The Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) at the University of the West Indies will be hosting its third annual science conference, this time in Guyana, where issues surrounding the development of science in the Caribbean would be addressed.
CSF Assistant Director Lois Oliver recently visited Guyana and met with the National Science Coordinator Petal Jettoo, to plan the workshop, which will be held on December 2 and 3 at the Grand Coastal Inn, East Coast Demerara, under the theme “Stimulating entrepreneurship and education through STEM”.
In an interview with Guyana Times International, Oliver explained that with the theme in mind, the conference would be focused on entrepreneurship and innovation.
“We cannot keep doing the same thing, the same way all the time and expect big, great results… we realise a lot of Caribbean people are not taught to be entrepreneurs; we are taught ‘you go to school, you get your qualifications and you get a job working for someone else’, but we want these people to understand that you need to forge ahead,” she stated.
STEM for development
Oliver noted that the next great idea may be from a Caribbean scientist and that will, in turn, provide employment opportunities for scores of people in the region.
“We want people to stop thinking (in) a small business way and think about how we can actively focus on things like poverty reduction and job creation, using STEM, for our people,” the CSF assistant director said.
Oliver revealed that when the idea was pitched to have the conference hosted in Guyana, CSF thought it was a good idea to be where all the action is since the country has biodiversity which cannot be seen anywhere else in the Caribbean.
Focus
“All of what we focus now is in biodiversity, water resources management, natural resources management, that is where a lot of the thrust is. Guyana is unique because of your terrain and topography.
“You have all these wonderful reserves and wetlands and forests, and there is so much development in science going on in Guyana; the country recently put out a science policy,” Oliver stated.
Showcasing Guyana
She noted that many Guyanese scientists will be involved in the conference, “so we want to ensure that we involve and showcase what’s happening in Guyana; after all, we are having the conference there”.
The CSF assistant director went on to say that they are hoping to feature not only scientists from Guyana and the Caribbean, but from the Caribbean diaspora as well.
The first day of the conference will be interactive with students and young scientists being exposed to all the possibilities available to them. She disclosed that Professor Maya Trotz, who is a Guyanese, has been working on a project making videos of scientists in the Caribbean.
She noted that the videos will be launched at the conference, since it is more of a career showcase for young people whereby they can hear the life stories of those scientists and understand their path to success.
Oliver noted that students who participate in the workshop will benefit immensely as it relates to career information.
The two Guyanese students who went to the CSF-run Student Programme for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE), recently held in Barbados, will be reflecting on the four-week programme and feedback will also be given from the winners of the national leg of the SAGICOR Visionaries Challenge on their trip to Barbados for the regional competition.
Meanwhile on the second day of the conference, representatives from CSF throughout the Caribbean will be addressing the forum.
The conference will also have a session where posters of scientists’ projects will be on display. The sciences faculty of the University of Guyana is expected to be involved.
According to Oliver, the aim of conference is to foster awareness of STEM in the Caribbean and promote entrepreneurship using STEM. The first conference was held in Barbados and last year in Grenada.
