Barbados’ 2nd Annual Science & Technology Festival was
hosted on March 5-7 by the National Council On Science & Technology (NCST)
of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology (MIST), in
partnership with the Faculty of Science & Technology (FST) of the
University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus. The theme was “Science and Technology –
Gateway To A New Barbados.”
Students and exhibitors
This fun-filled three-day festival was held under large tents
at UWI’s Cave Hill Campus. Hundreds of
students from primary, secondary, and tertiary education institutions, and the
general public, travelled west across the island to see over 40 exhibits.
NCST director Mr. Charles Cyrus noted 44 total exhibitors
this year, 30% more than in 2019. He
linked the increase to advertisement and marketing via social media, local
television channel CBC TV 8, and the Government Information Service (GIS).
Exhibits showcased robots, electric vehicles, renewable
energy, virtual & augmented reality, food & plant science, military technology,
and UWI Cave Hill faculties such as Medical Science. The interactive displays drew attention to
the wealth of adventure and opportunity involved in STEM careers.
Students experimenting with virtual reality
Augment It Media showcased augmented reality (AR) interactive
mobile apps created for commercial clients such as the Barbados Olympic
Association. AR visually overlays
digital information on top of the real world.
An AR user can see both the virtual and real worlds at the same
time. For example, through the lens of a
mobile phone camera. Riveting Media Inc., in partnership with Augment It Media,
mounted an oversized periodic table – a graphic showing every chemical element
on earth, onto a table. Volunteer
demonstrators then used a tablet with a custom AR mobile app to trigger AR
scenes for each element. Some festival
attendees noted this setup as an educational tool that should be placed
strategically in schools.
Display of the periodic the table
The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology & Hydrology
(CIMH) gave students an opportunity to use its virtual reality (VR) platform
designed to train meteorologists within the Caribbean through visualization of
weather patterns and phenomena using VR technology. The CIMH continues to expand its training
systems by researching using AR technology.
The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) displayed information
about their STEM programs like Animation & Game Design and Green
Engineering. This gave interested
students and parents alike an opportunity to inquire how those programs operate
and learn about new programs.
The Ursaline Convent Schools demonstrated computer games
designed by students. One game, in
particular, was a 5th Form, CXC School-Based Assessment (SBA), in which 30
students each created 1 level for a final game with 30 levels. The students designed this game in 1 hour.
Airplane model
FirstCaribbean International Bank (FCIB) took a multi-pronged
approach to its display. Firstly,
promoting coding and encouraging students to learn coding via Scratch – a
graphical programming language recommended for students aged 5-16. Scratch can be used to teach animation, game
design, and storyboarding. Secondly,
displaying and testing robot car kits, which FCIB charitably donates to
educational institutions via STEM promotions and outreach programs. FCIB identified robotics as the best way to
introduce and engage students in science and technology. The kits are assembled into robot cars that
use the Raspberry Pi mini-computer and are programmed in the Python
language. Thirdly, presenting to
festival guests on the basics of cybersecurity, challenges, tips, and
advice. This portion of their display
aimed to peak curiosity in science and technology by showcasing the diversity
of careers in Computer Science. Finally,
providing adults a tour of the full suite of FCIB’s internet and mobile banking
app features, which give customers total control over their finances. Simple online registration provides customers
the comfort of never having to alert the bank of upcoming travel as well as
ensuring online transaction safety.
Renewal energy exhibit
This year’s festival reinforced for attendees the direction
in which local and global industries are trending for the future of Barbados
and the world – Science and Technology.
Want to share an opportunity or story? Email us at info@stemcaribbean.com.
Jelani is a Barbadian STEM educator, author, and multidisciplined engineer with 8+ years experience in renewable energy, energy management, manufacturing, marine and HVAC industries. During a career change, he published his first book in 2016. He received an opportunity to teach robotics at a secondary school in 2017 and soon after also began teaching at the Caribbean Science Foundation’s Barbados Junior Robotics (Summer) Camp. Jelani volunteers much of his time to work with students on STEM projects as well as publishing related articles in online and print media. Jelani is a binge reader who is deeply passionate about STEM and business. He also loves how STEM teaches you to think, experiment with and implement concepts.