One of the most intriguing predictions of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity is the formation of spacetime singularities. These are essentially regions of space and time where gravity, as manifested by spacetime curvature, becomes inconceivably strong that the theory itself and all the known laws of physics break down. Theoretically speaking, such singularities reside, for example, inside black holes, which are ubiquitous in the cosmos. These singularities would be interesting to observe, if for anything else, to guide us on how to extend the laws of physics in such regimes. But, alas, these singularities are well-hidden behind black hole event […]
IPA Recipients for February 2018

Patrick S. Carradao and Florencio C. Ballesteros Jr. Environmental Engineering Graduate Program College of Engineering UP Diliman Phosphorous Recovery by Means of Fluidized Bed Homogeneous Crystallization of Calcium Phosphate. Influence of Operational Variables and Electrolytes on Brushite Homogeneous Crystallization. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, 83: 124-132, February 2018. Phosphate recovery from wastewaters is one of the major engineering challenges to securing the worldwide food production. Fluidized-bed heterogeneous crystallization of struvite has been one of the most considered technologies. Nevertheless, the recovery of other phosphate products could be of the major interest at industrial level. Thus, in this work we present […]
Citation performance behind UP’s big jump in newest regional rankings

With a dramatic increase in research citation, the University of the Philippines rose to #156 in the 2018 Asia University Rankings of Times Higher Education (THE). UP’s citation score climbed to 40 from last year’s 13.5. This means that UP’s articles and papers are reaching more scholars globally and have greater influence within the research community. According to Elsevier, UP’s papers are cited 14 percent more frequently than the world average, and in medicine, they are cited 336 percent more frequently. In the 2018 THE rankings by subject area, UP was highest in the clinical, pre-clinical and health fields. It landed […]
Why are trees and tree species abundant in tropical forests?

Tropical forests have always been characterized by more tree species than temperate forests. But why is it so? The answer came from a team of 50 researchers from 41 institutions in 12 countries who were working in 24 permanent forest dynamics plots (PFDPs) spread across the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Pacific. These PFDPs formed part of the network of permanent plots under the Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. They found that the diversity of species across tropical and temperate forests increased with conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) or “the […]
Call for applications: 2019 UP SPS
UP Scientific Productivity System | UP Arts Productivity System Call for applications to the UP Scientific Productivity System for CY 2019 A. New applications For new applicants, the period of evaluation of accomplishments is for the last five (5) years from January 2014 – December 2018. B. Applications for renewal by UP Scientists awarded for the term CY 2016-2018 The period of evaluation of accomplishments is from January 2016 – December 2018 using the points specified in Table 3. Retention/Promotion. Deserving scientists will be conferred the title “UP Scientist” and will receive a monetary award, the UP Scientific Productivity Award: UP Scientist I […]
2017 ECWRG Recipients, Cycle 2
The proposals of the following applicants for the second cycle of the 2017 Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant have been approved for funding: Alberto L. Dimarucut Assistant Professor, UP Diliman A Practical Guide to International Ballroom Styles and Filipino Social Dances Amount: 500,000 Diane Christine P. Pelejo Assistant Professor, UP Diliman Multipartite Quantum States with Prescribed Properties Amount: 500,000 Jean S. Encinas-Franco Assistant Professor, UP Diliman The Case of Filipino-Korean Spouses Association Amount: 500,000 Richell O. Celeste Assistant Professor, UP Diliman On Near-Perfect and Deficient Perfect Numbers Amount: 500,000 Sir Anril P. Tiatco Associate Professor, UP Diliman Repetitions and […]
Promoting rice and white corn combination as a staple for Filipinos

Rice is a major staple food in the Philippines. But while the Philippines is one of the biggest rice producers in the world, it continues to import rice as the million metric tons of palay produced by the country cannot keep up with actual demand and consumption. To ease dependence on imported rice, the government is implementing measures to increase domestic rice production. But researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños believe that these supply strategies should be complemented by remedies from the demand side to achieve rice self-sufficiency. One solution is promoting the consumption of alternative staples […]
IPA Recipients 2018 Archives
January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018
IPA Recipients for January 2018

Alex B. Brillantes, Lizan E. Perante Calina and Bootes Esden Lopos National College of Public Administration and Governance UP Diliman “Knowledge-Based Public Sector Reform: The Philippine Experience” in Knowledge Creation in Public Administrations: Innovative Government in Southeast Asia and Japan. Ayano Hirose Nishihara, Masei Matsunaga, Ikujiro Nonaka, and Kiyotaka Yokomichi (editors). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. ________________________________________ Jose Edgardo Abaya Gomez Jr. School of Urban and Regional Planning UP Diliman The Size of Cities: A synthesis of Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on the Global Megalopolis. Progress in Planning, 116: 1-29, August 2017. Catchy title of research: “If the Earth Were to Become A City, […]
IPA Recipients for December 2017

Arlene D. Romano and Menandro N. Acda Department of Forest and Paper Science College of Forestry and Natural Resources UP Los Baños Feeding Preference of the Drywood Termite Cryptotermes cynocephalus (Kalotermitidae) against Industrial Tree Plantation Species in the Philippines. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 20 (4): 1161-1164, December 2017. The feeding preference of the drywood termite Cryptotermes cynocephalus (also called “unos”) was investigated against five fast growing industrial tree plantation species commonly used in the Philippines, viz.,Yemane, mangium, Moluccan sau, mahogany and eucalyptus. No-choice and choice feeding tests were conducted to determine mass loss, wood consumption,level of resistance, and termite survival after […]