The University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) University Council endorsed the establishment of the Science Research Center (SRC) during its recent meeting.
With the SRC formally named and made part of the organizational structure of UPB, the university commits to further enhance science research and to sustain its status as a leading institution in science and mathematics research.
Originating from the UPB College of Science (CS), the proposal emphasizes that the SRC marks UP Baguio’s place in society as it stands as a beacon of knowledge in Northern Luzon and in the country.
“The SRC is envisioned to promote the sustainability of scholarly research that seeks to better understand the natural and built environments and work towards improving the quality of life specially of its stakeholders who are most in need,” said Dr. Dymphna Javier, CS dean.
The proposal outlines the mission and objective of the SRC to create a center of excellence in research through basic research and innovation as well as through developing technologies and products that benefit the locality and the larger Filipino society.
As the research arm of the CS, the main function of the SRC is to facilitate addressing the research requirements of the college’s faculty members and research and extension personnel. Specifically, the SRC will serve as the facility to support the research areas of the disciplinal clusters including Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Human Kinetics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physics.
These clusters are currently implementing or are envisioning to pursue research projects in the areas of Ecology and Systematics, Geoscience, Human Movement Science, Applied Dynamical Systems, Mathematical Modeling and Simulation (MaMoSim), Plasma Physics, and Mathematical and Physical Characteristics of Cordillera Textiles, among others.
In line with the University’s commitment to public service, the SRC is also mandated to provide testing and analytical services for the use of specific and available laboratory equipment.
Inaugurated in 2016, the SRC building houses UPB’s science laboratories that aid the university’s established research laboratories in nanotechnology, plasma physics, energy physics, modelling and simulation, natural products, microbiology, and ecology. These laboratories all contribute to research outputs that are responsive to the needs of the locality and the larger society.
Among the research projects are collaborations and recipients of funding from partners such as the Commission on Higher Education, the UP System, the Cordillera Studies Center, and the research councils of the Department of Science and Technology including the National Research Council of the Philippines, the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Research and Development, and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.
The CS has also been sustaining partnership with education institutions including the Benguet State University, Saint Louis University, Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Mindanao, Philippine Science High School-CAR Campus, Philippine Science High School-Ilocos Region Campus, and Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science and National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
As both individual faculty and institutional research projects complement the instruction, CS researches also benefit the academic programs offered by the college, which include the Master of Science in Conservation and Restoration Ecology, the Master of Science in Mathematics and the Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics programs, as well as the undergraduate degree programs in Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics.
The SRC labs have since been coordinated by Physics professors Dr. Giovanni Malapit and Dr. Ian Jasper Agulo.
The SRC shall be headed by a coordinator who will be on top of the center’s operations and is tasked to convene a board. It will operate under the direct supervision of the CS Dean. The board shall consist of representatives from the different CS disciplines and research laboratories.
The SRC building and the SRC itself are among the legacy projects under the administration of Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos. – Press release
April 24, 2024
