Port of Spain April 12 2017: The Embassy of the United States of America in collaboration with NIHERST is pleased to announce that Cheziah Phillip of Toco Secondary School and Ricardo Ramlogan of Iere High School have been selected as the two most promising young scientific leaders in Trinidad & Tobago. At the invitation of the Governor of West Virginia, they will participate as delegates in the 2017 National Youth Science Camp held near Bartow, West Virginia in the eastern mountains of West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands, close to the Green Bank Observatory.

Cheziah Phillip is a form six student of Toco Secondary School where she is studying the natural sciences in pursuit of her dream to become a veterinarian. She is also the student council president and is a stellar track & field athlete.

Ricardo Ramlogan of Iere High School is also in form six. He is currently pursuing Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Physics. He hopes to one day become a lecturer in the field of Mathematics or Physics. He is one of the founding members of his school’s astronomy club and is a member of the Trinidad & Tobago Mathematics Olympiad training camp.

Cheziah and Ricardo will travel to Charleston, West Virginia, for the three week camp from June 15-July 8.

In 2018, the program will be open to science students in the South East & St. George East districts as it rotates through the districts annually.

Established in 1963 as a part of West Virginia’s Centennial Celebration, the National Youth Science Camp is an annual summer forum where two delegates representing each state and selected countries exchange ideas with leading scientists and other professionals from academic and corporate worlds. Lectures and hands-on research projects are presented by scientists from across the United States who work on some of the most provocative topics in science including fractal geometry and the human genome project among others. Delegates at the NYSC are challenged to explore new areas in the biological and physical sciences, art, and music with resident staff members. Delegates also present seminars covering their own areas of research and interest.

The National Youth Science Camp’s diverse academic program is complemented by an outdoor recreation program, which leverages the Science Camp’s location in the Monongahela National Forest. The Science Camp’s outdoor program offers a variety of events including backpacking and rock climbing.