CONTENTS 2 Engineering 8 Food & Agriculture 18 Humanities & Education 34 Law 46 Medical Sciences 56 Science & Technology 72 Social Sciences 78 Centres & Institutes 127 Appendix – Publications and Conferences (Online Only) 1 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING Executive Summary For the period 2016/2017, the major accomplishments for the Faculty of Engineering included the Department of Chemical Engineering’s successful re-accreditation of the MSc in Petroleum and Reservoir Engineering by the Energy Institute of London for five years; and the BSc programmes in Mechanical, Mechanical with a Minor in Biosystems, and Industrialisation, as well as the MSc programmes in Engineering Asset Management, and Manufacturing Engineering and Management in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering were all re-accredited for five years. Other highlights include the recognition of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards in 2016, the completion of the upgrade of fume hoods in all laboratories, and the installation of a fire escape in Block 1. Professor Stephan Gift Faculty Dean 2 Enrolment Once again, the Faculty of Engineering honoured its top According to official Campus figures, 2,397 students were performing students at its Prizes and Awards Ceremony. enrolled at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels The Most Outstanding Graduating Student for the year was during the 2016/2017 academic year – a 6% decrease from Joshua Davis Ramsamooj who graduated from the BSc the previous year. Electrical and Computer Engineering programme with a 4.24 GPA. The total intake of students in the undergraduate and certificate programmes in the Faculty of Engineering Postgraduate increased slightly thanks to a 50% increase in student The Faculty graduated 185 MSc students (up 11% over intake in the Certificate in Geographic and Land the previous year), 18% of whom achieved Distinctions, Information Systems Management (GLIS) programme. The and 65 were graduating from the Project Management Departments of Chemical Engineering, and Mechanical and programme alone. Twenty-five students graduated from Manufacturing Engineering also experienced a 14% and 7% the Faculty’s Postgraduate Diploma programmes – seven increase in undergraduate enrolment respectively during with Distinction; one MPhil each from the Civil Engineering the 2016/2017 academic year. and Surveying and Land Information programmes; and five PhDs were awarded in the fields of Civil Engineering, The Faculty experienced an 18% decline in its intake for Construction Management, and Surveying and Land taught Postgraduate Diploma and Masters programmes Information. (from 279 to 230 students). However, there was an upward movement in new student enrolment for the MPhil and PhD Teaching and Learning programmes which increased annually from 10 students in In this review period, the following programmes in the 2014/2015, to 13 students, then 19 students in 2016/2017. Faculty gained re-accreditation from their respective international professional bodies: Graduation Undergraduate Department of Chemical Engineering (for five years). During the review period the graduating cohort numbered MSc in Petroleum and Reservoir Engineering - Energy 313, which was slightly lower than the previous year. Institute of London and Fourteen percent of the graduating class achieved First Class Honours, and more than three quarters attained Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Honours degrees. There was a 55% increase in the number Engineering (for five years) of graduates from the Certificate in Geomatics and Land BSc in Mechanical Engineering Information Systems programme, a number that had been BSc in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biosystems trending upward for some time. MSc in Engineering Asset Management MSc in Manufacturing Engineering and Management The quality of the degree certificates earned has fluctuated over the last three years, due possibly to the revised Grade Point Average (GPA) scheme and adjustments to the pass/ fail bands. The academic year 2016/2017 saw the first cohort of graduates since the implementation of the 50% pass rate. 3 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Agriculture (IICA), the Caribbean Agricultural Research won the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Departmental and Development Institute (CARDI), the Ministry of Food Excellence 2016 and the Department of Civil and Production, the Ministry of Trade Industry Investment Environmental Engineering made a resubmission to and Communication, the Cocoa Research Centre, certain the Joint Board of Moderators for accreditation of its food processing industries, and the Food and Agriculture undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Organisation (FAO) project is ongoing. Employee Engagement In the Petroleum Studies Unit, the major areas of research Several members of academic staff attended CETL are on pressure-volume-temperature, phase behaviour, workshops/seminars. During the review period, technical reservoir characterisation, heavy oil recovery and oil staff members attended training in Helping Research recovery from Trinidad Tar sands, enhanced oil recovery, Facilities Achieve Safe Energy Efficient and Sustainable carbon dioxide capture and transmission for enhanced Laboratories, Quality Assurance for the Analytical oil recovery and sequestration, artificial lift methods, Laboratory, and Risk Assessment and First Aid training. waterflood-microbial enhanced oil recovery combo, gas Members of the administrative staff participated in in-house hydrates, rock mechanical properties, sedimentology, courses/workshops such as Advanced Business Writing and seismic and subsurface risk analysis, paleontology, Communication, Programme and Project Management, micropaleontology, foraminifera, miocene clays, rock Minute Writing, and Mediation. fractures and deformation. There are eight MPhil and nine PhD research students. The In-House Lecture Series Research and Innovation initiated and conducted by Dr Lorraine Sobers continued Department of Chemical Engineering: Research during the review period. continued in the different disciplines within the Department in areas such as Chemical and Process Engineering, Food Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Science and Technology, and Petroleum Studies, resulting The Department continued to publish scholarly research in in approximately 15 journal publications and a similar international refereed journals and to deliver presentations number of conference presentations from students and staff at national, regional and international seminars and members. The Department also continued to collaborate conferences. As in the past, a number of student papers with local, regional and international institutions and were accepted and presented at international conferences. agencies. In Chemical and Process Engineering, the major Research was conducted in image processing, biomedical areas of research are in hydrocarbon processes, waste water engineering applications, mobile applications for small scale treatment, supercritical CO2 extractions, flow in pipelines, fisheries, multi-processor systems, linear circuit applications, process control and optimisation, algal generation to control systems, communication systems, energy efficiency produce valuable raw materials, biofuels and fuel cells. and renewable energy. The Sport Engineering Group There are three MPhil and three PhD students. (SportENG) led by Dr Akash Pooransingh, continued to leverage its core competencies in signal processing, At the Food Science and Technology Unit the major areas biotechnology, ICT and analytics to meet the needs of elite of research are on value-added products from cassava, athletes within the regional context. sweet potato, cocoa, breadfruit, ackee, jamun fruit analyses, microwave and hot air drying. The Unit collaborates with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on 4 Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), The University Engineering: The Department continued to publish of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus, the University scholarly research, resulting in over 20 papers in of Guyana, and the Caribbean Chapter of the Urban and international refereed journals. Research continued in Regional Information Systems Association (URISA). several areas including studies in lean manufacturing, cold rolling, process modelling, local soil characteristics and Financial quality management. Funding secured by the Petroleum Studies Unit (PSU) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Through an agreement signed with the Ministry of Energy Work continued on a full scale wall element of a new and Energy Affairs, the Unit received TT$5 million towards sustainable multi-hazard resistant housing system. It is research and development, laboratory equipment and based on a new housing design, which won the National training. Other approved projects secured funding to the Institute of Higher Education Research Science and amount of TT$6 million and both BHP and SHELL each Technology (NIHERST) Prime Minister’s Award for Innovation sponsored scholarships to MPhil and PhD students to the and Invention in 2014. The housing design is intended tune of TT$245,000 per year for three years and US$30,000 for Caribbean applications, via the Caribbean Disaster per year for three years respectively. and Emergency Management Agency. The Department is coordinating a project on erosion and flooding hazards on Funding