Grace-Anne Bent at work in the laboratory. - RUDOLPH BROWN/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
SHE IS NOT yet 25, but Grace-Anne Bent is a major driver behind research that seeks to determine whether a by-product of fried, starchy foods poses a great health risk to Jamaicans.
The compound of curiosity for this UWI master's student is called acrylamide a white, odourless chemical that is produced when certain carbohydrates are baked or fried at high temperatures.
When Grace-Anne graduated from Ardenne High School in 1999, she thought of studying medicine.
"Somewhere along the line I lost my interest in biology so I decided to pursue a career in my first love, chemistry," she recalls.
FASCINATED
A practical person, by her own account, Grace-Anne recalls how fascinated she became when she observed the process of electroplating, which is how gold plated jewellery is made.
Seeing chemistry in action piqued her interest even more. It also helped tremendously that she had good teachers who made the subject interesting.
Grace-Anne has some advice for students: "Study hard, don't wait until the last minute to start studying and revise notes while they are still fresh."
She added that perseverance is key and advocated consultation with lecturers.
This was the formula Grace-Anne used in her undergraduate years at the end of which she emerged with first class honours in applied chemistry.
Also, in 2002 she earned the Bert Frazer-Reid prize for her performance in organic chemistry.
Having decided to do post-grad work, Grace-Anne needed a project. She said she became interested in acrylamide because she saw how this information could benefit the Jamaican population.
"I believe that any project that you do should always try to help people and let them see that science is important in their everyday life."
OTHER INTERESTS
Apart from her research into acrylamide in Jamaican foods, she has also undertaken work to determine cost-effective methods of environmental management for effluent streams from detergent and new sulfonic acid plants at the Industrial Chemical Company.
Currently, she works as undergraduate laboratory demonstrator while she pursues graduate work.
Grace dabbles in karate. She feels that it is important for everyone, particularly women, to learn how to defend themselves.
Her other areas of interest include sightseeing, with one of her goals being to travel the world. She also likes floral arrangement.
