Ms. Liandra Whittaker, an Undergraduate student from the Department of Computing (BSc Software Engineering) and a member of the Climate Studies Group Mona was one of two Caribbean nationals selected to participate in “Extreme Heat Workshop” held at The Forum at Columbia University, USA from July 10-12, 2024. Her participation stemmed from her pursing the course "Internship in Computing 1 - COMP 3911" to fulfil the requirement for her degree. The internship which was successfully completed involved a collaborative research project between the Department of Physics and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Washington D.C. The project focused on understanding the physical causes behind the frequent and intense heat waves in the Caribbean region. An innovative poster entitled "The Physical Drivers of Long-Duration Heat Extremes in the Caribbean During the Rainy Season," was presented during the workshop. The poster analysed (using Python) and compared heat waves in Jamaica and Barbados during the rainy season by examining NOAA ‘ERA5’ and ‘AM4’ climate data models from 1970 - 2019. This was a collaborative effort with gainful support from Veeshan Narinesingh, Jhordanne Jones (FST Alum and Fulbright Scholar) and Gabriel Rios, who are affiliated with NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Purdue University, and Princeton University, respectively.

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 inquiries, WhatsApp us at 1-876-552-4691, call us at 1-876-927-1660-9, or email us at fst@uwimona.edu.jm.