UVI Summer Research Symposium Works For The Territory

30 July 2012

85 Degrees in Crown Bay St. Thomas
80% humidity.
29.93  Barometric Pressure – rising
Mostly East Wind at 18 MPH.   Under mostly clear skies.

National Weather Service says: Overcast with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 88F. Breezy. Winds from the ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70% with rainfall amounts near 0.3 in. possible. A strong tropical wave located across the Lesser Antilles is expected to move across the Virgin Islands tonight and Tuesday. This wave will increase the potential for active and squally weather including rainfall and gusty winds.

Cruise Ship News Today: Carnival Victory at Havensight Dock


More than 2,000 residents and tourists came together at the Fort Christian parking lot for the Family Fun Day Fundraiser in support of injured officers, specifically officers Colvin Georges and Aaron Hodge, who were shot while on duty May 26. The fundraiser, hosted by the St. Thomas-St. John Police Benevolent Association, brought out everyone from families to business owners who gave everything from cash donations to food stamps. Dozens of officers were also present. Georges’ cousin Vanessa Bellot said many came early to help set up. Georges’ family and Hodge also came out to support Georges and help raise funds for his medical needs. Bellot said the family cannot afford the $700,000 deposit Jacksonville Memorial Hospital in Florida is asking to accept Georges into their facility. It is a community effort because it is beyond us. It’s a matter of us telling the community that we’re here together. It’s a battle and we continue to fight,” said Millicent Aubain.

After three nights of public testimony at the legislative building on St. Croix, Sen. Ronald E. Russell decided the 5th Constitutional Convention should get one more chance to address the concerns raised by the Department of Justice over language in the proposed V.I. Constitution before the legislature intercedes. But Russell and several other senators and testifiers raised doubts that the convention delegates would be able to resolve the native rights controversy and produce an acceptable draft. The 5th Constitutional Convention has not convened in roughly two years to amend the document despite a resolution from the U.S. Congress to do so. This summer, Russell submitted a bill that would allow the legislature to bypass the convention and have a team of attorneys make the necessary revisions to the proposed constitution so it could be resubmitted. In closing, Russell applauded the testifiers, delegates, and Senators, saying their work, while contentious, was the very heart of democracy. He remained skeptical, however, that giving the 5th Constitution Convention more time would bear results.

Nearly 20 students at the University of the Virgin Islands’ 10th Annual Summer Research Symposium presented projects on everything from computer systems to coral reefs – all of them geared toward improving the territory and the region. The students spent six weeks researching, participating in workshops and going through different stages of evaluation. Some students even participated in several projects, learning how to multi-task and gaining real-world experience. The students met with organizers and mentors once a week to give an update on their projects and to receive feedback. Some students have results that can be published, and some will continue their projects into the next school year, even attending national conferences where they will compete with hundreds of students from all over the United States. The summer symposium is organized by the Emerging Caribbean Scientists program and is sponsored by the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Hard as it is to maneuver through the maze of tests, forms, applications and deadlines to get into college, it can be even more intimidating adjusting to life on a sprawling college campus, away from home for the first time, and all the while worrying about grades and finances. Starting this year, there will be extra help for just such pioneers. Working through the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, the Lana Vento Charitable Trust will launch a pilot program in August aimed at supplementing and expanding the services currently available to public high school students. An experienced educator based at CFVI’s new Family Connection center in Tutu Park Mall will mentor students wanting help applying for college and preparing for it. Assistance is expected to cover everything from coaching for writing application essays to providing information about available scholarships to practical advice on how to open a bank account. Its primary focus has been and remains eye cancer research.


Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Louis E. Petersen, Jr., announced on Friday that the Department of Agriculture, through its Forestry Division, recently made its SECOND purchase of land in northwestern St. Croix in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program (FLP). According to Dr. Petersen, “This second purchase of land through the Forest Legacy Program is the next step in protecting important forest resources of the territory. Our agency is committed to securing additional funds for future land purchases for the protection of historically important and environmentally sensitive areas, as well as toward preserving green spaces for the benefit of the entire territory. The FLP is a federal program through which states and territories can request funds to help protect environmentally important forest areas that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses. Over the years, the Department has applied for funds to purchase lands, or conservation easements on lands, that were designated as priority areas for protection. The number one priority area in the US Virgin Islands is northwestern St. Croix, making this land acquisition all the more significant.

Commissioner of Public Works, Darryl A. Smalls advises the motoring public of an upcoming road project along Melvin Evans Highway (Route 66) on St. Croix. The roadwork will commence today, as part of an ARRA-funded Roadside Safety Improvement effort. Single lane closures at the work zones will be in effect in the eastbound and westbound lanes during the hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday.  The partial roadway closure is necessary to replace damaged sections of guardrail, replace terminal sections, repair damage sections of the concrete median wall, and to extend drainage structures to improve roadside safety,” Smalls said.

The Coastal Zone Division of the Planning and Natural Resources Department wants your & feedback & input on the Department’s effort to update and amend Title 12 Sections 901- 914, of the Virgin Islands Code & planned changes to the territory’s Coastal Zone Management Act. The division is holding a series of meetings that begins today at Planning’s conference room at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and tomorrow at Julius E. Sprauve School on St. John. The meetings move to on July 30 and to the Education Department’s Curriculum Center at Kingshill, St. Croix, on Aug. 1. All begin at 6 p.m.

Our virtue of the week is Moderation. Moderation is creating a healthy balance in your life between work and play, rest and exercise.  You don’t overdo or get swept away by the things you like.  You use you self-discipline to take charge of your life and your time.
You are practicing moderation when you …Get enough of what you need, no more, no less. Use self-discipline to stop yourself from overdoing. Take charge of your health, Balance work and play in your life, Know your own limits and set boundaries for yourself, Are content with enough
Affirmation:  I am moderate.  I am thankful and content to get what I need.  I use my time and energy wisely.  My life is balanced.