USVI Public Records

Document text

BULK RATE U.S. Postage Paid Charlotte Amalie Virgin Islands Permit No, 17 COLLEGE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, CARIBBEAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ST. THOMAS, V.1. 00801 VOLUME V, NUMBER 1 March 1982 FROM THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR We want to express our thanks to all our readers who took the time to let us know that they wish to continue to receive COVICRIER - although we would like to provide information on the happenings at CRI to as many peo- ple as possible the high cost of pro- duction forces us to distribute the news letter to those really inter- ested in receiving it. Volume V, which begins with this issue, will have a new look and attempt to present the items more interestingly. We greatly appreciate your continued support. Like every other institute now- adays we suffer from a shortage of funds. Our professional staff is com- paratively tiny, consisting as it does of two full-time persons in Water Resources, two in Ecology and two part-time in the Social Sciences. But we continue to work in thebest inter- est of the islands and will indicate from time to time through this medium what material is available. Norwell Harrigan continues but has been held j infra-red film. up Research: Projects And Pians RESEARCH ON The Ecological LOCAL ORGANISMS Research Center headed by Dr. M. J. Canoy has concluded research on Local Organisms of Aquaculture Potential for the Caribbean, The Northern Islands."' The paper which has been submitted in draft form deals with such species as giant prawns, land crabs, brine shrimps, fresh water mullets as well as acclimated introduced species such as "tilapia." This initial paper will serve as a background for a series of individual organ- isms of interest. RESEARCH IN The on-going re- WATER QUALITY search project AT ERC on the hydrology and water quality on several St.Thomas bays - long Bay, Crown Bay and Brewer's Bay - has completed its first phase and preliminary report is due in Octo- ber 1982. The report will be final- ized by July 1983. A remote sensing project, surveying for groundwater, due to problems with the supply of =95 SOLAR ROOF PRO- The Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) is work- JECT IN EXPERI- ing todevelopa solar distillation system made with MENTAL STAGE local materials that can be linked into the roof of the average home with a yield capacity of one gal- lon per 20 square feet. An average family home has 1,200 sq. Tact which would make the yield 60 gallons per day. Don Bullock, the Engineer Designer of the system and consultant to WRRC says the system can also heat all the hot water the household can ever use, help to cool the house or used in hydroponic gardening to keep plants cool during the hot noon day sun and provide water at the same time. How does it work? In essence the system works as a large still. A double roof constructior with roofing plywood fastened to the under- side of the beams and clear corrugated plastic covering the beams form a trough. Salt water is run across the plywood which is covered with a water-proof insulation and a wick which sucks up the water and distributes it evenly in the trough. The sun heats the wick through clear plastic of the upper roof causing evaporation which condenses on the underside of the plastic and drains down into a catchment. The top of the roof continues its traditional function of a rain catchment area. For those interested, the experiment can be seen at the West Indies Lab on St. Croix. RGC MEETINGS The Institute's Research Group on Crime (RGC) met on January 20th and March 10th to discuss ways in which they could obtain outside funding for the project. Contact was made with the Community Leader's Council, a civic organization set up by members of the community to initiate and coordinate anti- crime programs. The organization expressed interest in the RGC's efforts and future collaboration between the two groups is antici- pated. The RGC again emphasized that their role should be one of researching the long-term causes of the present crime situation rather than providing stop-gap measures. They feel that once the findings are concluded, (which will probably take a year to compile and analyze view the lack of statistical data readily available), then the results and proposed remedial initiatives should be pre- sented to the policy makers of the territory. Education Programs VISITING GROUPS For the past several months work has been under- AT VIERS taken to renovate the physical facilities at VIERS (the Institute's ecological