The Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona

Mathematics in Action! 📐✨

The Faculty of Science and Technology continues to make mathematics meaningful, accessible and impactful across Jamaica.

For the 2025–2026 academic year, our Mathematics Outreach/Inreach initiatives impacted 3,883+ students, educators and stakeholders through student programmes, teacher development, accessibility and inclusion activities, support services, summer opportunities and industry engagement.

From the Jamaican Mathematical Olympiad and Math CAPE workshops to the UWI-UNICEF EM² Special Math Olympiad and CSEC Math Teacher Workshop, FST remains committed to strengthening mathematical confidence, teaching capacity and national development.

We extend sincere thanks to our valued partners, schools, educators, facilitators, volunteers and stakeholders whose support, collaboration and commitment made these initiatives possible.

Mathematics is more than numbers — it is action, access and impact.

Ready to turn your STEM idea into a business opportunity? 💡🚀

The Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona, through the Mona Academy of Science and Technology, presents "YEP: Youth-led Entrepreneurship through Innovation and Products in STEM."

This FREE 2-week entrepreneurship training programme is designed to help participants think creatively, innovate, and transform ideas into practical business opportunities.

Participants will learn about:
✅ Sustainable Business Frameworks
✅ Product-Market Fit
✅ Profit and Pricing
✅ Growth Engines
✅ Pitch Deck Development

The programme is open to high school students, university students, participants from other institutions, industry members, and other interested persons.

📅 Cohort 1: July 13, 15, 20, 22 & 27, 2026
📅 Cohort 2: July 14, 16, 21, 23 & 28, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
📍 Location: Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona

🎓 Certificate awarded upon fulfilment of programme requirements.

Limited spaces available! Register today by scanning the QR code.

Invest in your future. Build your economy.

Happy Fathers' Day 👨🏾‍🔬👨‍🎨👷🏽‍♂️👨‍🎨👨‍✈️👳‍♂️👨🏻‍🏫👮‍♂️🕵🏾‍♂️👨‍🌾

Today, the Faculty of Science and Technology celebrates the fathers, father figures, mentors, and male role models within our community.

Your strength, guidance, wisdom, and quiet sacrifices continue to make a meaningful difference in your families, our Faculty, and the wider society. Whether through teaching, research, service, leadership, or mentorship, you help shape minds, build futures, and inspire the next generation.

On this Fathers' Day, we honour your contribution and thank you for the important role you play both within and beyond The University of the West Indies.

❤️

Hey FST Alumni❗️

When was the last time you linked up with your university 'parri' for a chill evening, good vibes, and great conversation?

No worries if it has been a while this is your sign to reconnect!

Join us for the FST Alumni Mixer on June 25, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Clubhouse Brewery.

Come connect, reconnect, and relive that FST family feeling, the one that continues to inspire excellence, build lifelong networks, and drive national and regional development.

Bring the vibes, bring a fellow alum, and let’s make it a memorable evening.

Feeling the heat❗️🌞🥵 🌡

Stop scrolling and take a read❗️

As the region continues to face rising temperatures and shifting climate patterns, Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona, is helping to shape the conversation about El Niño.

Professor Taylor was featured as the lead commentator in the Latin America Advisor, a respected daily publication of the Inter-American Dialogue on June 10, 2026. His commentary focused on, 'How the region can prepare for a strong El Niño', an issue of major importance for Caribbean resilience, climate planning and sustainable development.

The Latin America Advisor provides business leaders, policymakers, scholars and regional stakeholders with expert insight on political, economic and social developments across Latin America and the Caribbean. Being invited to contribute is a strong recognition of thought leadership and subject-matter expertise in Western Hemisphere affairs.

Professor Taylor is widely regarded as one of the Caribbean’s leading voices on climate change, climate variability and resilience.

Swipe left to read the commentary on pages 1 and 3.📖

FST Student Earns Full Funding to Pursue Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin 👏👏🌊👩🏽‍🏫

Congratulations to Aaliyah Alexander, a final-year Geosciences student in the Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona, who has been admitted to the University of Texas at Austin to pursue a fully funded Ph.D. at the Jackson School of Geosciences. Her five-year programme will focus on marine paleoecology.

The opportunity emerged from her undergraduate thesis fieldwork in Rio Bueno, Trelawny, where she worked with the GEOPAths GO: Jamaica team, an NSF-funded programme that supports Earth Science learning and collaboration between Jamaica and UT Austin. Through this experience, she connected with Dr. Rowan Martindale, Associate Professor at UT Austin, whose mentorship, along with support from her UWI lecturers and Head of Department, helped guide her decision to pursue graduate research.

