Author: Padayon UP

Under the MOU, the agency will seek the expertise of UPLB’s Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) for seeds and the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) for biotechnology inputs.

UPLB-IPB will undertake programs supporting the production of seeds, scions, stocks, plantations, fruits, vegetables, legumes, root crops, rice, corn, cassava, and adlai.

Meanwhile, UPLB-NIMBB will support the production of biofertilizers, feed ingredients or supplements, probiotics, and other products of biotechnology.

University of the Philippines (UP) scientists have saved the world’s only freshwater sardine locally known as “tawilis” (Sardinella tawilis) from possible extinction.

The Filipino scientists of the UP Los Baños – Limnological Station (UPLB-LS) successfully conserved a number of tawilis away from Taal Lake in Batangas province, where it is known to be endemic, to ensure the survival of the endangered freshwater fish species in the case of a volcanic eruption.

The Diploma in/Master of Research and Development Management (D/MR&DM) program is now running a two-month training course program (with synchronous and asynchronous sessions) on Research and Development Management. This training program, titled “Research Capacity Building Program for Makapuno/Agriculture Researchers and Community Extension Workers” is part of the Continuing Education Program (CEP) courses of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS).

The satellite facilities of the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center in Visayas and Mindanao are now capable of sequencing samples, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Tuesday.

In a statement, UP-PGC executive director Cynthia Saloma said the mutations of the virus remain unpredictable.

“We need genomic biosurveillance to help keep our health system ready for any possible new variants and to track the behavior of existing ones. PGC’s network in Luzon, and now Visayas and Mindanao supports this,” Saloma said.

Dr. Jaifred Christian Lopez, an independent health consultant and board member of the Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians, said that the formation of campaign committees in different localities can be a venue for coordination. 

The Continuing Education and Training Division of the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) held an In-house Training on Clear and Effective Writing for Straight News and Feature Articles on 3 March 2022. About 33 faculty members, researchers, and students participated in the online event. This in-house training aimed to capacitate SESAM Staff and students on how to conceptualize and produce news and feature articles for upload to UPLB and SESAM website.

PGC Mindanao, in collaboration with Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) Sub-National Laboratory and the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the Department of Health Region (DOH) 11, successfully sequences its first samples for SARS-CoV-2 biosurveillance using Next Generation Sequencing technology.

“That there was at least a 50% increase in the use of telemedicine services in 2020 from pre-pandemic levels in urban areas, but not so much in rural areas,” Raymond Francis R. Sarmiento, director of the National Telehealth Center at the University of the Philippines-Manila, said in a Zoom interview.

The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) and the Guimaras State College (GSC) will conduct a series of co-mentoring activities related to tourism, management, business, governance, research, and sustainability.

The partnership was formalized through a virtual signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) held last Feb 18, 2022 led by Dr. Clement Camposano, UP Visayas chancellor; and Dr. Lilian Diana Parreño, GSC president.

Electric tricycle and electric vehicle (EV) drivers and owners in Quezon City (QC) now have three additional places to charge their vehicles on the road, with the inauguration of a network of rapid-charging stations for EVs in three locations in QC. 

The QC Solar Electric Vehicle Charging Network is composed of three rapid electric vehicle charging – Charging in Minutes (CharM) fast-charging stations located at key points in QC where electric vehicles (EVs) such as electric scooters and e-trikes can charge for free.