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CCM Organises Workshop on “Coastal Adaption to Climate Change”

22 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

A five-day course on Coastal Adaption to Climate Change has been opened at the Pempamsie Hotel in Cape Coast.

 

The course which is being held under the auspices of the Centre for Coastal Management, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Cape Coast in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would draw the attention of implementing agencies to the urgency of addressing climate change issues especially pertaining to the country.

 

Officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Town and Country Planning and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) are participating in the workshop.

 

Opening the workshop, the Provost of College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof. L. K. Sam-Amoah, said the emission of greenhouses gases like carbon dioxide, things that provide us electricity like oil and gas contribute heavily to climate change.

 

“The worry here is that, if we continue to go down the same path that we are going down today, the world as we know will change dramatically for the worse”.

The consequences of Climate Change according to Prof Sam-Amoah were evident in the intense floods, severe drought and increasing air and water temperatures that occur nowadays.

 

The Provost indicated that activities such as sand wining, fishery over exploitation and infrastructure development in the coastal areas have exacerbated the impacts of climate change as well as increasing the intensity of natural hazards. He said in many cases, the country has not given sufficient priority or attention to climate change issues and attributed the reasons to low human capacity to conceptualize integration of climate change issues in the work of institutions.

 

A Principal Programme Officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, Central Region, Mr. Peter Nana Ackon, said the development of a course of study in climate change aimed at equipping professionals, academia, civil and public servants to help mitigate effects of climate change was not only timely but an imperative for socio-economic development of a lower middle-income country like Ghana.

 

The country’s forest cover has been on constant decline for some time now therefore, contributing significantly to carbon emissions. Explaining the ramifications of this, Mr. Ackon indicated that climate change phenomenon is caused by increasing global temperature, which has rippling effects on the ecosystems.

“Our forest cover, which is a carbon sink, has shrank from its original 36 percent to about 10 percent by the year 2000”.

 

According to Mr. Ackon, a study by the EPA a few years ago revealed a critical gap in the knowledge and appreciation of the subject on climate change and its ramifications on national development. “Analysis of the respondents alone, given our level of literacy as a nation was scary, as many showed little comprehension of the issue, let alone its consequences”.

 

He said it was therefore a delight to have a course designed to build the capacity of men and women in critical areas of the national institutional set up. It was his hope that, this will help mainstream climate change issues into everyday discussions and planning of the country’s socio-economic development.

 

The Programme officer noted that the June 3, 2015 floods in Accra revealed the need for planning our towns and cities to withstand the vagaries of changing climate. He said many communities and their livelihoods were under serious threat from the rising sea levels and encroachment of the sea into lands as homes, beaches, landing cites and the socio-economic well –being of fisher folks were shattered.

 

“Obviously, we cannot continue as business as usual mentality. Mr. Chairman, the country needs a serious stirring to understand that our very survival is under threat and like the evolution theory, the fittest survive”.

He therefore called for the need to explore innovative ways of mitigating and adapting to the changing climate. “This is when we must start stitching in time if we have any hope of saving nine, and I dare say that the development of this course is a stitch in the right direction”.

 

Present at the opening ceremony were the Dean, School of Biological Sciences, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong; Head of Department Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Dr. Noble Asare and the Director Centre for Coastal Management, Dr. Denis W. Aheto.

News

Dr. Ralph Gardner III Donates to the Department of Education and Psychology, UCC

21 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

Dr. Ralph Gardner III has made donation of books and journals worth thousands of Ghana Cedis to the Department of Education and Psychology of the Faculty of Educational Foundations, UCC.

Dr. Gardner was a Fulbright Scholar from the Ohio State University, USA, who visited the Department during the 2014/2015 academic year. He taught courses in Special Education at the Ph. D level during his visit.

The donation which included current books and journals from distinguished authors was presented on his behalf by Prof. Prosper Deku to the Department.  He expressed gratitude to Dr Gardner for his tremendous assistance to the Department.

Dr. Stephen Baafi Frimpong, who received the donations on behalf of the Department was exceptionally thankful to Dr. Gardner for his immense contribution to knowledge and research at the Department. He acknowledged that Dr Gardner’s visit to the Department for the past two years was timely and a blessing to both staff and students..

Senior members of the Department were also grateful and showed a lot of appreciation for the donations.

 Present at the short but significant ceremony  were the Head of Department some senior members including Prof. Koawo Edjah and Dr. Kofi Krafona, administrative staff and national service personnel.

Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Honours UCC Students

21 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Sun Bao Hong, has presented cash awards totaling $2,000 to 20 winners of the 2016 Chinese Ambassador’s Award at the University.

The winners were part of students who participated in a semester’s Chinese Language Proficiency course. Benjamin Nketiah Agyemang emerged the best student and received $200 as his prize.

In a welcome address, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, said the Ambassador’s award was instituted to recognise high performance in the learning of the Chinese language and commended the Ambassador for showing keen interest in the programme. “It is her vision to make it possible that learning of the Chinese Language was brought to the doorstep of both students and staff.  We owe her a debt of gratitude”.

