Some fifty participants and speakers from Latin America and the Caribbean are now attending a Training Institute on Climate and Health in the Americas in the Department of Physics at the UWI Mona Campus. The Training Institute is being run by the Inter American Institute for Global Change Research and continues through to Friday, November 18. The central objective of the Institute is to help develop and strengthen local and regional capacity to deal with the impacts of climate variability and climate change on human health in the populations of the Americas, particularly Latin America and the Caribbean. The intention is to develop a cooperative network of professionals in the Americas that can exchange knowledge and experience in future activities, share data and promote exchange and training of local professionals, as well as the development of partnerships among governments, industries and communities.

Workshop on Bioenergetic Modeling of Fish
Dr. Jim Petersen, from the U.S. Geological Survey, will visit the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory (DBML) and conduct a 2-day workshop on Bioenergetic Modeling of Fish from November 29-30, 2005.
Bioenergetic Models are used to predict consumption needs and growth of fish, and have been useful in exploring a variety of basic and applied questions, including predator-prey relationships, competition for food, the effects of climate change and global warming, and many other examples. The workshop will provide an introduction to Bioenergetic principles and modeling, and familiarize students with a user-friendly software package called "fish bioenergetics 3.0". The workshop will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and exercises designed to demonstrate the flexibility and application of Bioenergetic modeling. Further information may be obtained from Dr. Norman Quinn, Director at the Discovery Bay Martine Laboratory, or email norman.quinn@uwimona.edu.jm