Better awareness for Filipino scientists

Few people know that the Philippines has a number of nuclear physicists, nanotechnology experts, biotechnology researchers, and computer scientists.

Yet Filipino scientists strive to champion the capabilities of the country’s scientific community.

“We have to build public awareness about what we’re doing and build interest enough to bring more people to become part of the science community,” according to Fortunato Dela Peña, Department of Science and Technology undersecretary.

Dela Peña said the Philippines has a good pool of scientists, some of whom are already working feverishly on various researches, including nanotechnology and biotech, which can become viable commercial ventures in the future.

He added that many young elementary and high school students excel in science and mathematics, some of whom actually win competitions here and abroad.

“The interest is high for some students but we want more of the younger generation to become part of the scientific community.”

More importantly, many of these projects can also build a library of intellectual property for the Philippines.

Dela Pena cited that the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines has also been closely working with DOST to speed up the processing of copyright and patent filings from researches and discoveries.

“They wanted the speed of filing to be shorter so that the scientist can further focus on his work,” Dela Peña said.

With the recent conclusion of this year’s National Science and Technology Week celebrations Dela Peña said the department is now focusing on the upcoming annual convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science (PHILAAS).

The event would bring together scientists and researchers to showcase their recent projects. There would also be several discussions on a number of topics, specifically on nanotech, biotech, and energy development.

The IPOPHIL will also be represented to discuss the importance of patents and patent filing.

The DOST’s Science Education Institute will also be discussing the first Pinoy Science Storybook. It will contain stories of well-known scientists as well as Filipino scientists who have contributed to the advancement of science.

Among the scientists included are Alexander Fleming, Marie Curie, Gregor Mendel, Louis Pasteur, Isaac Newton, among others.

Filipino scientists included in the storybook are Ramon Barba, Emerita de Guzman, Rafael Guerrero III, Julian Banzon, and Francisco Quisumbing. The storybook, which will be presented to students in Grades 1 and 2, would be published in early 2010.

RP hosts 10th SCA conference

The Science Council of Asia (SCA) in its recently concluded 9th conference held at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore voted a Filipino medical doctor as its next president.

Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, president of the National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP) and concurrent executive director of the Philippine Council for Health R&D (DOST-PCHRD) was elected for the 2009-2010 term. He succeeded Prof. Hong Wanjin of the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) who assumed the position of the immediate Past-President in the SCA Management Board.

Other elected officers include Prof. B. Chadraa of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Prof. Yoichi Muraoka of the Science Council of Japan as secretary general and treasurer, respectively.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Montoya expressed confidence in the Philippine's hosting capability which equals that of ASTAR's. He also led the SCA group in conduct of the 10th SCA Conference in Manila, Philippines held on July 25-28, 2010 at the SOFITEL Philippine Plaza.

The 10th SCA Conference focused its discussion around the theme, "Meeting the Health Challenges in the Asia Pacific Region: Responding through an Integrated and Multidisciplinary Approach in Science and Technology." This was the first time that the SCA Conference focused on multi-disciplinary health issues and concerns such as tuberculosis, avian flu, swine flu, dengue, SARS, and the Ebola-Reston virus. These were discussed in light of climate change, globalization and its social and economic impacts.

The Science Council of Asia was founded in 2000 with the Philippines as one of its founding members. It is an international scientific organization in the Asia Pacific Region that brings together scientists and scientific organizations from all academic fields. Their annual scientific discussion serves as a forum for information exchange, collaboration and cooperation, as well as integrating emerging advances in science and technology for the improvement of the quality of human life.

Eleven countries compose SCA, namely Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Vietnam, India, Japan, China, Singapore, the Philippines and Mongolia.

Harvard's "Scientist of the Year" keynotes 2009 S&T week celebration in Manila

Harvard University's pick as "Scientist of the Year" in 2007 was a Filipino scientist who recently keynoted the National Science and Technology Week opening program at the Manila Hotel.

Dr. Baldomero Olivera is an award-winning Filipino scientist renowned for his major research on con snails-a carnivorous, predatory, marine snail common in the Philippines. Found to have significant applications in neuropharmacology, Olivera was able to support development of painkillers from snails.

While serving as professor of biology and neuroscientist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, he visited several Philippine institutions last year to present his research findings to local researchers, students, and the public under DOST's Balik Scientist Program.

This year Olivera kept the science communities in the country in step with current world developments through the exposition of his work. Focusing around the celebration's theme "Responding to Global Challenges through Science and Technology," he truly provided global perspective which he hoped were shared and spread in DOST's various science communities and in its regional offices.

The science communities in Bicutan, Quezon City, Manila and Los Banos recently held various admission-free activities such as technology fairs, seminars, quiz shows, open house, and techno bazaar. The annual NSTW celebrations showcased the recent domestic S&T developments along with various technology-based opportunities to researchers, science workers, investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, students, and the public.