch receives her UWI/Guardian Life Premium Teaching Award from Eric Hosin, president ofGuardian Life Ltd.

UWI MONA BLAZING A TRAIL IN BETTER COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEAF

Students in the Sign Language programme

On graduation, students are expected to be fluent in Jamaican sign language (or a regional variant) and English

SIGNING FORTHE TIMES

NEWS

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

Medical research facilities worldwide aim to findanswers and breakthroughs to pervadinghealth priorities. UWI SODECO (UWI Solutionsfor Developing Countries), a new, internationalresearch organisation headquartered at Mona,has entered this space with the intent to find

solutions to challenging medical questions surrounding obesity,diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Established on the Mona Campus since May 2013, UWI SODECOforms part of a global network with collaborating centres whichinclude the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit UWI, and centres at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, the University ofLondon, the University of Maryland in the USA, Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, Loyola University in Chicago, the University of Cape Town in South Africa and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA, the Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation and private sector endowmentsthrough The UWI Development and Endowment Fund, UWISODECO is headed by Chief Scientist Professor Terrence Forresterwho, prior to establishing UWI SODECO, was Founding Director of the Tropical Medicine Research Institute (TMRI).

RESEARCH FOCUSForrester’s research programme aims to better understand the underlying basis of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, with specific focus on unraveling the mechanisms underlying thegreater risk of these chronic diseases in populations suffering from intergenerational under-nutrition, and using these discover-ies to craft and trial novel interventions for better prevention ormanagement. “The big question is: Why do people who have beenmalnourished for generations develop explosive obesity, diabetes,hypertension, stroke and heart disease as soon as their economicsituations improve? We are trying to find out why this happenswhen persons who are teleologically crafted for famine are ex-posed to surfeit. This is how it is in China, India and Sub-SaharanAfrica, and this is the main medical focus of UWI SODECO. We askthe research questions in such a way that the information can beused by industry and the health sector to create new treatments.The research will find an answer that can be used to formulate appropriate solutions,” Forrester said.

ORGANISATION OF FACILITIESUWI SODECO has 16 staff members – 7 academic, 4 technical, 3 support, 1 administrative and a Manager. In addition to an administrative office on West Road, UWI SODECO operates twoMolecular Biology Laboratories in the Faculty of Medical SciencesTeaching and Research Complex. UWI SODECO’s Clinical Labs are currently housed.

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

in the Complex where research projects andhuman studies involving measurements ofbody composition, exercise fitness, muscularstrength, cardiovascular function and tissuebiopsies are performed. Use of the ClinicalLabs in this Teaching and Research Complexis temporary, pending the refurbishing ofthe ground floor of the University Hospital’sformer School of Nursing which will serve as UWI SODECO’S official Clinical ScienceLaboratories. “It is a lean organisation. Mostpersons are paid by grant funds and four are core UWI staff members.”

UWI SODECO’s laboratories are state of the art – a critical component to discoverthe mechanistic pathways to obesity andcardio-metabolic diseases. The laboratorycapability is backed by the expertise provided by the international network ofcollaborators who train and benchmarkthe team of scientists in the appropriatemethods, as well as perform the assaysthat they are more adept at carrying out.“We execute our jobs by leveraging our collaborative network. Our staff have beento our laboratories and departments in thenetwork collaborating centres – such expe-riences expose them to practical interna-tional experience,” Forrester said.

Sandra Boyne, manager of UWI SODECO,has been spearheading the effort alongsideForrester since the start of the organisa-tion. She has established the administra-tive framework and machinery thatsupports UWI SODECO’s programme bothnationally and internationally. Trained inscience herself, she has been conceivingand refining the administrative goals toproperly support the research programmes.“We are getting the work done and meet-ing the study objectives,” Boyne said.

Ultimately, UWI SODECO’s primary researchfocus will provide evidence-based, practicalsolutions to socio-economic problemswithin the context of developmental biol-ogy – all geared towards increasing wealthand investigating pathways to better health.

It has been Forrester’s dream for manyyears to create a new research entity allocated and operating from Mona and oriented globally. At UWI SODECO, his research is mechanisms-based, and designedto find new treatments. “The research ef-fort assumes international benchmarkingbecause of its global funding, but we alsoact globally, not only for the benchmarkinggains, but in pursuit of the primary research agenda,” Forrester said.

Mrs. Sandra Boyne (left) Manager of UWI SODECO and Prof. Terrence Forrester (right)

UWI MONA’S NEWEST RESEARCH FACILITY

Prof. Terrence Forrester with his team of project leaders. From left to right: Dr. Patrice Francis, Dr. Curtis Green, Dr. Claudia Campbell.

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UWI SODECO

State-of-the-art molecular biology laboratory

The clinical laboratory, with specialized treadmills and resistance machines. Some of the tools are used to re-train the muscles of persons who have suffered a stroke.Administrative office on West Road, Mona Campus

UWI NEWS

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NEWS

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

Ground was broken at The Univer-sity of the West Indies, Mona onThursday, September 18, 2014 for

a new housing development which will enable the institution to provide accom-modation for an additional 1,584 studentsover the next three years.

The first set of 576 units will be deliveredin time for the start of the 2015/16 academic year.

The project is being facilitated through apublic-private partnership between TheUWI, Mona and developers and proposedoperator of the new residences, K (138Student Living Jamaica) Limited.

The company is the student accommoda-tions arm of K Limited, a property devel-opment company. Phase one of an

estimated $4B project, will be financed bya loan syndication arrangement led bythe Jamaica Mortgage Bank (JMB) andthe National Commercial Bank JamaicaLimited (NCB).

Under the terms of the partnership, 138Student Living will design, build and oper-ate the high quality student accommoda-tions on lands leased from The UWI, Mona.

At the end of the lease period and in accordance with the agreed terms, 138Student Living will transfer the buildingsin good condition to The UWI, free of cost.

The project entails the construction of 11 buildings of six storeys high, with 144 rooms per building. Rooms will bearranged in room clusters of 12, with eachbedroom having its own bathroom. Each

cluster of 12 rooms will have a kitchenequipped with stoves/refrigerators andmicrowave ovens and common area consisting of dining tables and chairs,cable television and comfortable loungeseating will also be provided.

Access for the disabled will be provided toall buildings and rooms will be configuredfor this population. Construction is slatedto last for 36-48 months. The company isexpected to deliver 576, 576 and 432 unitsto the University at the start of eachschool year in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

In expressing appreciation for the devel-opment, UWI, Mona Principal, ProfessorArchibald McDonald said it represented a new direction for funding tertiary education in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

Prof. McDonald noted that a central plankof the University’s strategic plan andMona’s operational plan was the recruit-ment of a large number of internationalstudents who would be able to fund theirown education. He added that this wascritical to ensuring that no Jamaican student would be denied a UWI educationbecause of inability to pay, since fees frominternational students would enable the University to provide scholarships,bursaries and other forms of financial assistance to students who were unableto fund themselves.

