“The exhibits you will see here in the NSTW [National Science and Technology Week] showcase our effort to end poverty and other deprivations, while improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth, while, at the same time, tackling climate change and working to preserve our natural resources.”
Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said this at the opening of the NSTW at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on July 17.
With the theme “Science for the People: Enabling Technologies for Sustainable Development,” de la Peña said this year’s NSTW is at a higher level but still anchored on on the daily life of Filipinos.
It “makes us look into how science and technology help us achieve the United Nations’s sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” he added.
The five-day annual event features exhibits and fora on eight clusters on technologies, research and development (R&D) and services—such as food security, energy and environment; aging society, health and medical care; human resources; equity and growth in the countryside; biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources; sustainable cities and communities; resilience and innovation; and international linkages.
He said NSTW that ends on July 21 offers exciting events for various audiences—for the young ones that will engage their active minds and bodies; for the entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and students; for those who seek wellness, and other sectors and groups.
“There is something for everybody. This is one of our ways of bringing science to the people,” de la Peña said.
Duterte’s full support to S&T
Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, who delivered the speech of President Duterte, underscored the President’s full support to science and technology (S&T).
“The President never said a word against science and technology. All members of the Cabinet have a 100-percent approval for S&T projects,” Briones added said.
She said whatever amount the DOST’s projects would entail, Duterte would just say “we will look for funds” for their implementation.
Chris Tiu: DOST brand ambassador
De la Peña announced that former basketball star Chris Tiu as first DOST brand ambassador to the roaring applause of the audience composed of DOST officials and employees, exhibitors and guests.
“This is something we have never done before, and we are just too happy to start doing now. Indeed, it is DOST’s way of reaching out to people across our society’s spectrum to the message that everything that we do here is for the people,” he said.
Awards
The event also showcased the awarding of outstanding individuals in S&T.
- Dr. Alonzo Gabriel, PhD, received the Outstanding Research and Development Award for Basic Research (Eduardo A. Quisumbing Medal)
- Dr. Mary Donnabelle Balela, PhD, was given the Outstanding Research and Development Award for applied Research (Julian A. Banzon Medal)
- Dr. Ricardo Babaran, PhD, got the Oustanding Science Administrator Award (Dioscoro L. Umali Medal)
- Robertson Chiang, MBA, received the Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award (Gregorio Y. Zara Medal)
- Dr. Merlinda Palencia, PhD, received Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award (Gregorio Y. Zara Medal)
- Dr. Erlinda Paterno, PhD, was given a special citation.
nuLab mobile science learning bus
The new mobile science learning facility of the DOST-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), called nuLab, was launched during the NSTW.
The DOST-SEI’s second science bus for Filipino learners, follows the success of the Science Explorer, which has served around 32,000 elementary and high-school students in more than 100 municipalities all over the country since 2010.
While the Science Explorer mostly caters to younger students, estimated P15-million nuLab is primarily intended for senior high-school students.
It features advanced science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) modules as nanotechnology, aerospace engineering, nuclear science, earthquake risk analysis, science media literacy, programming, oceanography, robotics, entomology and environmental science.
The modules are especially designed to help students discover their potentials in the various STEM fields and to encourage them to take tertiary courses where they are most inclined to succeed and excel. In nuLab, students are also encouraged to apply to the DOST-SEI Undergraduate Scholarships, the agency’s flagship program.
Tolentino as chairman of Senate’s science committee
Incoming Sen. Francis Tolentino, who graced the S&T event, announced during his message that he is the new chairman of the Senate’s S&T committee.
The former chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said he is now trying to learn S&T terminologies like nanotechnology and biotechnology.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes