Mr. Jayson R. Pucot, MSU-IIT’s MS Biology student, Ms. Jea Christine Escala, BS Biology alumna, and Prof. Cesar G. Demayo, faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences and the Project leader of the Climate Change Research Group of the Premier Research Institute of Science and Mathematics (PRISM) won the Best Paper award during the recently concluded International Conference on Research, Innovation, and Investment (ICRII).
Their paper entitled Phytochemical Screening, GC-MS Analysis and In vitro Pharmacological Investigations of Myristica simiarum A.DC Bark Ethanolic Extract is co-authored by Dr. Mark Lloyd Dapar, faculty member of the Department of Biology of the Central Mindanao University in Bukidnon.
The virtual international conference that was held on May 17-20, 2021 gathered more than 300 participants from different countries across the globe, such as Australia, China, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Philippines, and Taiwan.
The country’s president, Hon. Rodrigo R. Duterte, gave his message during the conference’s Opening Ceremonies. Philippine Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri keynoted the Innovation and Investment Forum, and Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, author of Innovative Startup Act, talked about investments in innovation and entrepreneurship in the conference.
Winners for the Best Paper, Best Presenter, and Most Number of Delegates (institutional level) were announced during the Awards Ceremony. The Best Paper awardees hope that their paper gets published in the Mindanao Journal of Science and Technology (MJST), a scientific journal published bi-annually by USTP and indexed by Scopus and Clarivate Analytics.
ICRII is an annual gathering of international and local researchers, innovators, investors, policymakers, and leaders who come together to address innovations, existing and emerging trends, best practices, and other developments in specific fields and pursue advanced research and innovation frameworks. The conference covered presentations on the following topics:
Food Security and Safety
Energy Sufficiency and Security
Information and Communication Technology
Industrial Development
Infrastructure and Transportation
Gender and Development
Science and Technology Education
Language and Communication
Social Science and Humanities
Natural Sciences
Mathematical Sciences
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The ICRII was hosted by the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) with this year’s theme The Emerging Role of Research, Innovation, and Investment in a Disruptive World.
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) has been named as a grantee by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of a research and innovation grant that aims to help Philippine universities address challenges in the new normal.
The grant was given for an MSU-IIT research project that focuses on the conversion of waste from coconut oil processing into an economically viable substitute to imported chemicals used in insulating foam production, while also creating a higher-value pathway for the by-products of the researchers’ industry collaborator.
Chancellor Sukarno D. Tanggol received the certificate of recognition from the USAID on April 27 via Zoom during the launch ceremony of the agency’s Widening Applications of Research within the Pandemic (WARP) grant that is given through its Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) program.
The research project titled Improving the Gardner Color Index and Homogeneity of a Developed Coconut Fatty Acid Distillate (CFAD)-based Polyol for Commercial Use, is conducted by two faculty members of the College of Engineering and Technology, Prof. Roberto M. Malaluan, PhD, and Prof. Arnold Lubguban, PhD., in collaboration with Chemrez Technologies, Inc. – a Philippine-based manufacturer of powder coatings.
“We are very honored and would like to express our sincere gratitude to USAID STRIDE for awarding us our second grant. It is a confirmation that our research is of value to others in the field and also a great motivation to continue the ever-growing search for alternative bio-based and industrially important polymers into the future,” said Malaluan and Lubguban.
Four other Philippine universities were also awarded the WARP grant for research and innovation during the pandemic. These higher education institutions are the University of San Carlos (Visayas), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, La Union, University of the Philippines-Visayas, and Mariano Marcos State University, Ilocos Norte.
According to the US Embassy in the Philippines, the grants given under the WARP amounted to nearly P12 million in total.
The Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) has proven once again its commitment to providing quality education at par with global standards when two alumnae of the College of Science and Mathematics were awarded full PhD scholarships in one of Europe’s finest research institution.
Ms. Jessil Ann L. Pajar and Ms. Shiela Pearl R. Quiobe bested hundreds of applicants from all over the world in securing the most sought-after PhD positions in Max Planck Research Institute in Germany this year.