Professor McDonald pointed out that thereis a supply gap of acceptable on-campusstudent accommodation at Mona. Henoted that, with a population of some15,000 students, The UWI, Mona has just3500 rooms, resulting in a significantshortfall in the housing stock on Campus.

The Principal added that the Campus hadrecently been registered with the Depart-ment of Education in the USA and wasabout to sign an agreement with theGovernment of Nigeria to send studentsto Mona. The housing project was there-fore critically important. He continuedthat the project demonstrated that theprivate sector can invest in tertiary education and get a reasonable return on their investment.

“The private sector will understand thatwhen we ask for their involvement infunding tertiary education we are notasking them for handouts. We are seekingbusiness partners which will participatewith us in the provision of first worldstandard of education … while they will achieve what the private sector andbusiness people are required to do, that is to make a profit on their investment.”

Guest speaker at the ceremony was Minister of Education, the Hon. RonaldThwaites, who noted that this was an

innovative approach to funding tertiaryeducation and could become a model forpublic-private partnerships in the future.He pointed to the difficulties being facedby the Students Loan Bureau and lamentedthe reluctance of commercial banks to provide financing for students wishing to pursue tertiary education. However, heinformed the audience that the Govern-ment had been able to identify funds toenable the Students’ Loan Bureau to meetthe demand from both new and returningstudents this year.

Construction funding for the initial phaseis being provided under a syndicationarrangement involving Jamaica MortgageBank (JMB) and National CommercialBank Jamaica Limited (NCB), with JMB

undertaking the role of lead bank.

Speaking on behalf of both financing entities, the Chairman of JMB, HowardMollison, underscored the significance ofthe transaction to the banks, noting thatit represented the first use of the public-private partnership vehicle to provide student accommodation on the islandand that the banks took a very creativeapproach to structuring the deal.

Mollison stated further that the bankswere particularly proud to be associatedwith the project, given its potential topositively impact the UWI’s strategicgrowth objective and the central role of education and training in furthering Jamaica’s Vision 2030 objectives.

Ground is broken for what will eventually be 1584 new student housing units on the Mona Campus.

Artist’s rendering of proposed newhousing on the UWI Mona Campus.

NEW STUDENT HOUSINGINNOVATIVE PRIVATE-PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP ARRANGEMENT TO BUILD

NEW STUDENT HOUSING

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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interested in Jamaica’s health care/public health system, that’swhy I’m interested in politics. My aiming into politics is to develop the Jamaican health care and public health systems, especially our customer service skills with regards to how physi-cians and nurses address patients. It is challenging to work withpersons of different views, but I like to find resolutions to prob-lems. I always advise my team members that we are dealingwith students’ lives, so we have to be responsible and do whatwe have to do to get our patients comfortable and recovering. Italk to anyone and help everyone,” Richards said.

UWI SERT is not only involved in medical services but also hasa Public Health Education and Outreach Arm which tours thecampus and demonstrates to students and staff hands-onlyCPR. Additionally, blood pressure checks were given at a health

fair organised last year in conjunction with companies involved in health.

“UWI SERT has it own website now, ‘www.uwisert.com’. Weimplore persons to visit and get to know the organization. This is all a part of promoting the group as we aim to increaseour membership to 200,” Richards said.

Richards knows what he has to do to get things done and hisphilosophy of life – True determination brings true success –has been his guiding force. He tries not to get flustered, but remains calm and always remembers the advice of his mother,one of the greatest influences in his life: Never give up, justtrust in God for provision. He will guide the way; the Lord will provide.

STUDENTS

The ability to get along with themost difficult of persons and tobe in control of anysituation, along

with his buoyant, self-confident demeanour arejust some of the many attributes which con-tributed to the selectionof Garth Richards for TheUWI’s Premier Award forLeadership for 2014. Theaward is given to personswho show exemplary leadership in threeleadership positions.

A product of York Castle High School and Brown’s Town Community College,Richards knows the secrets of being agood leader. He demonstrated this in hisearlier years as monitor and prefect atYork Castle and as Manager of a Healthand Wellness Club which he started atBrown’s Town Community College. Ashead of the Club in college, he organisedthe training of all members in HIV/AIDSprevention and their certification by theMinistry of Health, in addition to beingex-officio member of the Student Coun-cil there.

At The UWI, Mona, he continued thiszest for leadership. He has been Pro-gramme Director of the 100-member

UWI SERT (Student Emergency ResponseTeam) since 2013. He is also involved in

the Rex NettlefordHall External AffairsCommittee (EAC) asPresident and Chair-man, and serves onthe EAC committeefor the Guild of Stu-dents. Additionally,he has been active atthe community level,founding two youth

organisations in 2011 in his district inOcho Rios, St. Ann, which still benefitfrom his assistance.

At 24 years old, Richards manages tojuggle all of these involvements withhis academic pursuits. He is currentlyenrolled in the Faculty of Social Sci-ences, pursuing a Management Studiesdegree, with a major in Human Re-source Management. He aims to be a Personnel Officer someday, but his ultimate career goal is to enter the fieldof Medicine. “I joined UWI SERT from I entered university because I alwayswanted to become a doctor; I saw it as an opportunity to gain experience.When I complete my ManagementStudies degree, I plan to do a Master’s in Public Health, and then pursue themedical degree,” Richards said.

LEADERSHIP ROLESAs a member of the EAC for the Guild ofStudents since 2012, Richards has beenassisting with the planning and execu-tion of a number of charitable UWI programmes, such as the August TownTownship programme. He has also beeninvolved in outreach activities with thechildren at the Sir John Golding Rehabili-tation Centre and mentorship pro-grammes for the Mona High Schoolstudents.

As EAC Chairperson for the Rex NettlefordHall since 2013 his role is to plan and execute all the outreach programmesfor the Hall. The biggest event is the an-nual Breast Cancer Walk, which attractsapproximately 200 participants fromacross the Campus. All proceeds are donated to the Jamaica Cancer Society.

His biggest and most challenging role,however, is that of President of UWISERT. He heads a team drawn from allthe faculties, though over half are med-ical students. Their role involves dealingwith typical first aid situations, such asasthma attacks, C spine immobilisationfor trauma patients and covering UWIsporting events which can entail attend-ing to any injury – from a cut on the fin-ger to a broken bone.

The team also has on-call duties as-signed from 6pm-6am on weekdays and24hrs on weekends. “Without the sport-ing events, we have about two patientsper day. From September to December2013, we managed over 500 patients and from January to May 2014, over 600 persons were treated. This increaseshows that students have been seeingthe importance of UWI SERT and, with-out stretching ourselves too thin, wehave been trying to accommodate,”Richards said.

