Staff writer - Keisha Gaspard
As a software developer, when asked my occupation I am most always faced with genuine shock and interest, a female technologist! It’s almost unheard of by most. Universities enroll a larger number of women than men throughout the world, yet women are less commonly found in I.T. related fields. One research believes this is attributed to the ‘geeky’ exterior depicted by I.T. persons that we dotingly call computer geeks, click here to read; this geeky appearance deters women from the field not wanting to fall to the fate of fashion failure and social suicide. However, we find this theory falls short for certain Caribbean women that are making scholar and profound contributions to science and technology.
The Ministry of Science Technology and Tertiary Education of Trinidad and 
Tobago have commemorated forty-one (41) women in science and technology via a publication, Caribbean Women in Science and Their Career, click here to read. One of the most outstanding contributors to technological innovation and advancement is Dr. Kim Mallalieu, Senior Lecturer, Leader of the Communications Systems Group and Principal Investigator of the Caribbean I.C.T Research Programme (Trinidad and Tobago), that is pioneering the mFisheries project.
The mFisheries project is an innovative use of mobile technologies to meet the needs of fishermen. This free application, available for download on the blackberry app store, click here to read , seeks to solve the problems that fishermen face on a daily basis by simply equipping them with smart phones.
The application includes first aid how-to assistance, an S.O.S feature for emergencies while at sea, such as pirates hijacking one’s vessel, which is a very common occurrence, a graphical compass to avoid fishermen from venturing into neighboring seas such as Venezuela, a GPS tracking system if lost, and the ability to advertise their fish online, there are much more features which makes this one necessary application for fishermen, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but on an international scale.
This application would also counter poor international relations between Trinidad and Tobago and neighboring countries due to allegations of fishermen trespassing to fish. A very important contribution indeed!
Whatever the reason women are shying away from science and technology, whether fashion or personal preference, these forty-one women are certainly showing that they are more than capable of being technologists!
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