The Pinoy Scientists Newsletter: August 2023
Four Years of Celebrating #PinoyScientists 🎂
It’s been four years since #PinoyScientists first arrived on Instagram 🤯 Starting as a small Tumblr blog in 2012, the initiative has since featured more than 160 scientists from all over the world—gaining more than 56,000 followers combined on Facebook and Instagram.
To start off, we celebrated Pinoy Scientists’ fourth birthday by featuring scientists from the Philippine Space Agency 🌟 and the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research & Development (DOST-PCIEERD) Balik Scientists program 🎫
We then concluded a jam-packed month with a special anniversary event exploring the different career paths available to both our current and aspiring Pinoy Scientists 🎊 Through the two-part panel discussion, P.S. Pathways to Science, we heard from six previous Pinoy Scientists contributors as they talked about their experiences pursuing STEM through the “traditional” academic path and the not-so-traditional careers outside of it.
But wait, there’s more! After months of hard work, we’ve also officially launched pinoyscientists.com—a dedicated website where you can learn more about our initiative and the many amazing contributors who have made Pinoy Scientists what it is now ✨
📱This month in @pinoyscientists
For our anniversary, Pinoy Scientists hosted P.S. Pathways to Science, a two-part panel discussion exploring the varied career paths taken by six of our scientists 🧑🔬
The first panel, entitled Passing with Flying Colors: Finding Success in Academic Research 🏫 featured De La Salle University Associate Professor Chona Camille Abeledo, PhD (@chona.abeledo), founder of SHE-ensya 🧑🏫. She was joined by entomologist Professor Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo, PhD (@aimsdupo) from UP Los Baños 🕷️, as well as astronomer and data scientist Jerome Pitogo de Leon, PhD (@ed.xplore) from the University of Tokyo 🛰️ Some takeaways from their session are:
Academics may get you far, but creativity gets you further. So brush up on skills you find outside the classroom!
Find your niche and your passion will guide you forward ☝️
For every opportunity you get, leave the door open for the ones that come after you 🚪
What’s most important in science is attitude, curiosity, and responsibility.
Every scientist is a life-long learner 🤓
For the second panel, The Road Less Traveled: Alternative Paths in Science, we featured forensic anthropologist Matthew Go, PhD (@tamatgo) from the American Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency 🦴 Joining him were Ms. Tara Alessandra Abrina (@taraabrina) from the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies 📈 and Ms. Aissa Domingo (@aissa_domingo), an artist and photographer from the National Museum of the Philippines 🎨 Some valuable insights they brought to the table are:
Develop your unique skills and seize opportunities. Technical mastery gets you through the door, but good communication keeps you there 🗣️
Sometimes what makes you different, makes you an asset.
Age is just a number. It’s never too late to pursue an alternative path to STEM even if you didn’t start out there.
Making mistakes is part of the process. Be flexible, learn, and always try again.
Be open to feedback and constructive criticism 🤝
If you didn’t catch it, you can watch a recording of the panel on Vimeo via this link:
🔙In case you missed it
What if waterbenders 🌊 and airbenders 🌬 are actually just…scientists🤔 Mark Jayson Felix (@mjbfelix) is a Senior Science Research Specialist under the Earth Sciences Space Mission Studies Division at the Philippine Space Agency 🌏 where he uses his expertise in remote sensing to investigate water quality and air-water interactions 💧
How can we power the future? 🔋 Tackling that question is chemical engineer Lawrence A. Limjuco, PhD (@renz0zner), a senior lecturer at UP Diliman where he teaches materials science and chemical engineering 👨🏻🏫 As a Balik Scientist, he uses his hard-earned knowledge to spearhead DOST projects that analyze potential materials for next-generation batteries and craft policies for waste-to-energy sustainability ♻️
🤔 Where are they now?
Gracile “Gee” Roxas (@glycylserine) first took over in May 2020. At the time, she was a Science Research Specialist at the National Historical Commission of the Philippines 🖼️ and was working as a junior conservator under her apprenticeship with Artemis Art Restoration Services where she restored paintings and artworks 🖌️
Three years later and she’s still upping her conservation skills, now studying at the University of Glasgow under their Master of Philosophy - Textile Conservation 👗 program through the British Council’s Chevening Scholarship. She had just recently concluded her dissertation studying the lightfastness of the historically used aniline blue dye 🎉
📝Research refresh
Perceiving polychromic peptides 🌈 Filipino researchers at the University of California, Irvine and the Georgia Institute of Technology studied how adding different charged peptide chains to polydiacetylene (PDA) changes its color-changing properties in response to heat and other stimuli for sensing applications. Read here.
Raising resilient rice 🌾 Working in a team at Pennsylvania State University, Filipino scientist Christian F. Cantos investigated the impact of extra-large G proteins on various maize and rice characteristics such as plant growth, leaf size, harvest yield, and stress tolerance, among others. Read here.
Fiery climate consequences 🌳 Bernard Peter O. Saipan and Diomedes A. Racelis from the University of the Philippines Los Baños assessed the vulnerability of forested regions in Northern Luzon to fires and landslides within the context of the changing climate for use in disaster preparedness and climate change mitigation. Read here.
Holding heavy metals 🧪 Scientist Jeffrey Paulo H. Perez was part of a group at the German Research Center for Geosciences that studied the capacity of vivianite, a hydrated iron (II) phosphate, to sequester arsenic in oxygen-poor, iron-rich environments both for its implications in ancient and modern geochemistry and its potential applications for environmental contamination. Read here.
Rare earth riches 🪨 In an effort to make use of phosphogypsum, a byproduct of phosphate ore processing, a research team from the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Nuclear Research Institute developed a method to extract rare earth metals from the underutilized resource. Read here.
