Caribbean Science Foundation 2017 Programs for Students, Teachers & Entrepreneurs

1. Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE) Students

SPISE is open to students of most Caribbean countries, as well as UK students of Caribbean descent.  The program is free of cost to students. SPISE is an intensive, 4-week (mid-July to mid-August) residential summer enrichment program hosted by the CSF for gifted Caribbean high school students who are interested in studying and exploring careers in disciplines related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). SPISE is modeled after the well-known MITES program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that Professor Cardinal Warde has been the faculty director of, for more than 15 years. 

SPISE nurtures and supports the exceptional STEM talent in our youth, encourages them to stay in the STEM disciplines beyond university, and provides guidance and support to those who wish to consider technology-based entrepreneurship as a career option. The goal is to ensure that opportunities for future creation of technology-based jobs in the Caribbean are not lost.  SPISE isan integral part of the partnership between the CSF and the University of the West Indies – Cave Hill Campus.

SPISE provides a risk-free learning environment in which students are trained to think critically and to develop analytical and logical problem solving approaches in several disciplines.  Rote learning is discouraged, and instead the focus is on teaching students to understand and apply the fundamentals so as to achieve mastery.

SPISE students are immersed in rigorous university-level courses in calculus, physics, biochemistry, Caribbean unity, entrepreneurship and Mandarin, as well as hands-on projects in underwater robotics, renewable energy, electronics and computer programming.

SPISE has served 85 students to date. Graduates from the 2012-2016 classes are enrolled at some of the world’s top science and engineering universities, including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, SUNY, UNC, Temple, Howard, Univ. Rochester, FIT, Macalester, UCL, Delft, Univ. Edinburgh, Univ. Toronto, McMaster, Trent and UWI. Some have received full scholarships.

Apply now! 

Application deadline is March 31, 2017

They are also seeking teaching assistants and instructors. Application forms and a full description of SPISE can be found at SPISE website

2. Barbados Junior Robotics camps

The Barbados Junior Robotics Camps are annual summer enrichment programs for young Barbadian students, between the ages of 9 and 13, who are interested in robotics. The aim of the day camps is to introduce basic technology and engineering concepts to children. The camps are targeted at children who are passionately interested in STEM and enjoy hands-on work. The broader vision is that the growing interest in robotics will spawn the formation of robotics clubs in our schools, and our students can become skilled enough to compete in international robotics competitions.

The camps were first offered at Level I in 2015, and in 2016 a more advanced level of the camp (Level II) was added. The Camps are offered in partnership with the University of the West Indies – Cave Hill Campus.

The application period for the 2017 Levels I and II camps will open by mid April, and the application deadline will be 11:59 pm, 15 May 2017.

The camps will run from July 4 to August 4, 2017.

More info about the camps can be found here

3. Upcoming STEM Teacher Training Workshops

The CSF STEM Teacher Training Workshops are two- and three-day training events for primary school teachers within the Caribbean. The goal is to train teachers in the use of Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) as teaching tools. Teachers are selected by their relevant Ministries of Education, and are persons who are genuinely interested in passionately exposing their students to elements of STEM. The intent is that these teachers will become future trainers of other teachers.

The PBL/IBSE inductive approach gives ample space to observation, experimentation, and teacher-guided construction by the child, and draws on the child’s own knowledge. It is anticipated that this approach will promote more student interest and excitement in science and engineering prior to their entering secondary school. Ultimately, this should lead to higher numbers of students pursuing advanced degrees and careers in science and engineering, and should help develop the Region’s next generation of technology leaders.

These workshops are a part of the partnership between the CSF, the Caribbean Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Embassy for Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS, and U.S. Embassy for Jamaica. More details se the STEM Teacher Training Workshops site

4. Sagicor Visionaries Challenge (SVC)

Plans are in the works for the next Sagicor Visionaries Challenge.  The next challenge is expected to incorporate some new enhancements.  In particular, the CSF and Sagicor are woring with CXC to allow students to use their SVC projects to satisfy the SBA requirement.  Stay tuned for an announcement later in the year!

The SVC is a design competition with the overall goal of creating more sustainable Caribbean communities. The goals of the challenge are to:

• Boost institutional capacity in STEM in secondary and high schools in the Challenge countries.
• Ignite interest among youth in the Challenge countries for innovation in STEM to help build and integrate sustainable communities.
• Integrate knowledge gained from formal and informal education to enable tomorrow’sleaders to build more sustainable communities.

For the Challenge, students in Caribbean schools work in teams and use STEM to develop effective, innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing their school or community. Student teams receive assistance from a teacher in their school, as well as from mentors who also serve as role models.  Prizes include trips to Kennedy Space Flight Center, Disney World and the Museum of Science  and Industry, Tampa, FL. 

Details of the past 3 SVCs can be found here and there.

5.  Entrepreneurship Buzz

In addition to assisting with STEM education reform, the mission of the CSF includes assisting with the stimulation of technology entrepreneurship within the Region. Caribventure is the vehicle the CSF is using to accomplish this goal.  In this regard, the CSF joinedthe ERANET-LAC project as a funding agency.  The ERANET-LAC project is a partnership with 15 EU and Latin American countries that holds workshops and conferences to discuss coordination of existing and new projects in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Bio-Economy, Bio-Diversity/Climate, Energy and Health.

ERANET-LAC has conducted two joint calls to fund proposals in the above topic areas, and several joint projects have been selected for funding. The CSF is involved in one of the ICT projects, called ITCity.  The ITCity project is aimed at responding to the citizens’ need for new information technology applications of energy usage, integrated in an intelligent way at the city/neighborhood level. Using the CaribVenture vehicle, the CSF has made a grant of 20,000 euros to AES Energy Systems of Barbados to participate in the ITCity consortium.  Other consortium members of the ITCity members are from Latvia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Romania and Turkey. 

More detailed information see ERANET-LAC site and ERANET-LAC project

SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE CSF

First, a big «THANK YOU» to those of you who have already made contributions to the CSF in the past. For 2017, please consider making a contribution to fully or partially support a SPISE 2017 student from the country of your choice. The cost of a full sponsorship is US$ 6,000 plus round trip transportation to Barbados.  Alternatively, you may support the Barbados Junior Robotics Program, or make an unrestricted contribution.