Professor Brian Copeland was not easy to get hold of for an initial interview, so it was therefore surprising to get him to actually sit for a little more than an hour to gain some insight into what makes him tick.  Speaking with the recently appointed Dean of the Faculty of Engineering reveals why he was so elusive.  Professor Copeland is action driven, he reveals that he is more passionate about getting things done and being actively involved in the process as opposed to playing the role of a traditional administrator.  The Dean discussed his views on teaching and learning, his new role and also revealed some interesting facts about his background.

An alumnus of the St. Augustine Campus, Professor Copeland received his BSc with First Class Honours from the very Faculty he now heads, majoring in Electrical Engineering.  He later earned a UWI Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies at the University of Toronto focusing on a MSc in Electrical Engineering and then the Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (LASPAU)/Fulbright Scholarship for Doctoral Studies at the University of Southern California in Electrical Engineering specializing in Control Systems.  His impressive academic record was no more surprising than the fact that he used to be a Disc Jockey (D.J.), laughing because in those days the discs were actually vinyl records, not the compact discs used presently.  His love for music did not begin there, in his earlier days in San Fernando the Professor was involved in pan music and being the son of a Mas man did not stray too far from that tree.  In fact, much of his teaching, research and philosophy are based around music and art as he pointed out.  In addition to electronics being another of his hobbies as one would expect, Professor Copeland boasts of an impressive photography portfolio, with black and white being his area of specialty.  He is also very much involved in fixing things from electronic components to cars.

Through the revelation of these hobbies one can understand the depth of the man. Professor Copeland admits that his love for music and deejaying sparked his interest in electronics because he built his own amplifiers, radios and other equipment himself from age twelve.  “There should be no artificial barriers to education,” Professor Copeland explained that students at all school levels should not be made to choose subjects or see any divisions in learning.  He stated that all areas of learning are connected, one example to illustrate this is the use of economic theories in the development of airplane controls, he also spoke about photographs of microchip layouts represented as art and even in his pan research the tracking of musical notes played on the surface of the pan resembling colourful abstract art pieces.  At the university level, Professor Copeland described the Social Sciences as “people engineering,” stressing his belief that all of the disciplines are inter-related and should not be seen as separate.  In his words “nature has a template and understanding it is key.”

On the question of his new role as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Copeland responds:

“I am still grappling with being Dean and dealing with the needs, wants and idiosyncrasies of each department within the Faculty as well as what is expected at the University level.  I am accepting the challenge and also extending it to the rest of the Faculty.  Enhancing the role of the Faculty of Engineering in developing the student as a whole is at the top of my priorities as the new Dean.”

When asked what role the Faculty of Engineering was prepared to play in light of the region’s susceptibility to natural disasters and the threat of man-made disasters, Professor Copeland responded that the Faculty does have resources to monitor some natural phenomena, such as those available at the Seismic Research Unit and the Department of Land Surveying.  Some of the programmes including Civil Engineering and the Disaster Preparedness Programme do provide skills and knowledge that contribute to society’s preparedness for such occurrences.  At the time of this interview a team from the Faculty was presently in Barbados to assist with the much reported cave-in that had occurred on that island.  He added that the Faculty should also generate comment and debate and become more proactive on the issue of man-made and natural disasters.

To ensure that the Faculty brings out the best in its young engineering students the Dean emphasizes the importance of developing a sense of social responsibility which he firmly believes that students should take seriously.  One of the lessons learnt from engineering is that it affects the world, integrating the concept of understanding nature and the place of the individual in that balance. 

Research is another area of focus for the Faculty of Engineering for the next two semesters according to Professor Copeland.  He supports UWI’s thrust into research and encourages research funding.  He strongly suggests clustering of research but allowing researchers to find their own place within the clusters.  Each researcher can contribute his own ideas and specialization to the solution of a problem.  Professor Copeland believes that research must be linked to community service.  The focus should not be solely on the production of research papers but on getting human resources together, creating synergies between the University and the communities and also developing products and ideas that encourage regional businesses to tap into local intellect and talent.  Three areas of research in which the Faculty of Engineering can excel are the development of the steel pan, environmental and transportation issues according to Professor Copeland.  These areas can contribute to social and economic development and provide practical solutions to problems.

Professor Copeland and his team were awarded the Chaconia Gold on Friday, August 31, for the development of the G-pan.  Speaking about this he stated that there was more work being conducted and the real G-pan is yet to come, he guarantees that more innovations are on the way.  The intention was to change the face of the instrument while vesting ownership of the G-pan in the Government of T&T on behalf of the people of the nation.  He also mentioned that a royalty stream for contributors is being developed and a special disclosure form is being processed, to reward all those who contributed to the development of the G-pan.  Work is also still being done on the testing of different materials and on the analytical component of the instrument. 

The discussion concluded with an interesting story about two ancient civilizations that had long since become extinct.  One civilization refused to change their social customs and had literally eaten themselves when their food sources were depleted, the second civilization, realizing their food sources were being reduced developed a new crop which was unable to sustain their survival.  Although both societies died, Professor Copeland pointed out that the second made an effort to change and develop new means to prolong their existence.  He compares himself to the second civilization because he believes it is better to try and fail as opposed to not trying at all.