UTech, Jamaica 2016-17 Annual Report

University of Technology, Jamaica ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017 Page 40 Excellence Through Knowledge their theses or dissertations. It forms a part of the general University regulations governing graduate studies, and provides uniform guidelines for candidates to follow during all stages of the thesis or dissertation preparation process RESEARCH AND RESEARCH MANAGEMENT President’s Research Initiative Award, 2016 The President’s Research Initiative Award is the University’s most prestigious award in recognition of an individual initiative aimed at promoting research excellence in the University. The 2016 recipient was Professor Fitzroy Henry, Professor of Public Health Nutrition, College of Health Sciences and was based on his cumulative research and scholarly output over the last three years. Research Development Fund (RDF) The University continued to provide internal funding support for research through the Research Development Fund (RDF), which is managed by the SGSRE. The RDF provides support for: a. Research projects; b. Fees associated with the publication of peer- reviewed research papers, books, and/or book chapters; c. Research capacity-building activities d. Protection of intellectual property. Since the establishment of the RDF more than 30 projects valuing in excess of $22,000,000 have been funded covering areas such as: renewable energy; HIV; tourism policy; entrepreneurship; ICT; tribology; pharmaceutics; organizational behaviour; heritage; community development; language and communication; nutrition; health and health policy; child welfare; economics; wildlife/ecology; case writing; and optics and photonics. Two impactful research projects that were supported by the RDF and completed during Academic Year 2016/2017 were: 1. “The Cost of Nutrition in Early Childhood Development: Implications for Social Interventions in Jamaica”, conducted by a Research Team from the College of Health Sciences led by Prof. Fitzroy Henry. The results showed that not breast feeding a child can cost a family up to $73,000 for the first six months of life. 2. “Feasibility of Tourists Being Accompanied by their Pets While Vacationing in Jamaica,” done by researchers, Mr. Nigel Cooper and Mrs. Deanna Marchalleck of the College of Business and Management, who have posited that if the applicable SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SGSRE) Cont’d. Prof. Fitzroy Henry, (right) Professor of Public Health Nutrition, College of Health Sciences accepts his citation for the President’s Award for Excellence in Research from Prof. Colin Gyles, Acting President. The citation lauded Prof. Henry for his consistently strong advocacy for public health and nutrition, championing the cause of healthy food choices and the role of nutrition in the prevention of diabetes and other chronic lifestyle diseases.