SLYOU Magazine Issue 1 | Page 60

The Minister thanked organizers, teachers, students, parents and sponsors for ensuring that science and technology continues to be at the forefront of the nation’s school curriculum. Over the last few years, she said, the Ministry has undertaken a review of the curriculum to cater for multiple intelligences. She noted that such guidance becomes essential since there Sponsors play a major role in ensuring that the Science and Technology Fair remains a hit each year. Which is why Roger Joseph, LUCELEC’s Corporate Communications Manager, believes the electricity company’s longtime support of the event is an almost inevitable partnership. He said that since LUCELEC plans and forecasts on a long-term basis, the company views the fair similarly, and that it’s a strong foundation for the next best inventions. He said LUCELEC also sponsors a Saint Lucian on a full scholarship to attend the Student Programme for Innovation in Science and Technology annually. That six-week programme, which is held in Barbados annually, assembles the Caribbean’s top science students who get to learn advanced scientific research and exploration techniques which they can later use in their science and technology courses. Joseph said many of the students have gone on to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Yale and Harvard to pursue careers in science and technology. “(Your projects) show that you have creativity and are intelligent and that the science projects that you are putting forward -- even if they might not be the finished products -- are the foundations to developing and refining the next major technological breakthrough,” Joseph told the students. Analicia Edmunds-Auguste, Corporate Communications Officer, Bank of Saint Lucia (BOSL), another major sponsor, said BOSL “recognizes the importance of science and technology in developing the disciplines necessary to inculcate a culture of problem-solving among our young people.” have been instances where students’ projects were allegedly stolen by unscrupulous people without the students being credited for their ideas. “By introducing the word innovation into the Ministry’s rubric, I am committed to ensuring that we have in place the legislation, regulations and sensitization necessary so that we can protect young innovators,” Dr. Rigobert said. 58 SL-YOU | Business, People & Lifestyle She added: “We are encouraged by the number of students who have gravitated towards the sciences. We encourage you to continue on your path with determination and passion. You are tasked with the responsibility of applying science to solve some of Saint Lucia’s challenges through research, experimentation, analysis and problem-solving.” Below are the results of this year’s National Schools’ Science & Technology Fair. www.slyoumag.com | July-August 2019