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A potentially groundbreaking study that could place the Philippines
on the global map as a source of green fluorescent protein from
coral reef to track the growth of cancer cells in the human body
bagged the much-coveted “Best Project of the Year” title in the
2008 BPI-DOST Science Awards held Friday in Makati City.
The winning project was developed by Carla
Gisela Ysabel P. Concepcion, a graduating BS Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology student from the University of the Philippines in
Diliman.
A joint undertaking of the BPI Foundation, Inc.
and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the “Best
Project of the Year” Awards aims to recognize and provide
incentives to graduating students in selected colleges and
universities who excel in specialized fields of science, namely:
mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science and
biology.
The winning project was chosen for its relevance
and impact to knowledge advancement, its viability for commercial
production and marketability, the originality and uniqueness of the
study, and its adherence to scientific soundness.
A project that explores the production of
antibodies to fight virus in abaca won first runner-up. It was
developed by Christina Lora M. Leyson, graduating BS Molecular
Biology and Biotechnology student of UP Diliman.
Second runner-up went to Juan Paulo M. Antonio,
BS Chemical Engineering of the University of Santo Tomas, for his
study on the inedible bitaog plant as a source of diesel fuel.
The first-prize winner is offered a research
grant of P200,000 on top of the P50,000 cash incentive and a trophy.
The first- and second runners-up each received P30,000 and P10,000
in cash prizes, respectively, and a trophy.
Now on its fourth year, exceptional science and
engineering students from BPI Foundation’s 10 partner-universities
nationwide vie for the “Best Project of the Year” Awards. This
year’s six finalists were chosen from a crop of 29 projects.
This year’s panel of judges were composed of
Dr. Corazon A. Menguito, chairperson of the Department of Chemistry
of UST; Dr. Perry Ong, director of the Institute of Biology at UP
Diliman; Virginia Cabrera, former chair of the BPI Science Awards
Committee and former vice-president of BPI; Dr. Raphael Alamar
Guerrro, assistant professor of the Physics Department of Ateneo de
Manila University; and Dr. Lourdes Guidote, vice dean of the College
of Science of De La Salle University.
(Awarding ceremonies for the BPI-DOST Science
Awards will also take place in BPI Foundation’s 10
partner-universities nationwide on the following dates: Xavier
University, February 6; Ateneo de Davao University, February 8;
University of Santo Tomas, February 13; Saint Louis University,
February 15; UP- Diliman, February 20; De La Salle University,
February 21; University of San Carlos, February 26; Silliman
University, February 28; Ateneo de Manila University, March 5, and
UP Los Baños, March 7.)
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