An announcement made by
the Philippine
Information Agency highlighted the Aghambayan: A DOST-UP Science
Technology and Innovation Festival that will celebrate scientific projects and
accomplishments of the scientific community in order to raise public awareness
of the values of science and how it improves the quality of life of ordinary
Filipinos.
A festival that would raise public
awareness of the values of science and its role in improving the quality life
of ordinary Filipinos will be held at the Philippine International Convention
Centre (PICC) on 20 June 2018.
Aghambayan: A DOST-UP Science Technology
and Innovation Festival, a joint project between the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST) and the University
of the Philippines (UP), will celebrate the scientific projects and
accomplishments of the scientific community.
Aghambayan follows the lead began by the
annual celebration of the Regional Technology Transfer Days of the DOST and the
first UP Knowledge Festival in 2016 that featured science and other branches of
knowledge.
The one-day event will illustrate the close
relationship between people in everyday life and the science community which is
often unnoticed. Technological and scientific innovations that impact the
seemingly ordinary challenges of daily living would be showcased. Examples of
which, range from agricultural pest control to the highly-technical use of
satellites and radars to mitigate environmental hazards.
Representatives from relevant government
agencies such as the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agrarian
Reform (DAR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
National Economic
and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM),
the Chambers
of Commerce will be present.
Researchers and faculty members of higher
education institutions and research universities; policymakers; industry
leaders and technology adapters; technology entrepreneurs and start-ups;
investors, and the Local Government Units (LGUs) will also be at the event.
There will be two main components of the festival:
first would be the exhibit and display
of scientific works along the themes of health and well-being, environment,
food and human resource development and job creation; and second is a
conference with short panel discussions and break-out sessions that will expound
on the policy implications, utilisation and uses of scientific research and
innovations that benefit the public.
UP President Mr Danilo Concepcion will give
a message on public good, extension and technology transfer while DOST
Secretary Fortunato dela Peña will talk about science for the people. Other
features of the festival are poster exhibits, tech demonstration corners, and
help desks on the side.
The festival will celebrate and showcase
the achievements of both DOST and UP in science and their contributions to the
nation. It will also demonstrate how science impacts the public good and its
relevance to people’s everyday life.
The event will also highlight the policy
contributions and implications of scientific research and innovation. It will
also serve as an avenue for high-level researchers and industry leaders to
explore ideas and research collaboration opportunities as well as a networking
platform that will provide an inspiring and innovative way to learn and
appreciate science.
Among the technologies that will be
showcased are the UP Phil-LiDAR project and the UP SENSLOPE. The UP Phil-LiDAR
project aims to produce 3-D flood and hazard maps for the 2/3 of the Philippine
river systems with the use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).
The UP SENSLOPE is a landslide monitoring system
composed of a series of sensors that measure and soil moisture and slope
movements. The sensors will periodically measure various parameters that affect
the sturdiness of slopes such as rainfall intensity, moisture content and
ground movement. Data are then transmitted wirelessly to a central base station
for processing and analysis.