Newsletter: Memes improve learning and attitude towards science, Ateneo study finds

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Ateneo de Manila University researchers have found that using internet memes to teach science can significantly improve learning outcomes for senior high school students.

Sample memes that were successfully used to teach biology to Grade 11 high school students. The students not only scored better in tests, they also said they felt more confident in their newfound ability to grasp and use scientific concepts. SOURCES: Reddit.com, Twimg.com, Imgflip.com, and Pinimg.com

Over 200 Filipino private high school students in Grade 11 were involved in the study, which specifically focused on kids in non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) tracks who are required to take biology as part of their curriculum. The students were divided into two groups: the experimental classes, where teachers gave biology lessons infused with memes; and the control classes, which received traditional teaching materials without any meme content.

Newsletter: UPD Experts Determine the Optimal Model for Predicting Algal Blooms

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By Harvey Sapigao

Graphical abstract of the study (Photo credit: Pilario et. al. 2024).

Algal blooms, which occur when algae overgrow in bodies of water, can not only turn the water green but also kill fish and contaminate the water supply of nearby communities. Laguna Lake, one of Metro Manila’s major sources of bangus and tilapia, as well as drinking water, is particularly prone to algal blooms, especially during El Niño.

Newsletter: Ateneo scientists investigate bangus milkfish skin for treating severe burns

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Pioneering research from the Ateneo de Manila University could turn bangus fish skin—a common byproduct of the Philippine fishing industry, often discarded as waste—into an invaluable medical resource.

Skin samples from tilapia (top) and bangus (bottom) immersed in silver nanoparticle (AgNP) solution for sterilization in the laboratory. CREDIT: Bianca Patrice Go

The Ateneo scientists found that milkfish (Chanos chanos, better known as “bangus” in the Philippines) could give doctors an economical way to treat patients with massive burns and other major injuries.

Newsletter: Ateneo student builds chemical purity tester from LEGO

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Using simple circuitry, polarizing film, and LEGO® toy bricks, an undergraduate physics student from the Ateneo de Manila University recently built an improvised polarimeter that can optically assess the purity of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and other chiral substances. The device has potential applications in classrooms as a learning tool, and may pave the way for more cost-effective means to monitor the quality of some consumer products.

The Ateneo de Manila University Department of Physics’ Photonics Laboratory’s polarimeter setup, built mostly out of LEGO® toy bricks, polarizing film, and cheap off-the-shelf electrical components. SOURCE: Felicidario and delos Santos.

Polarimeters are invaluable laboratory instruments that can help infer the purity of a chemical by measuring the angle of rotation of polarized light that passed through the test sample. However, laboratory-grade polarimeters are prohibitively expensive, with a high-end model costing over $11,500 and a commercial manual polarimeter priced at over $1,200. This makes their acquisition and use difficult if not impossible for small laboratories and classrooms in developing countries like the Philippines. 

Newsletter: Documentary on UP Marine Science Institute’s work on plastics wins at Bantog Awards

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

MSI researchers are collecting sediment samples from coastal areas, which will be analyzed in their laboratory to detect the presence of microplastic particles. (Photo credit: Microbial Oceanography Laboratory)

A documentary featuring projects of the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science’s Marine Science Institute (UPD-CS MSI) received the Best Science and Technology Investigative Story (Audio-Visual) trophy at the Department of Science and Technology’s 2024 Bantog Awards for Science Communication.

Newsletter: UP Scientists Create Thermoresponsive Polymers for Potential Biomedical Use

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

Thermoresponsive polymers are molecules that undergo significant changes in their properties in response to temperature changes and are widely used in biomedicine, such as drug delivery, tissue growth, and gene transfer, as noted by researchers Ward and Georgiou in their 2011 study.

Newsletter: How do ordinary people ‘sense’ water quality?

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Seeing—and tasting—is believing: a qualitative study of communities living along the Philippines’ bustling Marikina River underscores the importance of taking into account local peoples’ everyday experiences, practices, and perceptions in establishing water quality.

Newsletter: Ingredients in chewing gum help tilapia survive cold climates

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Researchers inspect blue vats containing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings fed with varying levels of Arabic gum and lecithin to see what effect these have on the fishes' survivability in cold climates. Photo credit: Benha University / National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt 

Two common ingredients in ordinary chewing gum – Arabic gum and lecithin – have been found to help improve the overall health of tilapia, helping these fish survive better even in cold climates. This discovery paves the way for raising tilapia for food outside of the tropical regions where they are commonly farmed.

Newsletter: Scientists Confirm Two Domesticated Buffalo Species in PH

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

A Philippine native carabao (Bubalus kerabau Fitzinger, 1860) dam and her calf grazing in Pitogo Island, Bohol. (Photo credit: Lilian P. Villamor, from Ruane et al., 2023)

Domesticated buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in the country have traditionally been classified into two subspecies: swamp buffaloes and riverine buffaloes. A recent study, however, provides evidence that these two are not subspecies, but are instead distinct from each other.

