 dr dawn iona fox dr dawn iona fox dr dawn iona fox is a lecturer in the department of chemistry faculty of natural sciences in 2018 she was one of five female scientists to receive the 2018 organization for women in science for the developing world owsd elsevier foundation awards each year the awards honour five female scientists in the developing world who are often underrepresented in the global scientific community in addition to the accolade dr fox was given a trophy and a cash prize she expressed her gratitude to the vicechancellor of the university of guyana for the nomination   when i heard the news i didn t have the words to describe the feeling but it was one of excitement she said we often work in isolation so it was a feeling of empowerment to be recognised   born in bartica dr fox grew up in a singleparent household after her father passed away when she was just nine from early on she developed a love of reading her mother mrs albertha king worked at the national insurance scheme as well as the national library satellite in bartica and gave english lessons in the evenings  books were always a big part of my life she said my mom taught me to read from a young age  to pursue her secondary education dr fox moved to georgetown and attended president s college there she spent seven years and was among the school s second batch of graduates  secondary school taught me to be selfsufficient and made me a wellrounded individual  it is at secondary school that she discovered a love for chemistry she acknowledges her teacher ms grace henry who assisted and guided her along the path to science at the time there were two topics in the caribbean secondary education certificate csec course chemistry in industry and chemistry in the home   these topics brought chemistry to life for me i found out what common products like soap and toothpaste are made of and why and that s what intrigued me  on completion of her secondary education she wanted a year away from studies so she took a job as a reporter at a newspaper called business monthly there she worked for approximately one year before pursuing a bachelor s degree in chemistry at the university of guyana in 1997 on completion of her degree she had a threemonth stint at the institute of applied science and technology iast   initially i didn t intend to teach i didn t want to teach she admitted however when i began my teaching journey at the university of guyana in 1998 as a parttime lecturer i fell in love with lecturing  she paused teaching to continue her studies in 2002 she began reading for a masters in chemical engineering at university of auckland in new zealand after she returned to guyana and subsequently completed a diploma in education at the university of guyana in 2004 in 2011 dr fox graduated from the university of south florida in tampa florida with a phd in chemical engineering today she lectures at the university of guyana in analytical chemistry physical chemistry and inorganic chemistry as well as supervises final year research students  staying inspired twenty years after her first foray into teaching dr fox still loves the profession   i m inspired to come to work she enthused chemistry is a small department but we are like family i m inspired by my students and their need to learn i want them to understand the importance of the discipline and see themselves as practitioners of the field my objective is to get them excited about learning and show them how to apply chemical knowledge to their reality  dr fox says she is grateful for her life and the opportunities it has afforded her   i believe in god and i m honored by the gifts i was afforded   she said this is why she continues to give of her time and talent to the university of guyana during her leisure time dr fox loves to sing   singing has been a constant in my life   she said she has been a member of woodside choirs international ms for as long as she has been a part of the university of guyana family she also enjoys reading and has a secret love for colouring   many people may not know that but it relaxes me   she chuckles her vision for the faculty is greater recognition and deeper engagement with the university community she hopes too that the university of guyana will be seen as a global player with unique talents and expertise and students will be able to be competitive anywhere in the world  we need to connect more with the people we serve she explained we need to support schools farmers teachers etc  on behalf of the vicechancellor the renaissance team and staff of the university of guyana congratulations are extended to dr fox on her special award webmaster mon 6032019 954 dr dawn iona fox i m inspired to come to work chemistry is a small department but we are like family i m inspired by my students and their need to learn i want them to understand the importance of the discipline and see themselves as practitioners of the field my objective is to get them excited about learning and show them how to apply chemical knowledge to their reality staff  