The task of heading UWI SERT has aidedRichards’ development in a number ofways, including whetting his appetitefor politics. “I love to lead and I am very

Meet

GarthRichards

2014 PreMIer AwArdee

fOr leAdershIP

“I joined UWI SERT when I entered

university because I always wanted to become a doctor …”

Garth Richards with The UWI’s 2014Premier Award for Leadership

Richards represents Rex Nettleford Hall External AffairsCommittee (EAC) during a handing-over ceremony fora donation to the Jamaica Cancer Society.

I lOve tO leAd

NEWS

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

An impressive, futuristic, energy-saving housing innovation was recently unveiled by The UWI,

Mona’s Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Several research groups within the department collaborated to create thewooden 12-foot by 8-foot ‘Smart House’costing approximately J$500,000.

Leaford Nathan Henderson, the Physicsgraduate student integral to the designand construction of the Smart House said,“the main inspiration for this project wasthe perceived need for more Jamaicans to be aware of the options available for effective energy management, primarilycentered on the dual focus of energy con-servation and renewable energy sources.As we discussed the project with otherstudents and staff in the Department including our Head of Department, Prof.Michael Taylor, we realized that the scopecould be broadened to showcase more ofthe top-quality research being conductedin the Department.

“Currently, the Smart House serves to exemplify practical applications for ourresearch – how our work can have a posi-tive impact on the average citizen. Thehouse is also designed to represent an innovative approach to meeting the Vision2030 goals that Jamaica, as a country, is aiming to achieve,” Henderson said.

“A Smart House is an energy-efficient andtechnologically advanced living space

consisting of various technologies includ-ing but not limited to Alternative Energy,Natural Lighting and Cooling and SpeechRecognition,” said Stefan Watson anotherPhysics graduate student at The UWI.

He added that two major challengesworking on the project were “developingspeech models for the Jamaican accentand using a speech recognition engine capable of producing a real-time responseto commands being issued.”

Nevertheless, “the house is designed toallow voice entry, using an electronic locksystem. The user can unlock the systemwith the unique sound of their voice forkeyless entry, or choose an alternatemethod, such as a keypad and pin num-ber access system.

Once inside, appliances such as the televi-sion, lights and radio can be turned offusing a pre-programmed voice input,which increases ease of access, helpfulwhere occupants have limited mobility,”said fellow Physics MPhil graduate student Nathan Henderson.

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

Dr. Andre Coy, team-leader for the Voice-Activated features of the project notedthat “applications of spoken languagetechnology (SLT), such as dictation systems and voice-enabled search are becoming more integrated into our dailylives which allow the use of the voice forperforming basic functions or controllingdevices.

The Smart House has examples of SLT inthe form of keyless (voice-enabled) entryand voice control of appliances. These features were included in the house fortwo reasons: “Firstly, they highlight someof the advanced technologies that will become commonplace in the future andsecondly, they preview some of the workbeing done on SLT in the Department ofPhysics,” he added.

The voice-enabled door entry:• Uses the voice of an individual to

uniquely identify them. • Will only open the door when the

correct voice is heard by the system. • Attempts by others to open the door

using their voice will be recognised as an attempt to break in and an alert can be sent to the individual or a security company.

• As a bio-metric security measure voice-enabled entry, is potentially safer than other methods as it is more challengingto duplicate the voice (a recording of the correct voice will not work).

ASSISTANCE FOR THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED“Speech control of devices,” Dr. Coy fur-ther explained, “has the potential to as-sist individuals that do not, or are unableto control devices in the traditional way;this includes the disabled and elderly.Anyone can use the technology to turndevices on and off. While this may not be a necessity for most individuals, it canlead to a significant improvement in thequality of life of individuals who are phys-ically challenged. With access to suchtechnology, an individual who has alwaysrelied on a caregiver to perform the mostbasic household tasks can now interactwith his/her environment in a way thatmight otherwise be impossible.

These two applications of SLT showcasedtwo different aspects of SLT: one in whichonly select individuals are recognised bythe system and the other which allowsanyone to control devices. This highlightsthe versatility of the technology and itsusefulness in everyday life.”

Hailing the timeliness of the Smart House,Watson said: “with the current energyand economic situation in Jamaicathe Smart House does provide a uniquesolution to problems being faced bymany Jamaicans, the major one being the increasing high cost of electricity. The Smart House takes full advantage of the island’s natural sunshine with itscrucial Solar Power/Renewable Energycomponent.

“The appliances, electronics, and lightingsystem inside the house are poweredwith electricity produced by solar panelsmounted either on the roof or ground be-side the house, so the house has no elec-tricity bill. In addition, the system can beconfigured to use a wind turbine as well,and the electrical energy produced isstored by batteries, so the house haspower even into the night.”

Other features of the Smart House in-clude natural and energy-efficient light-ing, plus an indoor and outdoor sensorsystem. “The house is designed with sky-lights in the roof to allow sunlight to beused for lighting during the day, allowingfor a further reduction in the electricitydemand for the system since much of theelectrical energy consumed in buildings isused for lighting.

During periods when the sunlight is notbright enough for lighting such as duringthe night, light is provided by fluorescentor LED lighting fixtures, which are moreefficient than incandescent bulbs, usemuch less energy and last much longerwhen used properly,” Henderson said.

“Sensors allow helpful information aboutthe status of the spaces and zones withinthe house to be monitored and logged forlater use. This information can include thetemperatures in each room, the soil hu-midity in the garden, and amount of en-ergy remaining in the batteries storingenergy for the appliances.

Adding an energy efficient air-condition-ing system, and occupancy sensors, whichautomatically turn off lights or appli-ances if a room is unoccupied for ex-tended periods of time are part of theexpected blossoming of the project,”Henderson confided.

He noted that the Smart House conceptwas suggested by the Vice-President ofThe UWI, Mona Alternative Energy Club, Dudley Williams: “The Smart House was

primarily a club project since the idea ini-tially came from a discussion on possibledisplays the club could present at theUniversity’s annual Research Day. Thepresident, Sameer Simms, conceived thedesign of the house then went on to leadthe efforts involved in its completion. The project soon became a project of thePhysics Department as the number ofparticipants in the project grew to in-clude persons outside of the club enrolledat both the undergraduate and postgrad-uate levels in the department.”

“Initially, the display was intended to be a simple display showcasing the variousforms of alternative energy technologiesavailable, but it eventually expanded toinclude additional research being done inthe Physics Department, including EnergyConservation, Climate Studies (integratedweather monitoring station) and perhapsthe most popular component, the Voice-Activated Appliances and Entry system,designed by the Electronics/Signal Pro-cessing Research Group,” Hendersonpointed out.