field station on St. John) in order to upgrade the Environment Studies Program conducted there. During the first quarter of 1982, facilities, lectures and field trips were provided for the equivalent of 300 person-days of local student and teacher groups and for the equivalent of 600 person- days use by continental students and scientists. eS VISITORS Local groups involved in the visitors' program in- cluded students of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School on a one-day tour;teachers with the Department of Education's Environmental Program held a two day workshop and orientation session. The CVI Student Affairs Office visited for two days of workshops and tours to better acquaint themselves with what VIERS has to offer to CVI students. Ecology students from Quincy, Massachusetts and marine ecology students from St. Mary's, Maryland were among the group of students visiting from the Continental United States. The Gustavus Adolphus marine eco- logy class, an annual visitor, spent three weeks at VIERS doing indi- vidual research projects on coral respiration, fish behavior, and population distribution of whelks. Also participating in this quarter's visits were a group of graduate students from the Yale School of For- estry and Environmental Sciences. The Program has received a number of appreciative and complementary letters. Here are two: ". . . The class went as an interest group to see the island and discover what VIERS is about. We all came away with a new knowledge and understanding of the functions of a research station such as this one. . . . We further hope that you will encourage more St. Thomas, St. John students to participate in this very worthwhile activity." ". . . Five science classes (Oceanography, Aquatic Plant Biology, Natural Science, Terrestrial Plant Biology, General Biology) visited Lameshur Bay this year and the feedback from the students has been extremely positive. Each student that participated in the overnight field trips to VIERS returned to CVI with more knowledge and aware- ness of the environment in which he or she lives. F . Thank you again for having enhanced the richment of the educational experience of CVI students during their visits to VIERS with your competence, personal attention and concern." Publications WORKING Working Paper #1 by Dr. Leonard Bliss is entitled PAPER #1 Virgin Islands of the United States Public School Basic Skills Achievement Survey, Technical Report #1: Validation of the Use of the Stanfor chievement Test wit -S.V.1. Students. e@ paper is the first phase of a study requested by the Board of Trustees of the College in an attempt to assess student aca- demic skill areas of mathematics, reading and English Language. Phase 1 of the data analysis involves the determination of levels of con- tent validity and reliability of the score obtained from Virgin Islands students on these tests which were originally standardized on continental U.S. populations. The results indicate that the tests are content valid for use in V.I. public schools at the grade levels sampled and that the scores obtained are at least as reliable sho? as those obtained using continental U.S. students during the test standardization procedures. The other three phases of the report will deal with the interpretation of these findings. WORKING An Econometric Analysis of Life Expectancy, Working PAPER #2 Paper #2 by Dr. S. B. Jones-Hendrickson develops a model which seeks to determine the dependence of life expectancy on birth rate, death rate, infant mortality and per capita Gross National Product. The essential features of the paper comes from the concern into quality of life, the nature of life and the factors which impinge on health care delivery. The author finds the results indicative of a first approximation to work whichis critical to developing of Third World Countries. He has some res- ervations with regards to the impact multiplier and elasticity of per capita GNP. Concern also centers on infant mortality from the point view of its impact multiplier. Nevertheless, for the policy maker, it seems that one might state, with some caveats, that a re- duction in death rate will have a positive impact on life expectancy. These two papers have laid the ground work in areas of vital impor- tance not only to the Virgin Islands community but also to other Microstates. NEW BOOK ON Dr. Jones-Hendrickson joined the small group of CARIBBEAN professors at CVI with a published work on the re- ECONOMICS lease of Readings in Caribbean Public Sector Economics, put out by the Institute of Social and Economic Research of the University of