Photo: Cassava bioplastic (left), Steffon Duncan (right)

‘Bioplasticty’ was the theme of the student competition held as a part of the Virtual Science Fair recently organised by the FST Guild. The competition was won by Mr. Steffon Duncan, 2nd year student in Environmental Science and Sustainable Technology (Special) at The UWI, St. Augustine. Entrants were asked to submit a brief video clip on the potential for use of local starches (e.g. yam, cassava, sweet potato) in making bioplastics. The competition attracted participants from the Chemical Society (UWI, Mona), The Chemistry Society (Cave Hill) and the Chemists-in-Action Club (St. Augustine). Both the competition and virtual fair aimed to expose students to the opportunities afforded by science as well as give them an opportunity to show their talents/skills”. Participating organizations in the fair included the Scientific Research Council, Bureau of Standards Jamaica and the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences. The organizations explained the integral role of science to their organization. Congrats Steffon! Congrats FST Guild on a well-staged event!

View Steffon’s winning video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_gV6R4Ge4U&ab_channel=Steffyduncs