Explaining the process involved in trans-forming the wooden structure into aSmart House, Henderson said, “the exte-rior of the Smart House was built in oneday by Steven Boxx of the WoodworkingShop, Department of Physics and his carpentry team of Moses Bryan, CarltonRookwood, Mark Curtis, Kevin Chung,Kevin Buckley and ‘Aggi’. The house wasthen painted and outfitted with the vari-ous features and furnishings to completethe display. Henderson expressed confi-dence that “the different features of thehouse could easily be applied to Jamaicanhomes and the entire unit can definitelybe developed as a complete package. Weare definitely open to the development of this idea into a complete marketableprototype.”

“Perhaps the best solution might be tooffer different features as modular solu-tions such as for homeowners who wantjust a voice-activated door, or want tooutfit solar or wind energy solutionswhich can be installed separately. How-ever the Smart House is a feasible prod-uct combining the different features,each useful in [its] own way,” Hendersonboasted.

“We will continue to improve and workon the Smart House as new ideas are putforward,” Henderson added.

THE UWI SMART HOUSEThe Smart House was on display at the Jamaica Teaching Council's National Forum for Innovations in Teaching (FIT) held at the National Arena in October.

THE UWI SMART HOUSEIntroducing

Temperature and sunlight sensor display

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

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UWI NEWSMONA NOVEMBER 2014

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NEWS

The University of the West Indies(UWI) has signed a Heads ofAgreement with eight Govern-

ment-funded teachers’ colleges in Ja-maica, which will allow students at thecolleges who are pursuing the Bachelorof Education (B.Ed.) degree programme,to be awarded the degree from TheUWI. The institutions are: BethlehemMoravian College, Churches’ Teachers’College, the College of Agriculture, Sci-ence and Education, G.C. Foster Collegeof Sports and Physical Education, Mon-eague College, Sam Sharpe Teachers’College, Shortwood Teachers’ College,

and St. Joseph’s Teachers’ College.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday,October 7, at a ceremony held in theCouncil Room at The UWI, Mona Cam-pus. UWI Vice Chancellor, Professor E.Nigel Harris, and Mona Campus Princi-pal, Professor Archibald McDonald,signed on behalf of the University,while the principals of the teachers col-leges signed on behalf of the respectiveinstitutions. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Elaine Foster-Allen, signed on behalf of the Government.

The agreement follows on a policy deci-sion by the Government of Jamaicathat teachers will now require a firstdegree to gain normal employment inthe secondary school system.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Min-ister of Education, the Hon. Rev. RonaldThwaites, said that some 11,000 teach-ers need to be upgraded to the bache-lor’s level. “…no longer is the broadteacher’s diploma adequate for our ed-ucational advancement. Specialisationsare needed, not only in subject areas,but in teaching methodologies, andcharacter formation,” he contended. Hesaid that with the collaboration, morepersons will apply to teacher’s colleges,because they will now be able to acquirea UWI degree at these institutions.

Professor McDonald said the partner-ship signals a new pathway in how tertiary education is managed and delivered in Jamaica.

“This is a significant collaboration,which will allow for the integral knowl-edge exchange between our institutionand the teachers’ colleges that is specif-ically designed to enhance the overallmanagement, and consequently the educational output of B.Ed. programmesacross Jamaica,” he stated. He said thatthe new arrangement would help tostandardize how the B. Ed. is awardedin the teachers’ colleges and will pro-vide an opportunity for students to receive qualifications that are more recognized, based on international standards.

The colleges have already begun deliv-ering the programmes under the newarrangement. The degree progammesinvolved are Early Childhood Education,Primary Education, Special Education,and School Counselling, along with Secondary Education in the followingspecialisations: Business Studies, Computer Studies, English, Geography,History, Human Ecology, Mathematics,Modern Languages, Religious Educa-tion, Science (Biology, Chemistry andPhysics) and Social Studies.

Under the Agreement, the Universitywill provide programme coordinationthrough the Joint Board of Teacher Education (JBTE) and the School of Education, Mona.

TEACHERS COLLEGE GRADUATES TO RECEIVE UWI DEGREE

Principals of the eight Government-funded teachers' colleges which have signed a Heads of Agreement with The UWIwith (seated l-r) Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Elaine Foster-Allen; UWI Vice Chancellor, Pro-fessor E. Nigel Harris; Minister of Education, the Hon. Rev Ronald Thwaites, Mona Principal, Professor Archibald Mc-Donald and Dean of Principals, Teachers' Colleges of Jamaica, Mrs. Yvonne Clarke.

The Minister of Education exchanges pleasantries with Principals of the Teachers' colleges prior to the signing ceremony

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The UWI AlumniAssociation (Jamaica Chapter)presented itsprestigious Pelican Award to

three outstanding gradu-ates at the annual awardsceremony held Thursday,July 17 at the Mona Visitors’Lodge and Conference Centre.They are Director of theUniversity Health Centre, Dr. Blossom Anglin-Brown,Head of the Department of Community Health andPsychiatry and Coordinatorfor Graduate Studies andResearch; Professor Denise Eldermire-Shearer, and ProVice-Chancellor and Princi-pal of The UWI, Mona, Pro-fessor Archibald McDonald.

The Pelican Award is pre-sented to a graduate of the University of the West Indies who has excelled in his/her chosen field or an individual who has contributed significantly to the development of theUniversity or has made anoutstanding contribution to Jamaica, the Caribbean Region or the world at large.Following are the citationsto the three awardees:

DR. BLOSSOM ANGLIN-BROWN MB.BS, DM (MED), MPH, FACG,FRCP (EDIN)For more than three decades,Dr. Blossom Anglin-Brownhas been instrumental indeveloping health policiesand wellness programmes

within the University environment, including a workplace policy forHIV/AIDS, a health and wellness policy, and the integration of sexual health as an integral part

of wellness.

As Clinical Director of the UWIHealth Centre responsible forserving the health needs of a population of over 18,000

students and staff, Dr. Anglin-Brown’s interventions and service ethichave been adopted as a model for othercampuses in the region. In fact, throughher efforts and leadership, The UWIHealth Centre holds the distinction ofbeing the first clinic in the region to benamed a Voluntary Counseling and Test-ing Centre for HIV/AIDS.

Attaining the highest level within the University’s professional medical category, Dr. Anglin- Brown is also wellknown for her work on issues of Womenand Adolescent Health, and the healthrisks associated with lead pollution andcadmium. Notably, she has led manypublic health interventions on lead pol-lution in the Kintyre community of ruralSt Andrew.

A longstanding Internal Examinerwithin the Medical Faculty, Dr. Anglin-Brown has supervised graduate stu-dents, published and lectured extensivelyon health risks, and participated in nu-merous local, regional and internationalworkshops.

She served as Spokesperson at theUnited Nations 38th Assembly onWomen’s Health Issues in New York andwas Group Leader and Rapporteur forthe final preparatory meeting leading

to the 4th World Congress on Women.

Her distinguished record of professionaland public service includes membershipof the National AIDS Committee, Repre-sentative to the International LabourOrganization (ILO); President of the As-sociation of West Indian Gastroenterol-ogists, Chair of the Medical Associationof Jamaica Trust, and Chief Organiser forvoluntary blood donation, making theUniversity community the largest blooddonor in Jamaica.

