TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN – The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), in cooperation with the Outstanding Young Scientists, Inc. (OYSI) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region II, conducted two training-workshops of the Research Upgrading and Performance Evaluation project of NAST PHL at the Cagayan State University – Andrews Campus, Tuguegarao City. The activities aim to enable researchers to implement research projects and produce scientific paper that can be published in international refereed journals.

The Training-Workshop on Writing and Presenting Research Proposals Towards Building Science Culture, attended by 108 participants from various government institutions and state universities, was conducted on August 29-30, 2019.

Dr. Maribel L. Dionisio-Sese, Focal Person and Past President of OYSI and Professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), welcomed the participants of the training-workshop followed by the brief discussion about DOST and its projects by Engr. Sancho A. Mabborang, Regional Director of DOST Region II.

NAST PHL Director Luningning E. Samarita-Domingo discussed the background, mandates, functions, and members of NAST PHL, while OYSI Vice President and Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Dr. Windell L. Rivera, explained the objectives and mechanics of the training-workshop.

Lecture presentations and discussions were given by notable resource persons namely: Dr. Cecilia P. Reyes, Auditor of OYSI and Professor and Program Manager of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) ALIGN R&D Projects of Cagayan State University - Tuguegarao, discussed the topic on Building a Culture of Research in the Region and Priority R&D Agenda of Funding Agencies; Dr. Dionisio-Sese tackled the Research Proposal Preparation; Dr. Claro N. Mingala, Member of OYSI and Scientist III of Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), lectured about how to develop the Methodology, Gantt Chart, and Budget; Dr. Rivera discussed about the Presenting the Research Proposal; and lastly, Acd. Mudjekeewis D. Santos, Academician of NAST PHL, Board Member of OYSI, and Scientist II of National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), encouraged the participants to do research by presenting the Rewards of Research.

Each topic was followed by 30-minute mentoring workshops wherein the participants were assisted by the resource speakers. The second day of the activity was conducted primarily for the presentation of group outputs by the participants and critiquing. The directors of Philippine S&T Centers in Region II were present to give suggestions and recommendations on the proposal presented along with the OYSI technical panel of experts.

Special awards were given to three best proposals. The Best Title was given to “Kilig to the Mix: Development of Powdered Santol Flesh as Sinigang Mix” from CSU Sanchez Mira Campus, while the Best Presenter went to “Isolation and Molecular Identification of Selected Microorganisms with Growth Promoting Activity from Fish Amino Acid (FAA)” from Quirino State University. The Best Paper was given to “Uong ti Cagayan Valley: Exploring the Nutraceutical Potential of Selected Wild Edible Mushrooms of Cagayan Valley Region” from ISU- Echague Campus.

On the other hand, the seminar workshop on Enhancing the Research/Thesis Writing Teaching Capabilities of Special Science School Teachers was attended by 66 participants composed of high school teachers from different schools in the region.

Various lecture presentations and workshops were also given and facilitated by reputable speakers namely: Dr. Dionisio-Sese who discussed the Ethics of Research; Dr. Wilfredo A. Dumale, Jr., Member of OYSI and Professor and Vice President for Research Extension and Training of Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), who discussed the topic on Identifying a Research Problem and Writing the Introduction and Review of Literature; Dr. Roel R. Suralta, Board Member of OYSI and Scientist II of Philippine Rice Research Institute, who tackled the topic on Designing the Methodologies; Dr. Jessie Pascual P. Bitog, Member of OYSI and Professor and Dean of NVSU, who discussed the topic on Writing the Results and Discussion; and, Dr. Richard S. Lemence, Member of OYSI and Research Fellow at the Far Eastern University (FEU), who lectured about the Statistics in Method Design and Data Analysis. (Dhan Michael L. dela Peña/NAST).