NIHERST: Personalities in Science, Technology & Innovation

Dr. Anthony Achong is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s pioneering pan scientists. He has conducted extensive research on the steelpan for over 25 years and has published extensively on the scientific aspects of the pan in local and international journals including the international Journal of Sound & Vibration. His goal is to put the science and technology of the steelpan on firm ground.

Dr. Achong is credited in working out a complete dynamical/acoustical theory for the notes on the steelpan. This work allows for the exact electronic/computer synthesis of this musical instrument with the capability to produce the same tonality and variations of the expert pannist, which commercial syntheses can not reproduce faithfully. As a result of his research, the pan can now be studied mathematically and entire tuning scenarios can be implemented on the desktop computer. Pan is therefore now on the cusp of a revolutionary breakthrough.

Dr. Achong has received two local patents from his work on pan: Tunable Steelpan- Method and Device and Electronic Synthesis of the Steelpans by Computer Solutions of their Dynamical Equations.

Interestingly, his lifetime curiosity in the pan began on Drayton Street, San Fernando with the little know 1950s steelband “Silverlining” which his family formed and incubated in its early life. After graduating from the San Fernando Technical Institute, he went on to attain a B.Sc. in Special Physics from UWI Mona Campus and a Ph.D. in Astronomy also from UWI, St. Augustine. He is currently the Head of the Physics Department at UWI, St. Augustine Campus. Apart from his interest in pan, Dr. Achong has publications in several areas of Physics including Materials Science, Chaos and Mathematics. He shares a patent for a cream used in Scoliosis Screening.

Ms Sabina Allard

Sabina Allard is a visual arts teacher at St. Benedict’s College in La Romain. In her spare time, she is a dynamic parandero with the band “Los Dinamicos” that she and her siblings founded.

Sabina observed that some musicians in her band were able to comfortably play their instruments, while others needed to employ specific postures in order to manipulate theirs. She therefore set about redesigning the shape of the band’s musical instruments by applying the basic principles of the science of ergonomics.

The end result was ‘the cuatro of the future’, a compact instrument that better fits the contours of the human body. She also re-fashioned the shape of the toc-toc and the handle of the maracas.

With these modifications, Sabina pioneered innovations which facilitate performers of the parang cultural artform, and which led her to capture the First Prize in the Artistic Process category of the 2002 Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention.

Ms. Rebecca Balgobin

Rebecca was one of the youngest entrants in the 2000 Prime Minister's Awards for Innovation and Invention. Her “Chubby Bottle Opener” won the top prize in the product category for entrants under 18 years old. This simple yet practical device allows young children to easily twist off a plastic bottle cap. Rebecca was thirteen (13) years at the time and was rewarded for her remarkable ingenuity, simplicity and creativity. She used a life experience and saw an easier route to solving a daily problem.

Prior to the 2000 competition, Rebecca attended a workshop in Innovation and Invention at the National Science Centre. This workshop seemed to spark her creativity and encouraged her eventually successful entry.

Rebecca entered "Press To Save" in the 2002 Prime Minister's Awards for Innovation and Invention. Her younger brother, Gabriel, also has the knack for invention and made his own 2002 submission " Comfy Sight" a pair of spectacles cum sports goggles for those on the go.

Mr. Mervyn Chen

Mr. Chen was the top prize winner in the process category of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention in 2000. His entry, the “Thru-Tube Backsurging Tool,” received high praise by the judges for practical and immediate use in the oil industry. This self-trained, modest inventor has solved the problem of the pesky film lining of oil wells by applying the simple science of differential pressure to force out the film.

Such is the inventor himself; a simple, creative and questioning mind that with years of perseverance, trial and error, and self confidence, has become a successful Trinidadian Inventor. Mr. Chen is a self described lazy man inventor, not a lazy man, but an inventor that makes life easier by looking through the eyes of a lazy man to see the simpler more direct path to a product or solution. He believes that we are all inventors as long as we can tap into that knowledge gained in our life’s education. He insists on never losing sight of the goal and having a sense of achievement that is beyond any prize money or acclaim, never to be hindered by stumbling blocks along the way.