Despite a hectic and demanding profes-sional schedule, Dr. Anglin-Brown man-ages a well-rounded and balancedlifestyle which sees her demonstratingstrong interest in sports as MasterTrainer for volunteers in the 2007Cricket World Cup and member of themedical volunteer team for the WorldJunior Games in 2002.

The UWI Alumni Association (JamaicaChapter) is pleased to recognize Dr.Blossom Anglin-Brown’s long and dis-tinguished professional career and heroutstanding service to the Universityand the wider community, and proudlypresents her with its 2014 PelicanAward.

PROFESSOR THE MOST HON. DENISE ELDEMIRE- SHEARER CD,MB.BS, DPHAny meaningful discourse onissues of aging and care forthe elderly could virtually be rendered incomplete without the input of or reference to the work andcontribution of Prof. DeniseEldemire- Shearer. It is perhaps fair to say that no one understands theJamaican elderly, issues

of aging and care manage-ment more than she does.

Indeed, with over 250 articles, book reviews, mono-

graphs, abstracts, technical reports, and other public interventions to her credit,

THREE RECEIVE 2014 UWIAAPELICAN AWARD

it is perhaps safe to say that no otherlocal academician has conducted or participated in more research and haswritten, published and lectured moreextensively on this subject in the lastthree decades, than Prof. Eldemire-Shearer.

And yet, there is another side to the interests of this outstanding and highlyaccomplished public health specialist, in that Prof. Eldemire-Shearer’s profes-sional pursuits have successfully tackledtwo central, social issues and concerns,namely child abuse and the elderly.

Unquestionably though, it is in addressingthe issues of the elderly that she has trulymade her mark – researching and docu-menting the situation of seniors and thefactors influencing their health and socialwell-being. Hardly surprising, the findingsof her voluminous research in this areahave been used to aid policy developmentand the implementation of appropriateprogrammes and interventions.

Never one to be satisfied with conduct-ing research for the sake of doing re-search, Prof. Eldemire-Shearer throughincreased public collaboration, includingwith the Ministry of Health, has beenable to impact the broadening of Jamaica’s maternal and child healthprogramme to include all aspects offamily health in which greater impor-tance has been placed on care for theelderly.

Passionate to her cause, she has beenable to masterly combine her consider-able University duties, academic and research pursuits, with an outstandingpublic service involvement and advo-cacy on this issue at both the local andinternational levels, serving in such capacities as Chair of the InternationalYear of Older Persons (1999); theCaribbean Community of Retired Persons (since 2011); Patron of the National Council for Seniors (since 2008)and Director, Action Aging Jamaica.

For her work in public health policy andcontribution to increasing the levels ofpublic awareness and understanding of wellness and aging, Prof. Eldemire-Shearer has been recognized with numerous awards, including TheGleaner Honour Award, the Principal’sAward and the Order of Distinction(Commander Class) from the Govern-ment of Jamaica.

From her pathfinding doctoral researchthesis on the Jamaican elderly to theriveting epidemiology of sexual abuseof children in Kingston and St. Andrew,Prof. Eldemire-Shearer has dedicatedherself, her enormous academic talents,vast knowledge and experience to ef-fecting change and transforming policyon issues of public health and aging.

It is to her credit that Prof. Eldemire-Shearer has been able to successfullycontribute not only to academia and research, but to the practical applicationof the findings of such research in addressing social needs and reality. Shedid not confine herself to the University,but shared herself with the people andthe wider society.

In proud recognition of her unique giftand contribution and an exemplaryrecord of service, the UWI Alumni Association (Jamaica Chapter) is proudto honour Prof. Denise Eldemire-Shearerwith its 2014 Pelican Award.

PROFESSOR ARCHIBALD MCDONALDMBBS (UWI), FRCS (EDIN), FACS, DM (UWI)It is certainly not the norm for one tocombine variants of contrasting profes-sional pursuits and achieve pinnaclestatus in both; but such is the case ofProfessor Archibald McDonald.

Much to his credit and endur-ing legacy, Prof. McDonald, Pro

Vice Chancellor and Princi-pal of Mona Campus, hasbeen able to combine a successful career as a medical practitionerwith groundbreakingadministrative manage-ment and innovativeleadership of the Univer-sity, positively impacting

tertiary level educationaloutcomes in Jamaica.

His pivotal research intrauma and defining role inthe epidemiology of injuries, along with a keensense of the tremendous

burden accidents and in-juries pose to hospital service

delivery, have influenced national policyon better injury prevention and manage-ment practices, and most notably, the development of the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System – a user-friendlymechanism to track injuries in hospitals.

As the UWI surgeon who started Emer-gency Physician Training in Jamaica, Prof.McDonald also played a leadership role inthe establishment of Emergency Medi-cine as an independent academic careerpath for local medical practitioners, andthe Scotia Bank Accident and EmergencyUnit at the UWI Hospital in 1993.

It was his spirit of innovation that led tothe introduction of the Post Basic Train-ing Programme in Emergency Medicineand the Advanced Trauma Life SupportProgramme at the UWI Hospital – a pro-gramme which has gained internationalrecognition with the American Collegeof Surgeons. He was also instrumentalin introducing post-graduate ophthal-mology training at the University Hospital.

But perhaps one of his most enduringinnovative approaches to impact terti-ary education occurred during histenure as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.Confronted with the national demand formedical doctors, he introduced, with greatsuccess, the Full Fee Paying Programme,whereby qualified medical studentscould enter medical school by payingthe full economic cost. The initiative re-sulted in a marked expansion in the in-take of qualified students outside of the‘quota system’ and has led to a doublingof students being trained as doctors atthe University.

Prof. McDonald also successfully under-took a review of and introduced impor-tant changes to the curriculum formedical students, and it was under hisleadership that the Faculty received full accreditation from the CaribbeanAccreditation Authority for Education inMedicine and other Health Professionals.The introduction by him in 2006 of aMaster of Sport Medicine programmecan only further complement Jamaica’salready outstanding achievement andglobal excellence recognition in sports.

His enormous scholarship, demandingpublications and other University responsibilities never prevented Prof.McDonald from contributing to life outside of the campus, which saw himserving with distinction as President of the Association of Surgeons, Chief Executive of The UWI Hospital, Chairmanof the Jamaica Research and EducationalNetwork and, more recently, theCaribbean Knowledge and LearningNetwork. Cont’d on page 30

PICTORIAL

LEFT: Winsome O'Sullivan, wife of former Student Services Manager for Taylor Hall, makes a presentation to Edwin Davis on behalf of UWI graduate and formerTaylor Hall resident, Winston Ho Fatt. Ho Fatt has committed CAN $20,000 annually for the next five years towards the establishment of the Mary Ho Fatt andGladys Myers Educational Fund. RIGHT: Earlier this year, the hall itself through its own initiatives and contributions from other Taylor Hall alumni, raised another quarter million dollars from whichit was able to provide financial assistance and pay hall accommodation fees on behalf of other students for the current academic year. The photo shows some ofthe recipients.

