Seminar on Muscadine and Bunch Grapes Scheduled Aug. 25 on St. Croix The general public is invited to a seminar on the cultivation of muscadine and bunch grapes from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 25, in Room 133 of the Research and Extension Center on UVI’s St. Croix campus.
Dr. Sadanand A. Dhekney, who studies grapevine genetics at the University of Florida’s Center for Tropical Agriculture, will make the presentation. The seminar title is: Development of Muscadine Grape Cultivars and Field Evaluation of Bunch Grapes for Disease Resistance.” The seminar, which is free, will focus on the evaluation and release of muscadine varieties and the field evaluation of genetically modified grapevines for disease resistance. For more information, contact Dr. Thomas Zimmerman at 692-4074.
UVI to Host Forum on Alternative and Renewable Energy Aug. 26 UVI will host a free forum on alternative and renewable energy from 1-6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26. Experts in the areas of wind, solar, waste-to-energy and geothermal technology will make presentations. The forum is sponsored by UVI’s VI-EPSCoR office. It will be offered at the Administration and Conference Center on the St. Thomas campus and, via videoconference, in Room 401 of the Melvin Evans Center on the St. Croix campus. For details, contact Wayne Archibald at warchib@uvi.edu or Paul Devine at allawe@sjcf.org. VI-EPSCoR is the Virgin Islands Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
UVI’s Libraries Operating on Intersession Schedule The University of the Virgin Islands libraries are operating on an intersession schedule through Aug. 22. During this period, UVI’s libraries will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. They will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Regular library hours will resume at 8 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 23. UVI’s fall semester classes also begin on Monday, Aug. 23.
UVI’s Information Technology Services has also announced that all student computer labs will be closed for maintenance during the intersession. More information is available from the UVI Help Desk via e-mail at helpdesk@uvi.edu or call 693-1466.
St. Croix Biodiversity Film Fest to Focus on Mega Cities on Aug. 26 The 2010 Year of Biodiversity Film Fest on St. Croix continues on Thursday, Aug. 26, with a free screening of the film “The Urban Explosion.” The feature, which is a segment of the PBS series “Journey to Planet Earth,” focuses on four megacities – Mexico City, Istanbul, Shanghai and New York City – with an eye towards investigating a major challenge of the 21st Century: how to shelter and sustain the world’s exploding urban population without destroying the delicate balance of our environment. Award-winning filmmakers Marilyn and Hal Weiner produced the segment. It is narrated by Kelly McGillis. The screening is set for 6 p.m. in the UVI Theatre (Evans Center Room 401) on the university’s St. Croix campus. Admission is free and no reservations are required. The festival is co-hosted by the St. Croix Environmental Association (SEA) and UVI.
The festival is sponsored by Marshall & Sterling Insurance of St. Croix. For details, contact SEA’s Environmental Education Coordinator Lynnea Roberts at 773-1989.
Free Workshop on Creating School Gardens Planned on Aug. 27 UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service on the St. Thomas campus will conduct a free workshop titled "Creating a School Garden" on Friday, Aug. 27. The workshop is designed for public, private and parochial school teachers, paraprofessionals and any authorized school representatives in the St. Thomas-St. John District. The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The venue is to be determined. The workshop will focus on the steps needed to create a vegetable garden.
Individuals who wish to participate must register by 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20. For more information or registration, call 693-1080.
St. Thomas Office of Upward Bound Closed Until Sept. 13 The Upward Bound Office on UVI’s St. Thomas campus will be closed for vacation beginning today (Monday, Aug. 16). The office will reopen on Monday, Sept. 13.
CELL Offering Free PRAXIS Tutorials for V.I. Teachers Through Aug. 31 UVI’s Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (UVI-CELL) Center in collaboration with the V.I. Department of Education’s Division of Human Resources is offering free Praxis I and II tutorials for public school teachers through Aug. 31. On St. Thomas, tutorial sessions are offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday at the UVI-CELL Center. On St. Croix, the math tutorial will be held 4 to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the English tutorial will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tutorials are offered in Room H200 of the St. Croix Educational Complex.
This free service is funded by the V.I. Department of Education. The tutorials prepare teachers for the Praxis I and II exams which allow them to be designated as highly qualified teachers in order to meet the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act.
For more information or to register, call the UVI-CELL Center at 693-1100 or visit cell.uvi.edu.
CELL to Hold Real Estate Sales Course for V.I. Residents Individuals interested in learning more about the real estate industry are urged to register for the Real Estate Sales course offered by the University of the Virgin Islands – Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (UVI-CELL) Center.
On St. Croix, classes will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays beginning Sept. 4, at the Joseph A. Simpson Building, No. 23A Hospital Street in Frederiksted. On St. Thomas, classes will be held 6-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Sept. 14, at the UVI-CELL Center on the St. Thomas Campus.
The Real Estate Sales course is designed to expose individuals to the real estate industry and specifically to prepare them for the Real Estate Salesperson licensing examination. A variety of topics will be covered including real estate theory, mathematics, USVI rules and regulations, and all applicable sections of the V.I. Code.
For details, call 693-1100 or visit UVI-CELL online at cell.uvi.edu.
CELL Workshops Aim to Enhance Presentation Skills The UVI-CELL Center will host one-day workshops designed to enhance an individual’s overall presentation skills and make a good impression. Individual sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The St. Thomas workshop will take place at the CELL center on the UVI campus. On St. Croix, the workshop will be held at the Joseph A. Simpson Building, No. 23A Hospital Street in Frederiksted. Both workshops will be held on Sept. 15.
The workshops are part of a series offered by the UVI-CELL in conjunction with the American Management Association (AMA). Participants will be provided with tips to overcome presentation fear, prepare for the presentation, communicate clearly while gaining the attention of the audience, elicit valuable feedback, avoid overloading the audience and much more.
For details or to register, call 693-1100 or visit UVI-CELL online at cell.uvi.edu.
