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Student teachers of the Secondary and Primary Teacher Training Programmes in the Banana Belt Communities on September 23 mounted an exhibi-tion displaying the range of tools they acquired from their skills training. The training program for the student teachers resulted from a BZ $1.2 mil-lion project funded by the European Union to upgrade the quality of teach-ers involved in early childhood in the Banana Belt communities of Belize.

Dignitaries at the “Education Day” event included the Minister of Educa-tion, Youth and Sports, Hon. Patrick Faber, Ambassador Paola Amadei, the Head of Delegation, European Union Delegation to Jamaica, Belize, the Ba-hamas, Turks and Caicos Islands and Cayman Islands, the President of the University of Belize, Dr. Cary Fraser, the Chair and Vice Chair of UB Board of Trustees, Mrs. Imani Fairweather-Morrison and Mr. Deryck Satchwell, as well as Chief Executive Officers of the ministries of Economic Development and Education, Youth and Sports, Am-bassador Yvonne Hyde and Mr. David Leacock respectively.

The project was launched in November 2010 and undertaken by the University of Belize in collaboration with the Min-istry of Education, Youth and Sports.

The event was held at the Georgetown Technical High School (GTHS) and will also serve as the venue for gradua-tion ceremonies for the 150 student teachers at the end of October.

Building national capacity: transforming Belize

“We are confident that at the end of these programs, the Tole-do and Stann Creek districts will jump to the top of statistics for the number of trained teachers.”

EU Ambassador Paola Amadei

“…for the first time in the dis-trict and for the very first time in the history of the nation, a dis-trict has 100 per cent trained teachers at that level, ” said

Minster Faber. “The University of Belize has been a constant sup-port for the ministry’s efforts in

teacher training.”Hon. Patrick Faber

“These projects have been useful in helping the University to think about the way forward in teacher education, how to build a national system that both integrate and create

space for the ethnic and cultur-al pluralism that defines Belize.”

Dr. Cary Fraser

“In view of the important link between teacher quality and

student achievement in prepa-ration for adulthood and the

work environment, significant re-sources have been put towards school infrastructure, teacher

training and support under the Banana Support

Programme.”Ambassador Yvonne Hyde

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The University of Belize was the venue for the launch of the United Nations Develop-ment Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Government of Belize and the sup-port of the European Union Project “En-hancing Belize’s Resilience to Adapt to the Effects of Climate Change” on Sep-tember 24. The project aims to enhance adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change in national policies, and demon-strate action to support effective responses to governance of climate change in the wa-

ter sector in Belize.

It is fund-ed by the European Union (EU) – Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA).The budget

for the project amounts E 3,170,746, with E2.9 million being provided by the Euro-pean Union (EU) and E 270,746 in contri-bution from the UNDP and Government of

Belize. The project will be imple-mented by UNDP over a 28-month period from 2012 to 2014.

The project was developed within the GCCA

Managing the effects of climate change in Belize’s development

“the government of Belize is investigating integrated solu-tions to the challenges of cli-

mate change as well as explor-ing the possibilities of changing climate and the environment,” said the Minister. “These solu-

tions…must be our own and re-quires the combined partnership of the government, the local au-thority, and stakeholders of the country’s development sectors; Civil Society and the national

citizenry.”Sen. Hon. Alamilla

“We need to make sure that our human capital can manage the consequences of Climate Change in Belize and the re-

gion.”Dr. Fraser

“the United Nations and its specialized agencies…have

committed their talents and re-sources to investigate global solutions to the challenges of

climate change…”Mr. Roberto Valent

“EU development policy should promote a green econ-omy that can generate growth, create jobs and help reduce

poverty by valuing and invest-ing in natural capital…”

Ambassador Amadei

Sen. Hon. Lisel Alamilla

Dr. Cary Fraser

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framework, and it focuses upon building ca-pacity to plan for, and to manage, the effects of climate change upon Belize. The country will likely experience increasing vulnerability to climate change and needs to build adaptive capacity to manage its resources sensititive to the impact of climate change.

