THIS year’s celebration of National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) will prove that Filipino scientists can compete not only in Asia but in the rest of the world, Science Secretary Mario G. Montejo believes.
“Many of our scientists have carved major inroads in the field of science and technology (S&T) over the last two years, meriting recognition from the international science community,” Montejo said in a news conference at a hotel in Quezon City.
NSTW is an annual showcase of locally developed technologies and the country’s biggest breakthroughs in S&T presented through interactive technology exhibits, robotics, scale model displays, product displays, science career talks, science and business fora, and many more.
With the theme “Philippines: A Science Nation Innovating for Global Competitiveness,” the NSTW will highlight the country’s competitive capabilities against its neighboring Southeast Asian countries as the region prepares for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Economic Integration this year.
Through its programs and the country’s skilled, highly trained human resources, Montejo said, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will achieve its goals for agriculture, enterprises, industries, information technology-business-process management, government connectivity, health, education, and disaster preparedness and management.
These initiatives will make up the backbone of exhibits and activities in NSTW. Foremost of these are Project Noah and Science and Technology Academic Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosks (Starbooks), which was a recipient of the 2015 Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects from the prestigious American Library Association.
“Project Noah, many of us know how huge the contribution of this technology in lessening the casualties in different areas across the country during occurrences of strong typhoons,” Assistant Secretary Raymund Liboro said during the news conference. He also cited how Starbooks, the first science digital library in the Philippines, addresses the limitations of underserved areas in the country.
“Bringing them a digital science library that contains tons of information and does not require Internet connectivity to access, definitely would bring so much hope for the students there,” he said.
Also to be featured in NSTW are DOST-LiDAR, DOST scholarship programs, Food Innovation Centers and the Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program, another leading program of DOST.
There will be talks also on dengue control and prevention, faster delivery of government services to citizens, indigenous textiles, coconut scale insect-management strategies, food technology, packaging innovation, e-health, bamboo technology, intelligent-transport systems, fault systems, Filipina scientists’ contributions to the S&T community, among others.
A workshop on science journalism for students dubbed “The Art in Science Journalism” will also be conducted. Liboro said several private institutions and other government agencies have reached out to the Science Department to form collaborations for some of these programs.
“This was what we dreamt when we conceptualized and formulated these programs,” Liboro said. “We ensured that at the end of the day, it would be appreciated by stakeholders because we created these to address their needs.”
NSTW is open to the public from July 24 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City. For more details, log on to www.nstw.dost.gov.ph and www.science.ph. Like us on Facebook at NSTW2015 and use #2015NSTW.
