The Ugyanang Pang-Aghamtao, Inc (UGAT) and the Philippine Geographical Society will be holding their joint regional conference on the theme “Dagat ug Kinabuhi/Maritime Cultures, Spaces and Networks” at the Silliman University, Dumaguete City from 22 to 24 October 2015. The conference hopes to create an interdisciplinary regional forum (encompassing the area between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans) to discuss issues and debates revolving around maritime contexts as (structured and structuring) fluid zones of spatial connection and separation, and within which contemporary insecurities and vulnerabilities communities must find ways to keep afloat (Dagat ug Kinabuhi means ‘the sea and life [lifeways/strategies]’ […]
Workshop: Writing a great paper and getting it published in a research journal
The USAID Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) Program is inviting heads of research, academic faculty, graduate students, and officials/staff from relevant government agencies to join the learning session Writing a Great Paper and Getting it Published in a Research Journal. This half-day activity is designed and implemented in partnership with Elsevier, to help Filipino researchers discover international best practices in: (a) publishing, preparing and submitting the correct manuscript language; (b) structuring articles; and (c) understanding ethical writing. Individual sessions will be held in Cagayan de Oro (October 6), Manila (October 7) and Iloilo (October 8). Registration can be done online […]
Social learning and not genetic inheritance explains sperm whale groupings
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 […]
