Mind Ova Matter JM

Jamaican Matthew Stone is an artificial intelligence researcher, founder of Jamaica Artificial Intelligence Association and CEO of Stone Technologies, a robotics and AI company he started in 2017.
Stone's passion for AI emerged at a young age, fostered by his fascination with drones and robotics. As an alumnus of Campion College, he laid the foundation for his AI journey, which led him to pursue a MPhil degree at The University of the West Indies. His current research focuses on leveraging deep learning technologies to enhance robot perception, a field with profound implications for various industries.
One of Stone's ongoing projects demonstrates immense potential in bolstering security, particularly within the agricultural sector, by addressing the issue of praedial larceny through the utilization of drones..
In this episode we discuss the future, challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in artificial intelligence, the potential impact on society and Chat GPT , the potential risks and dangers.
Additionally, Stone shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey, offering valuable insights for aspiring innovators and visionaries alike.

Matthew Stone is an artificial intelligence researcher, founder of Jamaica Artificial Intelligence Association and CEO of Stone Technologies, a robotics and AI company he started in 2017.
Stone's passion for AI emerged at a young age, fostered by his fascination with drones and robotics. As an alumnus of Campion College, he laid the foundation for his AI journey, which led him to pursue a MPhil degree at The University of the West Indies. His current research focuses on leveraging deep learning technologies to enhance robot perception, a field with profound implications for various industries.
One of Stone's ongoing projects demonstrates immense potential in bolstering security, particularly within the agricultural sector, by addressing the issue of praedial larceny through the utilization of drones..
In this episode we discuss the future, challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in artificial intelligence, the potential impact on society and Chat GPT , the potential risks and dangers.
Additionally, Stone shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey, offering valuable insights for aspiring innovators and visionaries alike.

Breanna Bisnott is a first year biomedical Engineering student at the University of the West indies and a member of the Jamaica Badminton Team who has mastered the art of balancing academics and sports, while achieving success in both arenas. With a racket in one hand and a textbook in the other, she has created magic both  on and off the court.
On the badminton court, her determination and passion for the sport have earned her victories and trophies while off the court she has proven her commitment to academics, acing 16  subjects at both CSEC and CAPE while at Immaculate Conception High School.  
She shares her experiences representing Jamaica, challenges she faced while juggling rigorous academics and her commitment to badminton and gives insights on what it takes to be an athlete and a scholar.

In this interview, meet a 23-year-old young entrepreneur who is running two successful businesses.
 Young entrepreneur, 23-year-old Akayla Bartley, CEO Shipping Guru Courier and Auto Parts Guru shares her path as a young successful entrepreneur.
Back in 2021 after completing her first degree at Caribbean Maritime University, she found herself at a crossroads.  While contemplating pursuing, a masters degree overseas, her mother encouraged her to channel her talents into starting her own shipping courier company instead. Fueled by ambition and supported by her mother's belief in her abilities, Akayla took the leap and  started her company in the parish of St. Thomas.
The success of her courier company ignited her entrepreneurial spirit even further inspiring her to start another business a year later in the auto parts industry.
Akayla shares her secrets to success they key steps to starting a business and the challenges she encountered along the way.
If you're interested in starting your own business, then be sure to listen to this episode as she shares how she built two successful businesses from scratch, and how you can do the same.

Life in Majestic Gardens, Kingston Jamaica was far from majestic for Oshane Morrison.  In this powerful interview, we sit down with a remarkable young man who defied the odds and overcame numerous challenges to achieve his dreams. Born to a 16- year-old mother and living in poverty, he faced the harsh realities of life from an early age. Raised by his grandmother who believed in the power of education, she instilled in him the importance of knowledge, ensuring he went to school even when there wasn't enough money for lunch. Tragedy struck at the age of 14 when he lost his grandmother and had to navigate the challenges on his own. From struggling to find stability after the loss of his grandmother, to selling eggs and navigating the complexities of an inner-city environment, he faced adversity head on.
Discover how Oshane's high school (Camperdown High) and a kind-hearted member of his church community provided crucial support during his darkest moments. Witness how he not only graduated from university but also thrived despite the challenges he encountered along the way.

Prepare to be inspired as we explore the transformative power of education, the importance of resilience, and the remarkable achievements of this young man.

