by Flor Lacanilao, 19 June 2009 Academic excellence has always been the dream of every UP official and faculty member. Effort has been directed to improve teaching and research as far back…
Category: Science and Technology
New UPLB corn variety named after DA Secretary
“YAP corn is a high yield – high protein variety that is too good to be true but true,” says Dr. Artemio M. Salazar, principal breeder of the YAP corn and Deputy…
Research team rehabs contaminated sites using bioremediation
In Mogpog, Marinduque, a team of experts from UPLB headed by College of Arts and Sciences Dean and micro-biologist Dr. Asuncion K. Raymundo has been examining both the soil and bodies of…
Philippines’ quest for diesel from microalgae starts at UPLB
With this boost, Professor Emeritus Milagros R. Martinez-Goss of the University of the Philippines Los Baños has got the approval of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Philippine Council for…
UPLB researchers target bioethanol from grass, wood and others in 5 years
Leading this group is Dr. Fidel Rey P. Nayve, Jr of UPLB-BIOTECH who has set eyes on producing fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic materials readily available in the Philippines—grass, wood and agricultural by-products….
UPLB puts up biofuel and timber plantation in Laguna-Quezon land grant
With a P13 M grant from the National Economic and Development Authority, the UPLB Land Grant Management Office LGMO) is setting-up a 120-hectare mixed plantation site within the UP Laguna-Quezon land grant….
Plastics, non-biodegradable before, not anymore
Dr. Virginia Cuevas of the Institute of Biological Sciences of UPLB and her co-researchers have recently identified Xylaria mutants that can be potentially developed into a product capable of degrading plastic bags…
Philippine biosafety regulations cost too much says UPLB study
The UPLB study, led by Dr. Jose M. Yorobe, Jr., found that the cost of tests as part of the current biosafety regulation of biotechnology products in the country is rather high….
UPLB study IDs squash varieties for food processing
Squash is a nutritious and commercially important vegetable planted in many regions in the Philippines. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is now pushing for large-production of nutritious and affordable vegetable-based food items. Unlike…
New Year text messaging costs slashed by mobile provider
New Year’s Day traditionally sees the daily volume of mobile phone text greetings spike worldwide, to volumes that range between hundreds of millions, to billions of text messages per country according to…
Realities in RP science
by Raul Kamantigue Suarez, PhD During my recent Balik Scientist visit to the Philippines, a very dear scientist friend said she had gotten tired of reading articles such as this because, after…
Myths in RP science
by Raul Kamantigue Suarez Much has already been written concerning the low productivity of the Philippine scientific community. A quantitative measure of this, for example, the number of papers published in journals…
Explaining my cause about Philippine science
by Flor Lacanilao After my final paper (http://philippinestoday.net/archives/1205), which reviews my commentaries about RP science, I got two reactions that tell me I still failed to clarify my main objective. Since they…
Nonscientists run Philippine science academy
by Flor Lacanilao There is no scientist or social scientist in the 7-member Executive Council of the country’s National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). Not one. The EC is composed of…
Philippine science: Time for a fresh start
by Flor Lacanilao Fifty years after putting up an S&T agency (Department of Science and Technology) and 30 years after a national science academy (NAST), the Philippines has yet to find a…