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SciTech

Kids flock to DOST's SyenSaya in UPLB


Despite the heavy downpour, hundreds of students from different schools in Laguna lined up outside of the EB Copeland Gymnasium on July 31 to visit the province’s version of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) National Science and Technology Week, dubbed "SyenSaya 2013."

 
Organized by the Los Baños Science Community Foundation Inc. (LBSCFI), SyenSaya 2013 also adopted this year’s National Science and Technology Week’s theme, “S&T toward a smarter science community.”
 
The celebration was marked by the opening of an exhibit of research efforts and projects of LBSCFI member institutions, including robots for land use, photography, and surveillance purposes from Itera Robota, Inc.; a portable physics laboratory concept from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB); various soaps, cleaners, and other products from UPLB BioTech; a sample Automated Weather Station; and research findings on best practices for disaster risk reduction and management.
 
One of the most popular exhibits was the corn kernel remover from the Agricultural Mechanization Development Program of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering at UPLB. Even elementary school kids gathered around to see how a simple cylindrical metallic tool can remove kernels from the corn cob with ease.
 
In another exhibit showcasing native fruits, students were asked to sing a version of the folk song “Bahay Kubo” using the edited lyrics featuring our very own native fruits, including balimbing (star fruit), durian, and mangosteen. The students participated enthusiastically and won some loot from the booth.
 
SyenSaya 2013, celebrated from July 31 to Aug. 2, also features a technology forum and an award for the outstanding research project of the year. Last year’s recipient of the Outstanding Research and Development Project is UPLB’s research on the prevalence of American Foulbrood Disease of Honey Bee. (Note: pending pa ang name ng nanalo. Will send it asap)
 
“Ang mga activities na ito ay naglalayong lalong mapalakas at mapasigla ang pagtutulungan ng mga ahensiyang kasapi at gayundin upang maging daan ang mga programa ng Los Baños Science Community Foundation na mag-i-stimulateng sense and culture of science and research not only sa mga scientists but also the young minds of our students,” said UPLB Chancellor and LSCFI president Dr. Rex Victor Cruz.
 
Cruz also said that the main goal of SyenSaya 2013 is to encourage students to get a career in the sciences for it is what the country needs for economic development. This activity has been LBSCFI’s annual tradition for six years now.
 
Also present during the opening of the program was DOST Undersecretary Carol Yorobe, who delivered a speech on behalf of DOST Secretary Mario Montejo.
 
Established in 1984, LBSCFI is composed of 23 member public and private agencies promoting science including the Philippine Rice Research Institute, ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, Trace College, Laguna Water District, UPLB and DOST’s PCAARD or the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development. — TJD, GMA News
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