FACULTY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
352
Summer Internship Programme In the summer of 2023, the Biotechnology Centre hosted a total of eight Summer Interns through its yearly Summer Internship Programme during the period July 3 to 28. The participants included five high school 6 th Form students and three students from the Biochemistry Department, UWI. The students were trained in the areas of Tissue Culture, Molecular Biology, and Basic Analytical Chemistry. The students participated in the extraction of nucleic acid from plants, bacterial cells (plasmid) and insects using various extraction techniques. The participants also got an opportunity to work with the Natural Products Institute (NPI) where they conducted insecticide resistance assays. The Biotechnology Centre continue to engage students who wish to gain laboratory experience. Four volunteers of the Medicinal Plant Research Group over summer 2023 and two farmers in the YYFTP were recommended by Dr Mitchell to take part in the online Bamboo Training Program, hosted by INBAR, and paid for by the Chinese Embassy. As of September 2023, The Centre now has three 3 volunteers assigned to the Molecular Biology Lab. They will be working extraction of nucleic acid and PCR analyses for plant viruses.
VISITORS TO THE BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTRE
UNESCO Visit Representatives from UNESCO visited and toured the Biotechnology Centre on June 27, 2023. The UNESCO team met with student researchers where they were given an opportunity to speak briefly about their research being carried out at the Centre. In addition, UNESCO be promoted its fellowships for Caribbean researchers that would be available for application in the upcoming months. Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) Visit to the Biotechnology Centre On October 13, 2022 students in the Marine Biotechnology programme at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) toured the Biotechnology Centre and also observed a demonstration of microbial techniques as well as antimicrobial sus- ceptibility testing. Students got an opportunity to view in person some microbial techniques and practices associated with microbiology. This has greatly assisted the students in their understanding of the applications of concepts they learnt in their theoretical courses.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker