The Scientific Research Council (SRC), as part of its 60th anniversary commemoration, will be staging its ‘Conversations in Science’ series, and is inviting secondary and tertiary institutions to participate in the first session, slated for February 11.

“This session will be held at The Mico University gymnasium (Marescaux Road, Kingston) and will focus on females, in keeping with International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which is observed by the United Nations (UN) on February 11 annually,” acting coordinator of SRC’s Science and Technology Education Unit Kavelle Hylton told JIS News.

Hylton said the session will commence at 9:00 am and will include presentations from women involved in science and technology, including the 2018/2019 young scientist of the year awardee, Dr Shadae Foster.

“We are inviting secondary and tertiary institutions and anyone interested in science and business to come out and participate in the session. Admission is free and we will go until 1:00 pm. There is much to learn and be inspired by,” she added.

Interested individuals or schools can register online by first calling 876-506-6055 or emailing steu@src-jamaica.org.

Schools unable to attend the first session will have the opportunity to participate in other sessions in the series.

“We will also be having two other sessions in the western and central parts of the island in March, so schools islandwide will be able to participate,” Hylton said.

“This session is designed to inspire women and girls to pursue their dreams. After the presentations, we will also have a panel discussion, interactive exhibits and workshops for secondary students in robotics, biology, and chemistry,” she shared.

Hylton highlighted that, locally, a lot of females are applying for pure and applied science courses at the tertiary level; however, a disparity can be noted when it comes to business and leadership in science.

“We want to inspire women to not just take on the sciences but to be innovators and business leaders in their field, so through this Conversations in Science session we are taking the opportunity to showcase women who are doing so,” she said.

Hylton pointed out that it is the mandate of the SRC to publicise science and technology, and the agency achieves this through its Science and Technology Education Unit.

“We believe that sensitising students from an early age will bring about significant change as we teach them to be innovators. This can heighten society’s appreciation of science and technology and influence development,” she said.