Kentucky State University faculty, research staff and students went to Jamaica to collect data and work with College of Agriculture, Science, and Education (CASE) personnel on research and learning projects.
The trip was part of two international collaborative projects led by Dr. Buddhi Gyawali, titled “Integrating Geospatial Tools in Food Security Education and Research Involving Faculty and Students in the U.S. and Jamaica” and “Use of Geospatial Analyses and Visualization Technologies to Aid Community Intelligence in Post-Disaster Resource Assessment and Planning: A project engaging U.S. and Caribbean faculty and students.” The projects are funded by the 1890 Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense.
The major goal of the projects is to create opportunities for Kentucky State students for experiential learning and research in the field of post-disaster management and study of impacts of climate change on local communities and coastal agricultural food systems using geospatial technologies.
For the first trip as part of the projects, five students and four faculty and research staff traveled to Port Antonio, Jamaica. The five students were paired with seven CASE students for ongoing collaborative research projects involving geospatial information system (GIS) research and disaster relief and recovery.
“I was interested in going on this trip to help further my research, understand how disasters affect other places and experience different cultures,” said student Gerail Pickett.
Students collected coastal land change and agricultural production data using UAV-drones. They also used Survey 123 app to collect location information and created maps. These locational data will be integrated with other geospatial data such as land cover change, temperature and precipitation, slope, farmland, and hurricane path and flood maps.
“I felt that this was a great learning experience as I not only learned and experienced the culture of Jamaica, but I even had an opportunity to network with like-minded aspiring scientists and professionals alike,” said student Malik Thompson. “It is a blessing to say that research got me to Jamaica.”
Students were able to do sightseeing as well as research, visiting the Folly Ruins, riding a boat into the Caribbean Sea, and exploring the Portland parish.
“The most rewarding part was interacting with the locals and gaining a better understanding of the significance the land has to them,” said student Jada Jones, whose project includes mapping the road networks of a particular parish to determine the distances between cities or town and their farms.
Research assistant Tara Maynard said bonding with the students and experiencing Jamaican culture with them was an important part of the trip.
“As we travel to another culture it is always important to be respectful, courteous, and kind, and that is exactly what I saw from our students,” Maynard said. “Almost every time we went out, we were talking with locals, heard their stories, learned, and grew from the experience.”
In the future, the projects will take Kentucky State personnel to Dominica and Costa Rica, as well as a return trip to Jamaica.
Categories: Kentucky, General