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Empowering Caribbean Science: Crystallography School Opens with UNESCO Support
The inaugural Caribbean Crystallography School officially opened on 2 June 2025, with a ceremony held at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, in Jamaica. The event marked the beginning of a program focused on scientific advancement.
The school, the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean is a training initiative that is hosted by the Caribbean Regional X-ray Science Toward Advancement Laboratory, that serves as a hub for building capacity in X-ray crystallography through education and research.
As a regional center for excellence, its goals include promoting the technique via specialized skills development, public outreach activities鈥攅specially to youth鈥攁nd supporting impactful research that addresses regional challenges while advancing Caribbean scientific innovation.
Bandiogou Diawara, Head of the Natural Sciences Sector at the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean, highlighted the financial support from the Organization through its Participation Program, and the importance of sharing the vision of developing a Caribbean STEM ecosystem.
He noted that the initiative also supports the implementation of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024鈥2033), which aims to restore public trust in science, promote critical and nuanced thinking, and strengthen scientific collaboration.
Crystallography is indispensable for nurturing the scientific innovation which the Caribbean and all countries need. And we share the idea of fostering cooperation, collaboration, and inclusivity among students, researchers, and educators across the region.
