Petrina Francis, Education Reporter
HUNDREDS OF high school and university students turned out yesterday to view several research projects that have been undertaken at the University of Technology (UTech).
The occasion was the institution's third annual research and technology day. This was held on the Papine-based campus in the Alfred Sangster Auditorium under the theme 'Promoting Innovation Through Education, Science and Technology.'
An important piece of research, a monograph on the Old Iron Bridge in Spanish Town, which is the oldest bridge in the Western Hemisphere, was also launched at the research day activities.
RESEARCH ON THE BRIDGE
The research on the bridge was conceived by the Caribbean School of Architecture at UTech and was written by Suzanne Francis-Brown, historian and Peter Francis, lecturer at the institution.
Guest speaker at the research event, Dr. Arnoldo Ventura, senior advisor to the prime minister on science and technology, said that the best options for socio-economic development were through science and technology and the innovation they stimulate.
He said that Jamaica needs a centre for promoting and transferring technology. "This centre should highlight those technologies of immediate importance to the island, such as information and communication technologies, biotechnologies and energy technologies," he noted.
The senior advisor added that research and development in the centre should be undertaken to enable adaptation and transfer of foreign technologies to local industries and businesses.
