Two Dominica State College students from the natural sciences division will be travelling to the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC to participate in a programme identifying the plants of Dominica, Shawn Francis an Agriculture Major in the Faculty of Applied Arts and Technology and Kelda David a Biology Major in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. They are being sponsored by the Dominica Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS) who made all the arrangements for the tour and are funding the students travel, accommodation and transportation while in DC. The students will be accompanied by Mr. Edgar Hunter, Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
The outcome of this event comes out of an MOU for cooperation between the DSC and DAAS, established in 2007. The new President of the College, Dr. Donald C. Peters, said, “we believe that this project provides a unique opportunity for our students here at the State College to see some of the great historical and scientific exhibits of the Institution and moreover, to actually represent the College and Dominica in explaining to the Institution aspects of the topography, ecology and vegetation of Dominica where the plants originated. In today’s world, learning does not only take place in the classroom and we are therefore very grateful to the DAAS for making this opportunity available to our students to study at the Smithsonian Institution.”
The students are due to leave Dominica on June 18th and return to Dominica on June 27th 2010. President of DAAS, Dr. Clayton Shillingford was very complimentary of the DAAS members, Attorney Gabriel Christian and Dr. Thomson Fontaine living in the Washington DC area, who are hosting the students and Mr. Hunter. He said, “We want to make a meaningful contribution towards the development of Dominica wherever possible and believe that if the DAAS is able to continue to provide learning opportunities for Dominica State College students, we will have taken a formidable step towards development.” DAAS membership spans the globe, but the majority of its members are nationals of Dominica residing in the Diaspora. The students will also have the opportunity of visiting other key institutions in the Washington area including the National Museum of the American Indian, which features an excellent display of Dominica’s Carib Indians.
The Dominica State College is also very proud to be the only Institution of higher education in the country providing experiential education to its students by sending them around the globe.
Another group of Dominica State College students is due to leave for Blackburn College in England on the 19th of June 2010.
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