UCCI secures NASA engineer for science conference
(CNS): NASA Aerospace Engineer Dr Camille Alleyne wil be coming to Cayman in October as the keynote speaker for the university’s annual science conference, STEM 2013. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Conference being held by the University College of the Cayman Islands, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, later this year has managed a real coup with Alleyne. Currently serving as the Assistant Program Scientist for the International Space Station (ISS), a science laboratory in space, she is responsible for developing and managing the communication strategic plan for ISS Research and Technology.
Awarded a Caribbean Woman Icon in Science and Technology by the National Institute for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Alleyne has dedicated her 18-year career to advancing the areas of aerospace and space technology development, specifically in the fields of human space flight, ballistic missile engineering, space vehicle and weapon systems engineering, integration and testing; and most recently developing science and technology-based solutions for international development in addition to global science and space education.
Dr Alleyne has served in several technical management positions both at NASA and US Dept of Defense.
She will head a line-up of high calibre international and local STEM experts, who are presenting on a wide variety of topics for this year’s bigger, bolder and better conference, the college stated in a release.
Conference Chair Dr Bill Hrudey said that following the success of the inaugural STEM last year, the 2013 conference will be one day longer and will feature “a larger, nicer blend of speakers and topics which will showcase local, regional and international perspectives.”
Staying true to its purpose of exposing students, teachers, parents and the general public to science and technology in a way that inspires curiosity and interest in learning, STEM Carib 2013 is more family-friendly than ever.
“We have designated specific conference activities that will children, teens and adults will enjoy”, said Dr Hrudey. “We have planned an astronomy evening and a family fun day filled with demonstrations and displays on magic, robotics, solar observations, a Ruben’s tube and a van der Graff generator, to name a few. The winners of the Rotary Science Fair will also be showcasing their projects,” he added.
For further information, email events@ucci.edu.ky to view profiles of the speakers and the schedule of events.
Category: Science and Nature
After reading the negative comments on this Blog, I’m disappointed to see that ignorance and stupidity are alive and well. Worse still, is the fact that they (ignorance and stupidity) are being promoted and encouraged by some. Too bad !
Readers should appreciate the fact that Roy Bodden and the Conference committee have invested a great deal of time skill and effort to create and sponsor this Conference which, should be welcomed without reservation on the Island. Moreover, it is Mr. Bodden’s vision of Science in today’s world and his encouragement that makes such an event possible.
Science education has been seriously neglected in the Western world over the past few decades and, this must be addressed. Carl Sagan, a noted astronomer in the 1980’s, once opined, “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.”
Let's fix this.
The bigger question is whether after the conference is finished, will Mr. Bodden change his stripes about promoting science within UCCI among his faculty, or is he scarred that some of his most promoted faculty will turn out to be rote minded charlatans. If its his and his lackeys reputations versus modernizing of UCCI, guess which one wins out…
Time will tell whether we have a true leader or just another poser who will be looking to get his picture in the paper once a year at STEM to show how he can be a well-wisher with no real support or vision the next day.
You've been drinking ?????
It's all like the bread and circuses of the decaying Roman Empire. Keep bringing in these "notable" people to talk about "issues", particularly those dear to the heart of the President and his books, and you will distract from the mediocre quality of the academic curriculum and its instructors (one of whom, by the way, was dismissed for incompetence from the secondary school system many years ago).
This is good.
On another matter I believe that it would be beneficial to the society if lectures at UCCI were broadcast on the government tv station. People are never too old to learn, and there is no harm in giving everybody a free opportunity to improve their educational level…
If UCCI can get away with not compensating thier lecturers for broadcasting thier classes, its a done deal. They already do the same for those teaching to the BRAC,
Suddenly I feel quite insignificant, lol!
Wow … this is great news. Dr. Alleyne is one super-cool human being.
Kudos to the team that made it happen.
I hope plans are underway to ensure as many of our young people as possible – especially girls – will be in attendance. If not at the conference then hopefully she will be invited into our schools to speak with our students.
I believe all of our youths would be fascinated by someone who designs spaceships and rockets for a living – and is a pilot on the side. Oh yeah … and just happens to be a Caribbean girl as well.
(Interestingly, she is a graduate of Howard University and Florida A & M University. So much for common rhetoric and criticism in that regard.)
I find people like her so inspiring. I've just viewed a clip of her online and she also seems very down to earth … not to mention absolutely gorgeous (yeah I said it – I'm a heterosexual man with a working pair of eyes … deal with it).
Looking forward to this one. Great work, UCCI!
So where is the call for papers section on the website?
Dr. Hrudley for UCCI President for finally bringing about a sane approach in making aware to caymans the world of science. One clap to the current President for wearing his suite, smilng, and hopefully not embarassing UCCI by quoting bible scriptures at the event.
