The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is ramping up the production of low-cost ceramic water filter to be distributed to the typhoon-affected families in Leyte province.
The effort is part of the DOST-wide relief project for Visayas is dubbed “Sulong Tabang” or S&T sa Visayas. Tabang is the Visayan word for “help.”
Clay pots for safe water
Workers are creating the clay pots 24/7 at the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) laboratory to help meet the demands for distribution of the water filters to areas affected by Haiyan, locally named Yolanda, that flattened most of the Visayas region with its 195 mph of winds and storm surge of up to 6m in height in some parts such as Taclobab.
Most areas along the path of Yolanda were reduced to rubbles, with only a few structures left standing. Power, communication lines, and sanitation facilities were affected with full restoration said to take weeks from now.
The locally developed ceramic water filter was deployed two years ago by DOST ITDI at a local resettlement community by the National Housing Authority. It uses clay with special nanomaterials to help filter water impurities and bacteria-causing organisms such as E. coli and coliform, says local nanomaterials scientist Dr. Aida Dela Rosa who also heads the team producing the filter.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the Philippines is very likely to attain its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for tuberculosis (TB) by 2015, after a WHO published study found that the country garnered an average annual success rate of 90% in TB treatment since 2003.
A national annual TB treatment success rate of 85% is prescribed by WHO in order for any country to achieve the MDG targets for TB, which is to halt and reverse the incidence of TB by 2015.
Covering eight years of treatment on reported TB cases since the Philippines successfully achieved nationwide coverage of directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) to treat TB cases in 2003, the researchers found that the Philippines did not only meet the prescribed percentage but actually exceeded it by 5%.
The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) is actively searching nominees for the following NAST and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) awards:
NAST AWARDS
Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) Awards
TWAS Prize for Young Scientist in the Philippines (Biology)
NAST Talent Search for Young Scientists
NAST Environmental Science Award
Outstanding Scientific Paper Awards
Outstanding Book and/or Monographs Awards
DOST AWARDS
Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award (Gregorio Y. Zara Medal)
Outstanding Research and Development Award
Outstanding Science Administrator Awards (for Basic and Applied researches)
Magsaysay Future Engineers/Technologist Awards (MFET)
All deadline for nominations is on the last working day of November 2013, except for MFET, which has a deadline on June 15, 2014. Please visit http://nast.ph for more information.
The Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) in cooperation with the Gruppo Medica Inc. (GMI) is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2014 DOST-PCHRD- Gruppo Medica Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis in Herbal Medicine.
The Award gives recognition to relevant and innovative research work on herbal Medicine undertaken by undergraduate students. The Award emphasizes research that can lead to practical and/or commercial applications. The Award expects to provide the motivation for students with the technical guidance of their faculty adviser, to view undergraduate thesis not merely as an academic exercise, but as an excellent opportunity to contribute to national interests.
The Award is open to all undergraduate students of College of Pharmacy, Chemistry and Arts and Sciences who have completed their thesis projects on medicinal plants in the current school year. This year, the Gruppo Medica Inc. is giving a cash prize P 60,000 for the first prize winner (P42,00 for the student, P12,000 for the mentor and P 6,000 for the school), P 40,000 for the second prize winner ( P28,000 for the student, P8,000 for the mentor and P4,000 for the school) and P 20,000 for the third prize winner ( P14,000 for the student, P4,000 for the mentor and P2,000 for the school).
The deadline for submission of nominations is on March 31, 2014. A copy of the nomination form can be downloaded at: http://region7.healthresearch.ph/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=category&id=5:gruppo
The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) in collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH) is pleased to announce the availability of the 2014 Outstanding Health Research Award (OHRA).
The Award gives recognition to a research program or project that has demonstrated the link between research and practice through the utilization of research findings in the health delivery system. Two awards will be given: one for the biomedical research category and another one for the health services research category. A cash prize of P 500,000 and a trophy await the winner for each category.
The deadline for submission of nominations is on November 29, 2013. A copy of the guidelines including the nomination form can be downloaded at http://region7.healthresearch.ph/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=category&id=4:2014-ohra
