The Frank Rampersad Scientific and Technological Award 

Mr Frank Rampersad

The Frank Rampersad Scientific and Technological Award for Postgraduate Research in Food Technology, Agriculture and the Environment was initiated by NIHERST in 2000 in honour of its first President, the late Frank Rampersad. This award reflects Mr Rampersad’s passion for scholarship, his belief in strengthening the agricultural sector and increasing local food security, and his support for indigenous Research and Development and human capacity-building.

This award takes the form of a plaque and a research travel grant valued at TT$20,000.00. It is awarded to an outstanding postgraduate student engaged in food, agriculture or environmental research. 

The 2004 Award

NIHERST invited Postgraduate students who are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago to compete for the “Frank Rampersad Scientific and Technological Award” for outstanding research in the areas of Food Technology, Agriculture and the Environment. Postgraduate Papers were submitted for the award at the end of 2003, in the following categories:

• Microbiology;

• Food Processing;

• Animal production;

• Ecology;

• Water Resource Management; and

• Engineering.

Four (4) papers were submitted in Microbiology, two (2) in Food Processing, one (1) in Animal Production. In Ecology two (2) papers were submitted, and in both Water Resource Management and Engineering only one paper was submitted.

The 2004 Award was presented at the Awards Ceremony for Trinidad & Tobago Icons in Science & Technology, which was held on November 2nd 2005, as a way of recognising and introducing the next generation of scientists whom NIHERST hopes will become the national icons of tomorrow.

Dr Sephra Rampersad was adjudged the recipient of the 2004 award for her research paper entitled “Identification of Alternative Hosts of Potato yellow mosaic virus- Trinidad Isolate with Subsequent Discovery of Two New Geminivirus Naturally Infecting Dicotyledonous Weed Species” in the Microbiology category.  Dr Rampersad is a promising plant biotechnologist with publications in 7 refereed scientific journals and the 2004 recipient of a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology. She represents a new breed of scientists, namely females who are at the cutting edge of scientific development and plant genetic engineering more specifically.

2000 Frank Rampersad Awardee

In 2000, the Frank Rampersad Scientific and Technological Award for Postgraduate Research in Food Technology , Agriculture and the Environment was instituted at the 11th NIHERST Conference on Agricultural Research and Development. Presentation of this award was made to Mr Surendra Surujdeo-Maharaj for his research on host-pathogen interaction between Theobroma cacao L. and Phytophthora palmivora.