Department of chemistry

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

FACULTY BOARD REPORT - OCTOBER, 2015
STAFF

The Department welcomed Dr. Marvadeen Singh – Wilmot who was off on sabbatical leave for the 2014/2015 academic year. Dr. Camille Bowen - Forbes is on sabbatical leave for the 2015-2016 academic year; she has been replaced by Dr. Patrice Peart. Other new members of the academic staff are Dr. Nickeisha Stephenson and Dr. Debbie – Ann Gordon – Smith. On 1^st June 2015, the Department welcomed Ms. Toni – Ann Pinnock (Secretary III). She has been performing well and has added a special spark to the Secretariat.

Mrs. Tracia Johnson – Blair and Mr. Vaughn Brown are currently on leave for three months (study leave and assisted passage leave respectively). During their absence, Ms. Camelia Campbell has assumed the position of Acting Senior Administrative Assistant with the added responsibility of giving oversight to the female members of the service staff while Mrs. Mitzie Samuels acts as Senior Secretary. Mr. Ian Johnson has been giving oversight to the male members of the service staff.
As of 30^th September, Prof Robert Lancashire would have reached the age of retirement; he however will remain in the Department on a voluntary basis. His thirty – six (36) years of service to the Department has been remarkable. Prof Henry Ellis and Dr. Anthony Greenaway also arrived at the age of retirement; their contributions have also been priceless and the department is truly grateful for their efforts.
Congratulations to the following members of staff upon completion of the following degrees. They will graduate in the upcoming graduation services.

• 
  Ms. Camelia Campbell – M.Sc. Development Studies
  
• 
  Dr. Nykieta James – PhD Chemistry
  
• 
  Dr. Norda Stephenson – PhD Chemistry
  

DEPARTMENTAL SEMINARS

DATE	NAME, TITLE, AFFILIATION	TITLE OF SEMINAR
03/09/2014	Prof. Subramaniam Sathivel Prof of Food Engineering, Department of Food Science, Louisiana State University. Visiting Lecturer, MSc. FAPT, UWI, Mona	Engineering Applications in a Food System.
10/09/2014	Mr. Jaosn McKenzie Acting Director, Student Services The UWI, Mona Campus	Creating a Campus Climate through Professionalism and Service
14/09/2014	Mr. Basil Fernandez Managing Director The Water Resources Authority	The Water Resources of Jamaica, Scarcity or Availability
24/09/2015	Dr. Mark Lawrence Independent Researcher Department of Chemistry, The UWI	Pyridyl-carbothioamides as non-innocent ligands in transition metal complexes:  On the path to the activation of small molecules for energy applications
01/10/2015	Mrs. Dionne Clarke-Harris, Tropical Entomologist, Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)	Roles for Chemical Experts in the Development of Sustainable Agricultural Industries

CHEMISTRY HONOURS SOCIETY

On 24^th September, the Department hosted the Induction Service for the Chemistry Honours Society. The Guest Speaker was Dr. Paul Aiken. Seven (7) students received the Bronze Award, while eight (8) received the Silver Award. Special thanks to the team which ensured that the event was successful.

CONFERENCES ATTENDED

Drs. Andrea Goldson – Barnaby and Roy Porter attended the 250^th ACS Conference held in Boston, August 16 – 20, 2015. Two undergraduate students, Marcel Denny and Shaquilla McNab were also in attendance.

NEW PROJECT

Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith and Dr. Vaughn Rattray have undertaken a project entitled “Impact of Submarine Groundwater Discharge on the Nutrient and Trace Metal Budgets of Discovery Bay, Jamaica”. The project began August 2015 and will continue until July 2016. It is funded by the New Initiative Grant ($1,500,000.00). Collaborators are Prof. William Burnett, Florida State University and Dr. Richard Peterson, Coastal Carolina University, USA.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

The department welcomed nine (9) MPhil Chemistry students for enrollment in the 2015/2016 academic year. They are:

1. 
   Modupeola Abayomi
   
2. 
   Annaleise Aiken
   
3. 
   Kadane Coates
   
4. 
   Raylee Dunkley
   
5. 
   Natasha Dyer
   
6. 
   Sonal Gupte
   
7. 
   Dwight Messam
   
8. 
   Chevanese Morgan
   
9. 
   Mark Rambaran