Science and Technology, Research and Development

[johnmizer]

talagang bang yung promac lang ang pinoy brand na gumagawa ng electronics? asides sa mga karaoke mics? aanhin natin yang mga componenets, ang pinapayaman niyo lang ay ang mac at intel.

[flymordecai]

Where are the Filipino inventors and innovators? I remember there was an article about that, saying innovation is the most important thing in the field of Science and Technology. But why don't see our own Filipino computer and technology companies? It seems instead of creating, we only offer services (such as manufacturing or BPO) while we leave it to other nations to innovate and invent. I want my own Filipino-made cell phone. With the celphone-centric Philippines, I'm sure we'd design a nice one.

[chocolato1000]

it's either they're working overseas or working for a foreign company in the philippines. maraming mga filipino inventors wala lang support ang gobyerno.

[johnmizer]

yeah, what ever happend to the h20 pwered car ni mr tingel? from what i heard, na benz na sya at yun na daw ang ginagamint ng benz

[icarusrising]

DOST’s Balik Scientist Program:
Brain drain becomes brain gain

Opinion from the Business Mirror
by Atty. Patricia A. O. Bunye
On Firm Ground


The Philippines is a nation of wanderers. Our Malay and Indonesian ancestors wandered into Philippine shores, possibly in search of the fabled greener pastures. It is no wonder that Filipinos today are tracing their footsteps.

With continued emigration of not only skilled manpower but also Filipino professionals, the Philippines now faces the problem of “brain drain,” with many of our highly educated countrymen leaving for distant shores to seek better opportunities. There are many stories of engineers, doctors, scientists and scholars going overseas, where they eventually make names for themselves, allowing us back home to bask in their reflected glory.

Such “brain drain,” however, does not necessarily mean that our country is at the losing end, nor does it mean that we will not eventually benefit from what appears to be an exodus of Filipinos.

A distinct and endearing custom of ours is the pasalubong—the gift that you bring back when you return home, a nice present from abroad that is usually not locally available. When a Filipino leaves his home, it never is a loss. He will surely someday come back, whether for a visit or for good, and will bring something welcome and beneficial when he returns.

This tradition is embodied in the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Balik Scientist Program, which encourages science and technology experts to return to the Philippines in order to share their expertise, thereby accelerating our country’s growth through the development of academic, public and private institutions. The DOST is currently encouraging the return of scientists particularly in the fields which have the greatest impact on our economy, namely, biofuel, biotechnology, environment, information and communications tecnhology and pharmaceuticals.

Among the incentives for the Balik Scientist awardees are: rountrip airfare for the Balik Scientist Awardee, his/her spouse and two direct minor dependents; duty-free importation of professional implements and tools; travel-tax exemption; reimbursement of freight expenses; grants in aid for research projects; exemption from visa, immigration and registration fees; and registration/ licensure exemption assistance.

Balik Scientists who have availed of the program include physical/inorganic chemist Dr. Teresita Frianeza-Kullberg, immunologist/biophysicist; Dr. Eduardo A. Padlan from the US National Institute of Health; and chemist Victor C. Gavino from the University of Montreal, Canada.

These Balik Scientists are expected to revitalize Philippine science and technology by providing fresh insights and ideas which may be incorporated into local research and development. They are also expected to transfer the skills they have honed abroad to their local colleagues to hasten the technological and scientific developments.

The horizons these Balik Scientists have been exposed to provide them with broader perspective, the ability to think out of the Filipino kahon. The technology they have been exposed to, as well as the skills they have mastered, may be directed toward problems and challenges faced by the Philippines today.

The task of encouraging the return of scientists and technology experts to repatriate is not a unique one. Similar programs have been implemented in other Asian countries.

In China, for example, the phenomenon has been called “the march of the sea turtles,” since the Mandarin word hai gui for “returnee” sounds the same as that for “sea turtle.”

China has offered its scientists its “Action Plan to Vitalize Education in the 21st Century,” its “Senior Creative Talents Project,” as well as the “100 Talents” program which provides generous salaries and research budgets to promising returnee scientists.

