Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter

Kyle Shaw, who hails from the belly of one of the nation's volatile inner-city communities, has been working his magic with science for several years; but he is no 'obeah man'.

The 20-year-old Rousseau Road resident told The Gleaner he preferred the moniker 'ghetto scientist' over 'science man' because the latter was ambiguous.

Shaw's ongoing love affair with the discipline started when he was a child but really matured while he was a teenager. And now, it seems, he cannot get enough of the subject.

"Put it this way, some of my friends say I talk too much about the subject. I love it really; it's hard to describe it. I enjoy science and it is like an adrenaline rush sometimes," he said.

The relationship between Shaw and the discipline was encouraged by his first science teacher, Raymond Knight. The teacher used the blossoming romance with science to change Shaw's posture towards academics.

"He was actually the person who moved me away from the idle mentality to the focused mentality because I was really idle in high school," said Shaw.

The nine Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and three A' Level subjects he has neatly tucked under his belt bear witness to the change.

"He showed me that it is not just bookwork but actually coming up with ideas and applying the sciences to everyday life."

Pure success

Shaw learnt the lesson well. He has invented a few things and has several innovations to his name.

The Norman Manley High School graduate has been blazing a path of pure success at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Science and Technology Exposition, staged in tandem with the Scientific Research Council and the Association of Science Teachers of Jamaica.

He copped awards as a student of Norman Manley High School, a student of Excelsior Community College and has also done so in his current capacity as volunteer teacher at the Excelsior Primary School.

Two Thursdays ago, the organisers of the expo gave Shaw an individual award for his "outstanding contribution to the technology expo".

Daffodil Bruce-Miller, community relations officer at the JPS, paid Shaw glowing tributes.

She described the budding scientist as enthusiastic and determined. "He always goes back and improves on his project," Bruce-Miller said.

She added that there was no doubt in her mind that Shaw would be successful in his endeavours.

"I see him as somebody in the future who will go a very far way."

The industrious young man even makes a little money from science and technology. He and his mother started a business about a year ago. He uses her home shop to provide services, including Internet access, scanning, printing and faxing.

Shaw has won awards at almost every level at the annual expo. In 2004, he was a member of his high school's winning team which took first place in the grades 7-9 category in the north, east and metro regions. They were also crowned all-round regional champions.

Two years later, Kyle and his teammates were at it again. The Norman Manley High School team earned first place in the grades 10-11 category and second place in the region.

After leaving the Maxfield Avenue-based institution, Shaw entered the competition again as a member of the Excelsior Community College team in 2007. Yes, you guessed it! The community college nabbed first place in the tertiary category at the regional level.

Volunteer teacher

However, the team did not participate in the national finals that year. Shaw said he had to prepare for his examinations. But, he did not stop there. Shaw is currently a volunteer teacher at the Excelsior Primary School.

In 2008, under his tutelage, the school won first place in the grades 4-6 category and second place in the region.

Two weeks ago, Excelsior Primary won second place in the grades 4-6 category and is looking to improve that position at the national finals.

Thanks to a scholarship he received from the Jamaica Police Federation and the Ministry of National Security, Shaw - the son of a police officer who died before he started primary school - now attends the Caribbean Maritime Institute where he is reading for a degree in nautical science.

Despite the assistance, the young man, who still knows what it feels like to go through classes on an empty stomach, told The Gleaner that there were days that it got really rough. "When I was going to Manley it was kind of easy because I live near school, so that did not deter me or anything, so I just still go ahead and try."

He added: "At Maritime, it kind of rough, but you know, a way will always work out."

Shaw's childhood dream was to become a scientist. That has not changed. The unassuming youngster has his professional path planned down to a science. His heart's desire is to become a research scientist. However, Shaw has been forced to suspend that dream until he can prove its viability in Jamaica.

- tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com