During the fall semester five scholars from UVI's Emerging Caribbean Scientists (ECS) program won awards at three different national conferences. Through different UVI programs, ECS students are provided with scholarships and financial support for research and study in science and mathematics. Cassandra Benjamin, a sophomore applied mathematics major, worked with UVI professor Dr. Joseph Gaskin studying "Acceleration of Logarithmic Convergence." Ms. Benjamin won a prize at the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium held at Universidad Metropolitana in Puerto Rico in September.
Tiffany Bernier, a senior biology major, won first prize for her poster in biology at the annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Conference held in Washington, D.C. in November. Ms Bernier presented work she did while attending a summer program at the University of Iowa. The title of her poster was, "Confirmation of High Definition Comparative Genomic Hybridization Results with PCR." Her research aims to detect copy number changes in a patient that displays mild mental retardation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and other symptoms. Her research mentor at UVI is Dr. Alice Stanford.
Troi Williams won a first prize for his poster in computer science at the HBCU-UP conference held in Washington, D.C. With guidance from UVI Computer Science Professor, Dr. Marc Boumedine, Troi programmed the Tabu Search Algorithm to determine the optimal gate assignments at Cyril E. King Airport, U.S. Virgin Islands. This semester, Troi is using object-oriented programming to enhance the algorithm for implementation at other airports.
Cherissre Tyrell-Boateng, a senior biology major, conducted research in the summer at the University of California, San Francisco Summer Research Training Program. Cherissre won a best poster award in microbiology and cell biology at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Phoenix, Arizona. The title of her work was "Can a Conserved Regulator for Fungal Morphology Propagate as a Prion?" Her current mentor is UVI professor Dr. Sandra Romano.
Shellese Cannonier, a junior Biology major, also won a best poster award at ABRCMS in Phoenix. Ms. Cannonier conducted research in the summer at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Her work was in the area of microbiology and cell biology. She is also currently working with Dr. Sandra Romano at UVI.
The mission of ECS is to increase research training and promote
excellence for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics) & psychology students at the University of the
Virgin Islands. Through annual scholarships, training programs, and
summer research programs students work closely with research
mentors and attain the necessary skills to be competitive on the
national level.
The Emerging Caribbean Scientists program is currently accepting
applications from students majoring in science, mathematics and
psychology for its next round of scholars. Funding opportunities
are for summer, 2010, and the academic year beginning in Fall,
2010.
Summer Programs include:
- Summer Sophomore Research Institute (SSRI) - funding primarily for rising sophomores & rising juniors to participate in research and attend workshops. On-campus housing available for SSRI participants.
- Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) - funding research with a faculty mentor.
- The Mathematics Behind the Science bridge program, in which incoming freshmen explore the mathematics behind scientific applications and acquire the skills to succeed in a university calculus course, a foundation for success in advanced study of the sciences.
Additionally, there will be funding for outstanding students for
the next academic year. These include programs providing research
training that promote excellence in careers leading to a Ph.D. in
Biomedical fields, Psychology, Computer Science, Mathematics and
Chemistry.
Emerging Caribbean Scholars (ECS) applications for summer research
programs and academic year research training programs are due on
March 1, 2010. The applications for the summer outreach and
enrichment programs are due May 15. To obtain applications and more
information related to the programs, visit the ECS website
(http://ecs.uvi.edu/) or call the
Division of Science & Mathematics' Emerging Caribbean Scholars
Program at (340) 693-1232, or email ecs@uvi.edu <mailto:ecs@uvi.edu>.