Thailand, through its Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, also has a similar “Reverse Brain Drain Project” in order to attract foreign-educated Thai talent, especially those from Japan, North America and Europe.

Singapore has also embarked on a scholarship program for Singapore students to study abroad and to obtain experience for several years from a leading research institution.

These programs are not limited to Asians alone. Even Western countries have established similar programs to retain and attract scientists, such as the program launched by the British government in cooperation with the Wolfson Foundation, which aims to attract Britain’s leading expatriate scientists as well as top young researchers into the United Kingdom.

France, on the other hand, tracks the return of homegrown talent through an information portal for expatriates, and provides fiscal services to assist expatriates who wish to move back to France, as well as retirement plans for former residents returning to France.

In Australia fellowships have been created to identify outstanding Australian expatriates to encourage them to return home. Other Western countries have set up similar programs to repatriate their scientists.

Clearly, there is a global competition for scientists and technologists, in view of a projected increase in demand for their skills. The Philippines will need to step up its efforts to make the return of Filipino scientific and technical talent more attractive. The Balik Scientist Program is certainly a timely and strategic move by the Department of Science and Technology to turn “brain drain” into “brain gain.”

****

Atty. Patricia A. O. Bunye is a Partner at Villaraza Cruz Marcelo & Angangco (www.cvclaw.com). Her areas of specialization are intellectual property (particularly IP commercialization, including licensing and franchising) and mining and natural resources. She is the president of the Licensing Executives Society Philippines. She may be reached at po.bunye@cvclaw.com

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/022...opinion02.html

[icarusrising]

From the opinion is more of Science, Teachnology and Society...

Philippine Silicon Valley

BY DENNIS POSADAS
The Business World

Technology & democracy
When we Filipinos revolted against Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, one of the things that kept us together was Radio Veritas. Although AM radio still keeps a large part of our population in touch, to a certain extent information technology has supplanted many of our mass media tools. SMS text for example, helped to bring Joseph Estrada down from power. In both these cases, technology helped to keep us united and act as one. Which brings me to the next question. How does media and these new information technology tools shape what we as a people think of our government, our leaders, and our nation as a whole?

* * *

In a feudal society such as the Philippines, where most of our citizens live below the poverty line, people at the bottom have traditionally been influenced by their "amo" (boss) who gives them employment and takes care of them. In many cases, the amo tries to influence his underlings who they should vote for. This is to ensure the survival of the interests of the amo. Some bosses are enlightened but oftentimes, it is the personal interests and not the nation’s interest that comes first. Coupled with the fact that our electoral process is so slow and relies on thousands of people to do their jobs to make it work properly, it is no wonder that our government has suffered year in and year out from distrust. All this has resulted in a boiling cauldron that has not really been cooled by our previous "so-called" revolutions.

* * *

With many Filipinos (even from the C and D sectors) living abroad in developed societies where egalitarian values under the law are practiced, and with the advent of ubiquitous or easily available technologies like the Internet and cellphones, Filipinos of various ages and social groupings are now able to freely exchange ideas. Before, free speech was really only mostly for the journalists and the public figures who talked regularly before the public. Now, everyone can blog or react to an e-group. Most people were merely readers or listeners before, except perhaps if they joined rallies or distributed flyers. But now everyone makes his or her thoughts and ideas known to everyone in their e-mail list or social networking group. Democracy exists in the Philippines, to the extent that we can say what we want, given the limitations set forth by our Constitution and laws.

* * *

The current clamor to bring down Gloria Arroyo, is again following the same line as 1986, and that of Joseph Estrada. It will keep happening because we have never learned from the lessons of EDSA. It will keep happening because technology makes it even easier for all of us to go to the streets. What is scarier is that in the future, we may no longer need a Cardinal Sin to ask us to go to the streets. It may be someone we do not know, operating through Friendster or some other group, who triggers groups within our society to revolt. Developed societies like the US, France and Russia have only had one revolution each. All their revolutions were bloody. Because they were bloody, their people resolved that they did not want to have another one. Their revolutions were real because more than just a change of leadership, they actually changed their values and their form of government. This is why these countries have processes that they stick to, in order to change their leaders. So before the time comes when we no longer know who is asking us to go into the streets, because we know it is getting much too easy to get sucked into one, let us first consider changing ourselves. Technology may have made it easier for us to get together and exchange ideas which is why we should be more responsible in how we use it. Once the ideal conditions are set for a conflagration to spread, we may no longer have the means to stop it in the future.

