A team of biologists and physicists from universities in Canada, the United States and the Philippines revealed that it is biased social learning and not genetic inheritance or pure social learning that accounts for the groupings of sperm whales. Their discovery, published recently in the high impact international journal Nature Communications, drew the attention of over 30 news outlets including Time, Washington Post, Newsweek, Nat Geo, Discovery, Smithsonian, BBC News, CBC News, NBC News, Nature, and Science. UP’s own Dr. Reniel Cabral of the National Institute of Physics is part of the team. “I am proud that a Philippine institution is included in a paper published in one […]
Gawad Pangulo Choral Competition
The Competition is open to all students (undergraduate and graduate), personnel and faculty members of the University of the Philippines ( all students/all staff/all faculty or a combination of students, faculty and staff). Established UP choirs (e.g., UP Madrigal Singers, UP Singing Ambassadors, UP Concert Chorus, UP Manila Chorale, UPLB Choral Ensemble and other touring groups) are not eligible to join. The constituent units will provide accommodations, meal allowances, and transportation to and from the competition venue during the final round. Deadline for submission of entries is 18 October 2015. For inquiries, please contact Ms. Eva Cadiz at (02)926-0026 or at [email protected]. […]
In a rural community in Mindoro, ecological problems not only result in poverty but are also triggered by it
“Poverty is both a driver and a result of complex ecological problems.” This was the conclusion derived by Dr. Adrian Wagner of the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Dr. David T. Yap of the School of Urban and Regional Planning of UP Diliman and Dr. Helen T. Yap of The Marine Institute of UP Diliman from examining interrelated socio-ecological variables in the coastal barangay of Udalo in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro. In the recently published article “Drivers and consequences of land use patterns in a developing country rural community,” the three researchers noted the “gradient of political and economic power […]
Reefs unlikely to recover from the effects of China’s construction activities in the Spratly Islands
For nearly two years, China has been reclaiming land in the Spratly Islands and it is causing permanent damage to the marine environment. In an interview for Earth Island Journal, National Scientist Edgardo Gomez holds that China’s land reclamation activities have several immediate effects including the “total destruction of productive coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other shallow marine ecosystems” and “the smothering of areas adjacent to the dredged and filled areas.” Land reclamation or land fill is the process of creating new land from a waterway or wetland such as an ocean, riverbed or lakebed through, according to the article, “massive dredging of sand […]
UP researchers uncover the roots of the water sector’s sorry state
(This article originally appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on August 12 with the title “Who really owns water? Managing PH water supply better.”) DAYS BEFORE his final State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Aquino revealed something about water governance that should have given Filipinos pause. “The water sector was so complicated when I assumed office. I discovered that no less than 30 agencies take part in regulating the water sector,” Mr. Aquino recounted saying this when he visited Angat Dam in Bulacan on July 22. “What made that situation worse was these institutions acted independently, their respective plans were Made […]
Newton Fund Researcher Links Travel Grants now open to applicants with master’s degrees
The British Council Newton Fund Researcher Links Travel Grants are now open to researchers with master’s degrees. Researchers with the following qualifications are encouraged to apply: – have practical experience (including research) closely related to the research topic and at an equivalent level to a PhD, over a number of years; – have a publication track record, specifically three published articles or a book. Researcher Links Travel Grants provide financial support for early-career researchers to undertake an international research placement in the UK, to strengthen links for future collaboration, build research capacity and enhance the researcher’s career. Deadline is 28 September 2015. For inquiries, […]
IPA Recipients for August 2015
Arvin B. Vista Department of Agricultural Economics College of Economics and Management UP Los Baños Estimating the Recreational Value of Taal Volcano Protected Landscape, Philippines using Benefit Transfer. Journal of Environmental Science and Management, 18 (1): 22-32, June 2015. Catchy title of research: Recreational Value of Taal Volcano Protected Landscape. Benefit transfer methods are increasing used to aid decision-making, especially when time and resource constraints the conduct of primary study. It has many potential applications in developing country, wherein collecting data is significantly constrained by limited financial resources. This paper provides evidence on the total value of recreation at TVPL for visitors […]
New engineering lab created through Balik PhD grant
Within two years, a team of researchers from the UP Diliman College of Engineering was able to build a working research laboratory and produce from it six ISI-listed journal articles and 12 papers for local and international conferences. Within this period, too, nine BS students and four MS students—all of whom were able to graduate this June— benefited from the laboratory for their theses. The success story is one that can make any lead researcher proud. Such is the case of Dr. Rinlee Butch Cervera, head of the project Fabrication and testing of an advanced nanoceramics synthetic apparatus for energy storage and alternative […]
Internationally recognized scientist Dr. Rhodora Azanza receives the Pantas Award
Marine Science Institute professor and former UP Diliman College of Science dean Dr. Rhodora Azanza was presented with the 2015 Pantas Award by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Every year, the council confers the Pantas on an outstanding scientist or researcher who has made exemplary contributions for the advancement of agriculture, aquatic and natural resources in the Philippines. Azanza, fondly known to students and colleagues as The Red Tide Lady, is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking research on seaweeds and harmful microalgal biology, coastal environment management and […]
UP Concert Chorus is big winner at international choir festival in Poland
The University of the Philippines Concert Chorus (UPCC), led by its artistic director/conductor Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama, copped the plum award—the Grand Prix —in the recently concluded 6th International Krakow Choir Festival Cracovia Cantans held from 11-14 June 2015 in Poland. UPCC received a statuette of Golden Polyhymnia (Muse of Choral Art) and a cash prize. The jury was composed by no less than the most respected authorities in choral music, with Prof. Romuald Twardowski (Poland) as head and Ko Matsushita (Japan), Irina Roganova (Russia), Javier Busto (Spain/Sweden) and Rihard Dubra (Latvia) members. The Krakow Choir Festival awards the Grand Prix to the group that […]
