The Seismic Research Centre of the University of the West Indies, UWI, is the winner of the 2022 Volcanic Surveillance and Crisis Management Award presented by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI)
IAVCEI is considered to be the world’s leading global volcanological association.
The award was accepted by Director of the UWI SRC, Dr. Erouscilla Joseph last week, in Herak-lion, Greece during the Association’s 11th Cities on Volcanoes Conference.
The prestigious, peer-nominated accolade, awarded biennially, recognises the Caribbean team of experts at the UWI SRC for its outstanding management of the 2020-2021 eruption of La Soufrière in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The nomination was based primarily on the Centre’s response, made particularly challenging within the context of the global pandemic.
Due to UWI SRC’s state-of-the-art monitoring techniques, robust partnerships and timely communication with stakeholders, thousands were evacuated ahead of the explosive phase with no reported serious injuries or casualties.
A team comprising experts from UWI SRC and Montserrat Volcano Observatory was the first among a rotation of several scientific teams, deployed to St. Vincent from December 2020 following the confirmation of new dome growth detected by SRC scientists using NASA satellite imagery.
