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UWI Launches Cutting-Edge crXstal Laboratory, Revolutionizing Caribbean Research

(L-R): Professor Michael Taylor, Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), The UWI Mona; Dr.  Tomlin Paul, Deputy Principal, The UWI Mona; Ms. Kellon Williams, Marketing Manager, Juici Patties; Dr. Donna Minott Kates, Head, Department of Chemistry, FST, The UWI Mona; Dr. Marvadeen Singh-Wilmot, Lead Scientist and Founder of CrXstal and Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, The UWI Mona; Professor Michele Zema, Representative, LAAAMP and Co-founder, CrXstal and Professor Emeritus Robert Lancashire, Department of Chemistry, The UWI Mona.

The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona Campus, celebrated a significant milestone on October 3, 2024, with the launch of the crXstal Caribbean Regional X-ray Science Toward Advancement Laboratory and the commissioning of the state-of-the-art Bruker D8 Quest Eco Single Crystal Diffractometer (SC-XRD).  This premier research facility, equipped with advanced X-ray diffraction technology, marks a groundbreaking achievement for the English-speaking Caribbean. The SC-XRD enables researchers to "see" atoms and determine 3D structures at the atomic and molecular level, revolutionizing scientific research in the region.

October 18, 2024

Recipients of the Principal's Research Awards for the years 2020 - 2023

Heartiest congratulations to the following members of the Department who were recipients of the Principal's Research Awards for the years 2020 - 2023:
Dr Andrea Goldson-Barnaby, in the category Most Outstanding Researcher, A/Y 2020, 2021)
Dr Peter Nelson (Most Outstanding Researcher A/Y 2020, 2022)
Prof Paul Reese (co-author Best Research Publication, FMS 2021)
Dr Roy Porter (co-author Best Research Publication 2022)
Well done colleagues!

January 24, 2024

Double Bond | 5th formers explore theoretical & practical Chemistry concepts

Dr. Andrea Goldson-Barnaby (Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry) hosted twenty-nine (29) 5th form students from Buff Bay High School on January 13, 2023, with their teachers, Ms Debbie-Ann Phillips (MSc student, Food and Agro-processing Technology) and Ms. Leslie-Ann Phillips. The students were introduced to green chemistry and basic chemistry concepts, and participated in experiments in the Food Chemistry Laboratory. These included acid-base titration, red cabbage solution pH indicator testing – using household items such as baking soda, toilet bowl cleaner and paper chromatography among others. The initiative was supported by undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Department of Chemistry who are also active members of the American Chemical Society (Jamaica Chapter). The volunteers were Chamique McFarlane, Kyra Taylor, Nadesha Pinnock, Zoie Garwood, Sashanna Staple and Ricaldo Pryce. The Buff Bay High students were appreciative and expressed their intention to make the UWI their university of choice in the near future.
Photo caption: Buff Bay High School students practicing paper chromatography in the Food Chemitsry Lab at The UWI Mona.

March 03, 2023

Representation in science matters! ACS hosts DEI and Respect Workshop

The American Chemical Society (Jamaica Chapter) hosted their inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Respect workshop on January 26, 2023. The facilitator was Ms Nadia Veiro (The UWI). The workshop was attended by sixteen students from the Department of Chemistry at The University of the West Indies who found the presentations very engaging and informative. “Equality is not enough, equity is necessary. Looking at things from a different perspective allows us to change a situation based on equality only, into a fair situation with the aid of equity.” shared one participant. The workshop served as an avenue for in-training STEM professionals about DEI concepts including unconscious bias, cultural competence, and other barriers to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Photo caption: UWI ACS smembers (Jamaica Chapter ) at 'DEI and Respect' Workshop.

March 03, 2023

Bequest of Scholarship Endowment Funds by late Chemistry Professor

The family of the late Professor Henry Ellis (Department of Chemistry) has made a significant donation, being funds bequeathed by Professor Ellis, to establish the “Henry A. Ellis Scholarship for Physical Chemistry” fund. The annual scholarship will provide support to an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Chemistry with Physical Chemistry as part of their degree programme. The fund will be administered by UWI Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF). The Department of Chemistry recognizes with gratitude the generous action of their former colleague, Professor Ellis, and thank his family for the contribution to chemistry education.

March 03, 2023

Czerne Reid | Elected to high honor by AAAS, world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society

 
Dr. Czerne Reid is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director in the University of Florida (UF) College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and affiliate faculty in the UF College of Journalism and Communications. She is a lifetime Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, cited for distinguished contributions to the communication of science, especially through sustained leadership of programs to develop future generations of science writers.
She earned her PhD in environmental chemistry at Emory University, and a graduate certificate in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her undergraduate degree in chemistry is from the University of the West Indies, Mona, in her native Jamaica.
She leads the design, development, administration and evaluation of online education programs and courses in a range of psychiatry subject areas. She spearheaded the development of the psychiatry department’s Graduate Certificate in Addiction and Recovery and Professional Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is particularly interested in science communication as a career for scientists, and conducts research and extensive mentoring in this area. She is principal investigator of The Science to SciCom Study, which examines the experiences of STEM Ph.D.-level-trained individuals who switch career paths from science research to science communication. She leads the Science Writing Career Interest Team of the UF Health Grad Student & Postdoc Career and Professional Development (GradDev) program. Dr. Reid is also an independent science writer and editor; her writing has appeared in National Geographic and other outlets, and she is a contributing editor for Science News, published by the Society for Science & the Public. She is a board-certified Editor in the Life Sciences (ELS). Dr. Reid is the recipient of an Exemplary Teacher Award from the UF College of Medicine, an Educator Award and Educational Innovator Award from the UF Health/CTSI Educational Scholarship Program, an Entrepreneur Faculty Fellowship from the UF Warrington College of Business, and the Diane McGurgan Service Award from the National Association of Science Writers (NASW).
Dr. Reid co-chairs the NASW Education Committee, co-chaired the Regional Committee on Latin America and the Caribbean of the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017 (WCSJ2017), and serves on the Committee on Science & Technology Engagement with the Public (CoSTEP) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the board of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. She holds professional memberships in AAAS, NASW, the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS), the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ). She serves on the UF Faculty Senate, University Libraries Committee and University Curriculum Committee

February 17, 2023

Chemistry grad student awarded Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship

Ms. Pearl Bergan, MPhil student in the Department of Chemistry, has been selected for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) programme. The Fellowship is awarded to young women pursuing a Master’s degree at an accredited university in the nuclear sciences. Ms. Bergan has been selected based on her project examining Submarine Groundwater Discharge in the Kingston Harbour using radon as a tracer, under the supervision of Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith. The award also includes an opportunity to pursue an internship for up to 12 months facilitated by the IAEA.

Named after pioneer physicist and twice Nobel Prize laureate Marie Sklodowska-Curie, the programme aims to enable more women from around the world to pursue a career in the nuclear field. The MSCFP builds up gender-balanced capacities relevant to nuclear energy, other nuclear applications, nuclear safety, and nuclear security, as well as non‑proliferation

Follow the Faculty of Science and Technology on Instagram @uwimona_fst and on Facebook at @ The Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona. For enquiries, WhatsApp us at 1-876 552-4691, call us at 1-876-977-1785 or email us at fst@uwimona.edu.jm.

Published on 02 Feb, 202379

March 28, 2022
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