Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences   University of the West Indies, Barbados  Departmental Report 1998/99

Introduction    Research in Progress   Teaching and Students   Staff Activities   Visitors    Benefactions   Publications

Introduction

The year saw the implementation of the chemistry double major. In addition, a new advanced biology course, BL 24C General Biochemistry, was introduced. The details for a microbiology major to be implemented next academic year, were finalized. Research continued under the new Department with all the space in the new Biology extension being fully utilised. Professor Winston F. Tinto was appointed as Acting Head during Dr. Carrington’s Sabbatical Leave and Dr. Ashton Delauney was appointed as the Biology Co-ordinator.

During this year, the Biology programme was reviewed (March 1999) by a panel of international and local persons. The report of this review was recently received and is being looked at with a view to making improvements where necessary.

The Department bid farewell to Dr. George Rogers, the Peter Moores Director of Tropical Horticulture, who developed the department’s successful horticulture program. Dr. Rogers opted not to renew his contract with the University and departed on July 31, 1999.

The Technical Staff have continued to progress in their reorganisation efforts. Mrs. Fosteen Clarke, Senior Technician (Stores & Orders) has now been able to completely merge the former two store-rooms into one with an up-to-date stock record system in place. Mr. Michael King was funded by the University to attend a Laboratory Health & Safety course in Chicago, Illinois in October 1998. Unfortunately, we bid farewell to Mr. Justin Victor, technician, at the end of the academic year. Mr. Victor a British national of Barbadian parents, returned to the United Kingdom to further his studies in computer science.

In summary, the consolidation process which was started by Dr. Carrington in August 1999 is completed. Dr. Carrington worked extremely hard to make the merger work and in his absence, all the procedures which he put in place allowed the Acting Head to have a relatively smooth transition period.

The following were the highlights for some members of staff during the year:-

• Dr. Sean McDowell served as Dr. Carrington’s sabbatical replacement.
• Dr. Sean Carrington was granted sabbatical leave.
• Dr. Leonard O’Garro was appointed Professor of Plant Pathology effective May 28, 1999.
• Dr. Winston F. Tinto was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry effective May 28, 1999.

 

Research in Progress

Professor Headley continued to supervise the research of graduate student Vince Payne who is investigating polydentate arsine ligands and their complexes. See the CERMES report for other aspects of Professor Headley’s research.

Professor Hunte has maintained his research activities in fisheries biology and behavioural ecology despite the demands of his administrative posts on campus and at the Bellairs Research Institute.

Professor Mathison continued his supervision of Teaching Assistant Linroy Christian who is engaged in the final stages of the IDB/UWI funded project on developing new methodologies for the bacteriological monitoring of recreational waters based upon the Bacteroides fragilis group of organisms. He also continued to guide the work of Mr. Edward Blades, a Senior Technician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who is investigating the microbial content of Sahara dust for any possible correlation with the incidence of respiratory allergies. The project has since been extended to a general survey of airborne bacteria and fungi and will soon be developed into a daily monitoring service to provide data on levels of pollen and fungal spores in the atmosphere.

Dr. Rogers continued his research on Agaves of the Antilles and the Ferns of Barbados. Both projects have involved BL391 students and collaboration with Dr. Louis Chinnery.

Dr. Carrington had a very successful Sabbatical Leave in France and Spain, researching molecular aspects of ripening-related fruit softening. Working with Dr. Charles Romieu in Montpellier, he cloned the gene for pectate lyase in grape and characterized its expression during ripening. In the laboratory of Dr. Miguel Vendrell in Barcelona, he obtained partial sequences of the genes for endo-$-mannanase in both banana and tomato fruit and examined their expression during ripening.

Dr. Chinnery continued his studies on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the history of agriculture in Barbados. He also continued his collaboration with Dr. Rogers on the ferns of Barbados, with the aim to publish a fern flora for the island. In addition, he initiated studies of variation in the fern Pteris vittata and other members of the Pteris longifolia complex.

Dr. Delauney continued his research on the IDB/UWI-funded project to genetically enhance the efficiency of nitrogen fixation in the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis. Part of the project involved the isolation and characterisation of genes encoding enzymes in the de novo purine biosynthesis.

Mr. Brian Linton (jointly supervised by Mr. Douglas Trotman and Mr. Gerald Rose) has completed work on the development of computer software for computer-assisted learning in molecular biology. A new postgraduate student, Mr. Brian Graham (jointly supervised by Dr. Sean Carrington), has begun work on the genetic manipulation of fruit ripening in papaya.

Dr. Kulikov began work on a new project to study the metabolic pathways of pesticides in the environment. The project will involve modelling studies as well an investigation of real conditions. He has also continued with his investigations of electrochemical dechlorination of organochlorine compounds.

