KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) will be hosting an intensive four-week residential summer enrichment programme, known as the Student Programme for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE), from July 15 to August 13 in Barbados.

It targets gifted Caribbean high-school students who are interested in studying and exploring careers in disciplines related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

The programme is open to students of most Caribbean countries as well as students in the United Kingdom (UK) who are of Caribbean descent.

The programme is free of cost to students and is modelled after the well-known MITES programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

According to Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr Grace McLean, the aim of SPISE is to nurture and support the exceptional STEM talent in our youth; encourage them to stay in the STEM disciplines beyond university, and provide guidance and support to those who wish to consider technology-based entrepreneurship as a career option.

“The goal is to ensure that opportunities for future creation of technology-based jobs in the Caribbean are not lost,” she said.

SPISE is an integral part of the partnership between the CSF and the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in Barbados.

Application forms and a full description of SPISE can be found at: caribbeanscience.org/projects/spise.php. The deadline for application is March 31, 2017.