Catching up in S&T

PUSHING FOR GOOD SCIENCE (From left) Ricardo Laguda, William Padolina, DLSU’s Josephine Borja and Drexel Camacho and Raymond Tan

MANILA, Philippines—An increasingly globalized economy, characterized not only by increased connectedness but also tough competition, innovation, resource shortages and a pressing need to protect the environment, has sharpened the focus on science and technology (S&T), complemented by good, rigorous and relevant research.

This was evident at the recent 2014 DLSU Research Congress organized by De La Salle University to showcase studies undertaken by students, educators and researchers of the university and other educational institutions.

This year’s theme was “Toward Rigorous, Relevant and Socially Responsive Lasallian Research.”

Keynote speaker Dr. William Padolina, president of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and former secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), laid out the tasks for the country’s researchers and S&T people as he drew a brief sketch of the current S&T situation in the Philippines, how the nation compared to its Asian neighbors and what needed to be done in a world of more intense competition and growing shortages.

“Science and technology,” Padolina said, “are vital for good governance, stability and human capital. [A] technically skilled population is a prerequisite for economic well-being and wealth sustainability and [general] well-being.”

Tools and means

He said S&T could contribute to national development by providing the country the tools and means to confront the challenges of globalization and empowerment while responding to the needs of the economically disadvantaged.

The NAST president stressed the need for “a technology-explicit development agenda that recognized the role of science and technology” for such tasks as promoting economic efficiency, ensuring food security, assuring a quality workforce, enhancing environmental protection, and reducing the destructive effects of hazards and disasters.

To accomplish this, however, the S&T workforce, as described by Padolina, appeared seriously in need of an infusion of young blood.

Padolina pointed out that, based on DOST figures, almost

50 percent of S&T researchers in higher education institutions, which had 51 percent of the research workforce, were ages 41 to 61 and above. Only 31.4 percent were 40 years old and below.

Most research work, 30.6 percent, was in agricultural sciences (to be expected in a still primarily agricultural country), followed by social sciences at 25.2 percent. Research in natural sciences and engineering and technology accounted for only 18.3 and 13.7 percent, respectively.

Worst performer

Among Asian schools, the Philippines had the worst performance in science education, registering 4.13 in 2009 in an index from 0 to 10. This was an improvement of only 0.42 in 14 years over 1995’s 3.71.

While science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as a group had a total enrollment of 1,215,060 in school year 2012-2013 over the social sciences’ 1,056,413, information technology (IT) accounted for 34 percent of the total. Engineering and technology had a total enrollment of 406,965. Mathematics majors only numbered 13,860.

As for STEM graduates, of the total 225,136 in 2011-2012, 80,487 had degrees in medical and allied disciplines and 67,727 in IT. The number of doctoral degree graduates, as of Jan. 7, 2013, was only 8,543.

The need for stronger S&T education was highlighted by Padolina’s stress on the importance of innovation to develop new or improved products, services, processes, organizational structures or business models for higher financial returns and more value for customers.

While competition was unavoidable in a globalized economy, he also stressed the importance of collaboration, partnerships and connectedness.

The scientist said new tools—and new sciences, many of them the so-called “ics” like geonomics and bioinformatics—had emerged to make S&T’s contributions to national development even more crucial.

He encouraged his audience of researchers to participate in the events that were occurring and the initiatives that were unfolding, saying their input would contribute even in small ways in achieving national goals.

Good governance and good science would involve convergence, partnerships and timeliness, he said.

Marine biologist Dr. Edgardo Gomez, University of the Philippines Diliman professor emeritus and founding director of the UP Marine Science Institute who keynoted the second day of the conference, emphasized that rigor was of utmost importance “for relevant and socially responsive research.”

He laid down the conditions and prerequisites for good research based on his own experience and through observation of the work of world-class research institutes.

DLSU fellows conducted a discussion similar to the well-known TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) talks.

Dr. Esperanza Cabrera dispelled the notion that all microbes were bad while

Dr. Tereso Tullao Jr. defended the change in the school calendar,  scheduling the opening of classes in August instead of June, which was being adopted by an increasing number of academic institutions. Academic Alvin Culaba discussed the potential of microalgae as alternative energy source, while Dr. Elmer Dadios showed how robots could be fun and almost as intelligent as, if not wiser than, humans.

DLSU president and chancellor Br. Ricardo Laguda, FSC, in his message in the congress’ souvenir program, pointed to the need for research that was not only relevant and socially responsive to current and pressing needs but also “must go through a rigorous process that requires patience, discipline, resourcefulness, impartiality, imagination, collaboration and dynamism.”

He said research was meant “to create new knowledge … in the words of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, to ‘leave this world a little better than you found it.’”

Dr. Raymond T. Tan, vice chancellor for research and innovation and whose office organized the congress, said research had become one of the reasons for DLSU’s existence and scientific inquiry was crucial to its aspiration to become a 21st century research university.

The two-day conference featured colloquia, plenary and technical sessions, research development sessions and a workshop.

“Questions,” a compilation of DLSU faculty research projects and creative endeavors, was launched during the congress.

Over 200 research papers addressing key issues and problems in the Philippines were made available. Research topics were food, nutrition and health; sustainability, environment and energy; women, children and family; living culture and contemporary societies; learners and learning innovations; human-centric technology; entrepreneurship, business and management; and theoretical, philosophical and historical studies.