🎓Study opportunities
[SCHOLARSHIP] InLife Insular Foundation is offering the Gold Eagle College Scholarship Grant to incoming 1st year college students from University of the Philippines - Diliman and other selected universities. Deadline: September 10. Click here.
[SCHOLARSHIP] Fulbright Philippines is accepting applicants to the 2024 - 2025 Fulbright U.S. - ASEAN Visiting Scholar Program from university faculty, government officials, professionals from the private sector, think tanks, and NGOs. Deadline: October 31. Click here.
[SCHOLARSHIP] The Philippine Science Agency is offering the AD ASTRA scholarship to local graduate students joining programs in disciplines related to space science, technology, and applications for the second semester. Deadline: October 31. Click here.
[SCHOLARSHIP] Chevening is offering the Chevening Scholarship to students pursuing a one-year Master’s degree in the United Kingdom. Applications open September 12 for 2024/25. Click here.
[SCHOLARSHIP] Landbank is beginning the Iskolar ng LANDBANK Program to provide scholarships to children or grandchildren of an agrarian reform beneficiary or small farmer/fisher for tertiary education in select courses. Click here.
[SCHOLARSHIP] STI is offering an Open Scholarship Program to provide partial and full scholarship grants to incoming senior high and first year college students. Click here.
💼 Work opportunities
[JOB] The Philippine Space Agency is looking for the following. Deadline: September 5. Click here.
Chief Science Research Specialist for the Space Data Mobilization and Applications Division: Master’s degree or Certificate in Leadership and Management from the CSC with a Master’s degree in Engineering or Science.
Chief Science Research Specialist for the Space Mission Control and Operations Division: Master’s degree or Certificate in Leadership and Management from the CSM with a Master’s degree in Engineering or Science.
Science Research Specialist II for the Spacecraft Payload and Communications Systems Development Division: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Science such as Aerospace Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Physics, or other related fields.
Two Science Research Specialists I for the Spacecraft Electrical and Computing Systems Development Division: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Science such as Aerospace Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or other related fields.
Two Science Research Specialists I for the Space Education and Scholarships Division: Bachelor’s degree in Education with specialization in STEM track, educational administration, or other related fields or a Bachelor’s degree in any science, engineering, communication, or related fields.
[JOB] International Rice Research Institute is looking for a Senior Associate Scientist - Plant Breeding with a PhD in related fields and 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree in related fields and 6 years of relevant experience. Deadline: September 12. Click here.
[JOB] DOST - Industrial Technology Development Institute is looking for the following:
[JOB] DOST - Food and Nutrition Research Institute is looking for a Science Research Specialist II (Php 38,150/mo) with a Bachelor’s degree and 1 year of experience relevant to the job. Click here.
[JOB] DOST - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development is looking for a Science Research Specialist I (Php 31,320/mo) with a Bachelor’s degree relevant to the job. Click here.
[JOB] DOST - Science Education Institute is looking for a Technical Specialist I with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Information Technology, or Computer Science. Click here.
[JOB] Ecosecurities is looking for a Project Finance (Climate Finance) Senior Associate in Indonesia and Philippines with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, or Engineering. Click here.
[JOB] Oscar M. Lopez Center is looking for a Research Specialist - Climate and Impacts with a Bachelor’s degree in Climate Science, Environmental Science, Statistics, or other related fields and at least 3 years relevant work experience. Click here.
[JOB] The Philippine Genome Center is looking for the following. Click here:
Core Facility for Bioinformatics
University Researcher II (SG 16): Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Computation, or any related fields.
University Researcher II (SG 18): Master’s degree plus 12 units of advanced graduate work completed in Life Sciences, Computation, or any related fields.
University Research III (SG 20): Master’s degree plus 24 units of advanced graduate work completed in Life Sciences, Computation, or any related fields.
Protein, Proteomics, and Metabolomics Facility
Project Technical Specialist I (SG 16): Doctor of Medicine (MD) or licensed physician with at least 1 year experience employment in a related field.
Project Technical Specialist I (SG 16): Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or any related field, preferably with MSc.
Project Technical Aide VI (SG 9): Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Nursing or Medical Technology.
Faculty Member: PhD in Molecular Biology, Computer Science, or related fields and a strong publication record.
*Amounts listed are based on the Salary Grade Table 2023. For exact figures, please contact the HR offices of the institutions listed.
🗓️Upcoming events
[ONSITE] September 4 - 8: 20th Asian Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering (Manila). Register here.
[ONLINE] September 21: Oscar M. Lopez Center Rising: The Future of Climate and Business. Register here.
[ONSITE] Molecular Biology Hands-On Training of the UP Diliman National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UP Diliman, Manila). Sensing form here.
🌏 International events
[ONSITE] September 1 Submission Deadline; November 21 - 24: 24th International Conference on Formal Engineering Methods (Brisbane, Australia). Register here.
[ONSITE] September 5 Submission Deadline; December 14 - 16: 9th International Conference on Mechatronics System and Robots (Singapore). Register here.
[ONSITE] September 10 Submission Deadline; December 13 - 15: 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (Marina Bay Sands, Singapore). Register here.
[HYBRID] September 15 Submission Deadline; November 29 - December 1: International Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference. Register here.
[ONSITE] September 29 Submission Deadline; December 18 - 20: The 17th KIPS International Conference on Ubiquitous Information Technologies and Applications. Register here.
If you have feedback regarding PS Pathways To Science, our website, or suggestions for future events, hit us up via the contact page on our website or info@pinoyscientists.com! 🤗
Thanks for reading,
The Pinoy Scientists Team
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