UVI Research Day to Feature Presentations on Topics that Affect the VI

The public is invited to the University of the Virgin Islands' fourth annual Research Day scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, in the UVI Sports and Fitness Center on the St. Thomas Campus and in the Great Hall on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix.

Research Day will showcase UVI student and faculty research with a variety of displays on community issues such as intimate partner violence, environmental health in industrial areas on St Croix, marijuana’s legalization in the Virgin Islands, gang violence and social media’s effect on the Caribbean.

“On Research Day the entire Virgin Islands public is invited to see exciting research that is taking place in all the colleges and schools of UVI,” said Dr. Frank Mills, UVI vice provost for Research and Public Service. “We aim to expose high school teachers, counsellors and their seniors to the fields of study that could inflame the seniors’ interest in a profession.”

“This year on the St. Thomas Campus, Research Day participants will be treated to a discussion on the dreaded fish poisoning that is so common in these islands,” he said. “On the Albert Sheen Campus, residents – particularly those who live in or near the industrial south shore area of St Croix – should hear about the very interesting findings in an Eastern Caribbean Center survey of the impact of environmental conditions on their lives.”

This year’s Research Day features a robust roundtable discussion schedule. During the roundtable sessions, the public is invited to an open dialogue with UVI researchers on a variety of topics including:

• “Mandahl Bay: Is there an alternative to large-scale development?”
• “Medical Marijuana in the U.S. Virgin Islands”
• “Impact of Social Media on VI Caribbean Culture in the 21st Century”
• “Club Drugs: Emerging Trends and Risk”

“Residents in St. Thomas should take advantage of the roundtable discussions that will address topics of immediate interest to the community,” said Dr. Mills.

Roundtable Discussions Topics and Schedule:

Albert A. Sheen Campus St Croix:

 St. Thomas Campus:

Approximately 75 poster presentations, with topics ranging from “The Performance of Nine Butternut Squash Varieties as a Potential for High Value Crop in the Virgin Islands” to “Space Invaders the Effect of HIV/AIDS Testing Attitudes,” will be presented at Research Day. Two UVI undergraduate students, one from the St. Thomas Campus and one from the Sheen Campus, will receive a $500 prize for the best poster presentation at Research Day.

“The importance of our student research at UVI lies in our ability to share the findings of our current investigations and analyses of local social, marine and other scientific issues,” said Dr. Mills. “In most cases, the presentation of this research provides an opportunity for residents not only to view and hear about research into Virgin Islands topics, but also to ask questions on the work done by our student and faculty researchers.” He continued, “Among the most important aspects of this research is that we are able to expose high school students at an early age to the fascinating world of a variety of research subjects.”

Many of UVI's research areas will participate in Research Day including, the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, Agricultural Experiment Station, the Eastern Caribbean Center, Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service, Caribbean Exploratory Research Center, the College of Science and Mathematics, the School of Education, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and the Masters in Marine and Environmental Studies program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Resident Instruction in Insular Area Program funded Research Day, in part, through a grant to UVI’s Agriculture Experiment Station.

A publication featuring the abstracts and authors of current UVI research will be available. For information about UVI Research Day visit www.uvi.edu and search Research Day.