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It is all
systems go for the Eighth Asean Science and Technology
Week (ASTW) from July 1 to 11, which will be hosted by the
Philippines.
The
Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the
Philippine’s lead agency in charge for the event, and the
Asean Foundation (AF) last week signed a memorandum of
agreement for the holding of the ASTW. The agreement was
signed by the Philippines’ Science Secretary Dr. Estrella
Alabastro and AF executive director Dr. Filemon Uriarte
Jr., a former DOST chief.
With the
agreement came a funding support from Asean Foundation
amounting to $67,087.20, or 80 percent of the ASTW total
budget of $83,859.
DR.FILEMON URIARTE
JR.,executive director of the Asean Foundation, shows a
copy of Asean Quest computer game.
--ROY DOMINGO
Uriarte
said the ASTW is his first project in AF since he assumed
the executive director post in January.
“I froze
15 projects in the pipeline just to give way to ASTW,”
said Uriarte.
“I
encourage science institutions, even science nongovernment
organizations, to submit proposals that we can fund. . . .
We should work hard to increase our GDP [gross development
product] per capita so as not to lag behind our neighbors
in Asia,” Uriarte suggested.
In a
speech at the agreement signing at the Shangri-La Hotel in
Makati, Alabastro explained that ASTW is being conducted
every three years and hosted by Asean member-countries on
a rotational basis.
“It [ASTW]
is a gathering of scientists, technologists and experts
from academe, the government and the private sector to
promote science and technology [S&T] development in the
region by creating greater awareness on S&T, developing
S&T culture, as well as providing a medium for
participation and collaboration in regional S&T programs,”
Alabastro said.
Among the
activities lined up for the ASTW are:
a.
Subcommittees/Dialogue Partners’and other related
meetings;
b. 55th
Meeting of Asean Committee on Science and Technology;
c.
Scientific and Technical Conferences;
d. 5th
Informal Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology;
e. Asean
S&T Awards;
f. Asean
S&T Exhibition; and
g. Asean
Youth Science
Summit
With a
theme “Making Science Work for You,” the Eighth ASTW will
be celebrated in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of
the DOST.
In the
Asean Youth Science Summit, the youth, who are being honed
as next leaders of regional S&T development, will discuss
“relevant scientific and global issues.”
Alabastro
added, “The summit will also orient the Asean youth and
those from other participating countries on the diplomatic
and parliamentary ways in handling problems that affect
nations on a regional as well as global scale.”
Dr. Ester
Ogena, director of the Science Education Institute of the
DOST, is expecting a total of 151 participants, 98
students and 53 teachers, in the youth summit.
Participating high-school students of AYSS will have a
focus group discussion on spatial science, extreme games,
nuclear energy and genetically modified food. Their
teachers, on the other hand, will have a discussion on
best practices in teaching science and mathematics.
To further
entice the youngsters to come and compete, Asean
Foundation contracted De La Salle University professors
and students in creating the interactive computer game
“Asean Quest.”
The
opening billboard of the game was shown to the press with
a story line: a typhoon devastated the 10 Asean counties
and a nuclear power plant must be built after all the
power lines were shut down.
A player
needs to enter all countries to fix power plant
connections and finish the game. However, the player must
read first the Asean declaration and type the word
“welcome” in the Asean countries’ respective language (i.e
Maligayang pagdating in Filipino, or yin-dee
dtôn ráp in Thai).
Asean
Quest includes four mini-games, such as exploring a
warehouse, assembling the nuclear power plant,
neutralizing pests in sugar cane and assembling the
biofuel power plant.
It is also
packed with moving interfaces filled with trivia about
each Asean country. There is also a control room where the
Asean countries’ 10 flags are located. Once a flag is
clicked, the country’s national anthem will play.
“This game
[Quest] is intended for educational purposes because a
player is forced to learn about other countries,” said
Uriarte.
He added,
“Players will also learn how to build a real power plant.
A certificate will be issued at the end of the game.”
The Asean
Foundation and DOST have yet to determine whether to
distribute the game free of charge or for a fee to cover
the game’s production cost. | 