The “Thru-Tube Backsurging Tool” has an international patent and is in use in the United States. An animated demonstration of the “tool” and a prototype was on display at Sci-TechKnoFest 2002.

Mr. Chen has entered the “Downhole Magnetic Pump” and “Water Making Device” in the 2002 Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention.

Mr Jefferson Cole

Mr Jefferson Cole at INPEX® 2003

In May 2003, Mr. Jefferson Cole, winner of the Recycling Category of the 2002 Prime Minister's Awards for Innovation and Invention for his entry "Recycled Cardboard Structural Panel", represented Trinidad and Tobago at the Invention & New Product Exposition (INPEX®) held in Pittsburg. One of America's largest annual trade shows, which showcases all types of inventions, new products and innovations that are available in industry, INPEX® awarded Mr. Cole with a Gold Medal in the in the environmental category for his recycled cardboard panel.

Mr. Cole, a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a major in Psychology, is a teacher by profession and is no new comer to the realm of inventors and inventions. He has been actively involved in this field, not only in the creative capacity but also assumed supervisory and advisory roles.

In 1997 he developed and patented a Composting Mill and one year later supervised the Northeastern College Young Leaders' project in Sustainable Management. The mill formed an integral part of this project. In 2000 he mentored two entrants in the Prime Minister's Awards for Innovation and Invention in the development of a Green Coconut Crusher which won in the 15 to 18 Age category. At the international level, he supervised the national entry at Expo 2001 held in Hanover, Germany.

His latest invention which has now earned him international acclaim, in technical terms, is a prefabricated panel made from the lamination of uncompressed cardboard which is impregnated by recycled aeroboard resins. For the laypersons among us, Mr. Cole's invention can be described as "reinforced cardboard". The invention applies the recycling of bulky waste to the manufacture of useful structural materials. Panels made from this material are lightweight, termite resistant and water tolerant and may be painted, tiled and veneered. They can be applied to the construction of walls, roofs, floors, partitions, furnishings and flotation devices and are suitable for agricultural, domestic, commercial and industrial applications.

Attendance at the 2003 INPEX® Forum, Mr. Cole states, provided him not only with an opportunity to have his work recognised among peers and world wide competitors but facilitated his participation in several lectures, seminars and presentations. The experience he said gave him further insights into the patenting process, and in the marketing, financing and product development of inventions.

Mr. Cole is a foundation and board member of the newly formed Professional Inventor's Association of Trinidad and Tobago. Inventions aside, he is also a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Horticultural Society.

NIHERST congratulates Mr. Cole on his outstanding achievements at INPEX® 2003 and looks forward to yet another winning innovation in 2004.

Dr. Stephan Gift

Dr. Stephan Gift is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. He is probably best known for his challenge of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in the local media. Underlying his challenge is his Gravi-strong Theory, a new theory that he developed and which, he believes better explains gravitational action. He has recently developed a new model of Magnetism that explains chemical reactivity, covalent bonds and molecular shapes.

Dr. Gift is however not just a theoretical scientist who has made a significant contribution to engineering science by his new theories of magnetism and gravity. He is a research scientist who has promoted and spearheaded programmes of research and development leading to innovations in micro-circuitry and electronics for the benefit local industry and our society as a whole.

During his 12 years as the Director of the Research and Development Centre of TSTT (Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago), Dr. Gift developed and implemented several advanced micro-processor based systems that improved company efficiency. They included the Subscriber Pair Identifier for verifying telephone records, a device that has been patented internationally. He also developed cost-saving maintenance procedures for a wide range of electronic equipment used by the company. His earlier work on Electronic and Control Systems at the UWI, where he initially lectured, undoubtedly contributed to the success of his initiatives at TSTT.

Dr. Gift currently leads a research programme on analogue electronics activities at the UWI. It involves exploring new and improved methods and devices for power transmission and amplification. He is also developing a low-cost Internet access appliance for use in schools, and a system for the remote reading of electricity meters via the telephone network. His innovation, the Low Cost Spectrum Analyser, which was entered in the Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention 2002, can determine the frequency components in a signal.

