00:00They have chosen to pursue science and technology and thus are the inventors, the innovators,
00:07the architects and the digital pioneers of tomorrow.
00:10They have proven that they have tenacity, discipline and focus and are willing to put
00:15in the hard work and make the sacrifices to see their dreams come to fruition.
00:20Now they have been rewarded for it at the University of the West Indies Faculty of Science
00:24and Technology Prizes and Awards Ceremony 2024.
00:29Recipient of the Julian Kenney Prize, graduand and valedictorian Camille Lam Monroe states
00:34that her journey at UWE in pursuit of life sciences has led to her development in many
00:40aspects of life, including personal, social and professional.
00:44Growing up in my community, Laventille, has posed its own challenges and appreciations
00:50for change and the ability to foster grit.
00:54I have always had a fond appreciation for nature and its resilience to disturbances
01:00as well as its adaptability to move forward.
01:03In delivering the feature address at the awards ceremony, Head of Software Development at
01:08iGovTT, Erwin Williams, pointed out that people miss out on a lot because of the fear of failing
01:14and the awardees have been put on notice.
01:18Failure can be your friend.
01:21You guys need to hear it because it's strange to you.
01:25You are award winners.
01:26It's like throughout the course of your academic career, you were in school getting merit awards
01:32and you were in school being celebrated and you were in front of the class.
01:36You need to get accustomed to failing and failing forward and failing and learning and
01:40failing and knowing it's not the end of the world.
01:43Yes?
01:44Yes?
01:45Yes.
01:46Williams states that intent is the key to getting over that fear and moreover, fear
01:50should translate into strategy.
01:52Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Brian Coburn, notes that readiness
01:57for the workplace subsequent to studies is sometimes a topic up for discussion.
02:02And he says, UE has been addressing the issue through a strong internship framework.
02:06The opportunities to gain work experience are invaluable.
02:13The experience continues to exceed expectations.
02:17Overwhelmingly, our students make us proud.
02:22The partners, the students and the academics all report very high levels of satisfaction.
02:30Often students are offered jobs before they graduate.
02:35And while many people talk about artificial intelligence possibly replacing humans in
02:40several ways, Professor Coburn highlights that AI still requires to be prompted by humans.
02:46The more informed one is, the better one is able to prompt generative AI or to train
02:53a machine learning algorithm.
02:57Even when utilizing an AI, one is still better equipped to face challenges with hard facts
03:04in hand and after learning the elements of critical thinking.
03:09As for any loss of jobs due to AI, Williams weighs in.
03:13What jobs?
03:16You will create the jobs.
03:19It's said that the destruction happening to the job market will be 400 million.
03:25But the creation will also be 400 million.
03:29So while you lose 400 million jobs, you make 400 million new jobs.
03:33So what are we talking about jobs?
03:35He says real power lies in creating new solutions and he outlines that new opportunities can
03:41include climate data interpreters and AI ethicists.
03:45The awardees have been told to pay back or forward the support they would have received
03:50to reach where they are.
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