Profiles: Heroes, Role Models and Pioneers of Trinidad and Tobago - by Nasser Khan

25 scientific bodies. He worked as a plant pathologist in the Ministry of Agriculture, lecturer, and professor of botany and dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine. He headed the Cocoa Research Unit (CRU) after retirement from UWI in 1989. He is credited with restoring the CRU into an internationally recognised centre of excellence, holding the world’s largest collection of cocoa varieties and making important contributions to the world cocoa industry. • 1980 Chaconia Medal Gold • 1990 Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Science • 2000 NIHERST Lifetime Achievement Award (2000) LAWRENCE A. WILSON (1934-2013) P rofessor Emeritus Lawrence Wilson is internationally recognised for advancing knowledge of the physiology, agronomy and post-harvest biology of tropical root crops. He introduced many new teaching and research programmes that led to the recognition of the University of the West Indies (UWI), St.Augustine as a centre of excellence in agriculture. He attended San Juan Government and Nelson Street Boys R.C. Primary Schools, St. Mary’s College, University College of the West Indies (UCWI) and obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from the University of Bristol. He joined theMinistry ofAgriculture in 1964 and conducted research on mineral nutrition of vegetable and tree crops. He devised a fertiliser management system for farmers and a hydroponic system using coconut fibre “dust” and slow release fertilisers, which gave very high yields of tuber crops and vegetables. In 1967, he began lecturing in plant physiology/biochemistry at the Faculty of Agriculture, UWI. He led the Root Crop Programme that conducted critical research on tuberous crop biology including early growth and tuberisation, methods for selecting elite cultivars of yams and sweet potato, and methods for extending dormancy in yams for up to 9 months. Some 70 joint publications were produced as a result.