The Economics Department of the Dominica State College(DSC) held its 7th annual Student Research Conference on Tuesday 25, May, 2021. The conference featured the research of 18 students in areas such as Unemployment and the Retirement Age, the Music Industry in Dominica; the Effectiveness of the Ban on Single Use Plastics In Dominica and Public Assistance and the Dependency Syndrome in Dominica.
Lecturer, Ashma McDougall said, “The conference is special in that it represents intellectual pursuits occurring each and every day on the campus of the DSC”.
She explained that the course Econ223 Research Methods in Economics was designed to encourage economic research which resulted in renewed enthusiasm for higher education.She said, “Knowledge generated by research is the basis for sustainable development which requires that knowledge be placed at the service of development, be converted into applications and be shared to ensure widespread benefits”.
Panelist Eisenhower Douglas, praised the students and shared similar sentiments as McDougall when he expressed his desire to see the students’ research used in policy formation.
“I think it is a good thing and I was very pleased with the effort made by the students and generally, you know nothing is perfect, they are heading in the right direction”, he said.
Douglas said that he is endeavoring to get a permanent link between the DSC and research done by students and policy formation at Government level. He said that these presentations coupled with additional research and fine tuning can be very helpful for development in Dominica.
Douglas recalled the work done by one student on traffic congestion which prompted him(Douglas) accompanied by the student and lecturer to seek an audience with the minister of Public Works.
Meanwhile Economics major, Nyrah Remy described the experience as challenging yet fulfilling.
She said that it was imperative to choose one’s topic early and to work closely with the lecturers who guided them throughout the process from choosing a topic to preparing the various parts of the research.
Remy said that the challenge of presenting was lessened as the students gained experience having been required to present each chapter researched in class.
According to her, presenting after some of her classmates was to her advantage as this made her less nervous. She also said that while it was somewhat intimidating knowing that she had to be questioned after and not knowing what questions she would be asked, in the end, the questions were manageable.
The Student Research Conference will continue on Wednesday 26, May, 2021.
