Faculty Report 14/15
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UWI St. Augustine is a dynamic campus operating in an increasingly turbulent environment. Its growth and development take place in layered bands of actions and impacts where initiatives move forward each at their own time and pace, but are all kept radiating around a core mission by a leadership that is focused on the future. 2 CONTENTS 2 ENGINEERING 12 FOOD & AGRICULTURE 26 HUMANITIES & EDUCATION 42 LAW 50 MEDICAL SCIENCES 66 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 82 SOCIAL SCIENCES 89 CENTRES & INSTITUTES 130 PUBLICATIONS & CONFERENCES 1 ENGINEERING Professor Stephan Gift Faculty Dean 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the 2014/2015 academic year the Faculty of Engineering’s major accomplishments included the re-accreditation of the BSc programme and first-time accreditation of the MASc programme, both in Electrical and Computer Engineering by the Institution of Engineering and Technology for five years up to the 2019 intakes (the MASc backdated to the 2012 intake). The Institution of Mechanical Engineers of the UK also accredited the MSc programme in Engineering Asset Management. In the period under review, the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering won the Faculty’s Best Productive Research Award 2014. 3 ENGINEERING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Civil and Environmental Engineering Members of academic staff attended CeTL workshops/ • BSc Civil Engineering and BSc Civil with Environmental seminars. Some pursued the Certificate in Undergraduate Engineering Teaching and Learning (CUTL). Members of Administrative, o (2009-2012): JBM Technical and Service (ATS) staff attended seminars/courses o (2012-2016): CACET within Campus (e.g. CeTL, Institute of Critical Thinking), and externally (e.g. Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards) • MSc Civil Engineering, MSc Civil with Environmental including; Quality Assurance for the Analytical Laboratory; Engineering and MSc Construction Management Helping Research Facilities Achieve Safe, Energy Efficient o (2009-2012): JBM and Sustainable Laboratories; Stress Management and o (2012-2016): CACET Reducing Workplace Risk; Advanced Business Writing and Communication; Programme and Project Management; Electrical and Computer Engineering Minute Writing; and the Postgraduate Diploma in Mediation. • BSc Electrical and Computer Engineering The technical team continued to rise to all challenges, and o (2015-2019): IET designed and developed several new laboratories to meet the expanding needs and increase the teaching/research • MASc Electrical and Computer Engineering outcomes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. o (2015-2019, Backdated to 2012): IET Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering ACCREDITATION STATUS • BSc Industrial Engineering, BSc Mechanical Engineering, The accreditation status of all BSc programmes and those MSc BSc Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biosystems programmes for which accreditation was sought include the o (2015): IMechE following: o (2012-2016): CACET Chemical Engineering • MSc Engineering Asset Management • BSc Chemical and Process Engineering o (2015): IMechE o (2011-2015 and 2012-2016): iChemE • MSc Engineering Management, MSc Production • BSc Petroleum Geoscience Engineering and Management and MSc Production o (2012-2016): The Geological Society Management o (2014-2018): The Energy Institute o (2015): IMechE o (2012-2016): CACET • MSc Chemical and Process Engineering o (2010-2015): iChemE Geomatics Engineering and Land Management o (2012-2016): CACET • BSc Geomatics: CICES • MSc Petroleum Engineering o (2010-2014): IOM3 o (2014-2018): The Energy Institute, UK o (2011-2013): iChemE 4 ENROLMENT Additionally, 59 graduates, (19% of the Faculty’s graduates) For the academic year 2014/2015 the Faculty’s undergraduate intake achieved first-class honours degrees in 2014/2015 as opposed for all programmes was 413 students, a slight increase from the 411 to 37 in 2013/2014 – a 7% improvement. These graduates were students enrolled during the 2013/2014 academic year. The Faculty placed on the Dean’s Honour Roll and presented with Dean’s saw a marked increase of 45% in the enrolment of undergraduate Awards at the Faculty’s Prizes and Awards function in October students within the Geomatics and Land Management 2015. The following are the top undergraduate students in the programmes. various programmes for the 2014/2015 academic year: • Jon Russ Jhingoorie: Chemical and Process Engineering The Faculty attracted 248 new students into its taught • Mildred Boneo: Civil Engineering Postgraduate Diploma/Masters programmes; a 9% increase from • Esther Joy Ochieng: Civil with Environmental Engineering the last academic year which recorded an enrolment of 235 new • Jude Jeffrey Nanton: Electrical and Computer postgraduate