Deputy Dean of the School of Engineering, Dr. Paul Aiken (centre), exchanges pleasantries with Doug Halsall (right), Chairman of Advanced Integrated Systems Ltd. and Everton Grennell (left), Directorof Sales at the company during the signing of a memorandum ofunderstanding between The UWI, Mona and AIS Ltd. which will seeengineering students at The UWI, Mona engaging in internships atAIS. The MOU will facilitate integration of classroom and lab workwith practical experiences, so that the students will possess entre-preneurial skills plus gain necessary work experience while com-pleting the degree programme.

On Thursday October 2, 2014 the students and staff of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus aimed to raise awareness of the United Nations'International Day for Non-Violence observed annually on October 2, the birthday of renowned Indian leader and pacifist, Mahatma Gandhi. The initiativetook the form of an attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the ‘Longest chain of persons clasping (holding) hands’ in a stance against violence.

The UWI, Mona Campus has always been a strong proponent of Non-Violence, and has organized many initiatives aimed at reducing instances of violence and violent expressions among its population. The University provides training for student leaders in dealing with interpersonal violence; has developed an anti-violence pledge for all students, which is included in the information booklet for new students and available on its website, has adopted an Alcoholand Wellness Policy and introduced a Sexual Safety Initiative Programme, looking at the whole issue of sexual violence and sexual harassment.

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

AIS AND UWIENGINEERINGSIGN INTERNSHIPDEAL

TAYLOR HALL SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION

Kingston Mayor, Angela Brown Burke, was among the large audience present at thegroundbreaking ceremony for the new hall of residence.

Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica Dong Xiaojun presents scholarship funds toUWI Campus Principal Prof. Archibald McDonald. At left is Prof. IshenkumbaKahwa, Deputy Principal, UWI Campus and at right, Miss Joy Dickenson,Manager of the Office for Student Financing

MONA CAMPUS TAKES A STAND AGAINST VIOLENCEMona captures highlights of the day's events.

PICTORIAL

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MONA NOVEMBER 2014

SCENES FROM

GRADUATION 2014

Family support pours in Valedictorian Shantayae Grant Newly minted PhDs. assemble

Valedictorian Litrow Hickson Valedictorian Donavon Johnson Valedictorian Sandy Gray

Delighted graduates applaud the valedictorians.

The Chancellor came down tocongratulate this graduate

The 2014 graduation ceremonies atThe University of the West Indies(UWI) saw the conferral of 20

honorary degrees: four at the Cave HillCampus, six at the Mona Campus, twoat the Open Campus, and eight at the St. Augustine Campus. The awardeesreceived honorary doctorates in recogni-tion of their stellar contributions toCaribbean development.

At Mona, the recipients were GlobalTechnology Industry Executive and philanthropist, Nicholas Brathwaite,who received the Doctor of Sciences(DSc); Educator, Banker, Entrepreneur,and Philanthropist Ryland T. Campbell,Ryland T. Campbell who received theDoctor of Laws (LLD); President and CEOof Sagicor Life, Barbados, Dr. Marjorie Pa-tricia Downes-Grant – LLD; Sports Ad-ministrator/Retired Business Executive,

Jamaica, the Hon. Michael Fennell – LLD;Scientist, United Kingdom/Jamaica, Pro-fessor Alan Jackson – DSc and Founderand Director of Peepal Tree Press, UnitedKingdom, Dr. Robert Jeremy Poynting,who received the Doctor of Letters (DLitt).

Nicholas Earle Brathwaite is a SiliconValley technology entrepreneur and international business executive. He has been instrumental in creatingand/or leading multinational ‘high tech’businesses in many countries. Brath-waite is a co-founder and partner of thetechnology investment firm, RiverwoodCapital, based in Menlo Park, California.

Brathwaite currently serves on the boardsof several private and public companiesin the United States, China and Argentina.He is currently a member of the board of

directors of two publicly traded compa-nies: Power Integrations, Inc., TesseraTechnologies Inc. A prolific philanthro-pist, he is the holder of several patents,author of many international publica-tions, a successful entrepreneur andhighly accomplished, globally respectedtechnology industry executive.

Ryland T. Campbellhas made significantand long-lasting contributions to thedevelopment and sustainability of Ja-maica’s education system, and has occu-pied several prestigious positions in thisfield for over three decades. In additionto being a positive force in education,Campbell is renowned for his businessacumen and his transformational capa-bilities in the financial sector. He hasserved for several years as Chairman,Group President and CEO of Capital and

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UWI Confers 20 Honorary Degreesin 2014 Graduation Ceremonies

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

Nicholas Brathwaite Dr. Marjorie Patricia Downes-GrantRyland Campbell

UWI NEWS

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Credit Financial Group Ltd – a group heco-founded. A business entrepreneurwith extraordinary vision, Campbell isdeemed the epitome of success in theJamaican business sector and is viewedas an inspirational leader and mentor by many rising entrepreneurs.

Dr. Marjorie Patricia Downes-Grantstands at the top of the finance industryin Barbados, where she is President andCEO of Sagicor Life, Barbados Ltd., thelargest financial conglomerate in Barba-dos and the OECS. Not only is she theleading woman in corporate Barbados,but is also a transformational leaderwho has done a great deal to ensurethat The UWI benefits from her success. She has had extensive experience inbusiness consulting, financial servicesand development banking, and hasbeen with Sagicor Life since 1991. Dr.Downes-Grant is also director of a number of statutory boards and privatecompanies in Barbados.

The Hon. Michael S. Fennell, OJ, CD, is anoutstanding Jamaican who has servedin various leadership positions at thelocal, regional and international levels.

At The UWI, Mona Campus, he hasserved as the Chair of the Placementand Career Services Board for over 26years, advising on different aspects ofstudents’ career development. His careeralso includes distinguished sports lead-ership at the national, regional and inter-national levels, including membershipon the International Olympic Commit-tee Programme Commission and theIOC Women in Sports Committee. Healso served as Chairman of the Com-monwealth Games Federation (1994-2003) and President (2003-2001), andVice-President of the Pan AmericanSports Organisation (PASO).

For his contribution to sports in Jamaica,he was awarded the national honour ofOrder of Jamaica in 2005.

Prof. Alan Jackson is currently the direc-tor at the National Institute for HealthResearch, Southampton Biomedical Research Centre in Nutrition. ProfessorJackson became the first UK professor ofhuman nutrition in 1985, and has been acentral driver of Southampton's leader-ship in the field since. Having trained asa paediatrician, Professor Jackson’s early

research to determine the pathophys-iology of severe acute malnutrition inchildren helped establish the principlesof prevention and care for global application. It was also the basis forthe principles of nutrition support forseverely sick people in the UK. His international roles include President of the Association for Nutrition; Chairof the International Malnutrition Task Force of IUNS and World CancerResearch Fund, and elected member ofthe Caribbean Health Research Council.

