NIHERST: Caribbean Icons in STI

Dr. Kenrick Lewis’ name will forever be linked with the development of silicones. He has become widely known in science and industry for his contribution to the technology, fundamental chemistry and catalyst reaction of silicones.

Silicones are synthetic polymers that are made up of a backbone of silicon and oxygen. They are perhaps best known for their use in breast enlargement implants, but they have been used extensively in medical devices as sealants and as fluids, gels and elastomers.

Dr. Lewis is the holder of 20 foreign patents, and is considered an authority in this field. His work has led to a breakthrough in the conversion of silanes to silicones. He has also conducted work on silicone surfactants for stabilisation of polyurethane foams, which are used in the manufacture of cushions. Dr. Lewis has been associated with the OSi Specialities Group of the Witco Corporation and its predecessor, the Union Carbide Corporation in Tarrytown, New York since 1977. At this company, he is a Corporate Research Fellow after many years of research on silicones.

His work has yielded a mathematical model that aids in the determination of the cell size of polyurethane foam. This model can assist in determining the ideal cell size that would provide perfect comfort levels in car seats and couches which are made of this foam. In his work on silicone elastomers, the types of silicones used in the coating of breast implant shells, Dr. Lewis has been able to minimise seepage of silicone fluids in the implants. Again, in his elastomer work, he created a thermoplastic male incontinence catheter, which does not produce the allergic reactions associated with latex versions.

Dr. Lewis initially did research in the area of chelation in metallurgy and waste treatment. This came soon after completion of his doctoral dissertation, which focussed on the chemistry of the copper intrauterine device (IUD), and associated issues.

He has written several technical papers on his research findings and has co-edited a book on silicon chemistry. He has served on review panels of the National Science Foundation of the USA, and has been a liaison on many research programmes between his company and US universities. He is a member of the American Chemical Society and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), among other professional bodies.

Kenrick Martin Lewis was born on 11th November 1948 in Gouyave, Grenada. He attended the St. John’s Anglican Primary School until 1959, and then the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School on an Under 12 Scholarship. He took part in drama and sports while maintaining a good academic average at school. He also was the president of the school science club. After obtaining his Cambridge School Certificate (1963) and GCE A-Levels (1965, 1966), he taught for one year, before going to university in Canada. He obtained the Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 1971 and the Doctoral degree in Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts in 1976.

Dr. Lewis takes part in many community activities, some of which are related to his Caribbean heritage. He co-hosted a weekly radio programme “Mbari Mbayo” on WFCR in Amherst, Massachusetts during the period 1973-1981, which provided news and music from Africa and the West Indies. He adopted the Dr. Aloysius Scholarship Fund of his former primary school in 1991. This fund provides the top student of the school in the annual Common Entrance Examination with financial support for five years of secondary school. He is also a public relations officer for the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School Association, New York, which supports the school through donations and provides scholarships.

Dr. Lewis’ advice to young people is, “Begin with an outdoor laboratory, the ecosphere, and ask yourself ‘Why?’ and ‘How?’ Then say to yourself, I wish I could set goals to find answers. Talk to people about your vision and read to seek information, read biographies of famous people to see how they achieved their goals”.

“My wish for young persons is for them to become more creative, more inventive. To generate ideas [for solving] problems in a Caribbean approach using homegrown technologies. We must not lose our identity, as West Indians must be West Indians.”