By Danny O. Calleja
LEGAZPI CITY, Aug. 20 (PNA) — Graduating high school students who would like to avail of scholarships for priority science and technology (S&T) courses have until Friday, Aug. 22, to submit their applications for the 2015 Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute’s (DOST-SEI) Undergraduate Scholarships Examination.
This was announced Wednesday by the regional office for Bicol here of the DOST which said the nationwide examination shall be held on Sept. 21 with results to be announced in March 2015.
Tomas Briñas, the DOST regional director, said priority S&T courses for the scholarship grants include agriculture, agricultural biotechnology, biochemistry, computer science, environmental science, fisheries, food technology, forestry, geology, information technology, science/mathematics teaching, statistics, and engineering courses.
Interested parties may download the application form at www.sei.dost.gov.ph or www.science-scholarships.ph.
Application forms are also available at the Science Education Institute office at the DOST Compound in Taguig City and in all DOST regional offices, Provincial Science and Technology Centers, and offices of congressmen and senators, Briñas said.
Scholarship qualifiers may enroll in any of the state universities, colleges, and tertiary institutions identified as Centers of Excellence or Centers of Development by the Commission on Higher Education and in DOST-SEI identified network institutions all over the country.
Among these are the University of the Philippines, University of the East, Ateneo de Manila, Ateneo de Davao, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Mapua Institute of Technology, Don Bosco Technical College, Siliman University, Mariano Marcos State University and St. Louis University.
Meanwhile, the DOST-SEI, citing excellence and overall contribution in nation-building, has paid tribute to its honor scholar-graduates and current scholars in two different occasions, a statement reaching here Wednesday from the DOST’s S&T Media Service said.
A total of 253 scholars who graduated with honors and 525 who finished graduate degrees for the school year 2013-2014 were awarded during the “In Touch with Excellence” ceremonies held as part of the 2014 National Science and Technology Week celebration, it said.
Around 400 scholar-graduates and ongoing scholars were also honored in a gathering dubbed as “Scholars’ Night.”
Overall, the statement said there were 12 summa cum laude, 55 magna cum laude, 187 cum laude, seven honorable mention, one with academic merit, and one with academic distinction scholar-graduates who were awarded both in the undergraduate and graduate levels during the ceremony.
Four scholar-graduates were also given incentives for completing their degrees earlier than the prescribed period of studies.
The S&T Media Service said 64 honor graduates under the DOST-SEI Merit Scholarship—the agency’s pioneer scholarship program for undergraduates—were recognized which listed seven summa cum laude, 21 magna cum laude, 34 cum laude and two honorable mention graduates.
On the other hand, Republic Act 7687 or the Science and Technology Scholarship Act of 1994 produced 189 scholar graduates with honors headlined by five summa cum laude, 31 magna cum laude, 145 cum laude, one with academic distinction, one with academic merit, five honorable mention and three early graduates.
As for the graduate scholarships, a total of 351 MS and 36 PhD students graduated under the Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program (ASTHRDP).
It produced three magna cum laude and eight cum laude graduates.
The program is a unified and innovative human resource development strategy aimed at hastening the production of highly trained scientists by awarding MS and PhD scholarship grants to eligible individuals who will fill in the gaps of identified areas of science and technology.
Under the program, nine scholars finished cum laude, and one as an academic excellence awardee.
On the other hand, the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) program—a graduate scholarship program in priority engineering courses and related field—recorded 136 MS and two PhD graduates.
DOST Secretary Mario Montejo has congratulated the scholar-graduates for maximizing the opportunity of being entrusted as “science scholars of the people.”
We are proud that you put in the hard work to not only finish you studies, but pursue excellence in the S&T fields you choose to be in,” Montejo said in his statement.
He said DOST is further intensifying its scholarship program as he believes in the capacity of science scholars as change-makers in the future. (PNA)