THE University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, last Thursday and Friday, hosted their 14th annual Research Day event under the theme ‘Pathways and Opportunities for Regional Development’.

This year, the two-day event boasted several booths with groundbreaking research projects that have been done by the five faculties of the university — Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, and Social Sciences.

For Research Day 2013, the Faculty of Humanities & Education focused on the areas of ‘Culture, Identity and Human Development’, while the Faculty of Law focused on ‘The Governance Challenge’; the Faculty of Medical Sciences on ‘Non-communicable Diseases’; the Faculty of Science & Technology on ‘Energy Security and Sustainability’ and the Faculty of Social Sciences on ‘Building Resilience in the face of Development Challenges’.

At the opening ceremony Principal of the UWI, Professor Gordon Shirley said that he had hopes that this year’s research projects will take into the creative process and intellectual property of the youth’s of our nation today and encourage home-grown research.

“It is critically important that we encourage home-grown research and innovation if our society is to find solutions to our unique Caribbean challenges; realise sustainable social and economic development; and truly define itself within the global market place,” Professor Shirley said at the Undercroft Building before declaring the event open to the public.

Professor Shirley went on to say that he hopes that from the research work aspiring students of the university will be motivated to improve on the over 140 innovative projects which have already been created by current researchers on campus.

“Outstanding results from our research activities here at Mona go way back, and many are directly impacting our lives today. I can say with confidence and great pride that the health of our region is underpinned by the teaching and research of the excellent faculties right here at Mona,” Professor Shirley added.

He said that research work with regards to technology, which is the most crucial component of work done by any university campus across the globe, were also on display last Thursday and Friday.

The main booth which caught the attention of onlookers was ‘Olympic DNA: Birth of the fastest human beings’. It was based on investigations, research work done and possible explanations which contributed to the stellar successes of the recent cohort of Jamaican sprinters.

Other booths which caught the attention of many students of the campus, visiting and invited secondary level students from schools across the island and onlookers were based on: Pumpkin Seed Oil and its effect on Prostate Cancer, Parenting and Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents, Drug Therapies with Citrus Peel, Petroleum Grade Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil, Citizen Security and Managing Crime: A Development Challenge, Corporate Misconduct: Regulating the Flow of Money in the Financial Services Industry, Potential Health Problems with the use of Energy Drinks, Solar Panel Testing, Nuclear Power Generation in Small Developing Nations, Remote Controlled Hydroponic Greenhouse System, Impact of Seed Size on Residual Poisons in Ackee, Gender and Bilingual Education in a Creole Language Situation and Beginning Teachers as Change Agents for Sustainable Socities.

In addition to Research Day on campus, the Department of Geology buried a time capsule at 11:00 am following the opening ceremony at the front of the department as part of their 50th-year celebratory activities.

The time capsule is a 275lb custom-built cast aluminum, which was laser-inscribed in Kansas by Noranda, which contains geographical memorabilia and current work done by the students and other members of the department. It is to be reopened in 50 years on the Geology Department’s centennial celebrations in 2062.