the West Indies. Edited by Jones-Hendrickson and Dr. Fuat Andic of the University of Puerto Rico the book comprises a series of essays by internationally re- nowned experts in the field and gives content to a new direction in Public Sector Economies as it relates to small states. It should be extremely useful in the teaching of the discipline from a small state point of view. Dr. Andic has co-authored several books on economic subjects and has worked with Caribbean Research Institute on various occasions. Dr. Jones-Hendrickson who is currently Research Associate and Coordina- tor of CRI's Social Research Center and Assistant Professor of Eco- nomics on the CVI St. Croix Campus has published numerous articles on economics in professional journals in the Caribbean and North America. Comings And Goings ANGUILLA On February 13, Dr. Jones-Hendrickson, coordinator CONFERENCE of the Social Research Center, presented a paper at the Anguilla National Youth Conference which had as its theme, "Meeting the challenges of Tourism Development." Dr. Jones-Hendrickson gave the keynote address, on "Tourism investment and ownership: Local versus Foreign." In his presentation, he dealt with the following questions: =§=, 1) What is the view of the majority of the region's po- litical directorate regarding tourism? 2) What have some researchers said about tourism? 3) What should be the investment-and-ownership pattern of the tourism sector? 4) How could this pattern mitigate the inherent problems in tourism or enhance the benefits that may be accru- able from tourism? His answers contained in the paper might prove useful to anyone con- sidering going into business locally or those concerned with foreign investment in the Caribbean. AREA ANNUAL On March 19th thru 23rd the Annual Meeting of MEETING IN American Educational Research Association was held NEW YORK at the New York Hilton and Sheraton Center. Dr. Leonard Bliss of CRI's Social Research Center at- tended and gave a paper on "The Validation and Use of a U.S. Stan- dardized Test of Achievement in a West Indian Setting: Implications for Cross-Cultural Achievement Testing," which is an outgrowth of Working Paper No. 1 cited in our Publications section. The forum attended by Dr. Bliss dealt specifically with educational research in the West Indies and Latin America: results and implications for cross cultural theory and practice. Some of the other institutions represented were, University of North Florida, University of Louis- ville, Boston University, National Nutrition Centre of Barbados, Columbia University, Stanford University, Columbia University, Cornell, University of Illinois to name a few. SIETAR CONFER- The Annual Meeting of the Society for Intercultural ENCE ON R.M.S. Education Training and Research was held on board QUEEN MARY IN the R.M.S. Queen Mary at Long Beach, California on CALIFORNIA March 28th thru 31st. Dr.Harrigan and Dr.Varlack attended this conference which included workshops and round table discussions with a thematic approach which fits a research project the institute is undertaking with Dr. Varlack as principal investigator in cooperation with the Consortium on Research Training. The conference was opened by Honorable Mayor Eunice N. Sato of Long Beach. Dr. Harrigan felt that the study of Personal Values of the four ethnic groups which comprise the Virgin Islands population will benefit from the knowledge and contacts gained during these four days of workshops. Dr. Harrigan was also able to promote an inter- est in the Institute's journal, Microstate Studies, from persons at- tending from the University of Guam with the idea of exploring pos- sibilities of contributions from the Pacific Area. Se. Outreach Activities ST.KITTS LABOR February 26th marked the 50th anniversary of the GOLDEN JUBILEE Labor movement in St.Kitts. Dr. Jones-Hendrickson was asked to speak at one of the many functions held for this occasion. His talk dealt with "St. Kitts-Nevis in Todays Caribbean - An Economic, Political and Social Perspective." He reviewed the development of the labor movement in St. Kitts and gave a short analysis of revenue and expenditure over the period of 1980 to the present. PBW ST. CROIX The Frederiksted Business and Professional Women's LUNCHEON Club of St. Croix held a meetingon March 7 at which Dr. Jones-Hendrickson was the keynote speaker. He discussed the issue of "Economics, Taxes and Reagan's policies: "The impact on the V.I." He explained the concept of Reagonomics which is built around supply-side: economics or the relationship between tax revenues and tax rates known as the "Laffer Curve." Dr. Jones- Hendrickson