More than 50 oral presentations were given during the 2015 OVPAA Research Symposium organized by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA). Held on November 12 and 13 at the Intel Center for Science Innovation Auditorium of the National Institute of Physics in UP Diliman, the symposium featured the results of research projects under the OVPAA-administered Emerging Interdisciplinary Research (EIDR) and Balik PhD programs. In her keynote speech, National Scientist Dolores Ramirez mentioned, among others, how intellectual property is receiving more “meticulous attention” now than during her time. On the second day, Dr. William Padolina, president and academician of the National Academy […]
Tribute in UP celebrates the life and work of Nobel laureate Richard Heck
The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs in collaboration with the UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry held a tribute for Nobel laureate Richard F. Heck on 22 October 2015. Heck, who shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis, died in the Philippines on October 10 after years of illness. Guests from the Philippine scientific community, the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering, the US embassy and Heck’s family came to share anecdotes and lectures on the significance of Heck’s work. “To be inventive, to be […]
Roadshow continues with UP taking the message of academic collaboration and service to Japan
Over the past months, UP has traveled halfway around the world not only to campaign for greater cooperation between UP and foreign universities but also to inspire Filipinos working and studying abroad to come back to the Philippines as mentors and researchers. The mission has brought UP across the Atlantic Ocean in April and May and to the land down under in June, in a series of intimate gatherings with Filipino scholars. Late last month, UP finally went on the road for its first destination in Asia: Japan. More than 100 people were in attendance as Dr. Aaron Joseph Villaraza, deputy […]
Universities and HEIs commit to internationalize and better higher education in the Philippines
Roughly 80 presidents, vice presidents, chancellors, vice chancellors, deans and institute directors from 24 academic institutions in the country agreed on a resolution that sought the support of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on the internationalization strategies and initiatives of Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs). The decision was reached at the end of the Conference on the Development of International Quality Higher Education Institutions held from August 26 to 28 at Microtel by Wyndham in Diliman, Quezon City. Organized by the University of the Philippines through the Office of International Linkages, the conference aimed to help Philippine universities/HEIs and state universities and colleges in […]
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 […]
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 […]
Training on procurement to help research projects stay on course
UP scientists often need to purchase equipment from abroad for their research projects. But little or lack of knowledge of procurement essentials can make the experience quite frustrating for them. To help reduce snags in the process, UP is holding four seminar-workshops in August and September 2015 to teach project leaders and staff how to prepare the project procurement management plan (PPMP) and the annual procurement plan (APP). Participants will also learn how to develop technical specifications for equipment, services and other items; formulate the cost estimate for the item to be procured; generate price quotations or canvass; and determine the […]
