We are extremely excited to share an update from the Caribbean Science Foundation.
The Caribbean Science Foundation is extremely grateful for [PETNA's] continued support of SPISE. Thanks in part to your very generous contribution, the fifth annual SPISE was a success, with 19 outstanding students from 8 Caribbean countries. Over the four weeks of the program, the students were exposed to university-level classes in calculus, physics, computer programming, renewable energy or robotics, biochemistry, entrepreneurship, Caribbean unity, and Mandarin. They also benefitted from career seminars by luminaries in their respective fields, and received valuable guidance through workshops that focused on time management, the college application process and effective CV preparation.
Feedback received from the students indicated that they found this once in a lifetime experience to be extremely valuable, enlightening, informative and challenging. They now have a greater sense of what career goals they aspire to and how they can contribute to the growth of the Region, and have additional skills to navigate their academic and career pursuits. You have our sincere thanks for supporting this unique opportunity for the students.
As you know, Kieran Neath of Jamaica was the SPISE 2016 PETNA Foundation Scholar. Kieran has expressed his intention to pursue a career in engineering either in the biomedical field or within materials engineering, as that is where his passion lies. Coming into SPISE, Kieran gave his commitment to learn as much as he could. Although he confessed to finding the coursework challenging, Kieran worked hard and impressed staff and his teammates with his work ethic, teamwork, commitment and dedication to all the tasks he was assigned. To this end, he was awarded the SPISE Motivational Award, which is designed to inspire those students in whom potential for additional growth is seen. We have enclosed several photos that provide a glimpse into Kieran’s experience at SPISE 2016.
Our sincere and warmest thanks to you for your support of SPISE. The additional sponsorship which you provided will be carried forward to a student in the class of 2017, and we look forward to finalizing those details with you. We hope that you will remain in contact with Kieran as he progresses into his chosen field.
With warm regards,
Dinah Sah, PhD
Director, Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering
Co-Executive Director, Caribbean Science Foundation
Senior Vice President of Neuroscience, Voyager Therapeutics
Professor Cardinal Warde
Interim Executive Director, Caribbean Science Foundation
Prof of Electrical Engineering, MIT