Jo-Anne Sewlal

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Jo-Anne Sewlal
Born
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal

(1979-03-29)29 March 1979
Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago
Died20 January 2020(2020-01-20) (aged 40)
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Alma mater University of the West Indies at St. Augustine
Occupationarachnologist

Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal (29 March 1979 - 20 January 2020) was a Trinidad and Tobago arachnologist. She discovered several new species of spiders in Trinidad and Tobago, and published some of the first surveys of spider populations in many countries of the Caribbean.

Contents

Biography

Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal was born in Point Fortin [1] on 29 March 1979. [2] In 1999, she began her Bachelor of Science in Zoology at the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine. [3] She completed her MPhil in Entomology from the same university in 2005, and continued on to a PhD in Arachnology. [4] As a PhD student, Sewlal won a research award from the Royal Entomological Society (2008), [5] an International Darwin Scholarship (2009) from the Field Studies Council, [6] [7] and a NIHERST 2012 Award for Excellence in Science and Technology (Junior Scientist category). She was invited by the Smithsonian Institution in 2008 to identify its collection of spiders from Tobago. [8]

She completed her PhD under the advice of Adrian Hailey in 2013. [9] [10] After graduation, Sewlal became a lecturer at UWI St. Augustine. [3] [11] In her field work, she surveyed spider populations in Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Antigua and St. Lucia; for several countries, this was the first arachnid survey. Her work was also featured on the Science Channel. [8]

Sewlal was involved with the NGO Environment Tobago, [12] and wrote columns for it in the Tobago News. [8] She was also an active member of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club (TTFNC). She led the searches for new spider species in the TTFNC's annual BioBlitz. [13] [14] [15] As a lecturer, she cofounded the Point Fortin Chess Centre to introduce the game to schoolchildren. [16] She served as the Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago chapter for the Caribbean Academy of Sciences at the time of her death. [9]

Sewlal died of an allergic reaction [9] at the Port of Spain General Hospital [1] on 20 January 2020. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 Thompson-King, Rachael (23 January 2020). "PFCC co-founder Dr Jo-Anne Sewlal dies". Trinidad Guardian . Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Jo-AnneSewlal_Mar2020.pdf - caswi.org". docs.google.com. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 "For the Love of Spiders". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Archives. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  4. ↑ Dassrath, Melissa (18 May 2008). "They call her 'Spider Girl'". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Archives.
  5. ↑ "Student wins award for ant research". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Archives. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Book on spiders in Trinidad published". www.guardian.co.tt. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "TT scientist in prestigious course". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Archives. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 "Jo-Anne Sewlal". NIHERST Icons. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Starr, Christopher K.; Cutler, Bruce (31 December 2020). "Jo-Anne N. Sewlal (1979-2020), Araneologist and Environmentalist". Living World, Journal of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club. ISSN   1029-3299.
  10. ↑ "Spider diversity". www.ahailey.f9.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  11. ↑ Williams, Shir-van (13 November 2014). "For the love of spiders". www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Local Spider woman debuts in Sun Maker". www.guardian.co.tt. 28 March 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  13. ↑ Shah, Raffique (28 November 2012). "First BioBlitz takes place in Tucker Valley". Trinidad Express . Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "740 species found in Arima Valley Bioblitz". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Archives. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "About that Nariva Swamp Bioblitz 2014". Trinidad Express Newspapers. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "Chess Centre launched in Point Fortin". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Archives. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
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