Category: NEWS & EVENTS

At first glance, the field of agricultural biotechnology (agri biotech) does not seem to have any relation at all to fighting a pandemic. But according to Dr. Flerida A. Cariño, professor of biochemistry at UP Diliman, agri biotech has a bigger role in countering the current COVID-19 crisis than most people realize.

She said that the techniques and tools used in agri biotech are the same ones used in molecular biology and biotechnology, a field that facilitates virus detection, disease management and treatment, and development of vaccines and therapeutics.

How risky are your job and workplace in this time of COVID-19 pandemic?

You can calculate this using job and workplace risk calculators developed by UPLB biomathematicians based at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics (IMSP) of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The two modeling tools called the Job Risk Calculator and the Workplace Outbreak Simulator, provide answers to these crucial questions in just a few clicks. These two platforms are free and can be accessed online.

The virtual discussion addresses the challenges, issues, and concerns that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are experiencing as they transition into a digital mode of delivery of education, and their varied ways of managing and coping with learning disruptions in the current higher education environment.

Mayor Arlene B. Arcillas of the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna and Mayor Rex T. Gatchalian of Valenzuela City narrated how PPP enabled their local government units (LGUs) to conduct targeted testing, establish the needed isolation facilities and diagnostic laboratories, and distribute more relief goods in these critical times.

The two talked about their COVID-19 management strategies during the Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies (CSPPS) Policy Webinar Series on June 29.

A molecular epidemiologist from UPLB explained how pandemics, such as COVID-19, are caused by declining biodiversity.

Dr. Mary Grace B. Dacuma, an assistant professor at the Animal Biology Division of the Institute of Biological Sciences, discussed this during the third leg of the Biodiversity and Resiliency Webinar Series of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) on June 19.

Dr. Dacuma, a PhD holder from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, shed light on the concept of pathogen spillover, or the transmission of the agents of infectious diseases such as virus, to humans.

The UPLB COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (UPLB-CMDL) received today, June 29, its certification as a molecular laboratory that can perform independent testing for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) by Realtime PCR from the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM).

Along with this, it was issued a license to operate for the year 2020 by the DOH Health Facilities and Service Regulatory Bureau.

More leaders of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country are sharing their respective ideas and experiences in this time of COVID-19 pandemic using a platform that UPLB has initiated. On the third leg of the UPLB Graduate School’s (GS) Zoom webinar series entitled “Reimagining higher and graduate education: business as usual or new normal?” on […]

As schools and colleges everywhere reel from the impacts of COVID-19, exploring efficient methods to continue delivery of education has become an urgent task. At the webinar entitled “Reimagining higher and graduate education: business as usual or new normal?” education experts and administrators talked about flexible and remote learning, which have since been considered as […]

A fundraising project was launched on Jun. 15 to benefit communities near the UP College of Fine Arts (CFA).

Dubbed as “#TulongSining,” the project is an initiative of Sining Fine Art (ASFA), an affiliate organization of the university-wide cultural national-democratic mass organization Alay Sining.

Through #TulongSining, ASFA artist members will accept commissioned works except requests that are considered NSFW (not safe for work) or hate speech.  The participating artists’ portfolios can be viewed at the ASFA’s Facebook page.

The seven new Outstanding Young Scientists from UP are: Dr. Jaime Alfonso M. Aherrera (UP Manila); Dr. Aries A. Arugay (UP Diliman); Dr. Marlon T. Conato (UP Diliman); Dr. Remil L. Galay (UP Los Baños); Dr. Francis Norman C. Paraan (UP Diliman); Dr. Betchaida D. Payot (UP Diliman); and, Dr. Rodney H. Perez (UP Los Baños).

They were chosen based on: the quality and number of scientific works and publications; contributions to the advancement of science in general and in the Philippines; and, contributions to the well-being of the Philippine economy and culture.