CariUSA

The CariUSA Workgroup comprises representatives from academia, the business sector, regional and national government agencies, geoscience professional organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders who are committed to the creation of a Caribbean geoscience workforce with the knowledge and skills to address energy development, the long risks of climate change and geohazards, and disaster management and risk reduction. CariUSA Workgroup participants aim to work collaboratively to plan and implement initiatives that advance this goal.

CariUSA 2017 Workgroup Participants (Acrobat (PDF) 248kB Jul7 17)

MEETINGS

CariUSA 2017 Meeting, Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica, March 13 – 15

CARIUSA 2017 Meeting Agenda (Acrobat (PDF) 85kB Mar28 17)

Summary

At the 2017 inaugural CariUSA meeting, U.S., Jamaican and CARICOM participants considered (1) the intersection of national and regional priorities with the geosciences; (2) workforce needs;(3) the value of geoscience knowledge and the roles that geoscientists and engineers play in addressing geoscience-related issues of societal relevance in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean region; and (4) opportunities to promote strong economic growth through the management of natural and climate-change induced disasters, strategies to reduce exposure to geohazards, and energy development.

The meeting was organized around panel discussions, short presentations and theme-based working groups (WGs). Participants developed strategic partnerships to launch projects and develop programs that improve the ability of CARICOM nations to infuse geoscience and environmental engineering education into STEM education at the undergraduate and secondary levels, and organize scholarly exchanges between Jamaica, CARICOM and U.S. academic institutions.

Recommendations emphasized university and pre-college geoscience education and outreach, data archival and sharing, the translation of the geoscience research results into products that highlight societal and economic benefits, and ways of engaging more effectively with the private sector and government agencies in order to realize the long-term goal of developing capacity and partnerships that flourish beyond the CariUSA 2017 meeting.

Through CariUSA 2017, many participants forged professional connections that transcend national boundaries and explored opportunities for U.S. and Caribbean academic institutions, international professional organizations, environmental non-governmental organization (ENGOs) and communities to collaborate on common science issues of intellectual, societal and economic relevance. Proposed activities range from initiatives that are regional and international in scope to those that address local community issues.

The ultimate success of the CariUSA Workgroup and participants' plans to carry forward the activities proposed at the first meeting will depend on three key elements. First, investment in the fledgling international science relationships that emerged between U.S., Jamaican and CARICOM participants. Support for international visits among CariUSA stakeholders is necessary to nurture and grow existing relationships and create new opportunities for collaboration and knowledge transfer.Second, international and in-country (region) support for regular annual meetings is needed to sustain and expand the professional interactions and synergies that were created.These activities will require new resource streams. Therefore, a third and vital element is translating the economic importance of the geosciences and geoscience-derived products to the private sector. Opportunities that offer geoscientists access to the business community can increase the potential for private investment and support for mutually beneficial projects and programs, as well as provide geoscientists with a deeper appreciation for the context in which business decisions concerning water resource management, climate mitigation, and natural hazards are made. One suggested mechanism to bring geoscientists and the business community together is the creation of a CariUSA subcommittee that would function as a formal liaison to the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of cultivating formal connections between the geoscience and the private sector.

The recommendations and outcomes of CARIUSA 2017 Meeting are available in the Executive Summary of the meeting report. They clearly underscore the interest of both Jamaican/ CARICOM and U.S. participants to build strategic partnerships that advance the development of a Jamaican/ Caribbean geoscience workforce. In order to sustain and expand the professional interactions and synergies that were created and realize the long-term goal of developing capacity, a reliable, uninterrupted source of funding is essential for future annual meetings and to seed initiatives that merit pursuing.

CariUSA 2107 Meeting Report: Executive Summary (Acrobat (PDF) 475kB Jul7 17)

Note: "Geoscience" refers to a broad range of disciplines, including: Geology, geography, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, oceanography, marine geology, climate science, environmental science, environmental engineering, and petroleum engineering.

Panel Discussions

• Theme 1: Exploring the intersection b/w national (community) priorities and geoscience/environmental engineering.
• Theme 2 : The role of data analytics and geoinformatics in hazard identification, preparedness and mitigation and resource management. What is the value to the business sector? Policy makers?
• Theme 3: Geoscience-related workforce needs (as they relate to national priorities). Geoscience education-– unique perspectives, curricular resources, teaching and learning with data.
• Theme 4: Collaboration, community partnerships, education initiatives, and scholarly exchanges. Frameworks, funding needs and opportunities.