The Max Planck Society is a known global leader in cutting-edge scientific research in the life and natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The Nature Index, which highlights institutions and countries based on research, ranked Max Planck Society in 2018 as the third biggest producer of high-quality research next to Harvard University and China Academy of Sciences.
For her doctoral research, Ms. Pajar will investigate the biochemical interaction of nematodes, aphids, and their host plants under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Nicole van Dam in the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research. Ms. Quiobe, on the other hand, will explore the neurobiology, genetic, and epigenetic mechanism of the nematode Pristionchus sp. with Prof. Dr. Ralf J. Sommer in Max Planck-Developmental Biology Research Group.
Ms. Pajar and Ms. Quiobe both finished their BS Biology degrees in MSU-IIT and obtained MSc Nematology (a study that deals with nematodes) in Ghent University, Belgium with high academic honors in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Prior to their postgraduate studies, they were trained under the Nematology Research Group of the Premier Research Institute of Science and Mathematics.
NEARLY a quarter of a million pesos or P245,000 are handed out by MSU-IIT to its faculty and graduate and undergraduate students in recognition of their research excellence and contribution to the advancement of human knowledge during its Annual In-House Review (AIHR) of research and development projects.
The AIHR, which is held on September 25 at the conference rooms of the Premier Research Institute of Science and Mathematics (PRISM), produces a total of 20 winners from the professional, graduate, and undergraduate categories who competed in the following contest clusters – Natural Sciences; Engineering Sciences and Technology; Social Sciences and Business; and Health and Health-Related Researches.
According to Dr. Evelyn Creencia, Director of the Department of Research, forty (40) research papers are presented orally during the AIHR.
The winners from the professional category are awarded P20,000 (first prize) and P15,000 (second prize); graduate category, P15,000 (first prize) and P10,000 (second prize); undergraduate P10,000 (first prize) and P5,000 (second prize).
The cash prizes are sourced from the Institute’s research funds, and given out to MSU-IIT researchers not only to recognize their work but also to help build a culture of research on campus.
A result of this cultivation of a research culture in the Institute can be seen in the growing number of staff members on campus who conduct research and who publish and present their papers in national and international conferences.
In fact, a non-teaching employee of MSU-IIT assigned at the Human Resource Management Division named Sittie Akima A. Ali wins the first prize in the professional category of the Social Sciences and Business cluster of this AIHR.
The AIHR, which is already on its 17th installment, is an activity conducted by the Department of Research of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE) that allows MSU-IIT to evaluate the research and development projects conducted (completed and on-going) in the Institute.
It also allows the Institute to open a discussion on the results and findings of such research and development projects.
The AIHR begins as a once-a-year activity in 2002 through the efforts of then Department of Research Director and now Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Prof. Franco G. Teves. By 2013, the AIHR becomes a bi-annual event to accommodate the huge volume of research papers submitted.
Since last year, however, the activity is returned to its original once-a-year schedule.
The 17th AIHR features 11 evaluators from top universities in Luzon and Visayas, as well as from the Commission on Higher Education and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
These evaluators are the following:
For the Natural Sciences Cluster: Prof. Allan Patrick G. Macabeo of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Santo Tomas; Assoc. Prof. Luis Maria B. Garcia of the Institute of Biology of the University of the Philippines-Diliman; and Prof. Shirley T. Palisoc of the Department of Physics of De La Salle University – Manila.
For the Engineering Sciences and Technology Cluster: Susan M. Gallardo, University Fellow and Retired Professor of Chemical Engineering of De La Salle University and Assoc. Prof. Joel P. Ilao of the Computer Technology Department and Assistant Dean for Research and Advanced Studies of the College of Computer Studies of De La Salle University.
For the Social Sciences and Business Cluster: Prof. Pepito R. Fernandez Jr., political scientist (and Human Geographer) from the University of the Philippines-Visayas; Dr. Laura B. Fermo, a Senior Economist, Monetary and Economic Policy Advisory Committee, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; and Dr. Mimosa C. Ocampo, a retired professor of the University of the Philippines – Los Baños, Laguna.
For the Health and Health-Related Cluster: Prof. Daisy R. Palompon of the Cebu Normal University, Cebu City; Dr. Evalyn E. Abalos, appointed member, CHED Technical Committee for Nursing Education; and Dr. Joel Rey U. Acob, an Assistant Professor at Visayas State University, Leyte
The winners at the 17th AIHR are the following:
Natural Sciences Cluster
Professional Category
1st Prize (P20,000) Assoc. Prof. Joey Genevieve Martinez
Influence of Heavy Metals on Nematode Community Structure in Deteriorated Soil by Gold Mining Activities in Sibutad, Southern Philippines
(Joey Genevieve Martinez, Mark Anthony Torres, Giovanni Dos Santos, and Tom Moens)
2nd Prize (P15,000) Prof. Ephrime Metillo
Fisheries and Feeding Biology of Rays (Mobulidae, Chondrichthyes) in Northern Mindanao, Philippines
(Ephrime Metillo, Shirlamaine Irina G. Masangcay, Shannon Arnold)
Graduate Category
1st Prize (P15,000) Mr. Mark Arcebal K. Naive
Exploring Philippines Zingiberaceae: The Genus Etlingera (Alpinieae) in the Island of Mindanao including three taxonomic Novelties
(Mark Arcebal K. Naive, Cesar G. Demayo and Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro)
2nd Prize (P10,000) TIE
Key T. Simfroso
Influence of Solution Precursors on Gas and Photo Sensing Performances of High-temperature Plasma Sprayed ZnO Coatings
(Key T. Simfroso, Mike Angelo C. Kua, Alfredo Q. Liboon, Jr., Angel Lou A. Dagala, Jose Presiphil B. Ontolan, Jr., Reynaldo M. Vequizo, Rolando T. Candidato, Jr., and Lech Pawlowski)
and
Angel Lou Dagala
Fabrication and Characterization of Polyaniline/ITO heterojunction for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Gas Sensing
(Angel Lou Dagala, Jose Presiphil B. Ontolan, Jr., Majvell Kay O. Vequizo, Bianca Rae S. Fabricante, Rolando T. Candidato, Jr., and Reynaldo M. Vequizo)
Undergraduate Category
1st Prize (P15,000) TIE
Jayson R. Pucot
Understanding the Biological and Pharmaceutical Basis of the Ethnomedicinal Plant “Himag” Jacquemontia Paniculata by Qualitative Evaluation of its Bark Ethanolic Extract’s Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities
(Jayson R. Pucot, Muhmin Michael E. Manting, Cesar G. Demayo)
and
Aira Shayne Paculba
Ultrasound-Assisted Synthesis of 2′-Hydroxychalcones and their in situ Conversion to 3-Hydroxyflavones via a Modified One-Pot Tandem Sequential Approach
(Aira Shayne Paculba, Evelyn C. Creencia, D.Sc.)
Engineering Sciences and Technology Cluster
Professional Category
1st Prize (P20,000) Ephraim E. Ibarra
Utilization of Gold Mining Wastes in Ceramic Artware Production
(Ephraim E. Ibarra, Florie Joy Doña, Metzmalou Fuentevilla, and Myla Jane Andrade)
2nd Prize (P15,000) Lori-ann S. Intong-Cabalo
Controlled Permeability and Strength of Red Firing Clay Ceramic Filter Tempered with Iron Rich Oxide Material and Treated Mine Waste
(Lori-ann S. Intong-Cabalo, Ephraim E. Ibarra)
Graduate Category (None)
Undergraduate Category
1st Prize (P10,000) Reah Mae M. Ramos
Fabrication of Ceramic Diffuser for Subsurface Irrigation Application
(Reah Mae M. Ramos, Ephraim E. Ibarra)
2nd Prize (P5,000) Ralph Reynald B. Villaflores
Automated Poultry House: An Implementation of Traditional Knowledge in Raising Native Chicken Using Microcontroller
(Ralph Reynald B. Villaflores, Gerbe R. Baguinbin, George S. Mejos, Ernesto E. Empig, Joel I. Miano)
Social Sciences and Business Cluster
Professional Category
1st Prize (P20,000) Sittie Akima A. Ali
The Journey of Child Soldiers and Their Path in Returning Home
(Sittie Akima A. Ali, David N. Almarez, Ajree D. Malawani, Princess Mae S. Chua, Primitivo III C. Ragandang)
2nd Prize (P15,000) Geraldine P. Go
Examining the Role of Organizational Justice and Teaching Emotions in the Development of Teaching Commitment
