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New Scientist - Dr. Henry Lowe
3d

Dr. the Honourable, Henry Lowe is a bio-chemist specialising in the development of medicines from Jamaican plants for the treatment of cancers and other diseases. He was born in 1939 and attended Calabar and Excelsior High Schools. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in chemistry at the University College of the West Indies and did his post-graduate studies in Australia, the UK and the USA. On returning to Jamaica, he lectured at the then College of Arts, Science and Technology (now the University of Technology) for 16 years before joining the Ministry of Energy and he later established the first Ministry of Science and the Environment in the CARICOM region, the current Ministry is Science, Energy and Technology). He worked in the private sector as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Blue Cross of Jamaica. As an entrepreneur and philanthropist he founded the EHF Group of Companies, which includes a private, not for profit organization, Environmental Health Foundation (EHF), established in 1992, to enhance the quality of people’s lives in Jamaica. Related companies include Eden Gardens Wellness & Lifestyle Limited (a premier wellness & lifestyle centre), Bio-Tech R&D Institute (a company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of health and wellness products from Jamaican plant-based materials) and Medicanja (a company that undertake cutting edge research on the medicinal uses of Ganja). He has has discovered several bioactive molecules from Jamaican plants (particularly Jamaican Ball Moss and Guinea Hen Weed) and has had success in patenting and registering drugs with the US-based Federal Drug Administration for the treatment of myeloid leukemia. Amongst his many awards, he was conferred with the Commander of the Order of Distinction in 1982 and the Order of Jamaica in 2012.
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New Scientist - Professor Lawrence Williams
3d

Dr. Lawrence Williams is an Adjunct Professor in the College of Health Sciences, University of Technology, Jamaica and his research has focused on the production of anti-cancer treatments from natural products in particular Jamaican Guinea-hen weed (Petivera alliacea). Dr. Williams was born in 1963 in St. Elizabeth and went to Calabar High School where his interest in biology started. He graduated from The University of the West Indies with a B.Sc. degree in zoology and chemistry in 1987 and started to work at the Scientific Research Council on natural product pesticides. He completed his Ph.D. dissertation in 1991 at the University of the West Indies on ‘Biological Activity in Leaf Extracts from the Artocarpus altilis [the Breadfruit]’ and was later employed in the Faculty of Medical Sciences. In 2003, he was awarded the prestigious Alexander von Humbolt Scholarship to do postdoctoral studies on the guinea hen weed (Petivera allliacea) at the Hohenheim University in Germany. The investigations yielded the compound dibenzyl trisulphide, which has been shown to cure cancer cells inside a laboratory. The compound has been found to cure cells that affect the brain, bladder, breast, skin and lungs. In 2010, Dr. Williams and colleague, Dr. H.G. Levy, a Jamaican-born medical doctor based in the USA, were awarded an international patent on a protein complex of dibenzyl trisulphide, isolated from the guinea hen weed. In 2011, for his contribution to science, Dr. Williams was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal by the Institute of Jamaica. In 2017, Dr. Williams and co-researcher Dr. George Levy obtained a further patent with the US for the discovery of anti-cancer activity in the plant.
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New Scientist - Professor Manley West
3d

Professor Manley West, OM (1929 - 2012) a Science Icon, was a pharmacologist who developed several useful medicines from ganja (Cannabis). Born in Portland, Professor West was a graduate of the Titchfield High School after which he travelled to England to further his secondary level and later tertiary studies. At the University of London, he studied pharmacology eventually earning his Ph.D in this field before continuing his studies and work at a variety of institutions globally. In 1964 he returned to Jamaica as an Assistant Lecturer in Pharmacology in the Faculty of Medical Sciences. He rose through the ranks and served as Head of the Pharmacology Dept. amongst other senior positions. In 1981, West was appointed as Professor of Pharmacology - the first Jamaican and West Indian to be so appointed. He is best known for the development of medical drugs from marijuana for the treatment of glaucoma and asthma. Dr. West did the initial research after getting special permission to grow and use marijuana plants after observing that people who used homemade eyewash consisting of ganja and fishermen who drank ganja tea, tended to have improved night vision. He then met Dr. Albert Lockhart, an ophthalmologist who had learnt through a scientific presentation that persons who used marijuana had lower intraocular pressure than non-users and this led them to spend ten years developing the drug Canasol® in 1987 and later Cantimol® in eye-drops for the treatment of glaucoma. In the 1990s, Professor West also developed Asmasol®- which treats bronchial asthma, coughs and colds and Canavert®- a drug that stabilizes the part of the brain that controls motion sickness. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 1987 and the Gold Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica in 1994.
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New Scientist - Dr. Karl Aiken
4d

Dr. Karl Aiken is a marine ecologist specializing in fisheries management. He is a retired Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI where for 35 years he taught under-graduate students and supervised graduate students. His research has helped Jamaica understand its fishing industry and establish appropriate policies and legislation including fish sanctuaries. He served in the Jamaica Defence Force Coastguard (Reserves) as a Commissioned Officer for 11 years. Dr. Aiken’s knowledge and experience has seen him sitting on a number of boards, panels and committees including the Fisheries Authority. He is a founding member of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust.
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New Scientist - Mr. Christopher Muir
4d

Mr. Christopher Muir is a Senior Information Technology Officer at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Mona Information Technology Services and the Faculty of Science and Technology. In this position he has overall responsibility for ICT resources within the Faculty as well as Research Computing infrastructure for the campus which includes SPARKS - the only High Performance Computing Cluster (HPCC) in the English Speaking Caribbean. He currently lectures undergraduate students in the Computer Systems Administration course. He is a graduate of Campion College and was awarded his B.Sc. in Computer Science and Chemistry from The University of the West Indies in 1993, and his M.Sc. in Computer-Based Management Information Systems from The University of the West Indies in 2004. Mr. Muir was awarded the Principal's Award for "The most successfully commercialized research project" in 2003 in recognition of his work done in the field of Computational Chemistry and their contribution to building software tools for the display and dissemination of chemical spectra and received an International Visitor Leadership Program fellowship under the US State Department programme to examine "Contemporary Challenges in Higher Education" in 2007.
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Individuals dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, discovery, and innovation, often with specialized training and expertise in specific scientific disciplines. They include researchers, educators, conservationists, and professionals who actively contribute to the advancement of science.

Publicize your work to a regional audience including government and industry members.

Individuals that are passionate about science but who may not hold formal scientific qualifications but possess an insatiable curiosity about the world around them. They are explorers, learners, and avid supporters of scientific endeavours.

Make contact with and learn about our local Scientists.

This account is for businesses to showcase their scientific services to a science community.

Free listing on the Fiwi Yellowpages.

This account is for educational institutions to display their work and workers in the scientific field.

Make unlimited posts to the Fiwi Events Calendar where your local events are exposed to a much wider regional audience.