The application deadline for the Sagicor Visionaries Challenge for secondary school students has been pushed back to February 23rd 2013.
The Challenge is the product of a partnership among Sagicor, the Caribbean Science Foundation, and the Caribbean Examination Council and it aims to: boost institutional capacity in Science Technology and Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in secondary schools in the Caribbean, ignite interest among youth for innovation in STEM in an effort to build and integrate sustainable communities throughout the Caribbean; and integrate knowledge gained from formal and informal education to enable tomorrow’s leaders to build a more sustainable Caribbean.
Dr. Maya Trotz, an Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida and member of the Caribbean Science Foundation has informed Stabroek News that the extension was implemented due to the fact that the website voting page, where persons are supposed to vote for the winning project, was not yet functioning. Trotz also said that many projects were received during last week, and it is their desire to match each with a mentor. The original deadline was February 16th.
Trotz stated that to date, Tagore Memorial, West Demerara Secondary, Anna Regina, Queen’s College, Richard Ishmael Secondary School, Annandale Secondary, Diamond Secondary School, Tutorial High School, Central High, Corentyne, Bishop’s High School, Skeldon Line Path Secondary, Zeeburg, Covent Garden and President’s College have all successfully applied to the challenge.
Last week, Stabroek News spoke with students from St Roses, Central High, and Richard Ishmael, who all explained their project ideas and outlined how they intended to improve the environment and their schools simultaneously.
While this is good news, Trotz said that Guyana has approximately 100 schools capable of successfully applying for this challenge and that it would be exceptional if each of them was to submit applications.
Trotz said that she would especially like to see an application from schools in the Lethem area. Trotz added that at the teachers’ workshop that was held last October, representatives from the area were present, and opined that a proposal from this area would most definitely be unique, especially if the applicants were to take advantage of the “amazing” bio-diversity found in the area.
The team leader from each winning team and supervising teacher at the national level will compete in the regional competition in Barbados later this year. They will also represent their respective country in a seven-day STEM Ambassador programme to Florida which includes visits to places like the Kennedy Space Center, Disney’s EPCOT center, the Museum of Science and Industry and the engineering labs at the University of South Florida.