GCCA was launched in 2007 by the European Commission to strengthen dialogue and coop-eration on Climate Change between the Eu-ropean Union (EU) and developing countries most vulnerable to climate change. The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are likely to be hit hardest by the adverse effects of climate change even though they have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions.

The GCCA project operates as a part of a larger portfolio of initiatives being organized by the newly created climate change office in the Min-istry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable De-velopment. The project addresses priority areas of action identified in the Caribbean Regional Climate Support Strategy through capacity building support for natural resources manage-ment in light of climate change considerations.

Speaking at the event were the Hon. Lisel Ala-milla, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sus-

tainable Development (FFSD), Mr. Roberto Valent, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme, Her Excellency, Ambassador Paola Amadei, Head of EU Delegation to Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, Turks and Ca-icos Islands and Cayman Islands, and the President of the University of Belize, Dr. Cary Fraser. Other special invited guests were the Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minis-ter of Labour, Local Government, Rural Development and NEMO, Chief Executive Officers, representatives of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), represen-tatives from national and regional agencies and organizations, and senior public officers.

Notwithstanding the pivotal role of UNDP and FFSD for the effective implemen-tation of the project, support will also be provided by other key government ministries such as Natural Resources and Agriculture, Labour, Local Govern-ment, Rural Development and NEMO, and the Southern Environmental Associa-tion.

Mr. Roberto Valent

Ambassador Paola Amadei

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A delegation from the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) visited the University of Belize in September to learn about the formal and infor-mal education system in rural Belize.

The students and delegates were given an overview of the Faculty of Education and Arts in relation to its programs in particular its work in en-hancing access to quality education for rural communities and indigenous peoples. They were also introduced to the Regional Language Centre which de-livers English language instruction to non-English speaking nationals.

The visit to UB is a result of Mrs. Lisa Carballo, a Curriculum Officer in the Min-istry of Education, Youth and Sports in Orange Walk who is the only Belizean in this cohort that is enrolled in a Masters Program at UNA. As part of the Pro-gram, UNA travels to Central American Countries. Therefore, as a result of Mrs. Carballo’s enrollment, arrangements were made for the UNA delegation to visit the University of Belize as part of a learning experience and an opportunity for the two Universities to explore opportunities of forging relationships.

Building relationship: Central American Universities

CARPIMS RecipientsTwo recipients of the Caribbean-Pacific Island Mobility Scheme (CARPIMS) program, Ms. Allison Dolland and Ms. Leah Fouchong, pose with the President of the Uni-versity of Belize, Dr. Cary Fraser. Allison is on a staff mobility and during her month attachment will work with the Library staff in areas such as Service Standards, Resource Standards and Human Resource Development. She is from the Alma Jordan Library, University of West Indies, St. Augustine campus, Trinidad and Tobago. Leah is on an 18 month student mobility and is enrolled in the University’s Masters Program in Biodiversity, Conserva-tion and Sustainable Development.

CARPIMS is a project designed to facilitate the move-ment of Masters and PhD students, and staff between a consortium of Universities from the Caribbean and Pacific regions. The goal is to build the research and teaching capacity of each par-ticipating institution and contribute to the socio-economic development of the respective regions. CARPMIS is funded by a grant from the European Union.

Visiting delegation

Allison (L) and Leah (R) with Dr. Fraser

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Students score high: National Service DayStudents and lecturers of the Advanced Teach-ing English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) of the Faculty of Education and Arts participated in service activities in honour of the late Rt. Hon. George Price. In Belize City, students in collaboration with UB assistant pro-fessors Dr. Maxine McKay and Dr. Silvaana Udz, visited the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center where they performed patriotic songs, poems, dances and educational activities.

In Belmopan, students participated in a beauti-fication project as part of National Community Service Day at the Central Campus. They were assisted by lecturers from the Faculty of Sci-ence and Technology, Dr. Arlenie Perez-Rodgers and Mrs. Latha Thomas, and Mrs. Pearl Fraser, the wife of the President. A variety of plants were transplanted in an effort to create visually vibrant areas around the campus.

