Voices Magazine

VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica | August 2018 24 O n November 4, 2017 a unanimous decision by the Member Council of the Headquarters of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, (SME), Michigan, USA approved the application to establish the UTech, Jamaica Society of Manufacturing Engineers - Student Chapter S430, with the Greater Charleston SME Chapter 430, South Carolina, USA as the sponsoring chapter. This is the third chapter established in the Caribbean. The other Caribbean chapters are in Trinidad and the Dominican Republic. Faculty of Engineering and Computing Lecturer, Mr. Junior Bennett who is Faculty Advisor for the student Chapter, is the first Jamaican to receive international certifications in Manufacturing from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (CMfgE). He took the initiative to seek sponsorship through for the Greater Charleston SME Chapter 430 in South Carolina, USA for the establishment of the chapter - a prerequisite for setting up the chapter. “The establishment of the UTech, Jamaica SME Student Chapter S430 is a deliberate effort to add to the personal and professional development of our students and to provide them with regional and international professional network,” Mr. Bennett noted. He noted further that “the Greater Charleston SME Chapter is providing support and mentorship for the continuous growth and development of the UTech, Jamaica student chapter.” UTech, Jamaica’s current membership is twenty-four (24) students overseen by three Faculty of Engineering and Computing staff members - Mr. Junior Bennett, Miss Tara-sue Rhoden and Mr. Shanroy Dennis. The membership is primarily of industrial and mechanical engineering students. However, the membership will be extended to include all engineering disciplines as well as students pursuing degrees in the School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT). UTech, Jamaica Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Student Chapter Established Mr. Junior Bennett, (3rd left, front row), Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering and Computing and Faculty Advisor for the recently established UTech, Jamaica Society of Manufacturing Engineers - Student Chapter S430 is flanked by School of Engineering students who are members of the Chapter.