illustrated how this concept of the economy link the V.I. and the U.S. and the effect that these policies will have on most people oriented programs, (i.e. medicare, food stamps, education) here in the Virgin Islands. NEW CRI The Institute is now putting out an occasional In- PUBLICATIONS formation Bulletin which will deal with subjects of public interest prepared for the non-scientific com- munity lay audience. The first in the series is on Asbestos by Dr. Michael Canoy, the Ecological Center head. The Bulletin explains what asbestos is and what it contains. Some of the uses of asbestos in materials around us are cited and ways in which the public is unknowingly exposed to asbestos dust which has been known to cause cancer and other respi- ratory ailments. It further outlines several steps initiated by the government to insure the observance of health regulations in build- ings andmeasures taken by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) for minimizing and regulating asbestos use in foods, drugs, cosmetics, etc. The first issue of the Bulletin is available to the public for information and may be obtained by calling Mrs. Rogers at the Institute at 774-9200 ext. 249 or by writing to Caribbean Research Institute Bulletin, College of the V.I., St. Thomas, USVI 00801. Personnel NEW APPOINT- Dr. Harrigan, announced the appointment of Mr. MENTS Owolabi Ajayi, a Hydrologist and Research Special- ist in the Water Research Center. Mr. Ajayi, ori- ginally of Ibadan, Nigeria, studied at the University of Ife in Nigeria from where he obtained his B.S. in Geology. He did ground Water Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and then obtained his M.S. in Hydrology from the University of Tucson, aes where he is a candidate for the Ph.D. Mr. Ajayi has been with the Institute since January. STAFF ASSIGN- Mrs. Anna Mae Brown-Comment, Projects Assistant has MENTS been named Administrative Assistant at the Institute. She will assume most of the duties of the now dis- continued position of Assistant Director. Mrs. Elena Lynton will continue to serve as Office Supervisor reporting to the Director; and Mrs. Medina Rogers, Administrative Secretary, has been assigned to the production of CRI publications. The effect of these changes are already being felt in the administration of the Institute. DIRECTOR CITED "Men of Achievement" published by the International IN "MEN OF Biographical Center of Cambridge, England has in- ACHIEVEMENT" cluded in its eighth edition a biographical sketch of Dr. Norwell Harrigan, director of Caribbean Research Institute. Persons are chosen for inclusion on nomination and careful selection by an international board. The sketch cites Dr. Harrigan's career and academic achievements, his publications, current activities and hobbies. Upon publication of the book, copies are dispatched to leading libraries including, The British Library, London, England, The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., The Bodleian Library, Oxford, England, The Cambridge University Library, England, in addition to many national, state university libraries and public libraries around the world. Dr. Harrigan is the only Virgin Islander to be included in this annual. =f Publications Available at CRI Bandler, Beverly G. Proceedings of the Conference on the Virgin Islands Environment. "OUR TROUBLED ENVIRONMENT--CAN WE SAVE IT?" 1974. 83pp. $2.50. Bliss, Leonard B. Virgin Islands of the United States Public School Basic Skills Achievement Survey TECHNICAL REPORT #1 VALIDATION OF THE USE OF THE STANDFORD ACHIEVEMENT TEST WITH USVI STUDENTS 1982. 46 pp. $2.00. Canoy, Michael J. and Klos, Ann M. A Literature Survey and Techno- logy Assessment of the Treatment and Utilization of Rum Distill- ery Wastes. 1978.° 109pp. Jones-Hendrickson, S.B. Proceedings of a Seminar on FORECASTING IN MICROSTATE ECONOMIES. 1978. 115pp. $3.00 Jones-Hendrickson, S.B. An Econometric Analysis Of Life Expectancy 1982. 28pp. $1.50. Peebles, Prat and Smith WATERPLAN: A Comprehensive Water Management Framework for the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1979. 42pp. $2.00. Varlack, Pearl and Harrigan, Nowrell. The Virgins: A Descriptive and Historical Profile 1977. 7ipp. $3.50, Editor: A.M. Brown-Comment Production & Distribution: M. Rogers The Caribbean Research Institute is a division of the College of the Virgin Islands. It was established in 1966 to provide a central research agency in the Virgin Islands and to encourage research in the Caribbean basin. It pusues a broad spectrum of investigation in the natural, physical, social and economic sciences,