UP Mindanao hosted vaccination sessions for government employees who are Davao City residents from June 30 - July 2, 2021. This is an initiative of the Office of the City Administrator and the City Health Office through the Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies in Region XI (ARENA XI). On Day 1 some 191 persons were vaccinated. Day 2 was completed. Day 3 activities are ongoing.  A total of 800 government employees are targeted this week. More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/UPMindanao/#

The UP Mindanao Vaccination Team is composed of:

The Autonomous Societally Inspired Mission Oriented Vehicles (ASIMOV) Program, spearheaded by the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin) in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology – Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), officially commenced on June 15, 2021 with the first project meeting (in the first photo).

ASIMOV is the flagship R&D program of the DOST in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (AI-Robotics), with a total budget of around P54 million.

Prof. Jose Ildefonso U. Rubrico, Ph.D., ASIMOV program leader, said that the program is the first of its kind in the Philippines. It is aimed at developing autonomous robots to be deployed in the field under real-life conditions, particularly in unstructured and dynamic environments.

“This is a crucial step in the 'autonomation' of various practical applications in industry and services for the public good, for example, in rough-terrain agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, or search and rescue, among many others,” Dr. Rubrico said.

The program’s objective is to develop core technologies needed by aerial and land-based robots for independent navigation and collision avoidance, vision-based feature detection, environmental mapping, and communication capabilities. Furthermore, these intelligent platforms are meant to be able to cater to a variety of situations and perform tasks specific to particular missions in an application area.

"This entails using payloads to provide data on relevant application-specific features like the detection of a deadly crop disease," Dr. Rubrico added.

The ASIMOV program comprises two (2) projects. Its aerial component is the Harmonized Aerial Watch and Knowledge-based Survey (HAWKS) Project, which will tackle the development of core technologies necessary for the autonomous deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Implemented by UP Mindanao, the HAWKS project was launched together with the ASIMOV program on June 15, 2021.

Meanwhile, the land-based component of the ASIMOV program is the Robot for Optimized and Autonomous Mission-Enhancement Response (ROAMER) Project implemented by the Department of Science and Technology - Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI).

Stakeholders both in industry and the academe have already shown interest and support in the use of the technologies to be developed by the ASIMOV program.

The ASIMOV program is a three-year AI-Robotics initiative funded by the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).

On April 8, 2021, DOST-PCIEERD officially unveiled nine (9) projects on AI research and development, including the two component projects of the ASIMOV program. Also, on June 24, the DOST Science for Change Program held the Launching of DOST AI Programs and Technologies – AI for a Better Normal (in the second photo), wherein key application areas were identified in which the technologies developed by the ASIMOV program could be harnessed.

June 24, 2021 | Posted by UP Media and Public Relations Office

President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III congratulating UP BS Mathematics summa cum laude graduate John Gabriel Pelias during UP Diliman’s 100th General Commencement Exercises held at the University Amphitheater on April 17, 2011, during which the president was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacanang Photo Bureau

University of the Philippines (UP) President Danilo L. Concepcion and the UP community condole with the country on the loss of former Senator and the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines (2010-2016), Hon. Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III.

During his term, President Aquino was a strong supporter of the higher education sector, including the University of the Philippines. He also understood the importance of high-value scientific research and innovation in the country and supported the various research initiatives within UP and collaborations between UP and the government sector.

President Aquino was honored with a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, during the University of the Philippines Diliman’s General Commencement Exercises on April 17, 2011. He was cited “for providing leadership in rallying the people to stamp out corruption, campaigning for institutional reforms, and creating an environment for agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to act with dispatch on malfeasance in government, promote the rule of law, and respect people’s constitutional rights.”