Department of Chemistry, The University of the West Indies, Mona

Communique from the Department of Chemistry, UWI, Mona

Join the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network Caribbean Hub Session on Thursday, November 21 at 10 am Ja time to learn more about ocean acidification and other issues facing our Caribbean marine waters. One of the speakers, Claire Williams, a PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, will be presenting her research on coral reefs in the East Portland Special Fishery Conservation Area in Jamaica. Claire’s research is co-supervised by Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith, Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and co-Chair of the GOA-ON Caribbean Hub.

Register for the session using this link: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_S_51euGSQQiwPAMki0a6Bw #/registration

OA week (November 18 - 22, 2024) is a virtual multi-day forum hosted annually by the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network to highlight ocean acidification research for sustainability initiatives around the world.

Congratulations to the Scientific Research Council on the recent staging of their 31st Science & Technology Conference, under the theme “Harmony in Innovation: Unleashing the Power of Nuclear Application for Sustainable Development” at the Jamaica Conference Centre from October 29 – November 1, 2024.
Three members of staff from the Department of Chemistry, UWI Mona, presented at the conference:

On day 2, Dr. Nickeisha Stephenson presented at a session focused on nuclear medicine applications on “Synthesis of Positron Emission Tomography Radiopharmaceuticals via Iodonium Ylide-Mediated Radio fluorination and introduction of PET/CT Imaging to Jamaica”.

On Day 3, Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith presented on her research on isotope hydrology titled the “Use of Radon as a Tracer of Submarine Groundwater Discharge in Coastal Regions of Jamaica”.

Dr. Mark Lawrence was recognised as an outstanding young scientist and gave a presentation on Day 4 titled: “Hydrogen, A Simple Molecule with a Complex Problem”.

The department continues to be proud of its outstanding researchers and their contributions to Jamaica and the world!

This is the first of our “Did you know?” features for Science and Technology Month!

You probably know that unripe ackees are unsafe to eat but did you know why?

Well, the ackee poison (hypoglycin) is found in the yellow edible part (the aril) of the unripe ackee. The ONLY way for this poison to be reduced to safe levels is to allow the ackee to mature and open NATURALLY.

How do we know this?

Food chemistry research done at the Department of Chemistry, UWI Mona has shown that the hypoglycin moves from the yellow edible part of the ackee into the seeds during the ripening of the ackee. The graph in image two shows that the poison in the aril decreases (yellow line) while the levels increase in the seeds (black line) as the ackee ripens naturally. It's OK that the poison gets trapped there because we do not eat the seeds!

Also, cutting open unripe ackee does not release the hypoglycin poison as a gas! This is a dangerous myth! This only interferes with the natural toxin removal process. Thus, making the ackee unsafe to eat!

So, now you know!

Stay tuned…

Happy Mole Day! Avogadro’s number is an important unit in Chemistry! 6.02 x 10^23 atoms, molecules, ions in one mole

Department of Chemistry at The UWI Mona welcomes new inductees to the Chemistry Honours Society (CHS) at Annual Student Meet and Greet

The annual Meet and Greet and Chemistry Honours Society (CHS) Awards Ceremony were held on Thursday September 26, 2024. New and returning students were welcomed to the department and introduced to academic staff and Chemistry student leaders. The event also recognised top performers for the 2023-24 academic year by induction into the CHS. The requirements for the CHS include the pursuit of a major within the department and a GPA of 3.4 and above. Since its inception in 2014 there have been 169 CHS inductees.

Caribbean Regional Xray Science Toward Advancement Laboratory (crXstal) installs new Bruker Single Crystal Diffractometer at The UWI Mona

On September 23, 2024, the Caribbean Regional Xray Science Toward Advancement Laboratory (crXstal) in the Department of Chemistry at The UWI Mona unpacked and installed its newly acquired Bruker D8 Quest Eco Single Crystal Diffractometer. At the installation, Dr. Marvadeen Singh-Wilmot, Senior Lecturer and Manager of the laboratory, explained that this regional facility has been established to carry out three functions: to be an education centre for the teaching and use of X-ray techniques for characterising different materials, a research centre for the development of new materials and determination of their molecular structures and a service centre to provide analytical services for institutions and industries across the region, including the examination of environmental samples. This instrument is the only single crystal diffractometer in the English Speaking Caribbean and is our first step towards hosting the inaugural Caribbean Crystallography School.

Stay tuned for more information and news from our new crXstal facility!

2024 calls are out.

This year, €1.25 billion will be allocated for
🟣 Doctoral and postdoctoral programmes
🟣 Collaborative research and innovation projects
🟣 Generating jobs and training for around 10,000 researchers!

What calls are open?
🔵 Feedback to Policy — deadline 3 September 2024
🔴 International Cooperation — deadline 3 September 2024
🟢 Postdoctoral Fellowships — deadline 11 September 2024
🟡 COFUND — deadline 26 September 2024
🟠 Doctoral Networks — deadline 27 November 2024

Apply today to the calls

In honour of International Women’s Day 2024, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hosted over 400 female scholars from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme and the Lise Meitner Programme, to exchange ideas and strengthen their networking and leadership skills. The event took place on March 7-8, 2024 at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Postgraduate student in the Department of Chemistry, The UWI and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Pearl Bergan, was among the attendees. Pearl was the only representative from a Caribbean university and one of only two Caribbean women in attendance. We are very proud of her achievement and she represented us well!

Celebrating these amazing female chemists on this International Women’s Day!

Celebrating all women today and always, Happy International Women’s Day

Photo by Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik