Wednesday, January 16, 2008 6 projects vie for BPI awards
A POTENTIAL source for alternative fuel. Early detection mechanisms for devastating illnesses such as cancer. These are just some of the research projects of budding Filipino scientists vying for this year's much-coveted BPI-DOST "Best Project of the Year" Awards.
A joint undertaking of the BPI Foundation, Inc. and the Department of Science and Technology (Dost), the annual competition aims to recognize and provide incentives to graduating students in selected colleges/universities who excel in specialized fields of science, namely: mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science and biology.
Now on its fourth year, exceptional science and engineering students from BPI Foundation's 10 partner-universities nationwide vie for the "Best Project of the Year Awards."
This year's six finalists were chosen from a crop of 29 projects and they are: Mary Ann S. Ngo, BS Computer Science with specialization in software technology, De La Salle University, for her research project "ACT: Adaptive Compression Technique"; Carla Gisela Ysabel P. Concepcion, BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of the Philippines-Diliman, for "Cloning of Alcyonium Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) as a Potential Tracker of Cancer Metastasis";
Christina Lora M. Leyson, BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, UP Diliman, for "Heterologuos Expression of Abaca Bunchy Top Virus (ABTV) Coat Protein (CP) Gene and Production of Antibodies for ABTV Early Detection";
Nonoy B. Bandillo, BS Agriculture, UP Los Baños, for "Molecular Profiling of Breeding Lines Derived from the Cross Oryza Sativa L. X O. Rufipogon Grief";
Amanda D. Encallado, BS Applied Physics, University of San Carlos, for "Three-Dimensional Surface Reconstruction of Lenses Through Fourier Domain Analysis of Interferograms"; and Juan Paulo M. Antonio, BS Chemical Engineering, University of Santo Tomas, for "Extraction, Transesterification, and Characterization of Bitaog (Calophyllum Inophyllum) Seed Oil as Source of Biofuel."
The six projects will be presented on January 18 at the Bank of the Philippine Islands Head Office in Makati City. The top three projects will be awarded on the same date.
Aside from giving cash incentives to the top three winners, the first-prize winner is offered a research grant of P200,000.
Alexander Edward S. Dy, a senior BS Biology student of the University of the Philippines, won the "Best Project of the Year Awards" for 2007 for developing an inexpensive test kit that helps in the early detection of amoebiasis through the patient's saliva.
Awarding ceremonies for the BPI-DOST Science Awards will also take place in BPI Foundation's 10 partner-universities nationwide on the following dates: Xavier University (February 6), Ateneo de Davao University (February 8), University of Santo Tomas (February 13), Saint Louis University (February 15), UP-Diliman (February 20), De La Salle University (February 21), University of San Carlos (February 26), Silliman University (February 28), Ateneo de Manila University (March 5), and UP Los Baños (March 7).