Prof. Oduro said “the University operates a system of meritocracy and does not compromise on quality; therefore, it will always award excellence”. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor said Ghana-China relationship dated back to the 1960’s where the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah and the Chinese leaders of his days laid a solid foundation for strong bond of collaboration.  “Due to this strong foundation, since 2008, there have been a lot of students and staff exchange programmes between the University and the Hunan City University. This has eventually culminated in the commencement of this Chinese Proficiency Course”.

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Sun Bao Hong said 1,200 Ghanaian students have been granted visas to study various courses in China and therefore urged the awardees and other students to take the learning of the Chinese language and education in general serious since times were changing very fast. Ambassador Sun Bao Hong reiterated that Ghana and China have enjoyed time-honoured friendship, adding, “I am committed to deepening the relationship”.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, who chaired the ceremony, commended the award winners for their efforts and advised them not to be complacent. He hoped others would take advantage of the Confucius Institute on campus to learn the Chinese Language and Culture.

Administration

SRC Organises "Touching Lives" for Students with Disabilities

21 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

The Students' Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in conjunction with the Ghana Federation of Disability (GFD) has held a programme for Persons living with Disabilities (PWDs) on campus.

 

The initiative, dubbed “Touching Lives," is aimed at providing a confidence-boosting environment for students with disabilities to unearth their God-given potentials to the fullest. The event which brought together students from the University of Ghana, University of Education, and the Cape Coast School for Deaf and Blind, was organised under the theme, "Disability is not Inability".

 

Addressing the gathering, the president of Disability Foundation, Mr. W. Ansah, stressed the need for stakeholders to highlight the plight of persons with disabilities in Ghana. Mr. Ansah, who was the guest speaker for the programme, said the issue of disability must not be overlooked and called on the public to take the issue of PWDs seriously.

 

He said PWDs do not need sympathy from any Ghanaian; what they rather need is to be fully integrated into the society without discrimination.  He urged the students with disabilities to take their studies very serious so as to become responsible citizens in the country.

 

For his part, the Vice-Dean of Students Affairs, Dr. Eugene Dartey, lauded the SRC for coming out with the initiative.He assured the students that the office of the Dean of Students' Affairs would give its support to any initiative aimed at supporting PWDs on campus. He said the University would not shirk its responsibility in creating a conducive environment for PWDs to enhance their academic work.

 

In his remarks, the SRC President, Mr. Dennis Larbi Ampofo, said the SRC would promote the issue of PWDs across every nook and cranny of the University. Mr. Ampofo said the introduction of the Disability Fund was to support students with disabilities to enhance their living conditions on campus.

 

He appealed to stakeholders, corporate organisations, non-governmental organisations and public-spirited Ghanaians to support the GFD to mitigate physical, social and economic barriers facing persons with disabilities in the country.

 

The President of Campus Association of Students with Special Needs (CASSN) of the University of Ghana, Mr. Samuel Kobina Eduaful, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed gratitude to the leadership of the SRC for coming out with the programme.

News

GAUW Organises Leadership Training for Young Girls in Basic Schools

21 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

The Ghana Association of University Women (GAUW), UCC branch has organised a training workshop for young girls in some basic schools in the surrounding communities of the University to equip them with leadership skills.

The workshop was on the theme, " Harnessing Girls Potential in Education". The project dubbed, " Girls' Choices Project”, was aimed at building the capacity of young girls to help them become self-confident, disciplined and courageous to take up leadership positions in all sectors of the nation. The beneficiary schools were Kwaprow M/A J.H.S, Apewosika M/A JHS and Amamoma Presbyterian JHS.

Addressing the participants, a senior lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Geneviene Adukpo, who spoke on the topic, "Gender and Education", urged the girls to always feel confident to take up leadership positions at every sphere of their lives. She told the young girls that each of them could become a leader, regardless of their sex, race, ethnic or religious backgrounds.

 

To this end, Dr. Genevieve Adukpo charged the young girls to take their academic work seriously to enable them assume leadership positions in the society. She advised them to eschew negative tendencies that would jeopardize their future.

 

For her part, a lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ms. Nana Esi Karikari, who took the participants through "Gender and Education", underscored the importance of Female Education in the society. She said Female Education improves socio-economic growth, creates inter-generational education benefits, amongst others.

 

The interim National President of GAUW, Dr. Mildred Asmah, who chaired the function, urged the girls to be bold in all aspect of their life and also be studious so that they would be able to take up leadership positions in future.

 

GAWU is a network of women in Universities and organisations, and it aims at empowering women and girls through lifelong education.

Administration

Postgraduate Students Urged to Read Review Articles in their Field

21 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

The Head of Department of Physics, Dr. Benjamin Anderson, has called on Postgraduate students to read more reviewed articles so that they would be equipped to generate new ideas for research.

According to Dr. Anderson, reading reviewed articles would apprise them of the current happenings in their fields of study and also to contribute meaningfully to academic debate.

Dr. Anderson made this known at a seminar organised by the School of Physical Sciences for Postgraduate students of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CANS)

The seminar was on the theme, "Working with Literature in the Sciences".

The Head of Department advised the Post Graduate students to undertake literature survey when working with literature.