Kudos to the students, volunteers and friends!

Students parade on Independence Day

Service to the community

All hands on deck

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UB/ERI Scientists deliver findings at XVI Mesoamerican Congress

Scientists from the University of Belize Environmental Research Institute pre-sented findings of their research entitled, “Long-term monitoring of jaguars in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize” at the XVI Congress of the Me-soamerican Society for Biology and Conservation that was held in Panama City, Panama in September. They described the collaborative research by the ERI and Panthera on the spatial dynamics of the region’s jaguar population.

The other presentation titled “People, Predators and Prey: game meat con-sumption in Belize”, presented the results of a nationwide study of hunting. They as-sessed whether game meat consumption at current rates is sustainable and discussed how over-exploitation of wild animals poses challenges to large cat conservation.

UB/ERI scientists and staff at the event in-cluded Dr Elma Kay, Dr Bart Harmsen, Wild-

life Biologist, Emma Sanchez as well as active members of MSBC’s Belize Chap-ter, and Dr. Rebecca Foster of Panthera. Denver Cayetano, student and ERI’s Publication Assisant also attended the Congress.

The MSBC Congress is held every year and attracts over 500 people from other continents to discuss the progress of their research, to share experiences, and to strengthen

partnerships between institutions and researchers in vari-ous fields related to the study of climate change and natural resources of this region of the world. The Congress numbers nine chapters throughout the coun-tries of Mesoamerica.

The theme of this year’s Congress was “Valoracion De Los Recursos Hidri-cos: Un Paso Hacia La Sostenibilidad En Mesoamerica” or, in English: Val-uation of Water Resources: A Step Towards Sustainability in Mesoamerica.

Smiling scientists

Future scientist

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Remote Sensing & Land Management UseLecturer and Program Coordinator of the Natural Resource Management Program of the Faculty of Science and Tech-nology, Mr. Santos Chicas, will attend a 1-month training in Remote Sensing and Land Use Management at the Centre for International Post Graduate Studies in Environmental Man-agement in Dresden, Germany. With the training Mr. Chicas will broaden his experience and will be able to train students and professionals more effectively in satellite imagery analy-sis. He is scheduled to leave in November. The training is being funded by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Abidas Ash and Allan Romero, two proud stu-dents from the Natural Resource Management Pro-gram will be re-ceiving training in Bird monitoring at the Belize Foun-

dation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE). BFREE is located near the Bladden Nature Reserve in the Toledo District. Ms. Ash and Mr. Romero will learn techniques used to capture, tag and record data on the species,

size and weight of birds found in this area. This data will help to identify bird spe-cies as native or migratory birds and will help to monitor these species over a period of time. This training, which will be is funded by the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) will com-mence October and will take place on the weekends for a period of one year.

Vaneiri Keme is this year’s recipient of the NRM-Canada ex-change program. For the past three years students enrolled in the NRM program have had the opportunity to visit the Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Canada. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to apply. The selected individual is expected to deliver a presentation of Belize’s natural resources to undergraduate students at Thompson Rivers University. During her two weeks stay, Vaneiri will have the opportunity to attend environmental courses as well as participate in planned field trips where she will be exposed to Canada’s ecosystems. Upon her return, Vaneiri will be presenting to NRM students in an effort to motivate them to apply for next year’s selection.

NRM Students on the go

Exchange Program with Canadian University

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Brown Bag Session: Science Power!The Ministry of Energy, Science & Technology and Public Utilities (MES&T&PU) hosted a ‘Brown Bag Session’ on September 28 at the

Jaguar Auditorium, Belmopan. The session served as an oppor-tunity for the scientists to discuss their experiences and careers in the sciences with students, and faculty. Representing the University of Be-lize on the panel were Dr. Leandra Cho-Ricketts and Lecturer Shirlene Savery- Enriquez of the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Gone... but will be sadly missed

Dr. Colin Young

Dr. Cardinal Warde

Dr. Leandra Cho-Ricketts Mrs. Shirlene Savery - Enriquez

Dr. Adebayo Agbejule

Dr. Dina Sah