Minister of The Environment and Housing, Kendred Dorsett, looks on as Island School students dissect a lionfish during the poster session at the The Island School’s research symposium.
CAPE ELEUTHERA, THE BAHAMAS (3 December 2012)–Saturday, December 1st marked the 28th Research Symposium held at the Cape Eleuthera Island School. It was the culmination of a semesters worth of research work undertaken by students at The Island School in collaboration with scientists at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. The symposium took place on the Island School campus on Cape Eleuthera, where students presented their research in areas including sea turtles, conch population, lionfish abundance, and patch reef fish ecology, climate change, shark physiology and mangrove flats. Attendees included guest scientists, local community members, representatives of Bahamian NGOs, academics and government officials. The symposium is an opportunity for guests to learn from the work being done by Island School students at CEI; work that embodies CEI’s core principles of research, education and outreach. Following the presentations, guests were invited to visit booths where students displayed scientific posters of their studies, demonstrated their research techniques, further explained their results and answered questions about the work.
Minister Dorsette addresses the 28th Island School research symposium on his commitment to renewable energy.
The event concluded with special guest speakers sharing impressions with the students, Island School staff and guests. First to speak was Eric Carey, Executive Director of the Bahamas National Trust, who applauded the enthusiasm of the presentations and the commitment of The Island School and CEI to conservation. Mr. Carey continued to say that these pioneering efforts are critical to encourage government to enact laws to protect and conserve the vital habitats and endangered species throughout The Bahamas. Next to speak was Dr. Sandy Mactaggart, Chancellor Emeritus at the University of Alberta, who emphasized the importance of education that pushes students to produce knowledge and ask questions, as well as search for new and innovative ways to approach real world problems.
Sandy Mactaggart receives a Cape Eleuthera Foundation? pin from Annabelle Brooks for his role in supporting The Island School and CEI.
The keynote address was delivered by the Honorable Kendred Dorsett, Minister of the Environment and Housing. Inspired by what he had seen throughout the morning and afternoon, Minister Dorsett decided not to read his prepared remarks, but rather to open a conversation with the students, science, faculty and staff of The Island School and CEI. He thanked the students for the work they had done and for their commitment to protecting and conserving the natural environment of The Bahamas, noting “our environment is incredibly important to our way of life in The Bahamas, and the protection of the environment is one issue where there should be consensus amongst all of our people when we understand how important it is.”
The main source of inspiration for the Minister, however, seemed to be the commitment to renewable energy on the Island School campus, in the form of wind, solar, biodiesel and biodigestion. “What has been very informative for me is to see how CEI and The Island School has done such a phenomenal job at incorporating renewable energy technologies in its existence here on Eleuthera,” remarked the Minister, “[and] very soon what you do here will be legitimized by us debating in the House of Assembly, a Renewable Energy Act which will ensure that all or our citizens and those doing business here will be able to incorporate renewable energy sources.”
Eric Carey, Executive Director of the BNT, addresses symposium attendees at Hallig House.
During his tour of campus in the morning, Minister Dorsett was impressed by the biodigester on campus that not only processes solid human waste in an effective and ecologically friendly manner, but also converts it into a usable, renewable energy source. He specifically mentioned the “challenges with the manner in which [The Bahamas] uses septic tanks within subdivisions” to deal with sewage and noted how the technology could be applied there to deal with the problem.
Other guests on hand at the symposium included Mr. Shaun Ingraham, Director of the One Eleuthera Foundation, former Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symmonette, Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, director of BREEF, and a number of scientists from The Bahamas and United States. Annabelle Brooks, who is in charge of coordinating The Island School student research program for CEI remarked on the success of the Symposium, saying “we are fortunate to have such motivated students and such remarkable guests who can come together to address important issues facing not only The Bahamas, but also the world as a whole.”
The Cape Eleuthera Island School holds research symposia twice a year at the end of their Fall and Spring semesters, and they are open to the general public. For more information about The Island School and The Cape Eleuthera Institute, visit ceibhamas.org and islandschool.org.