Newsletter: Driving a Low-Carbon Future: How the Philippines is Leading the Charge in Carbon Emission Reduction

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The Philippines faces significant challenges in reducing carbon emissions, particularly from high-emission sectors like electricity, transport, and industry. In 2023, the country introduced the Low Carbon Economy Investment Act, which establishes a framework to help businesses reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through mandatory decarbonization plans, a carbon pricing mechanism, and access to carbon markets. This Act emphasizes the importance of encouraging businesses to develop long-term strategies aligned with global climate goals, such as the Paris Agreement. Companies that exceed their emissions limits must contribute to a Decarbonisation Fund, while those who go beyond their targets can earn carbon credits for trade in national and international markets. In the Philippines, electricity and heat production are the largest sources of CO2 emissions, followed by transport. The transport sector alone emits over 29 million tons of CO2 annually, while aviation and shipping add more than 2 million tons. Reducing emissions in these sectors will be crucial for the Philippines to meet its climate targets. Fuel-efficient technologies, like Aderco 2055G, offer practical solutions by improving fuel consumption and reducing emissions by 5.26%. If applied in the transport and shipping sectors, this technology could reduce emissions by over 1.6 million tons of CO2 annually.

Newsletter: Here’s How UP Physicists are Helping with the Hunt for Gravitational Waves

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By Harvey Sapigao

A black hole inside an accretion disk. (Photo credit: BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash)

In 1916, Albert Einstein theorized that two merging black holes create ripples in the spacetime fabric, similar to how a pebble creates ripples in a pond. These ripples, called gravitational waves, stretch and squeeze spacetime in amounts so minuscule that they were once believed to be too faint to detect.

Newsletter: UP Scientists Explore Non-Gaussian Laser Effects on Metal Heat Diffusion

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

While existing research on material properties rarely examines changes in laser pulses, or the flashes of laser lights, over time, scientists from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) approached laser exploration differently by investigating how non-Gaussian lasers affect the diffusion of heat in metals.

Pulsed laser ablation of a material inside a vacuum system. (Photo credit: Dr. Lean Dasallas)

Newsletter: UP Mathematician Develops Model For Heat Propagation Through Rough Surfaces

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By: Harvey Sapigao

Model for two materials with a rough interface (Photo Credit: Avila et. al. 2024)

Suppose you have a pair of pants you need to wear tomorrow. The problem is, you just washed them, and they’re still damp. So you resort to a handy tool: the flat iron.

Newsletter: Why Do Science? CERN Physicist Answers

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By Harvey Sapigao

Dr. David giving a talk at UPD-CS (Photo credit: Maria Alexandra Marmol).

There are scientists whose works are immediately appreciated by people: molecular biologists and pharmaceutical scientists who develop medicines and vaccines and find cures for cancer; climatologists and environmental scientists who monitor the weather and fight climate change; engineers who invent thinner gadgets and faster electric cars. And then there are those like particle physicist Dr. André David, whose work veers into the more unfamiliar realms of science, the kinds that elicit unimpressed comments like “What for?” and “How will this help me in my everyday life?”.

Newsletter: UP Professors Urge Long-term Monitoring of West Philippine Sea Resources

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

The ongoing dispute over the West Philippine Sea between China and the Philippines hinders Filipino scientists from conducting scientific work in Philippine territory, but something can still be done.

Guest speakers of the SCIENCE x WPS forum held on May 13, 2024 (Photo credit: Craig Soroño).

The University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) facilitated a public forum titled SCIENCE X WPS: Opportunities and Challenges for Scientists in the West Philippine Sea on May 13, 2024. During the public forum, UP professors discussed the current geopolitical and ecological situation in the West Philippine Sea, as well as strategies that scientists and researchers can use to protect and preserve the sea’s marine resources.

Newsletter: UPD College of Science Kickstarts Innovation-Research Fair 2024

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By Harvey Sapigao

Organizers and participants of the Innovation-Research Fair 2024 (Photo credit: Craig Soroño).

The UPD College of Science (UPD-CS) Innovation Committee, under the Science and Society Program (SSP) and led by SSP Director Dr. Lerrie Ann Ipulan-Colet, hosted the two-day Innovation-Research Fair on 29 and 30 April 2024 in celebration of World Creativity and Innovation Day.

Newsletter: Novel Explanation for Long-Standing Neutron Lifetime Problem Proposed by UP Nuclear Physicist

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By Harvey Sapigao

Atoms are both a wave and a particle, similar to water waves (which are waves) that give rise to water droplets (which are particles) (Photo credit: Zhang Kaiyv on Unsplash)

Neutrons, when plucked from the nucleus of atoms, become unstable and decay after some time. Physicists know that these unstable neutrons die after about 14 minutes, but they cannot pinpoint the exact seconds in which the neutrons last, even as today’s experiments are at their most precise. 

Newsletter: UK Recognizes UP Scientists’ Contributions to Philippine Research and Development

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By Harvey Sapigao

Students using VISSER, a portable learning device CS Dean Giovanni Tapang helped commercialize (Photo credit: making.technology)

Pamela Louise Tolentino of UP Diliman College of Science National Institute of Geological Sciences (UPD-CS NIGS) and CS Dean Giovanni Tapang are among the Filipino scientists highlighted by the UK in their decadal recap of joint scientific achievements with the Philippines.

Newsletter: UP Geologists Discover Evidence of Gas Hydrates in Manila Trench

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By Harvey Sapigao

Gas hydrates are great alternative energy sources, but they could also harm us and the environment.

Bathymetric map of Luzon, including the Manila Trench, the North Luzon Trough (NLT), West Luzon Trough (WLT), Stewart Bank (SB), and Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB). (Photo credit: Maglalang et. al. 2023)

Much like carbonated drinks are water infused with carbon dioxide, gas hydrates are ice mostly infused with methane, a natural gas used as fuel. Gas hydrates are ice-like substances that usually only form beneath the seafloor, where the pressure is high and the temperature is just below the water’s freezing point of 0°C.

Newsletter: UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

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By Harvey Sapigao

Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines)

College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists.