UG embarks on 3-day inaugural graduate research symposium

Hosted under the theme “Innovative Research for Sustainable Developments, Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic”, the University of Guyana School of Graduate Studies and Research (UGSGSR) on Wednesday commenced its three-day Graduate Research Symposium.
The event, which is being held virtually, aims to provide graduate students with the opportunity to exhibit their research accomplishments and feature keynote addresses on sustainable development amid the global pandemic.
Presentations will focus on seven sub-themes: Circular Economy; Green Economy and Trade; Food Production and Food Security Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic; Education for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century; Health, Poverty, Gender and Sustainable Development; Environmental Management; and Global Warming, Adaptation and Climate Change Mitigation, Science and Technology for Sustainable Development.
During the opening ceremony of the event, Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr Paloma Mohamed-Martins noted that while the themes were quite numerous to cover in such a small conference, they gave insight on the amount of work being done by the graduate students.
“…even at the undergraduate level, we [UG] have been building up to the point for decades, preparing students who can question, inquire, and who are at least engaged with the scientific processes of enquiry,” the VC expressed.
Additionally, she highlighted the dangers which research face amid the pandemic and the important role the University of Guyana plays in powering innovation and policy through research.
“In these times, the pursuit of scientific inquiry is under threat, paradoxically at the time when science and technology are meeting the needs of the planet’s greatest problems at an exponential rate. We have to think a little bit about why that is, and how research is being projected, interest-driven, and understood by the rest of the non-academic world as well as the academic world,” Dr Mohamed-Martins said.
She further stated that “these issues are very complex, predicated upon the vast exposure now of billions of people, to revelations about Janus-faced possibilities of science and technology…despite the nature of our evolving context, we must not forget that an important part of a National University – and especially our National University is to power innovation and policy through research, research that is grounded and based in our reality, for our future, modelled against our needs”.
The event, which ends on October 8, is sponsored by the Natural Resources Ministry and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) .
Registration is required in advance for the event, using the following link https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O5mn6hTKT2OD_G0PqUEl1w, and can be used for the entire three days of the symposium. Registration is free to presenting graduate students and attendees.
It is expected to provide graduate students from various academic departments with the opportunity to share their level of advancement from project proposals to final theses.