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DTI-CIG declare UP Min research "competitive & innovative"

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

Dept. of Trade & Industry Director Lilian Salonga and her team from the DTI-Competitiveness and Innovation Group declared UP Mindanao's research and development as "competitive and innovative" after being presented with UPMin's selected research and innovation programs on September 22, 2022. The DTI-CIG team was on a roadshow for academic partners in Davao with innovative projects which the DTI could promote and market under the DTI's RAPID growth* and the iSTRIKE** programs.

Chancellor Lyre Murao and Prof. Larry Digal led the welcome for the DTI team. Asst. Prof. Miguel Guillermo presented the UPGRADE technology business incubation with its growing network and resources. Assoc. Prof. Joel Hassan Tolentino detailed the Philippine Genome Center Mindanao’s research & development since 2018. Prof. Jose Ildefonso Rubrico reported the progress of two Artificial Intelligence research programs: the SkAI-Pinas work of labeling features from aerial images and the ASIMOV-HAWKS program of creating navigational technologies for mobile land and air devices. Dr. Melvin Pasaporte also discussed UPMin’s Lactic Acid technology project. Subsequently, Chancellor Murao signed the memorandum of understanding proffered by the DTI team to be part of their consortium under the iSTRIKE.

The DTI-CIG team was composed of Director Salonga, Asst. Dir. Jo-Dann Darong, Mr. Karl Lyndon Pacolor, chief of the Innovation and Collaboration Division, Ms. Kristine Daplin, national program manager of the RAPID Growth program, Ms. Cindy Love Falculita, national program coordinator of the Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers, and staff from DTI-XI.

*A value-chain-based and market-driven business development initiative that aims to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic development for rural farming communities

**Science, Technology, and Risk-resilient-based Initiatives toward Knowledge Economy-Davao

Coastal Cleanup Day 2022

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

2022 091722 PAWIKAN COASTAL 12

The University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin) co-organized a coastal cleanup with the Rizal Memorial College School of Law Paralegal Volunteers Organization at the Pawikan Sanctuary at Matina Aplaya, Davao City, on September 17, 2022, in line with the International Coastal Cleanup Day. UPMin's participation was coordinated by proponents of the UP Mindanao in-house project entitled "Determining spatial distribution of marine litter using drone captured images in selected Davao Oriental coastal areas: Application to assess spatial overlap between beached litter and marine turtle nesting sites," led by Prof. Vladimer Kobayashi and Prof Ruth Gamboa of the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM).

Farmers incomes increase with LIFE model, 2022

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

2022 091622 BAYOGAN NRDC 03

Farmers in conflict-vulnerable areas in Mindanao experienced increased incomes after the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin), along with partners Landcare Foundation of the Philippines (LFPI) and ACIAR Mindanao Agricultural Extension Project (AMAEP), implemented the Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension (LIFE) model, an alternative agricultural extension delivery strategy, from December 2017 to April 2021. The program had the support of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology(PCAARRD-DOST).

“Incomes increased from 31% to 89%, and their vegetable gardens and other livelihoods provided a steady source of income,” said UPMin professor Emma Ruth Bayogan, program leader of the “Enhancing Livelihood Opportunities in Conflict-Vulnerable Area in Mindanao through the Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension (LIFE) Model,” at the 7th National Research & Development Conference organized by the DOST on September 15 to 16, 2022, at the PICC Complex.

F2F University Convocation for first-year students

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums

The University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin) welcomed first-year students for the academic year 2022-2023 through a face-to-face convocation on September 5, 2022, at the Administration Building Atrium. The program was held to acquaint the first-year students with the UP Mindanao community, including its history, mission, and vision, the faculty, staff, and other department committees and activities. The students also received helpful information on the UP Mindanao curriculum, policies, and student affairs.

Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao pledged that "the University will be a safe and enabling environment for learning and development" through the blended learning system. "The university will be your space for the free exchange of ideas, inspiring creativity and innovation, celebrating your uniqueness, and building relationships with peers, mentors, and coaches," Murao added. The convocation featured alumna Atty. Janis Louis Esparcia as the guest speaker who shared her reflections on her personal journey at the university.

Research in food and health in 35th SMAARRDEC anniversary

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Forums


The UPMin team at SMAARRDEC 35th anniversary


Prof. Calumba explains her beer research poster	Angela Urquiola explains the mango research

Researchers from the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao presented industrial and practical solutions to food and related sectors at the 35th-anniversary celebration of the Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Aquatic Resources Research and Development Consortium (SMAARRDEC) on August 17, 2022.

Dr. Melvin Pasaporte’s pitch in the Technology and Industry Forum focused on convincing investors to invest in the UP Mindanao lactic acid technology, which promised a more cost-efficient process of producing lactic acid locally. Lactic acid, he said, has applications in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and polymer industries, and the technology presented an opportunity for investors to invest in potentially the first commercial lactic acid production plant in the country.

In fisheries, Mr. Remie Aurelio’s pitch in the same forum focused on minimizing the deterioration of coral reef ecosystems that would affect fishing and livelihoods in the Davao region. He said that wastewater discharge from industrial and agricultural activities causes this deterioration. Therefore, he advised local government units to minimize such discharges or to propagate helophyte plants and reeds which can filter wastewater before they reach the sea.

In the research category for the oral presentation, Assistant Professor Kriza Faye Calumba described a recent study on the production of a probiotic beverage from marang, an abundant but underutilized fruit. Mixing a Lactobacillus strain previously isolated from nipa into the raw marang juice produced a non-dairy probiotic drink that has potential health benefits, she said.

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