Professor O’Garro continued research on bacterial spot of pepper and tomato with Dr. Edward Okey and graduate students Janil Gore and Charmaine Walkes-Brown. During the last year, Ms. Gore completed a study on the genetic basis of changes in virulence that the bacterial spot pathogen, Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, has undergone during the last ten years. Mrs. Walkes-Brown has produced a detailed characterisation of enzymes and other proteins of the intercellular space of pepper and tomato leaves during bacterial spot infection. Dr Okey has identified several new sources of disease resistance genes which will be used shortly to produce novel bacterial spot resistant pepper types. The pepper research was recently expanded due to the award of a US $1.7 million grant in collaboration with the National Commission on Science and Technology, Jamaica.

Research has also continued on onion blast caused by Xanthomonas campestris as well as on yam anthracnose caused by Colletotricum gloeosporioides. Angela Alleyne has continued work on the further characterisation of a phytotoxin produced by the anthracnose pathogen. Dr Harold Gibbs supports this research by raising antibodies to several molecular fragments of the toxin. In conjunction with Dr. Desmond Worrell, Professor O’Garro implemented a study to address the problem of mango anthracnose. Results obtained from one study have been used to demonstrate that pruning mango to remove anthracnose-infested twigs controls the disease as effective as chemical agents.

During the last year, Professor O’Garro in conjunction with Suzanne Workman, has been identifying resistant genes to a blight of papaya caused by Erwinia. In the course of this investigation, a previously unreported mechanism of pathogen infection of papaya roots was uncovered. The papaya research programme has been extended to the OECS, where the focus has been disease control in the field. During the last year, control agents have been evaluated and introduced to combat Erwinia on papaya in St. Lucia and Grenada.

Research on the leaf blight of anthurium has progressed slowly due to the fact that the two postgraduate students involved in the project, Arlene Weekes and Olivia Lovell were both granted leave of absence. Research progress was, however, rapid in field studies in St. Lucia, where Government has embarked on a policy of utilizing more of the country’s forest for cut flower cultivation.

Dr. Sutrina continued her research on the bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system, concentrating on the fructose-specific system of Salmonella typhimurium.

Professor Tinto’s research has continued on the isolation and characterisation of secondary metabolites from local plants and marine organisms using modern 2D NMR spectroscopy. Part of this research involves the chemical ecology of gorgonian octocorals and sponges, in addition to the biomedical potential of their secondary metabolites. Other aspects of this research is done in collaboration with Biochem Pharma of Canada, who is funding the Tanaud Research Unit (TRU) to the tune of over US $185,000 per year. Good progress has been made in the search for a cure for Hepatitis C which affects over 200 million people worldwide and for which an effective treatment is not available. Presently there are four graduate students in the TRU working on various aspects of pharmacognosy.

Dr. Fields has continued her research in marine biology, supervising two M.Sc. (MAREMP) students. Mr. Ron Goodridge is at present writing up his paper on heavy metals in sediment and mussels in the marine environment, while Ms. Andrea Julian has submitted her paper on " A Planning, Policy & Legislative framework for Aquaculture in Barbados". Dr. Fields recently embarked on a survey of land snails of the Lesser Antillean islands, in collaboration with Kurt Auffenburg of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Holder continued research on molybdenum-, chromium- and vanadium-containing compounds and complexes as well as NO_x-containing compounds. He received a Royal Society of Chemistry Grant of £1000 for a one year study on the chemistry of rhenium complexes. Dr Holder was also the recipient of a Wellcome Trust International Research Development Award of £33,774 for a two year study on plant and mammalian purple acid phosphatase in collaboration with Professor A. G. Sykes, FRS, Department of Chemistry, University of Newcastle, U.K.

Dr. Horrocks continued research on;- (i) the development of management procedures for sea turtle conservation in the Caribbean and Wider Atlantic (with K. Eckert, WIDECAST, California), (ii) the use of mtDNA to investigate genetic structure of foraging populations of hawksbill sea turtles around Barbados (with A. Bass, Univ. of Florida) and (iii) monitoring of adult hawksbill migrations through the Caribbean using satellite-tracking technology (with B. Schroeder, NOAA, Washington).

With M.Sc. student Kirtis Luke, Dr. Horrocks is investigating the genetic structure of foraging green turtle populations around Barbados (with P. Dutton, University of California, San Diego) and the incidence of fibropapillomatosis in Caribbean green turtles (with G. Blades, South Western Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, Hawaii).

In collaboration with J. Baulu (Barbados Primate Research Center) and B. White (Department of Psychology, Centre College, Kentucky), Dr. Horrocks investigated visitor and resident perceptions of the Barbados green monkey. The results of this work will be used as a basis for cost-benefit analysis to determine appropriate use of the the green monkey population in Barbados.

