St Michael’s student tops Caribbean in green engineering

A St Michael School student has captured top honours across the region in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) Unit 1 Green Engineering, earning praise from the Minister of Energy and pledges of a new national prize to reward young innovators in the field.

Megan Allan, who attained a grade one – the only regional candidate to reach that level in the subject – was recognised on Monday when Minister of Energy Senator Lisa Cummins presented her with a special award during a ceremony at the school.

An ecstatic Allan said she was surprised by the level of recognition. “I’m feeling pretty good, a little bit shocked,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all, and I didn’t know it would be such a big deal. When I saw it online that day at school, I was pleasantly surprised. So I’m shocked but happy.”

Allan has applied to several Canadian universities, including McGill, Dalhousie and the University of Guelph, as she plans to pursue studies in marine biology and conservation.

Addressing students and staff during the presentation, Sen Cummins said Allan’s success set a benchmark for excellence and signalled the potential of young Barbadians to shape the country’s future.

“A few years ago, we started in this country and across the region to have a conversation around what skills we need from you,” Sen Cummins said. “We started to look at where the country is going, where the region is going, and how we position this country in the region for leadership and how we position it in the world for leadership – and that involves all of you.”

As Barbados advances its energy transition, science and technology-based disciplines will become increasingly vital, she said.

“There are certain subjects that are going to be even more critical for our development as a country,” she noted. “I happen to be responsible for the energy sector and with it the energy transition. There are a number of you who are doing chemistry, physics, environmental science, and a few of you who are doing green engineering. All of these subjects are really going to be important skills as you move into future careers that help to facilitate the energy transition.”

Sen Cummins announced that the Ministry of Energy would establish a recurring national prize to encourage future high performers in green engineering.

“All of you have a role to play, but you have one exemplar right now,” she said. “Megan Allan has achieved the highest score, not just in your school, not just in Barbados, but across the Caribbean in CAPE for green engineering.”

“We want to make sure that this is not just the first and the only prize, but the inaugural prize,” she added. “The Ministry of Energy has committed that this will be the first of such prizes, but it will not be the last.”