The Faculty is currently placing a greater emphasis on the applied sciences, with a focus on solving the real world issues facing Barbados and the region. Under the project title, “FST2048, 30 Years into the Future”, we are aiming to transform the Faculty into the number one centre of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) innovation where staff and students engage in the latest applied research.
In Photo: FST PhD Student, Mr. Nikolai Holder working by his biofuel reactor research project
One of our current successes is the development of a biofuel reactor by one of our PhD students, Nikolai Holder. The bioreactor has already been applied industrially on a large scale.
As our applied research initiative evolves, it has led to a new focus on STEM-based entrepreneurship. Within the Faculty, we are teaching our students to utilize their research skills to develop solutions to real world problems while providing an understanding of the possible commercial applications. The students are also being trained to see self-employment as an option, moving away from the traditional view of a job for life. This transformation will help to develop an environment where STEM can be used to advance the island economies of the region.
A major part of this entrepreneurship drive involves the changing of attitudes towards the inclusion of STEM practitioners in the area of entrepreneurship. Far too often, graduates of Science and Technology programmes are not viewed as potential entrepreneurs. Instead they are viewed as the persons who provide the products to be used and/or sold by non-scientists.