students. New postgraduate enrolment in Faculty’s Engineering MPhil and PhD programmes decreased from 16 students in • Vishal Daniel Balraj: Geomatics Engineering 2013/2014 to 10 students in the 2014/2015 academic year. • Salini Mahabir-Birbalsingh: Industrial Engineering • Akua Sasha Clerfond: Land Management (Valuation) Enrolment for each department was as follows: • Khadija Sherece Usher: Mechanical Engineering • Chemical Engineering - MSc/MASc: 42, MPhil: 3 • Shannon Latoya Steele: Mechanical Engineering/Bio • Civil and Environmental Engineering - MSc/MASc: 100, MPhil: 3 Systems • Electrical and Computer Engineering - MSc/ MASc: 15, MPhil: 1 • Yadava Persad: Petroleum Geoscience • Geomatics Engineering and Land Management - MSc/MASc: 10, PhD: 1 During the academic year 2014/2015 the Faculty graduated • Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering - MSc/MASc: 21, 247 MSc students – a 60% increase over the previous year. PhD: 1 Thirteen students graduated from the diploma programmes, • Office of the Dean: MSc Project Management - MSc/MASc: 50, and two MPhil and two PhD students graduated in the fields of Geoinformatics Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. MPhil: 1 According to official figures compiled by the Campus, total enrolment in the Faculty has plateaued over the past three TEACHING, LEARNING academic years to an average of 2,600 students per year. AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Food Science and Technology Unit (FSTU) student intake for the 2014/2015 academic year was seven, bringing the Unit to GRADUATION a total enrollment of 33 students. The Unit collaborated with A total of 20 students from the Department of Electrical and the Faculty of Food and Agriculture in that faculty’s hosting of Computer Engineering graduated with first-class honours, which the International Breadfruit Conference on Commercialising represented just over 6% of the graduating class and was an Breadfruit for Food and Nutrition Security in July 2015. improvement from 4% during the last academic year. Six students graduated with the Certificate in Geomatics and Land Information Collaboration continues with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry Systems compared to four in 2013/2014. of Trade Industry Investment and Communication, The UWI’s Departments of Life Sciences, Food Production, and Cocoa Although the performance trends have marginally declined over Research Centre, the International Institute for Cooperation the past three years, there were improvements in the classification in Agriculture (IICA), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and of the degrees awarded, as evidenced by 85% of the graduates Development Institute (CARDI), the Trinidad and Tobago obtaining second-class honours degrees or better when compared Ministry of Food Production and certain food processing to just over 80% in 2013/2014. industries. 5 ENGINEERING The Unit began reviews of its food laboratories and facilities; Department of Geomatics Engineering the existing MSc Food Science and Technology programme; and Land Management the opportunities for an industry-focused undergraduate food The academic staff, as well as graduate assistants and manufacturing programme and the further development of demonstrators have all been encouraged to use web-based a coherent research portfolio. Opportunities for accreditation applications such as MyElearning and Web CT to support the were also explored. teaching and learning process. In addition, online tutorials and virtual tutorials are now used extensively in delivering hands- In July 2015, Dr Gerrit Meerdink took up his position as on training to students. The use of Camtasia Studio to prepare professor of Food Science and Technology while Dr Gail videos and PowerPoint presentations has been encouraged. Baccus-Taylor continued to function as an adjunct lecturer in The use of Problem Based Learning approaches is also being the MSc Agri-Food Processing Technologies programme in the encouraged. Department of Chemistry at The UWI, Mona Campus, Jamaica. Petroleum Studies Unit (PSU) GRADUATE STUDIES A successful re-accreditation exercise for the MSc Petroleum Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Engineering programme was conducted by the IOM³ in The graduate programme in Coastal Engineering initiated a 2014/2015 with the programme being re-accredited for the review process that targeted a shift in programme emphasis period 2015 to 2019. Fifty-six applications were received from near shore and coastal zone dynamics to embrace for the MSc Petroleum Engineering (PE) and 10 for the MSc off-shore and ocean engineering, aimed at increasing the Reservoir Engineering (RE). From among these, 26 applicants enrolment catchment and establishing a new life cycle for the were selected for the MSc PE and eight 8 for the MSc RE. The revised programme. Unit is working on its marketing materials