(Geraldine P. Go, Imelu G. Mordeno, Jimayma D. Bigcas, Cristine F. Baliton, and Samimah R. Taurac)
Graduate Category
1st Prize (P15,000) Maria Theresa G. Tadena
Integration of the Developed Local-Based Lessons on Environmental Education to Selected Topics in Biology: Effects on the Performance of Grade 8 Learners
(Maria Theresa G. Tadena, Monera Salic-Hairulla)
2nd Prize (P10,000) Gabriel C. Engcong
On the Gender Pay Gap in the Philippines and the Occupational Placement and Educational Attainment Levels of Men and Women in the Labor Force
(Gabriel C. Engcong, Daisy Lou Lim-Polestico, Ph.D., Nicky C. Yungco and John Alfred M. Liwanag)
Undergraduate Category
1st Prize (10,000) Dian M. Silacan
Examining the Latent Factor Structure on Teacher’s Reluctance in Implementing K to 12 Curriculum Program
(Dian M. Silacan, Justine Israel M. Talasan , Sonny Boy O Gabule II, Rizalina G. Gomez and Imelu G. Mordeno)
Health and Health-Related Researches
Professional Category
1st Prize (P20,000) Randy Caga-anan
Optimal Control Theory in Analyzing the Possible Impacts of Dengvaxia and Other Dengue Intervention Strategies
(Randy Caga-anan, Michelle N. Raza)
2nd Prize (P15,000) Fesanmie D. Amarillo
A Study of Psychological Hardiness and Resilience among the First Year Students of Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
(Fesanmie D. Amarillo, Jian Loygin C. Ahito, Raima G. Sangcopan)
Graduate Category (None)
Undergraduate Category
1st Prize (P10,000) Shaira Mae L. Eltanal
HIV AIDS Infotech (HAIT): Its role in Education and Diagnosis
(Shaira Mae L. Eltanal, Patricia Nicole A. Endangan, Cathrene Mae R. Lampara, Clowe D. Jondonero, Jerick Carlo Almeda)
2nd Prize (P5,000) Mylet C. Curilan
Extent of Resilience among First Year Nursing Students: A Basis in Designing a Learning Innovation Tool
(Mylet C. Curilan, Joan Racquel P. Abijay, Francis Anne M. Cantero, Neil M. Martin)
The 5th annual FAB LAB Asia Network (FAN5) Conference held last May 6-11, 2019, in Seoul Innovation Center, South Korea showcased an international variety of innovation cultures and stories from innovation centers around the globe. The delegation from MSU-IIT was among the FAB LAB review presenters with Gideon Emmanuel D. Chiu, a BS Civil Engineering senior from the College of Engineering and Technology showcased the collaborative efforts of the MSU-IIT innovation ecosystem and the role of FAB LAB Mindanao in being a technology access center, training provider and collaboration hub. The MSU-IIT students and FAB LAB Mindanao staff shared their ideas and knowledge anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals and Social Impact. Emphasizing on FAN5’s desire to change the lives of people through innovation, Jay Arniel A. Gajudo from the Institute’s Department of Computer Applications of the College of Computer Studies conducted a workshop on a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle using image recognition for sustainable reforestation.
One of the highlights of FAN5 was the Global Hack-a-thon participated by teams from India, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. The Global Hack-a-thon’s task was to solve urban problems through traditional and digital fabrication methodologies. Gajudo along with FAB LAB Mindanao Internal Operations Manager, Dexter Ken P. Lopera was awarded by the Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Seoul the Bronze Award. With MSU-IIT in full march to attain research university status, participating in FAN5 has created opportunities of international research and innovation collaborations focused on developing solutions to local problems that create impact and empower the communities that together,WE CAN MAKE CHANGE.
