Tuesday, May 29, 2007 |
News
Other than gaining self-prestige as notable young student scientists, winners of the recently concluded 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) told media last week that promoting science research in the Philippines was their main motivator behind their projects.
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Intel ISEF 2007 winners attend a media briefing May 23, Mezze Restaurant, |
"We are very proud to win for our country among over 1,400 delegates coming from different parts around the world," said Luiji John Karlo Suarez from
Mr. Suarez won a $1,000 scholarship award from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance/The Lemel-son Foundation for his research that showed the potential of bacteria from fishes in killing other bacteria that destroys 60% of rice crops. His mother, a science teacher, acted as adviser for his work.
Mr. Suarez was one of six Filipino incoming college freshmen who made it to the prestigious Intel ISEF held in
ISEF is the world’s largest pre-college science competition, which brings together 1,500 young scientists from various countries to showcase cutting-edge science and compete for over $4 million in awards and scholarships.
Participants were from 9th to 12 graders — equivalent to third to fourth year high school students in the
Joining Mr. Suarez in bringing home accolades for the Filipinos is Melvyn Carlo Barroa, one of the seven recipients of a Fourth Award of $500 in Microbiology for his project on a potential antibiotic from body secretions of fishes.
Mr. Barroa, a graduate of
Team project
But for the team of Ivy Razel Ventura, Janine Cindy Santiago, and Mara Elaine Villaverde from the Philippine Science High School-Main campus in
The fourth awards were given to all finalists who did not make it to the top three awards though there were several recipients of the top three awards as well.
There were 17 categories in the annual awards, each with four places to compete excluding the Intel Best in Category award. Other top awards are the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award, the Seaborg SIYSS (Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar) Award, the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, and the MILSET- Expo-Science International award. More than 500 Intel ISEF participants received the prizes and grants.
But only three Intel Foundation Young Scientist awardees were selected and awarded $50,000 college scholarships each Dayan Li, Philip Streich and Dmitry Vaintrob, all from the United States of America.
Hester Mana Umayam of the Philippine Science High School-Cagayan Valley campus was one of the seven finalists for the Fourth Award of $500 in the Behavioral and Social Sciences category.
Ms. Umayam said she was inspired by the Kalinga culture and the drive to preserve it so she wrote a mathematical study on the geometric patterns of the Kalinga woven fabrics and its socio-cultural implications. Through the woven fabrics, we can see that mathematics is innate with the Kalinga people, she said.
To prepare for the international event, the Department of Education organized the 10th Intel Philippine Science fair last February in which over 7,000 entries were received. It is where the winning Filipino projects of Intel ISEF emerged.
Since 1998, the
However, these award-winning researches are in danger of neglect.
Intel still does not have an institutionalized program to take care of these projects, said Jay Tulao, education manager of Intel Technologies Philippines.
But Intel provides the researches endorsements in agencies like the Department of Science and Technology and some past winners of Intel ISEF had successfully secured patents for their works, said Maria Theresa Pacis, communications manager at Intel. — Marie Jeanette P. Cordero
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