Giving reasons to the importance of reviewing literature, Dr. Anderson said," Reviewing literature helps to inform ourselves of what was happening in the field, to acquire a level of topical, methodological knowledge and expertise, to facilitate the researcher's methodological approaches".

"Literature Review helps the researcher to establish credibility, to provide a context of your own method and the relevance or appropriateness of your approach and to argue the relevance and significance of your research question". .

The Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof. L.K Sam-Amoah; the Dean of the School of the School Physical Sciences, Prof. Kofi Essuman; and some lecturers at the School, were present at the seminar.

Administration

"Comillas Internacional" Summer School

18 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

Universidad Pontificia Comillas is organizing Specialized Summer Courses, as well as the Spanish Language course.

The 2017 Specialized International Courses will be offered in Madrid from May 29 to June 23, 2017.  These courses, taught in Spanish, will be in the fields of Commerce, Business Management, Marketing, Law, Business Strategies, Engineering, and Ethics and Human Rights.  The courses have a duration of four weeks, with a total of 90 class hours.  The deadline for applications is April 30.

The Course in Spanish Language and Culture will be taught from May 22 to June 16, 2017.  It consists of 60 hours (taught over a period of 4 weeks) and is aimed at students with an intermediate level of Spanish.  Applications can be submitted until April 3.

Our web page www.comillas.edu/comillasinternacional contains more details and information on these courses. For any questions or for further details, please do not hesitate to contact Milagros Galindo: mgalindo@comillas.edu or Amparo Hernández: ahernandez@comillas.edu

News
17 Nov, 2016

On behalf of the LABSTAG executives, I humbly invite you to the second general meeting of the semester which will be held on Friday 18th November, 2016 at LT20/21 at 2:30pm.

The agenda for the meeting are listed below:
End of semester messages from, Lectures and TA's
Statement of financial report
AOB

We are counting on your usual support.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,
Alberta Hornam James-Ocloo
(General Secretary)

Christopher Abasiya
(President)

UCC Lecturer Wins 2016 Most Published Author in Engineering

14 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

A lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Coast, Dr.-Ing. Samuel Kofi Tulashie has been awarded as the 2016 Most Published Author in the field of engineering by the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE).

The award was conferred on him recently at the 3rd Engineering Excellence Award held in Accra. The ceremony was on the theme “Engineering and Innovations to Promote National Development”. Dr.- Ing. Tulashie’s publication in Research Safety won him the award in the Advancing Engineering Knowledge Category which he competed with another professor.

Dr.-Ing. Samuel Kofi Tulashie has PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering from the Max Planch Institute, Magdeburg, Germany/Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.

His area of specialisation includes Enantio selective Crystallization, Energy (Biofuel Production), Process Safety Management, Safety and Occupational Health Management.

Dr.-Ing. Samuel Kofi Tulashie has over twenty publications to his credit, covering process safety and fire safety, energy audit and Ghanaian gibbsitic bauxite.

Part of a citation presented to him said “For your outstanding contribution of Public benefit through research; in recognition of your publications in response to societal issues of the day; for your contribution to industry, and the national economy through publication, the GhIE awards you in Advancing Engineering Knowledge Category, the Most Published Author (Engineering Publications).”

 

The Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) 2016, was established by the GhIE to recognise the valuable contributions that individuals and organisations make, to inspire their continued involvement and those of others and to promote the key role of the engineering profession in public life. It recognises valuable contributions and extraordinary performance in all aspects of the engineering profession and a strong awareness of the profession among related professions, all sectors and the general public.

News

UCC Lecturer Wins 2016 Most Published Author in Engineering

14 Nov, 2016 By louis Mensah

A lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Coast, Dr.-Ing. Samuel Kofi Tulashie has been awarded as the 2016 Most Published Author in the field of engineering by the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE).

The award was conferred on him recently at the 3rd Engineering Excellence Award held in Accra. The ceremony was on the theme “Engineering and Innovations to Promote National Development”. Dr.- Ing. Tulashie’s publication in Research Safety won him the award in the Advancing Engineering Knowledge Category which he competed with another professor.

Dr.-Ing. Samuel Kofi Tulashie has PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering from the Max Planch Institute, Magdeburg, Germany/Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.

His area of specialisation includes Enantio selective Crystallization, Energy (Biofuel Production), Process Safety Management, Safety and Occupational Health Management.

Dr.-Ing. Samuel Kofi Tulashie has over twenty publications to his credit, covering process safety and fire safety, energy audit and Ghanaian gibbsitic bauxite.

Part of a citation presented to him said “For your outstanding contribution of Public benefit through research; in recognition of your publications in response to societal issues of the day; for your contribution to industry, and the national economy through publication, the GhIE awards you in Advancing Engineering Knowledge Category, the Most Published Author (Engineering Publications).”

 

The Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) 2016, was established by the GhIE to recognise the valuable contributions that individuals and organisations make, to inspire their continued involvement and those of others and to promote the key role of the engineering profession in public life. It recognises valuable contributions and extraordinary performance in all aspects of the engineering profession and a strong awareness of the profession among related professions, all sectors and the general public.

News

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