News

Project launched to increase the number of black scientists

Generating Genius, a project to create the next generation of doctors and research scientists in Jamaica and the UK, was officially launched at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum in London last Thursday evening.

This high-profile project, which is jointly sponsored bythe Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) and The Gleaner Voice Group , two of Jamaica’s oldest and prominent conglomerates, saw a mix of academics, engineers, barristers and other professionals attending.

“It is a project which is offering Jamaican and British boys the chance to become doctors and scientists of the future. Jamaica National is very proud to be a part of this very unique project. JNBS and the Gleaner Voice Group, which have operations throughout the Caribbean are committed to the promotion of education in Jamaica and the UK,” said Paulette Simpson, JNBS’ chief UK representative.

This will be an annual four-week programme to be held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica and will run from July 24-August 20. Reiterating that science is a subject students feared – as stated by Youth Co-ordinator at the UWI, Dr Roger Gibson – Simpson said the selected students would be able to engage in the subject. “We hope we can help them advance into university studies and into science careers,” she stated.

ANNUAL

Generating Genius is the brainchild of distinguished Voice columnist and educator Dr Tony Sewell. Addressing the gathering, he said the programme would not be a one-off . “We are staying with those boys for seven years of their lives. They will be attending UWI for five summers and we are going to take them all the way to medical school.”

He said the reasons the project was established were the 70 per cent female student ratio at the UWI, and the disaffection among black underachieving boys in Britain.

Dr Sewell was inspired to choose medicine and science for his project, as he thought there was a history of traditional medicine in the Caribbean which needed to be exploited. “My other inspiration is to do with the fact that usually, white men and middle aged men in white coats are symbols of power. That is what science is. Why should one group of people have the power and the other does not have it?” he asked.

COMPLAINTS

He stressed that the project was also geared towards combining clinical science and research together in investigating some of the diseases that affect the black community, such as hypertension, stroke, HIV, heart diseases, diabetes and sickle cell anaemia.

To be eligible for a place, students will not be judged by their economic background, but will have to show an aptitude to do well in school and will have to meet a criteria of attaining level five in science subjects, writing an essay and face a rigorous interviewing exercise.

On a recent visit to South Africa, Dr Sewell said officials there had expressed an interest in having a similar project being run in that-country.

Meanwhile, deputy managing director of the Gleaner Voice Group, George Ruddock, urged Dr Sewell to give priority to the Caribbean before considering expanding elsewhere. He added that the idea of taking young boys from the UK to Jamaica to be part of the programme was a great and exciting one.

Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the UK Gail Mathurin added: “Here and in Jamaica, our young men are particularly vulnerable and far too many of them lag behind young women in their academic performance.

“I am particularly pleased to see this programme actively promoting and seeking to nurture excellence. It is very satisfying that this programme was conceived by an educator of Jamaican heritage and that it is being sponsored by two Jamaican companies,” she said.

And barrister-at-law Mr Shaun Wallace – the first black person to win Mastermind – said that education was always the key to prosperity. “In science, black people are under-represented. I know Generating Genius is destined to succeed – and it will,” he said.

Published: 17 May 2005
Issue: 1166