DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Dr Donna Minott Kates, BSc, PhD (UWI) – Head of Department
OVERVIEW The Department of Chemistry took pride in being the sole department within the faculty to have provided face-to-face laboratory classes at all levels throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Having successfully navigated challenges thus posed, and with the return to university-wide in-person instruction, the Department was keen to maintain our ongoing interaction with students and improve our offerings. Two new Water Treatment courses (CHEM2420 and CHEM2421) were approved as well as a Radiochemistry course (CHEM2810), developed in support of the inter-disciplinary BSc Biomedical Radiation Sciences programme. Our work-study/ internship programmes benefitted from improved access to companies (thanks to our industry partners) through which, several students secured employment. The OESH practicum saw an increased demand for interns which we were not able to satisfy. At end of the academic year (AY), 40 students graduated with Chemistry BSc (7 receiving first class honours), and 26 with Chemistry minors. Six students completed higher degrees (3 PhD and 3 MSc graduates). Notwithstanding an improvement in publication output (two-thirds of which were co-authored by graduate students), research progress was hindered by finan- cial constraints, and deterioration of available instrumentation. The Department faced a major setback with the quenching of the 500 MHz NMR (Nuclear Mag- netic Resonance) spectrometer, leaving us bereft of NMR capability, an absolute requirement given its importance to undergraduate and graduate programmes. Efforts to secure funding to replace the defunct NMR are underway. A resurgence of activity is anticipated with increased research collaborations and staff sojourns in external research facilities. Output should be further boosted with the resumption of the Principal’s Research Awards; 5 members of staff were this year recognised for research excellence. The University of the West Indies Mona Analytical Chemistry (UWIMAC) Labo- ratory, a commercial facility within the Department, was granted continued ISO accreditation by the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC). 265
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