UWI Open Campus to host Annual Independence Lecture tomorrow

The University of the West Indies Open Campus will host its Annual Independence Lecture on Wednesday, October 19, at the Methodist Church Hall and Community Building from 7 p.m. This year, Dr Richard Robertson will deliver the lecture on the topic, ‘Playing Against Nature in an Independent St Vincent and the Grenadines’.

Dr Robertson’s presentation will focus on the natural environment – the land, sea and atmosphere within which we navigate our lives. It contends that we cannot continue to “play fast with nature” and not expect to “get burnt”. {{more}}The assertion is that we need to learn from our past experiences and those of others, especially our neighbours: (Haiti) to the north and (Chile) to the south.

The lecture examines how the impacts of hazards are related not only to the severity of the event itself, but also to the mitigation measures we put in place and also to the socio-economic circumstances of the persons being impacted. Essentially, Dr Robertson’s presentation makes a case for the greater use of science and technology by decisions makers in our society.

Dr Richard Robertson is the director of the UWI’s Seismic Research Centre at St Augustine, Trinidad. He is a geologist and volcanologist whose work has been ground-breaking in the study of volcanoes and the geology of the region. He is a world expert on the subject of volcanoes and an experienced field researcher.

The Open Campus extends an invitation to the public to attend this lecture, as the nation celebrates 37 years of Independence.