Dr. Meek has continued his research on electronegativity and its applications, with particular reference to quantification of the Van Arkel - Ketalaar bond triangle and to the estimation of partial charges on atoms in molecules, complex ions and solids. In this area, postgraduate student Leah Garner has made good progress toward the development of an equation for calculating charges on atoms in polyatomic molecules and ions. The preparation, properties and structure of macrocyclic complexes of the first row transition metals is also being actively investigated by Dr. Meek.

Dr. McDowell’s research was focussed on the following topics;- (i) a study of nonadditive energies in molecular trimers and the determination of anisotropic triple-dipole dispersion energy coefficients for trimers containing hydrogen halides; (ii) an investigation of isotope effects and calculation of rotational constants and intermolecular stretching force constants for the hydrogen cyanide dimer and T-shaped complexes like HF-acetylene (these properties are computed by high-level ab initio theoretical methods); (iii) an investigation of nuclear magnetic shielding in Ar...HF by long-range perturbation theory and ab initio theoretical calculations and; (iv) a study of magnetic properties of boron halides.

Dr. Peter started a chemotaxonomical investigation of plants belonging to the genus Caesalpinia. Screening of secondary metabolites of plants of the genus Cassia for antibacterial activity was also initiated.

Dr. Waterman continued his research on the taxonomy of the grass genus Paspalum using molecular techniques. He ia also using this methodology to study the population structure of the sugar cane smut fungus Ustilago scitaminea in Barbados.

 

Teaching and Students

The Dean, Professor Mathison, has continued to teach a full load despite his heavy administrative responsibilities. Professor Headley, Director of CERMES, and Professor Hunte, who is both Director of McGill’s Bellairs Research Institute and Campus Coordinator of the School of Graduate Studies, have also continued to lecture within the department.

The Department continued to assist with the delivery of the first year courses at TLI’s. This year Dr. Sarah Sutrina visited the Clarence Fitzroy Byrant Collge in St. Kitts to monitor the delivery of BL 14C - Introductory Biochemistry, while Dr. Lyndon Waterman visited the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College to monitor the delivery of BL 14D - Introductory Genetics.

The following are the results for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees awarded this academic year:-

 

B.Sc. DEGREES AWARDED	MAJORS
First Class Honours	2
Upper Second Class Honours	19
Lower Second Class Honours	21
Pass	5

HIGHER DEGREES   AWARDED
		Supervisor(s)
Ph.D. (Chemistry)	Harold Gibbs	Prof. Leonard O’Garro Dr. Anthony Newton

The enrolment for courses in the Department showed a slight decline this year, but there was a tremendous improvement in the pass rate for courses overall, as can be seen from the statistics listed. There was, however, a significant increase in the number of postgraduate students.

Staff Activities

Professor Headley’s activities are listed under the CERMES report.

Much of Professor Hunte’s time was occupied with his duties as Campus Coordinator, School of Graduate Studies, as well as with his responsibilities as Director of the Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University.

Professor Mathison continued as Dean of the Faculty of Science & Technology and, in his role of Professor of Biology, served as Examination Coordinator for this discipline.

Dr. Rogers’ activities reflect his dual role as Director of Education and Research at Andromeda Botanic Gardens (ABG) and as Peter Moores Director of Tropical Horticulture at the UWI. He continued to serve as an ex officio member of the ABG Foundation and conducted an Andromeda visitor survey, the results of which he presented to this board. He has continued his fortnightly gardening column "The Andromeda Garden Bug" in the Barbados Advocate newspaper and has prepared two newspaper articles on plant conservation for the Barbados National Trust. Dr. Rogers have continued multi-year BG-Base computerized inventory of ABG as well as identified and recorded many previously unidentified plants at ABG.

Dr. Carrington was granted Sabbatical Leave and spent July through December in the Institut des Produits de la Vigne, Institut National de la RÁcherche Agronomique (INRA), Montpellier, France, pursuing research in molecular biology of grape ripening. He was an invited speaker at a meeting of the International Foundation for Science held in Montpellier. In September he presented a paper at the 5^th International Botanic Gardens Conservation Congress held at Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa.

The remaining six months of Dr. Carrington’s sabbatical was spent in the Centro de InvestigaciËn y Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain. While in Spain he enrolled in a Spanish language course and also attended a Plant Protein Workshop, "Plant Proteins and the Mechanical Properties of Cell Walls", held in Alicante, 10-12 April, 1999.

Dr. Chinnery continued the development of the department’s web site (http://scitec.uwichill.edu.bb/bcs/) and for the final year course BL 34D Crop Ecology. He also started sites to complement the fern research and for the first year course BL 14A Biodiversity. He continued as chair of the Caribbean Food Crops Society Internet Task Force and as an elected member of the Board of Directors of Sunset Crest Property Owners, Inc. and the Company Treasurer. On campus he continued as President of WIGUT (Cave Hill), Sub-dean (Timetable) for the Faculty, Chairman of the Campus Timetable Committee and member of the University FSSU Task Force, Blue Book and Career Path Committees.

