Public school students were cited in a virtual ceremony Friday for their outstanding research and innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
In celebration of the National Science and Technology Week, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) conferred the 2020 GBF Young Scientist Award (YSA) to 12 students whose outstanding research and innovations won top awards in the Department of Education National Science and Technology Fair (NSTF) 2020 and carried the Philippine flag in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, the awardees were recognized in a virtual conferment ceremony held via Zoom and streamed on GBF's Facebook page.
This year’s awardees are from Juan R. Liwag Memorial High School in Gapan City, Bansud National High School in Oriental Mindoro, Iloilo National High School, Negros Occidental National Science High School, and Caloocan National Science and Technology High School.
GBF General Manager and Trustee Lisa Gokongwei Cheng led the conferment of awards to the students.
Officials of the DepEd and the GBF congratulated the awardees and reiterated their support to young people who wish to pursue careers related to STEM.
“In order to lift up our economy, we need STEM-minded students,” said DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn D. R. Andaya. “We need more of these students who wish to pursue STEM-related careers,” she added.
GBF Executive Director Grace Colet also congratulated this year's GBF Young Scientist Awardees for their “admirable” works.
“By recognizing these young scientists and sharing about their work through this celebration, we hope to inspire more young people to appreciate STEM research, and seek innovations that help their own communities,” Colet said. “Now more than ever, we would want our learners to realize the crucial importance of STEM and for them to be encouraged to be movers in these fields,” she added.
As DepEd partner for NSTF for two years now, Cheng said that it is among GBF's commitments to send overseas the Philippine delegates to ISEF and to recognize them as GBF YSA.
Established in 2019, GBF YSA recognizes Filipino youth demonstrating global excellence in STEM. The GBF YSA recognition comes with a STEM college scholarship. Cheng noted GBF honors this year's awardees with “hopes of inspiring more young people to aspire to become scientists and innovators themselves.”
The conferment event highlighted the awardees' works and research journey and featured encouraging words from education leaders and renowned Filipino scientist and ISEF alumna, Dr. Reinabelle Reyes.
Recipients of the GBF Young Scientist Award 2020 are:
- Marvince Araneta and Lorraine Joy Bales from the Iloilo NHS. Concerned about water quality in some of their nearby communities and the high cost of water sample testing, they developed a portable device that detects the presence of mercury and lead and in water. Utilizing carbon quantum dots, their prototype won them the top award in DepEd NSTF 2020 Physical Science Team Category.
- Ray Vincent Pelayo and Gerardo Rafael Tallador also from the Iloilo NHS. They studied nipa palm sap as a potential source of lactic acid bacteria with DNA protective properties against free radicals that trigger cancer development and other degenerative diseases. Their study on nipa palm, an abundant and usually disregarded material in their locality, garnered them one of the top awards in the DepEd NSTF 2020 Life Science Team Category.
- Franklin Razon from Bansud National High School- Regional Science High School for Mimaropa. Using dried patola, coconut husk, arduino modules, PVC pipes, and other repurposed materials, he developed a device that may be used in oil spill cleanup. Controlled by a smartphone via bluetooth, his prototype designed to float and retrieve oil from water won him the top award in the DepEd NSTF 2020 Robotics and Intelligent Machines Individual Category.
- Marian Ledesma from the Negros Occidental National Science HS. Shewas honored for studying the potential of EDTA-MGO, a magnetic nanoadsorbent from graphite, in removing organic pollutants from water and making the adsorbent easily retrievable after use. Her research that may have potential use in improvement of water purification systems won her the top award in the DepEd NSTF 2020 Physical Science Individual Category.
- Adoniram Balagtas, Chloe Heather Ellano, and Thea Marie Lumabi from the Caloocan National Science and Technology HS. Motivated to contribute to improving road safety for motorcycle riders, the students developed an Arduino-based anti-theft, alcohol-sensing, and collision-sensing helmet. Their prototype programmed to have driver protection features won them the top award in the DepEd NSTF 2020 Robotics and Intelligent Machines Team Category.
- Arabelle Santos, Jesscel Mae Libiran, and Giuliana Anupol from Juan R. Liwag Memorial HS. Using fruit flies as their subject, they studied the potential of takip-kuhol plant in possibly reducing alcohol dependency and mitigating the effects of alcoholism. Their study won one of the top awards in the DepEd NSTF 2020 Life Science Team Category.
The 2020 GBY YSA honorees were proponents of the top six research projects in the DepEd NSTF 2020 last March. A highly competitive science fair, only top winners from the school, division, and regional levels advance to the nationals.
After a rigorous screening process, the projects were deemed qualified to enter ISEF, the world's largest pre-college science research fair convening over 1,800 students from 80 countries annually. Last year, GBF sent the Philippine delegates to ISEF in Arizona where a team from Angeles City National High School received honorable mention.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers cancelled this year's May competition in Anaheim, California and resorted to holding a virtual gathering in June.