Summer 2024
Amrita Karia, McGill University
Supervisor: Prof Graham King, UWI St. Augustine
Project: Best practices for scaling up blue economy and coastal climate resilience projects in the Caribbean
Amrita Karia is a fourth-year undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at McGill University’s Bieler School of Environment with a specialization in Ecological Determinants of Health in Society and a minor in Microbiology and Immunology. Outside the classroom, Amrita is the President of the McGill Environment Students’ Society and spent two summers working at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Caner at University of Montreal.
She is interested in sustainable coastal community development and is an advocate for long-term mitigation and adaptation strategies. This summer, she will be working with Professor Graham King from UWI St. Augustine to commercialize Sargassum seaweed with the goal of building the region’s capacity to scale up their blue economy and coastal climate resilience.
Andrew Kemp, McGill University
Supervisors: Prof Patrick Hosein & Prof Letetia Addison, UWI St. Augustine
Project: Machine Learning Applications in Climate Change Adaptation and Resiliency in the Caribbean
Andrew Kemp just graduated from his Bachelor of Science in Honours Biology this Spring. He is interested in the intersection of data science, ecology, and environmental science. He recently finished his Honours Thesis on morphological adaptations of fish in response to the environment and has also done research on at-risk plants, peat soil, and biochar applications. His experiences have fostered his passion for researching climate change's impacts on both the environment and communities. As a Queen Elizabeth Scholar, Andrew will be using machine learning models trained on climatic data to help predict vulnerabilities and mitigate the effects of climate change in the Caribbean. He is very excited to be working under the mentorship and expertise of Drs. Addison and Hosein during the project.
Antonia Marks, UWI Cave Hill
Supervisor: Prof Djordje Romanic, McGill University
Project: Hurricane Disaster Risk Management- Benefit-Cost Analysis of Barbados Building Code
Antonia Marks is an engineer by training graduating from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus and currently pursuing a Masters in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.Professionally, her background in disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been instrumental in shaping her keen interest in disaster resilience. Through the QES programme, she will collaborate with Professor Djordje Romanic on a project centered around disaster risk management in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The research project involves conducting a benefit-cost analysis of the national building code to determine its economic feasibility in enhancing resilience against hurricane damage.
Dina Hinds, UWI Cave Hill
Supervisor: Prof François Crépeau, McGill University
Project: Mobility governance and resilient communities in the West Indies
Emma Bainbridge, McGill University
Supervisor: Prof Gabrielle Thongs, UWI St. Augustine
Project: The Caribbean Research and Innovation Network for Georisks (CARING) Project
Jheuel Carter-Guy, UWI Cave Hill
Supervisor: Prof Chandra Madramootoo, McGill University
Project: Disaster Risk Reduction in Communities through an Early Flood Warning System
Jheuel Carter-Guy is pursuing her Master's in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at CERMES, with a concentration in climate change. Her research interests include disaster risk management, water resources management, and climate resilience, particularly at the community level. She is an advocate for meaningful stakeholder engagement and capacity building to ensure the continuity of climate resilience projects. As a QEScholar, Jheuel will be working with Dr. Madramootoo to develop an early flood warning system for a coastal community in Trinidad.
Riana Kandhai, UWI St. Augustine
Supervisor: Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie, McGill University
Project: Environmental nutrition trade-offs of sustainable healthy diet transition
Riana Kandhai graduated with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, achieving first-class honours in 2021, and is currently pursuing an MPhil in the same field at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. Alongside her studies, she works as a Teaching/Research Assistant in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. Riana has been actively involved as a Women Techmakers Ambassador and a Women in Data Science (WiDS) Ambassador. Additionally, she is a Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) 2023 Fellow and manages the First Citizens Sustainable Minds Volunteer Programme for Mindwise Project, demonstrating her commitment to mental health and women in STEM advocacy.
Semone Armorgan, UWI St. Augustine
Supervisor: Prof Mylene Riva, McGill University & Prof Ricardo Clarke, UWI St. Augustine
Project: Justice in energy transition
Semone Armorgan is a second-year student at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. She is currently pursuing her MSc. Development Statistics, specializing in Survey Research at the Department of SALISES. Having read for Economics at the bachelor’s level, she has developed interests in areas of Social Economics, Urban Economics, Econometrics, and Sustainable Development in Trinidad & Tobago, and the Caribbean.During her QES Internship, Semone will be working with Professor Mylene Riva in pursuit of determining the extent to which energy poverty exists within a chosen CARICOM member state.
Stacia Ali, UWI St. Augustine
Supervisor: Prof Jura Augustinavicius, McGill University
Project: EnGen: Enabling interGenerational connections to promote mental health and well- being, and co-develop climate change solutions
Stacia Ali is a fourth year PhD Education student at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Her research interest is focused on first year undergraduate students’ social and personal-emotional adjustment to university. During the QES internship, Stacia will be working with Prof. Jura Augustinavicius, on the project titled “EnGen: Enabling interGenerational connections to promote mental health and well- being, and co-develop climate change solutions.
Valeria Munoz, McGill University
Supervisor: Prof Cheryl-Ann Boodram, UWI St. Augustine
Project: Towards Building Community Resilience: Examining disaster literacy levels and factors affecting these levels in communities affected by repeated flooding in Trinidad and Tobago