Dr. Jeremy Poynting, who for yearshas been an authority on Caribbeanliterature and culture, is recognisedfor his work as editor and director ofPeepal Tree Press and his invaluablecontributions to Caribbean literature.

After 25 years of operation, the medium-sized literary publishing house can nowbe said to be the leading publisher ofCaribbean writers. At the heart of thepress is Dr. Poynting, founder and direc-tor. Through his vision Peepal Tree Presshas grown steadily and expanded in remarkable ways.

MONA NOVEMBER 2014

Mike Fennell Dr. Jeremy Poynting

Prof. Alan Jackson

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In proud recognition of his pio-neering leadership and truly outstanding record of contribu-tion to the University and the wider community and formaking a legendary impact on tertiary educational outcomes,

as well as his distinguished service to the medical professionin Jamaica, the UWI Alumni Association (Jamaica Chapter) is proud to present Prof. Archibald McDonald with its 2014Pelican Award.

2014 PELICAN AWARDS from page 23

The University of the West Indiesrecognised an entire departmentas well as fourfaculty membersat its Vice-Chan-cellor’s Awards for ExcellenceCeremony on October 27, 2014.

The Department ofLife Sciences in theFaculty of Scienceand Technology atthe St. Augustine

Campus in Trinidad and Tobago is the first recipientof the newly implementedVice-Chancellor's Departmen-tal Award for Excellence.

Professor Jonas Addae fromthe Department of Preclinical

Sciences at the St. AugustineCampus was recognised forhis accomplishments inteaching. Professor SimonMitchell, Head of the Depart-ment of Geography and Ge-ology, and Professor MarvinReid, Director of the TropicalMetabolism Research Unit,received the honour for theirresearch accomplishmentswhile Professor HopetonDunn, Director of the CaribbeanInstitute of Media and Com-munication, was honouredfor his contributions to publicservice. All three are at theMona Campus in Jamaica.

Since 1994, The UWI’s Vice-Chancellor has beenrecognising and rewardingoutstanding performance byacademic and senior admin-istrative staff. In the 2012-

2013 academic year, a depart-mental award for excellencewas 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 demon-strates the highest commit-ment to quality, to serviceand operational excellence.

On the announcement ofthis year’s awardees, Vice-Chancellor E. Nigel Harrisstated, “My heartfelt congrat-ulations to this year’s recipi-ents of the Vice Chancellor’sAwards for Excellence.

Together they represent the best that our universityoffers to our students, to new knowledge formation in diverse fields and to the

communities in which welive. Their achievement is areflection not only of what is best about our Universitybut of what is possible in our West Indian societies as a whole."

The 2014 Vice-Chancellor’sAwards for Excellence tookplace on October 27th at theMona Visitors' Lodge andConference Centre at TheUWI, Mona.

ABOUT THE AWARDEESThe Department of Life Sciences for Quality, Service,Operational ExcellenceThe history of the Departmentof Life Sciences dates back to1922. Among its exemplaryaccomplishments, the Awardrecognises its well-managedprocesses and procedures,data driven decision-making,student and stakeholder-centred development, inno-vation and demonstration of a results-oriented focus. In the last four years, the Department of Life Scienceshas earned external fundingin excess of 4.3 million USdollars, won The University’s2012 Award for the most pro-ductive research departmentand a campus award for themost successful project forits work on the Caroni SwampResearch and DevelopmentImpact Fund. In the lastdecade, its teaching accom-plishments have been re-flected in an estimated 46% increase in the year-one stu-dent pass rate and transitionto the advanced part of thedegree.

Professor Jonas Addae forTeachingProfessor Addae, Professor of Physiology in the Depart-ment of Preclinical Sciences,Faculty of

DEPARTMENT, 4 FACULTY MEMBERS RECEIVE VC AWARDS

Pro Vice Chancellors and senior staff at the University of the West Indies (backrow), celebrate the 2014 Vice Chancellor Awards with Vice Chancellor, Prof. E. NigelHarris (3rd right) and awardees (right) Professors Jonas Addae and Marvin Reidand (left) Professors John Agard (representing the Dept. of Life Sciences), HopetonDunn, Simon Mitchell and Deborah Alleyne, Administrative Assistant, Dept. of LifeSciences.

Cont’d on page 32

UWI NEWSMONA NOVEMBER 2014

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UWI STUDENTS MEDAL AT TAEKWON-DO EVENT

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Medical Sciences at the St. Augustine Campus, has made astellar contribution to teaching at TheUniversity. He has served as the Headand Principal of the Preclinical Sciences Department and, since 2008, has occa-sionally acted as Dean of the Faculty.

He was one of the winners of the firstUWI/Guardian Life Premium TeachingAwards held in 2000. Professor Addaedescribes his teaching methodology asintended to generate in students thepassion to learn new information usingan inquiry-based teaching method, inwhich students generate most of therelevant questions rather than beinggiven the questions by the lecturer. Heis an advocate of contextual learning as well as learning outside of the class-room and believes in the importance ofstudents’ understanding their learningskills. As such, for more than a decade,Professor Addae has been conductinglearning skills sessions for first-year students in all schools of the Faculty.

Professor Simon Mitchell for ResearchProfessor Mitchell is Professor of Sedimentary Geology and Head of the Department of Geography and Geologyat The University’s Mona campus andhas also been involved in teaching, research and consultancies in the fieldsof Geology Mapping and Petroleum Geology around the Caribbean for the past 20 years.

He co-authored volume two of the Catalogue of Cretaceous Corals and hasauthored over 100 journal articles andbook chapters along with several otherpublications. Professor Mitchell hastaught 10 courses during his tenure atThe UWI; these include extensive fieldcourses including sedimentology andresidential geological mapping courses,since he is a proponent of backing uptheoretical concepts with laboratoryand field-based experience.

Professor Marvin Reid for ResearchProfessor Reid’s current positions includeProfessor of the Tropical Medicine Research Institute (TMRI) at The UWI,Director of Tropical Metabolism Re-search Unit at TMRI and an AssociateLecturer in the Department of Commu-nity Health and Psychiatry at The University’s Mona Campus. This well-respected academic has earned regionaland international recognition for hiswork, especially those related to stableisotope based metabolic research. Hehas published in excess of 100 peer

reviewed articles, two book chaptersand 23 abstracts, as well as several otherpapers and reports. Professor Reid iscurrently the principal investigator /project coordinator on a research proj-ect funded by the National Institutes ofHealth of the U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services. The research aimsto re-establish nuclear medicine diag-nostic service in the public health system in Jamaica.