Presentations

• Mr. Vanshan Wright, Southern Methodist University, Fault reactivation and ground shaking in the Kingston Metropolitan Area.
• Dr. Richard Koehler, University of Nevada, Reno, A Quaternary fault database for Jamaica: implications for seismic hazards assessment.
• Dr. Arpita Nandi, Eastern Kentucky University, Landslide risk: What do we need to know, and why we care?
• Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr., Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI), Geoscience in Action in Jamaica.
• Dr. Cathy Manduca, Director of SERC at Carleton College. An Overview of the Science Education Resource Center (SERC)
• Dr. Ruth Potopsingh, Utech, The benefits of geoscience education to the workforce and economic growth.
• Dr. Maria Esteva, Texas Advanced Computational Center, UT Austin, Imagining and developing infrastructure for data-driven geosciences and engineering research and education.
• Dr. Saugata Datta, Kansas State University, The Brownfield Action Teaching Tool as applied to Environmental Sciences-Geological Sciences.
• Dr. Tricia Alvarez, Trinidad, Geoscience education in Trinidad and Tobago: Bridging the gap from niche discipline to general awareness for sustainable development.
• Dr. Matt Hornbach, Southern Methodist University, Citizen science: Opportunities for communities and students to partner with research scientists to advance understanding, disaster preparedness and resource management.

Working Groups

1. Earthquakes and Seismicity Earthquakes and Seismicity WG Report.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) PRIVATE FILE 34kB Apr20 17)
2. Water Resources and Conservation (Data) Water Resources Working Group Report (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 116kB Apr19 17)
3. Community Collaboration Community Collaboration Working Group Report (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 116kB Apr19 17)

Field trip to the Blue Mountains

Field Trip Guide (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 7.1MB Mar28 17)Outcomes

The outcomes include strategic partnerships between U.S. and Jamaican / CARICOM scientists, researchers and institutions. To learn more about the projects that have emerged, please visit the Projects page.

Acknowledgements

An award from the U.S. State Department through the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica to the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin provided support for the 2017 inaugural meeting of the CariUSA Workgroup. We thank Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee, Jr. and his team at Mona GeoInformatics for their heroic but unsuccessful efforts to try to secure funding for Jamaican and CARICOM participants to attend CariUSA 2017. We also thank the Jamaica Water Resources Authority for the loan of projection equipment for use during the meeting and the UWI Earthquake Unit for their role in leading the field trip to the Blue Mountains. The Earthquake Unit, IRIS and the Department of Geography and Geology at UWI, Mona jointly organized an afternoon workshop for teachers participating in the JAESN project. We thank Immaculate Conception High School for hosting the mini-workshop and for the use of their computer facilities.

The University of Texas and meeting organizers are deeply grateful to Ms. Sonya Parchment, Senior General Manager of Trafalgar Travel Limited in Kingston, Jamaica for her assistance in arranging all travel, lodging and meeting logistics at the Pegasus Hotel. We thank Mrs. Diana Marley of Hertz Jamaica for arranging rental vans and providing excellent drivers for the field trip to the Blue Mountains. Mrs. Prudence Simpson, Director of Sales at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, ensured that the meeting facilities and equipment, coffee breaks, luncheons, and service met all expectations and were of the highest possible standard.

All participants thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the Craighton Coffee Estate in Irish Town and the opportunity to sample authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Thanks to Ms. Robin Fox for hosting us at EITS Café after the field trip to the Blue Mountains. Robin extended a gracious and heartfelt Jamaican welcome. The dinner was exceptional, the view magnificent and the company excellent. Participants were all in agreement that the dinner at EITS Café was the highlight of CariUSA 2017.

Finally, we thank Dr. Cathy Manduca and the Science Resource Education Center (SERC) at Carleton College in Minnesota for hosting the meeting website.

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Participants dine at EITS Cafe near Irish Town in the Blue Mountains

Provenance: Kathy Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.

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Blue Mountains

Provenance: Kathy Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.

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CariUSA participants visit a seismograph station at Greenwich in the Blue Mountains

Provenance: Kathy Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.