Building a Scientific Nation: Why Science Must Drive Development in Guyana and the Caribbean
By
Terrence Richard Blackman, Ph.D.
📢 Support the Guyana Business Journal and Magazine.
In Guyana and across the Caribbean, we stand at a historic juncture. The decisions we make now—about education, innovation, and investment—will shape our collective future for generations. At the center of this effort must be a force too often sidelined: science.
Scientific innovation, when aligned with national priorities and backed by strategic investment, can be transformative. It equips us to respond to our region’s most urgent challenges—climate change, food security, educational inequality—and to lead globally in areas where we have unique natural and human assets. Yet, for too long, scientific development in the Caribbean has been underfunded, undervalued, and underestimated.
This argument was powerfully advanced in the recent Transforming Guyana webinar, Science, Education, and National Development, hosted by the Guyana Business Journal and the Caribbean Policy Consortium. In that wide-ranging conversation, three of the region’s leading voices—Dr. Ulric Trotz, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, and Professor Cardinal Warde—called for a bold new vision of science-centered development in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.
A Legacy of Vision: Dr. Ulric Trotz and the Foundations of Scientific Development
In his recently published book, A Ray of Hope: Reflections on Development, Science, and Technology in Guyana and the Caribbean, Dr. Ulric Trotz chronicles the early efforts to build a scientific nation in post-independence Guyana. As one of the architects of the country’s scientific infrastructure, Dr. Trotz helped found the Department of Chemistry at the University of Guyana, the National Science Research Council, the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), and the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI).
These institutions were not bureaucratic relics—they were engines of national development. They reflected a profound belief that science was not a luxury, but a practical and necessary tool for national self-determination, industrial development, and environmental sustainability.
The STEM Imperative: Education as Infrastructure
Central to this vision is the creation of a robust, inclusive STEM education ecosystem—one that identifies talent, nurtures creativity, and builds the human infrastructure necessary for innovation.
Across the Caribbean, initiatives like the Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPICE), launched by the Caribbean Science Foundation, are equipping students with the skills to thrive in a knowledge-based economy. SPICE engages young minds in applied science and engineering through problem-solving and mentorship, planting the seeds for a new generation of scientific leaders.
Closer to home, the University of Guyana’s Regional STEM Accelerator program and the establishment of nine new research institutes reflect a national commitment to transforming education into an engine of development. These programs prepare students not simply to succeed academically, but to contribute meaningfully to national priorities—from climate resilience to food security and clean energy.
Equally inspiring is the grassroots innovation of STEM Guyana, a youth-driven initiative co-founded by Karen Abrams and her son, who returned from the diaspora to give back to their country. As reported in Stabroek News, STEM Guyana has proven to be a game-changer in a challenging environment, democratizing access to robotics, coding, and digital literacy in underserved communities across the country. Through after-school clubs, national robotics competitions, and mobile learning labs, the organization has created real opportunities for thousands of young Guyanese to see themselves as innovators and problem-solvers.
Together, these programs represent a multi-level strategy for STEM education—from university labs and elite accelerators to schoolyards and village computer hubs. They remind us that building scientific capacity must happen across the full educational spectrum and that transformative change often begins with visionary community leadership.
Turning Resources into Research
Guyana is uniquely positioned to turn its natural endowments into platforms for scientific advancement. From its rich biodiversity to high-purity silica and the underexplored utility of rice husk ash, the country has what it takes to become a global research leader in materials science, renewable energy, and environmental technologies.
But realizing this potential requires more than resources. It demands an innovation ecosystem—one that connects research institutions, government policy, entrepreneurship, and international collaboration. Professor Cardinal Warde’s white paper, Creating a STEM-Based Economic Pillar for the Caribbean, provides a detailed blueprint for this transformation. He advocates for regional centers of excellence, including fabrication labs and advanced research hubs, to catalyze technological development and economic diversification.
A Moment of Opportunity—and Responsibility
The challenges are real. Caribbean research has historically struggled with inconsistent funding, limited infrastructure, and weak policy alignment. But Guyana’s economic transformation—driven by oil revenues—presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fund science, technology, and education at scale. Now is the time to think strategically, build boldly, and align national development with global scientific standards.
Diaspora as Catalyst
As emphasized during the Transforming Guyana webinar, diaspora scientists must be embraced as collaborators, not spectators. Structured engagement through fellowships, joint research projects, and regional conferences can convert the brain drain into brain circulation. These professionals bring global experience, cutting-edge expertise, and a deep desire to contribute to national progress.
A Generational Project of Vision and Hope
The message emerging from Dr. Trotz’s reflections, the Transforming Guyana conversation, and Professor Warde’s strategic blueprint is both clear and urgent: science must be the foundation of national development.
We must educate for it, fund it, and build resilient institutions to sustain it. This is not the task of one government or one generation. It is a national—and regional—project of hope, discipline, and shared vision.
Let us commit ourselves to building a scientific nation—not as rhetoric, but as a serious, strategic endeavor to ensure Guyana and the Caribbean lead in shaping a more sustainable, equitable, and innovative future.
Dr. Terrence Richard Blackman is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. He is Chair of the Executive Council of the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences and a Region B Representative on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Mathematicians.
📢 Support the Guyana Business Journal and Magazine.