Dr. Gift has published extensively in international journals. He was recently elected a Fellow of the Association of Professional Engineers. His brilliance has also earned him several awards most notably the following:

Special Award of Merit for Innovation in the field of Electronics
Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention 2002
BPTT Fellowship, 2002
UWI Guild of Graduates Pelican Award for Excellence in Science and Technology, 1993
Young Innovators Award, Ministry of Culture, 1986

Professor Kenneth Julien

Professor Kenneth Julien is one of our best known pioneers in the development of the energy sector in Trinidad and Tobago. He had an outstanding record as an academic at The University of the West Indies (UWI) where he taught and provided academic leadership in Engineering for thirty-five (35) years. As a young man, he graduated at the top of his class with a B.Sc. Honours degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notthingham in the UK and was the first doctoral graduate in Electrical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Career Highlights

In 1970, he became the first West Indian to be appointed Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, becoming one of the youngest Deans in the Commonwealth.
First person in the Caribbean to be elevated to the rank of Fellow, Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers of the USA.
Fellow of Institute of Electrical Engineers, UK and of the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago.
He is a past President of the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago.

National Awards

Chaconia Medal (Gold) in 1979 in the sphere of Education and Public Service
Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation & Invention – Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 in the sphere of Energy and Energy Based Industries
Trinity Cross in 2003

Public Service in Energy Sector

Chairman of the Energy Coordinating Task force with responsibility for planning the Point Lisas Industrial Development, 1974-1979
Chairman, Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), 15 years
Chairman, Board of the National Energy Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NEC), 1976-1986
Chairman, National Gas Company (NGC) from 1991 – 1995
Chairman, Atlantic LNG, 1993-1995
Chairman, Iron & Steel Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. (ISCOTT), 1977-1986
Chairman, Fertilizers of Trinidad & Tobago Ltd. (FERTRIN), 1980-1986

Mr. Buddie Miller

Mr. Buddie Miller is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s truly creative geniuses. Buddie has taken several of his inventions from original ideas to marketable products. He has invented and marketed a vehicle immobilizing system - “Car Secure”, a natural spray deodorant - “Deomist”, and an exfoliating soap - “Jojovera”. He also patented the intriguing boardgame - “Brainstorm” which others allegedly have copied and entitled “Trivial Pursuit”. Buddie’s inventiveness is unbounded as he is always imagining, creating and patenting new products of all kinds.

Buddie has a background that is as diverse as his inventions. He worked in the ice and cold storage business, cosmetics and toiletries, garment manufacture and the petroleum industry. By profession, Buddie is a mechanical engineer and was the first local appointee at Nestle Trinidad Limited in the position of Chief Engineer. He also once wrote a weekly column for the local Trinidad Guardian newspaper, entitled “Innovention”. He has been a good ambassador for local inventors promoting understanding and recognition of their work and encouraging young aspirants.

In the first staging of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention programme in 2000, Buddie won a Special Award for the most marketable entry in the Senior Competition. He has been honoured with a Special Award of Merit for Diversity in Innovations in 2002.

Ms. Dolly Nicholas

Dolly Nicholas is in a class by herself as one of the few women inventors in the Caribbean. A chemist by profession, Dolly has developed several products and processes based on her research on the Trinidad Natural Asphalt mined at the Pitch Lake in La Brea, Trinidad. She also conducted research that has led to innovations in plastics and the treatment of industrial wastes. She considers the epoxy coatings that she made by combining Trinidad Natural Asphalt with other raw materials to be her most significant scientific achievement to date. Her coatings fill a global demand for better and tougher coatings that offer protection against corrosion in water environments. Her epoxy coatings are commercially produced by Asphalt Products Trinidad Limited.

Dolly’s research and innovations are bolstered by a solid foundation in the sciences. She has two first class bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry & Mathematics, and in Environmental Polymer Chemistry, in addition to a master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry.

She has received many awards for her research and development activities including:

1990 Medal of Merit Silver in the sphere of Scientific Invention,
1999 Chaconia Medal Silver in the sphere of Scientific Invention (Trinidad & Tobago), and
2000 Prime Minister’s Award for Innovation & Invention -Process (Trinidad & Tobago.)

To young scientists, Dolly advises, "Work hard, challenge yourself, believe in God and you would be amazed at what you can accomplish."

Personalities in Science, Technology and Innovation

Dr. Anthony Achong