Professor Hopeton Dunn for Public ServiceProfessor Dunn has had an outstandingcareer with accomplishments in re-search, publication and teaching; how-ever, his Vice-Chancellor’s Award is forhis enviable record of excellence in pub-lic service, locally, regionally and inter-nationally. This public service has beenevident in the areas of media and com-munications, policy making, telecom-

munications, ICT reforms in institutionbuilding and capacity development ineducation and leadership in the culturaland creative Industries. He continues toserve on public boards and other civicorganisations while currently Chairmanof the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica and a Justice of the Peace forthe past 15 years.

At The University’s Mona campus, Pro-fessor Dunn is Director of the CaribbeanInstitute of Media and Communication(CARIMAC) as well as a Professor ofCommunications Policy and DigitalMedia and Director of the Mona ICT Policy Centre. In addition to his universityresponsibilities, he has also served onseveral committees at The UWI, amongthem the Finance and General PurposesCommittee and The UWI Senate’s Disciplinary Committee.

VC AWARDS from page 26

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UWI NEWS

INAUGURAL GLORIA LYN MEMORIALPRIZE AWARDED

Xavienne Roma Richardson,(right) a student in the Department of Literatures in English at TheUWI, Mona receives the inaugural Gloria Lyn Memorial prize, from Lyn's daughter Cathy. TheUS$500 award will be made annually to the student with the highest grade in any of the secondyear courses in West Indian literature offered at the Mona Campus.

The Gloria Lyn Memorial Fund, launched on 30 October 2014, aims to raise the visibility of literature at The UWI. It has been established by the family of the late Gloria Lyn, the daughterof a Chinese shopkeeper who went on to become a specialist lecturer in 17th Century Englishrenaissance poetry at The UWI, Mona. The Fund aims to bring together a critical mass of thoughtleaders to raise the visibility of literature at The UWI, and to increase jobs and productivity inthe region. In addition to the annual prize, the Fund will also mentor the prize winners and promote the whole value chain of studying literature.

Head of Department, Dr. Michael Bucknor, said “The Department of Literatures in English is delighted at this initiative to support the work of the department in developing our students’ability to think critically, to communicate effectively, and to be innovative and confident leadersof our society.”

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UWI NEWS

SIR HILARY BECKLES IS NEWUWI VICE-CHANCELLOR

Principal of The UWI, CaveHill Campus in Barbados,Sir Hilary Beckles, has

been appointed to serve as thenext Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity with effect fromMay 1, 2015. The decision wastaken at an ExtraordinaryMeeting of University Council.Sir Hilary will be the University’sseventh Vice-Chancellor.

In making the announce-ment, University Chancellor,Sir George Alleyne, noted thatSir Hilary would bring to theposition impeccable academiccredentials, impressive mana-gerial skills and the gravitasthat such an office required.He was confident that Sir Hilary would have the confi-dence and support of the University’s many and diversestakeholders.

The Vice-Chancellor Designateis well known regionally andextra-regionally and is cur-rently the longest servingcampus Principal. He has a distinguished record ofachievement and service as auniversity administrator, eco-nomic historian and specialistin higher education and devel-opment thinking and practice.At the international level, hecurrently serves as a memberof the UN Secretary-General’sScience Advisory Board on

Sustainable Development,Chairman of the CaribbeanReparations Commission, VicePresident of the InternationalTask Force for the UNESCOSlave Route, adviser to the UNWorld Culture Report, interalia. He is the recipient ofmany honours, awards andhonorary degrees and serveson the Boards of several of theregion’s largest corporations.

Sir Hilary is an avid lover ofcricket, was an accomplishedcricketer in his youth, has writ-ten extensively on the subjectand served on the West IndiesCricket Board (WICB) for manyyears. He is married to Mary,a Jamaican (nee Motta) andthey have two sons.

The Vice-Chancellor of TheUWI is charged with advanc-ing the University’s academicreputation and global stand-ing, while championing thestrategic direction outlined inthe strategic plan for the re-maining period of the 2012-2017 plan and beyond.

The Vice-Chancellor must pos-sess the credibility, vision andintellectual respect needed tointeract effectively with thehighest levels of government,business, other academic andinternational organizationsand civic society, at the re-gional and international levels.

Additionally, the Vice Chancel-lor is charged with maintain-ing and promoting theefficiency and good order ofthe University for which theVice-Chancellor shall be re-sponsible to the Council.

PROF. EUDINE BARRITEAUAPPOINTED PRINCIPAL OFUWI OPEN CAMPUSThe University of the West Indies is pleased to announceProfessor Eudine Barriteau asthe new principal of The Uni-versity’s Open Campus. She assumed office on August 1,

2014, the start of the new academic year, succeeding Pro Vice-Chancellor ProfessorHazel Simmons- McDonald.

Professor Barriteau will buildon the platform established bythe outgoing Principal .Herimperatives will include over-seeing the expansion of on-line, distance education,particularly those linked toprogrammes provided by resi-dential campuses, garneringsolid links with The UWI’s Sin-gle Virtual University SpaceSystem and broadening thedelivery of face to face, profes-sional programmes at The Uni-versity’s more than 46 OpenCampus sites.

Professor Barriteau has servedin various roles at The UWI for more than 30 years. Shewas the second female to be appointed Deputy Principalat the Cave Hill Campus, in2008. In that role, two of hermajor accomplishments were serving as Chair of the CaveHill Campus Institutional Accreditation Exercise, whichresulted in full accreditation of the Campus for six years,and serving as Chair of the2011 UWI Games OrganisingCommittee.

She earlier served as Head of the Centre for Gender and Development Studies at The UWI, and was the first female Campus Coordinator of the School for GraduateStudies and Research.

NEW DEPUTY PRINCIPALFOR UWI OPEN CAMPUS Professor Julie Meeks Gardneris the new Deputy Principal of The UWI’s Open Campus. Her appointment took effecton October 1, 2014, succeedingProfessor Vivienne Roberts,who has retired.

Julie Meeks Gardner, Professorof Child Development and Nutrition, has been on staff at The UWI for over 20 years. She has focused on the behav-ioural development of under-nourished children as well ason cross-cultural assessmentsof child cognition.

Professor Meeks Gardner hasbeen equally dedicated to issues of child development.Among her pioneering work is research on children and violence, including the devel-opment of aggression and violence among children, interventions that reduce violence and aggression, children’s involvement ingangs and the effects of violence on children in theCaribbean.

In 2004, she was appointedHead of the Caribbean ChildDevelopment Centre (CCDC),Under her direction, the CCDCreceived the Principal’s Awardfor Best Performing Depart-ment in the Open Campus,2012, and Meeks Gardner wasthe recipient of the Vice-Chan-cellor’s Award for Excellence in Research and Public Service,2011.

APPOINTMENTS

Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles

Prof. Eudine Barriteau Prof. Julie Meeks Gardner

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