Hoshane Blake, Jamaican educator and founder of One Place Academy and Blake Beatzzz has found a unique way to engage and motivate students by creating beats and using them  to teach students preparing for PEP and CSEC examinations.
With a double major in  Mathematics and Electronics from the University of the West Indies, he has decided to share his vast knowledge by combining his passions for teaching science and music. Using the moniker "Mr Blake" he has been creating music videos using catchy tunes and a fun approach to engage his students in a creative way.
His students have been enjoying the musical approach to learning which is evident by their incredible results in the examinations.
In this interview we explore the benefits of combining music and education, the impact on his students and the potential for this innovative approach to transform the future of teaching and learning.

Tik Tok star Jia Zhang aka Ghetto Kirk is a young Chinese Jamaican content creator and business owner.
After years of daydreaming about creating content while stacking the shelves at his wholesale shop in downtown, Kingston, he finally took the leap and created his alter ego 'Ghetto Kirk", a name he got from  one of his customers who thought he acted 
and spoke like a ghetto yute. Hos first video went viral gaining over 150,000 views.
' Ghetto Kirk's hilarious videos showcase the everyday struggles of running a wholesale in Jamaica while incorporating his Jamaican culture and accent.
Despite criticisms, Ghetto Kirk" proudly identifies as a Jamaican embodying Jamaica's national motto 'out of many one people" through his infectious humor and creativity.

Jhodi Webster is a 25 year-old neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She is an alum of St. Andrew's High School for Girls in Kingston, Jamaica. Her passion for the sciences led her to The United States to pursue medicine at Agnes Scott College after receiving a scholarship.
However her academic trajectory took a turn as her interest in neuroscience was sparked when she was invited by one of her professors to conduct research in  her lab. She has received the Dupont Neuroscience Award, and named the 2022 Parkinson's Association of Alabama Predoctoral Scholar.
Her Phd research focuses on the immune system in the brain and its contribution to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
In this interview, she shares her journey from Jamaica to the United States , the challenges she's faced as a black female in white male- dominated field and her work she's conducting as a neuroscientist

Growing up in the tumultuous inner city of Maxfield Ave, Quidi- Ann has lived through the harsh reality of gun violence, Witnessing her mother getting  shot when she was 6 years old and  13 years later, her own nephew falling victim when a stray bullet grazed him while asleep  in their bedroom served as motivation that she had to find a way out of the inner city.
Quidi-Ann refused to let the traumatic experiences define her future and now credits her community for grooming her success. Despite facing financial challenges and the inability to pay her first year university fees, she refused to let her circumstances dictate her future and courageously attended classes armed with her mother's strong faith that "things will work out". She was awarded a scholarship but had to maintain  a GPA of 3.0. 
During her years at law school, she has won several scholarships which has enabled her to complete law school.
Today she stands proudly as an attorney at law and the first from her family to have a university education. Her journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and serves as inspiration to anyone facing challenges on their path to success, showing that with hard work anything is possible.

David Salmon, a former student of Wolmer's Boys’ School in Kingston, has achieved his long-standing dream of becoming a Rhodes Scholar. 
David's dream of becoming a Rhodes Scholar began when he was 15 years old in 2015  after he listened to and interacted with Jamaica's recipient of the award for that year, Dr. Tariq Parker. As Parker spoke, David looked up to him and decided that he, too, would aspire to become a Rhodes Scholar. 

David earned his undergraduate degree in Public Policy and Management, with a minor in International Relations, from the University of the West Indies (UWI). He is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge in the UK, after being awarded the His Royal Highness Prince of Wales Scholarship. He will be studying for a Doctor of Philosophy in International Development at Oxford University in the UK.
David's impressive accomplishments extend far beyond his academic pursuits. He is the founder of the New Jamaica Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting youth development. In 2021, he received the Governor-General's Achievement Award for the parish of St. Andrew for Academic Performance and Community Involvement, In 2019, the Prime Minister's National Youth Award for Nation Building, and the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) Morris Cargill Award for Opinion Journalism. In addition, Salmon represented the University of the West Indies as a debater and was the 2022 Valedictorian for the Faculty of Social Sciences.

David hopes that his journey will inspire others to dream big and put in the hard work required to make those dreams come true.