Here is a LINK TO A YouTube VIDEO about the Dynamic Learning Program
that Chris and Marivic Bernido have developed. It describes details of
the program and reports dramatic improvements in the performance of
their students as measured by national tests. The Bernidos are PAASE members. MORE
First Things First: A Commentary on K+12 Education
by Angel C. de Dios
The basic education system of the Philippines faces
two major problems: (1) high dropout rates in primary and secondary schools, and
(2) lack of mastery of specific skills and content as reflected in poor performance in standard
tests for both Grade IV and Grade VIII (2nd year high school) students. Unfortunately, the
proposed K+12 curriculum does not directly address
these problems... MORE ;(and for more, visit also ANGEL's BLOG).
A group at the Marine Science Institute, Univ of the Philippines at Diliman, led by PAASE members Giselle Padilla-Concepcionand Ed Padlan, reviewed antibody structures with high resolution deposited in the Protein Data Bank from 1994-2010. The paper recently appeared in a special issue of the international journal New Biotechnology. (Photo courtesy of Elsevier)
Philippines: a Spectacular HotSpot of Tropical Biodiversity
Click pic above for a video on last
summer's expedition from reefs to rainforests conducted by Filipino
scientists and members of the California Academy of Sciences. More on
this expedition here.
Philippine Score Card on the Millennium Development Goals
Dr. Josette Biyo (right) & Dr.
Patricia Licuanan (left) exchange perspectives on science education and
culture in the Philippines, as panelists in a forum organized by PhilDev
on Nov 7, 2011 in New York City. (Photo Credit: M. Rouhi) Read Maureen Rouhi's account of these two educators' stories and views (also read comments on this article!). Download PhilDev's forum presentation of its mission and goals.
Professor Romel Gomez and colleagues have been awarded a U.S. Patent titled "Apparatus for microarray binding sensors having biological probe materials using carbon nanotube transistors." The
invention detects genes by measuring the intrinsic electric charges
that exist along the phosphate-sugar backbone of the DNA or RNA. Their
method does away with fluorescent dyes or other reporter molecules for
tagging the gene fragments, thus significantly simplifying the protocols
and lowering the cost of screening. Click HERE for more on the invention. Mel is a professor at the Univ of Maryland, College Park, and a member and past president of PAASE. More of Mel here.
Ed is a Biophysicist and President of PAASE in 1999. His many outstanding scientific accomplishments include the elucidation of the 3D structure of hemoglobin and antibodies. He is a tireless contributor in strengthening S & T in the Philippines. Read his inspiring essay in Star Science: PART 1, PART 2.
About a third of all genes in our genomes are targeted by microRNAs, so it's not surprising that many of these are culprits in cancer development.Baltazar Aguda (Baltz), a Staff Scientist at the National Cancer Institute (USA) and PAASE member, is using computational systems biology to unravel microRNA regulation of cancer gene networks. Here is his latest PNAS article and book on this topic.
Professor Lourdes Jansuy Cruz, National Scientist of the Philippines and recognized with several international awards including a 2010 L'Oreal-UNESCO award, and PAASE member, shows how first-rate science is done in the Philippines. Click on her photo above to read a recent PSL feature article written by Prof. Tecson-Mendoza.
FAMINE IN AFRICA: PLEASE HELP.Go to UNICEF or CNN to learn more.(Photo Credit: CNN)
Salman Khan on Khan Academy: Using technology for a 'global one-world classroom' and for 'humanizing the classroom' (Click pic above for a video; then click HERE to Khan Academy).
Michael Purugganan, Professor of Genomics at New York University, and PAASE member, tells some interesting stories about his own genome.
Dado Banatao grew up in a small barrio in the Philippines' Cagayan Valley and went on to pioneer the very first personal computer chip set and becomes a major technopreneur in Silicon Valley, California. Click pic above for his story.
In recognition of and gratitude for the Bernidos' "purposeful commitment to both science and nation, ensuring innovative, low-cost, and effective basic education even under Philippine conditions of great scarcity and daunting poverty" we here provide a link to their 2010 MAGSAYSAY AWARD CITATION. The Bernidos are both PAASE members.
"Savvy scientists must increasingly engage with blogs and social media". Paul Knoepfler talks about his year as a stem cell blogger in this NATURE (WORLD VIEW) Column. (Photo Credit: Nature Publishing Group)
"Once upon a time, a man named FEDERICO 'POCH' MACARANAS, came up with the brilliant idea to harness the intellectual capital that resided in science and technology focused professionals of Filipino descent through a global network..." Read about STAC-SILICON VALLEY. STAC is a PAASE partner.