How can he wear a suite?
A Great role model for all our youths – and adults!!
Why capitalise "great" and pluralise "youth"? What do two exclamation marks achieve that one does not?
And the point of your little life is,,,??
This is a wonderful idea to generate interest and prove the relevancy of science to the younger generations, and to provide a resolve to adults with conflicting religious ideas that science increases the quality of life for all.
However, UCCI has made it clear that they do not support in-house scientific research and have gone out of their way to not fund any interests from faculty other than your second-hand-data book report from those seeking PhDs in Education.
The UCCI leadership is not science literate and they continue to cripple science minded faculty by not including them in committees and instead discretely fill new responsibilities and offices for their like-minded friends and family who have no interests in the sciences. At a University that is to teach how to think critically, and is to provide an example for the students of how to act unbiased, this is counter productive.
Is UCCI operating as simply a "fronting" organization of the churches to hide their true disinterest in supporting the sciences? Is the UCCI leadership intimidated of the rigor involved in true scientific inquiry? Is that mind set foreign to their usual way of business of treating education as rote like memorizing scriptures, and treating critical thinking teachers as thow-away plebeians to increase their already atrocious annual turnover rate.
We need a President who is competent and fair in bringing UCCI into the 21st century by promoting scientific inquiry from students and by supporting a scientific research culture from faculty, not just another hack constantly promoting and giving more money to his church going cronies. Of course this won't happen unless somebody from the high top steps in, since the leadership at UCCI has been grooming for the past few years for its next set of leaders to support the status quo. The hier-apparent-next -generation-hacks are ready to collect their big checks(…or already are in other creative accounting manners)to make sure UCCI never exposes their students to alternative thinking and research, that would place UCCI on a competitive edge with the international scientific community.
Congratulations to UCCI on taking their first baby steps. The rest of the world hopes you are making a sincere endeavor and not just providing a carnival distraction from the real issues.
I am truely amazed at the amount of information that you think you know. DAMN!!!!!
Please indulge us of of your superior intellect.
If your going to live here you might as well get used to it. Caymanians are the smartest people they know. Any evidence to the contrary can be overcome with "raft" of scientific evidence they have been taught in government schools.
While I am not a fan of organized religion nor 99% of local churches, you do come across as a rather pompous atheist.
No true believer would ever question the majesty of the truth that science reveals, but there is a vast difference between appreciating God and trying to be God.
I am sure your mind is vast and based on your words, I am pretty sure that you are also convinced of this apparent fact,.
However even your immense intellect will one day not be vast enough to comprehend the secrets of life that God has hidden in plain view, not just the secrets of this temporal realm that we currently live in and are constrained by, but also the realm that existed before even time itself began.
In closing, I find it quite amusing that you have received all those thumbs up. Shallow people are easily swayed by what appears to be a coherent argument with a few fancy words, but one person in a crowded room who tells the truth is a majority.
In closing, let me just quote, "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him." Proverbs 18:17
Praise be to God for your comment. God is speaking through the UCCI President and he has two of the best God fearing Deans to root out the demons that lurk there in the bushes. Yes people, sometimes decisions have to be made that may hurt contributing faculty, but if Jebus has told them in thier inner ear that they are justified in economically disadvantaging the devils, how can you question the good lord, unless you too want the wrath of the lord via the anointed UCCI administration. Do you want that? Ask yourself that continually until you are too exhausted to think rationally and so finally submit to the will of the Lord..
Stop complaining infidels, you can easily get a list of where the good god fearing UCCI employees attend their churches and its only 10% to join the club with streets of gold written into the contract of your next anointed promotion. Its that easy.
If you are the poster of the original comment (and I strongly suspect you are), now that I have called you (to use poker vernacular), you have revealed your hand. Respectfully, you are indeed somewhat of pompous atheist. If you were the science-loving, pseudo-intellectual that you initially purported to be, you would have probably replied with a little more scientific evidence to prove your point(s). Predictably, you quickly descended into some anti-God diatribe. I struggle with God every day, but I am not going to get into a public platform and slander Him. If you have a beef with Him, then you are not the only one, even some of his closest people have experienced utter despair as many of us do every day. So leave off. At the end of the day, if people are leveraging their spiritual positions for personal gain, they are sailing a very leaky boat. Quite frankly, I've got enough holes in my own boat to worry about theirs. Good luck.
"The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him." Proverbs 18:17
So true – just remind me again which came first, the Bible you quote or current scientific understanding?
WOW!! Very cool!!
I've noticed this school has been managing to get some really high calibre people as speakers for their conferences. Hats off to the organizers for that.
07:18, everybody has a price, you just have to pay it.
Living in Cayman is a good example.