The Virgin Islands Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VI-EPSCoR) is hosting its annual conference from April 5 to April 8. The “Understanding Our Sea, Our World” conference, a free event that is open to the public, will showcase Caribbean research on coral reefs, oceanography and watersheds.
“The University of the Virgin Islands is pleased to be the home of the VI-EPSCoR program,” said Camille McKayle, interim director of VI-EPSCoR and UVI’s provost. “Through funding from the National Science Foundation, we are able to use science to address issues that are relevant to the Virgin Islands. But our annual conference is not just for scientists. It is our opportunity to show the community how relevant the research is for the well-being of these islands that we call home.”
“The VI-EPSCoR annual conference is a great way for the local community to learn about projects that are happening in the USVI,” added Carrie Jo Bucklin, outreach and education coordinator. “Sessions cover all aspects of research from coral reef ecology to watershed dynamics to education research.”
The conference will be held on St. Thomas this year and will start with a pre-conference communications workshop led by Ninja Communication. The full schedule is as follows:
- Tuesday, April 5: Pre-conference workshop at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort, St. Thomas. 7:45 a.m. – 4 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks are provided. Space is limited, however, so please register online by April 1.
- Wednesday, April 6: Onsite registration from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Emerald Beach Resort, St. Thomas. Afterward there will be an opening ceremony from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with light refreshments provided.
- Thursday, April 7: Sessions Day 1, 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. in the UVI Administration and Conference Center (ACC) room 142. These sessions will be followed by a Brewers Bay Field Trip from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Breakfast, coffee break, lunch and travel snack, for field trip,will be provided.
- Friday, April 8: Sessions, Day 2: 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. in UVI ACC 142, followed by a St. Thomas East End Reserve Field Trip from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Breakfast, coffee break, lunch, travel snack will be provided for the field trip.
“This Annual Conference will showcase aspects of the cutting-edge research that we are doing right here in the USVI,” said Nicolas Drayton, assistant director of VI-EPSCoR. “Participants will be impressed by the outcomes that are challenging traditional knowledge as it relates to coral reefs. The conference will also bring together an impressive list of leaders in science and education research. They will share ideas and establish new research collaborations.”
VIEPSCoR promotes the development of the territory’s science and technology resources through multi-disciplinary research and educational programs. It achieves these goals by supporting research in areas of scientific inquiry linked to the Territory’s economic development.