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THREE
Filipino students have conquered the international scene
once more after their team bagged the first prize at the
poster-making contest in the recently concluded Asian
Science Summit held in Bali, Indonesia.
Joey Mangadlao, a senior BS Chemistry
student at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman,
together with Raymund Lorenzo Abejuela IV, a BS Physics
student at the UP-Los Baños, Elvis Chua, BS Chemistry
student of Ateneo de Manila University together with
their teammates, Yang Kwang-Wei, a BS Chemistry student
at the National Taiwan University and Rudolf Bonay of
Indonesia, got the first place at the Poster Making
Competition, besting 50 other teams.
Their team got certificates and three
million rupiah (P13, 328.18) as their prize money.
POSTER boys become the
first prize winners of the Asian Science Summit held in
August in Bali, Indonesia, who pose with their
certificates. They are (from left) Joey Mangadlao of
University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Elvis
Chua of Ateneo de Manila University, Yang Kwang Wei of
National Taiwan University, Raymond Lorenzo Abejuela of
UP-Los Baños and Rudolf Bonay of Indonesia.
Mangadlao said their poster, entitled
“DNAzymes: Gene-Carriers of the Past, Catalysts of the
Future,” was inspired by the talk of Rizal Fajar Hariadi
of the California Institute of Technology, the USA, on
Molecular Machines Made of and Fueled by DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid). “In this lecture, a number of
things that can be made out of DNA were presented. It
was very amazing. Since DNA is a programmable material,
Sir Rizal’s lab was able to manipulate DNA to form
shapes such as smileys, triangles, circles, etc. This is
very cool for me,” he said.
Back in high school, Mangadlao won the
Third Grand Award for Microbiology in the 2005 Intel
International Science and Engineering Fair held in
Arizona, the USA, for his project Biologically Potent
Broad Spectrum Antibiotics Obtained from Tetrodoxin-Rich
Organs of Puffer Fishes.
The Asian Science Camp was formed in
September 2005 after the 55th Annual Meeting of Nobel
Laureates in Lindau, Germany, to enlighten science
talented youths through discussions and dialogues with
top scholars in the world, and promoting international
friendship and cooperation among best young students of
the next generation in Asia. Mangadlao said the
poster-making contest was very challenging as they need
to make it as kid-friendly as possible.
“We were doing DNA work and it’s just
hard to translate it in simpler terms. But with the
groups’ impressive cooperation, we were able to make the
poster simple,” he said.
Mangadlao said they used simple words and made
the poster colorful and with lots of figures to make it
more interesting for the children.
“Our group was a mixture of three
[nationalities] but it didn’t become a barrier for us to
understand each other well. Though we have limited
English-speaking ability, working with these bright
people is just nice and fun. I think my leadership
skills were tested and I emerged successful because of
our output,” he said.
He said the competition made him more
eager to pursue a career in science, especially after
hearing the various Nobel Laureates speak about their
accomplishments.
“When I [returned] to the Philippines ,
I am jam-packed with loads of interest to pursue a
career in science. The camp has indeed opened my eyes
more into what the world of science can offer,” he said.
Dr. Ester Ogena, director of the
Department of Science and Technology-Science Education
Institute, expressed her congratulations to Mangadlao
and his team for once again bringing glory to the
Philippines. “This is another shining moment for the
Philippines. Our students are not only good in science
and math but are also able to express it in the arts,”
she said.
Ogena said the Asian Science Summit was
really a good venue for young, aspiring scientists to
get a feel of the real world as they mingle with Nobel
Laureates.“
Our students’ international exposures
enable them to see the real world with their very eyes
and we are confident that once they step into it, they,
too, shall shine,” she said. --Jonathan L. Mayuga
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