In relation to fern research Dr. Chinnery spent much of July 1999 doing research in the libraries of the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum. He continued as the local supervisor for Troy A. Waterman’s research project for the M.Sc. Environmental Technology, Imperial College, University of London. He also served as a referee for the Soil Science Society of America Journal and participated in the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery’s Debriefing Seminar on the Inter-American Development Bank Study on intellectual property rights in the Caribbean, October 5-6, 1998.

Dr. Delauney visited the Department of Life Sciences, UWI, St. Augustine as the internal UWI representative on a three-member team carrying out an OBUS sponsored review of biological sciences on that campus. During 1998 he accepted an invitation to become a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He also spent six weeks in the laboratory of Professor Desh Verma at the University of Ohio, working on the cloning of a cellulose synthase gene from Arabidopsis haliona.

Dr. Kulikov attended the 4th Conference of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, UWI, Mona, Jamaica, in January, 1999, where he presented two papers.

Professor O’Garro has been appointed a director of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation.

Dr. Sutrina participated in a two-week Molecular Biology and PCR Workshop given by New England Biolabs at Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts, USA, in July 1999.

Professor Tinto served as Acting Head of Department during the Sabbatical Leave of Dr. Sean Carrington. He has also continued as project director of the Tanaud Research Unit, a collaborative project with Biochem Pharma Inc. The project is managed by Dr. Claire Durant and has been carrying out screening of local plants and marine organisms for novel compounds for the treatment of Hepatitis C. Professor Tinto has continued to referee manuscripts submitted for publication in the Journal of Natural Products and Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry. He organised the visit of Dr. Ruthven N. A. H. Lewis of the Biochemistry Department, University of Alberta Edmonton, in January 1999. This visit was supported by the Campus Lecture Committee with Dr. Lewis giving a public lecture on Membrane Biochemistry.

Dr. Fields visited the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. There she used the museum’s molluscan collection to identify and prepare a species list of terrestrial and aquatic snails of Barbados.

Dr. Holder continued to serve as Chairman of the Department’s Safety Committee. He arranged the visit to the department of Professor A. G. Sykes, Department of Chemistry, University of New Castle, New Castle upon Tyne, UK. He also continued to serve as Assistant Chief Examiner in Chemistry for the Caribbean Examinations Council and reviewed the book The Heavier d-Block Elements :Aspects of Inorganic and Coordination Chemistry by Catherine E. Housecroft, for Chemistry in Britain.

Dr. Horrocks continued as Director of the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, a collaborative effort of the University of the West Indies, the Bellairs Research Institute and the Fisheries Division, Government of Barbados. She also continued to serve as Chairman of CITES Scientific Authority (Ministry of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources).

In her research area, Dr. Horrocks presented a paper at the 19^th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation (March, 1999, South Padre Island, Texas) entitled "Foraging ground characteristics of adult female hawksbill turtles satellite-tracked from Barbados, West Indies". This paper was later presented to the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences in the Biology Seminar series (March, 1999).

Dr. Horrocks taught a module (Conservation of Sea Turtles) in the McGill University Applied Tropical Ecology Field Course, held at Bellairs Research Institute, May 1999. In relation to research, she acted in an advisory capacity to the Environmental Special Projects Unit Marine Parks Project in the proposed establishment of the Carlisle Bay Marine Park and expansion of the Folkestone Marine Park

Dr. Meek was a Visiting Fellow, Princeton University, June15- August 15, 1999. He served as a member of the Departmental Safety Committee and the Faculty Registration Committee. He was the convenor of the Faculty Honours Assessment Subcommittee.

Dr. McDowell continued to serve as a referee for the Journal of Chemical Education and became a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He was invited to present a seminar in the Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, USA, in March, 1999 on the topic "Induction vs. Dispersion in Nonadditive Interactions in Molecular Trimers". He was also awarded a Royal Society of Chemistry Grant for International Authors to persue collaborative research in the Chemistry Department of the University of Cambridge in July 1999.

Dr. Anthony Newton continued to be a member of the Risk Analysis and Monitoring Committee for Industrial Development, Barbados Industrial Development Corporation and of the Pesticide Control Board, Ministry of Agriculture, Barbados.

Dr. Peter attended The XIIth Caribbean Conference of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering held at the St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad in May, 1999.

Dr. Waterman visited the Department of Microbiology, King’s College London, to do research in the laboratory of Professor Christopher Thurston, May-June, 1999.

Visitors

• Dr. Robert Bowden, Director of Harry P. Leu Botanical Gardens, Orlando, Florida
• Dr. Ruthven N. A. H. Lewis, Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
• Professor A.G. Sykes, FRS, Department of Chemistry, University of New Castle, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
• Dr. Brent C. White, Matton Professor of Psychology, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, USA.

Benefactions