Aaliyah described the opportunity as a blessing and expressed gratitude for the mentorship and collaboration that shaped her academic journey.

Professor Tannecia Stephenson received 2026 Anthony Sabga Award for Science and Technology
🏆👩🏽‍🏫

Congratulations once again to our Deputy Dean, Professor Tannecia Stephenson, on being named a 2026 Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Laureate for Science and Technology. The award was presented at the Gala Ceremony hosted on June 13, 2026 in Georgetown, Guyana.

Professor Stephenson is widely respected for her work in climate science and for the significant contribution she has made to improving understanding of climate variability and its implications for the Caribbean. Through her research, teaching, and service, she has helped strengthen the region’s capacity to respond to climate-related challenges.

The Faculty of Science and Technology is proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and extends best wishes to Professor Stephenson on this important achievement.

🌐The ceremony can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/live/I-_LyrN32_I?si=mpws1sVJnO7C3bjE

FST Supports Future Scientists at Haile Selassie High School STEAM Fair🚲⚗️💻

On May 29, 2026, a team from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), The University of the West Indies, Mona, participated in the Haile Selassie High School STEAM Science Fair at the invitation of FST alumna Ms. Kadesha Croney, Project Lead for the RISE Programme.

Representing FST were Dr. Susan Otuokon (FiWi Science Initiative), Dr. Andrea Goldson-Barnaby (Department of Chemistry), and Mr. Ricardo Anderson and Mr. Andre Cunningham (Department of Physics).

The team engaged students through interactive demonstrations and served as judges for the Science and Mental Health Solutions Competition. Student groups were challenged to identify mental health and science-related issues affecting their schools and communities, develop innovative solutions, create prototypes, and present their projects before a panel of judges.

Students and teachers were also introduced to the FiWi Science website and explored the contributions of Jamaican scientists to science and technology. Highlights included chemistry demonstrations using natural cabbage dye indicators and a physics exhibit showing how energy generated from riding a bicycle can be converted into electricity to power light bulbs.

Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith Selected as Contributing Author for IPCC Seventh Assessment Report🌊✍️

The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona, extends congratulations to Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith (Department of Chemistry) on her selection as a Contributing Author for the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Dr. Gordon-Smith will contribute to the work of Working Group I, which is responsible for assessing the physical science basis of climate change. The Working Group examines the latest scientific evidence on past, present, and projected future climate change, providing policymakers with authoritative assessments of the state of climate science.

The IPCC is the United Nations body responsible for assessing scientific knowledge related to climate change and is widely regarded as the leading international authority on climate science. Its assessment reports serve as critical resources for governments, researchers, and international organizations in developing climate policies and strategies worldwide.

The Seventh Assessment Report, scheduled for publication in 2027, will bring together hundreds of scientists from across the globe to evaluate the most current research on climate systems, observed changes in the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, and land surface, as well as future climate projections and associated uncertainties.

The Faculty of Science and Technology commends Dr. Gordon-Smith on this distinguished achievement and wishes her every success as she contributes to this important international undertaking.

FST Researchers Contribute to Global Ocean Science Discussions at OSM 2026🌊👩🏾‍🔬

Researchers, Dr. Debbie Gordon-Smith (Lecturer) and Pearl Bergan (Graduate student), from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona, showcased their research output in ocean health, climate resilience, and coastal sustainability at the Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) 2026, held in Glasgow, Scotland, from February 22–27, 2026.

Recognized as one of the world's premier gatherings of marine scientists, OSM brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across the globe to share scientific advances and explore solutions to some of the most pressing challenges affecting the world's oceans and coastal ecosystems.

Among the Faculty’s contributions was the poster presentation, “Advancing Regional Resilience through Ocean Acidification Research and Policy Capacity Building in the Caribbean: Establishment of the GOA-ON Caribbean Hub.” The work was co-authored by Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith and an international team comprising Amber Packard, Clayton Vondriska, Julio Morell, Yasmin Detres Cardona, Jair Valladarez, Sylvia Lander, and Alain Munoz.

Pearl also delivered an oral presentation titled “Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) as a Potential Biogeochemical Stressor in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica: Implications for Coastal Ecosystem Health and Climate Resilience.” The research was co-authored by Pearl, Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith, Mr. Kadane Coates, and Mr. Andrew Green.