E-mail the author at dennisposadas@yahoo.com

--------------------

Story Location: http://www.itmatters.com.ph/columns....posadas_022608

Neo Explore: breaking barriers for laptop users
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/033...adlines02.html
By Alma Anonas-Carpio
Correspondent

IN a joint effort to “break the barriers of affordability and availability,” local computer maker Neo Manufacturing and Services Inc. and Intel Technology Philippines Inc. launched over the weekend a “netbook” computer that is less than a third of the price of a conventional laptop computer.

According to Mariel Que, business development manager of Neo, the Neo Explore netbook was designed as a “ruggedized” laptop for children in primary school.

At the launch, Intel country manager Ricky Banaag said the netbook, though primarily designed for a “very young market,” is versatile enough for first-time PC users who wish to buy and use a laptop computer only for “Internet-centric” activities such as chatting, web phone and surfing, as it is “focused more on web consumption than [photo or video] editing.” It has the capacity for a webcam.

The Neo Explore netbook is “highly portable,” Banaag said. It weighs only 1.45 pounds. It comes with a 10-inch screen, a full querty keyboard and touchpad designed for the hands and fingers of children.

The netbook is slightly wider in dimensions than a typical grade-schooler’s lunch box. It packs a 30-gigabyte flash memory—in lieu of a hard drive—512 megabytes of RAM, WiFi, USB 2.0 jack, basic Windows XP Startup operating system and an Intel Atom processor chipset. It has a battery life of four hours, with components that are “highly power-efficient,” including its Intel Atom chipset, Que said.

“All in all, with the 45-nanometer Atom processor, which is the smallest processor in the world, the Neo Explore provides an affordable laptop for children and adults alike,” Banaag said. The suggested retail price for the Explore is P16,999.

Que said the Neo Explore’s 30-gigabyte capacity is “7.5 times larger than the [data] storage capacity offered by other netbooks [in] the market.”

Neo’s primary position is that the Explore is a “personal learning device for students and that it is an easy-to-carry communications gadget,” she added.

Banaag said that while the Atom “was not specifically designed for netbook devices, he expects the newest and smallest Intel chip to find its way into an “array of computing devices, specifically highly portable devices that demand greater energy efficiency” and lower heat emissions.

The Atom processor “is the name for a new family of low-power processors designed specifically for mobile Internet devices and a new class of simple and affordable Internet-centric computers,” according to Intel.

Banaag said Intel sees a “tremendous opportunity for PC users to have access to more affordable laptop PCs,” adding that demand for the Neo Explore “is very strong.”

[Nabartek]

Originally Posted by Sinjin P.

At last finally found my thread..nirelocate pala?

Anyway...my proposals...
1. PREPAID JEEPNEYS, sana swipe card na para no prob na si bosing sa pagkolekta ng pamasahe natin.
2. JEEPNEYS w/ BUZZERS (some jeepneys in Cebu are having this para alam na ng driver's pag may bababa...)
3. Automated Toilets (especially public toilets...people are too lazy to flush these toilets...)
4. More visible street signs (especially in EDSA, when my dad drove the first time, one mistake in the driving it will take you a long way back especially when the roads split and those big buses are in front of you..too annoying)
5. New mix in malls (i don't know what this mix is yet...)

Dapat ala-MRT yung dating ng Jeepney natin(sa pamasahe)

Yung ibang Jeep namin, may buzzer. Hehehe

Dapat ang meron, alarm kapag may tumapak sa bowl sa ladies rest room. Sobrang kadiri kasi eh, walang respeto sa public rr.

The Neo Laptop looks cool! Tatak Pilipinas using Intel technology.


CHILDREN check out the Neo Explore, the “netbook” launched by Neo Manufacturing and Services Inc. and Intel Technology Philippines Inc. targeted at students and first-time laptop buyers. Those behind it tout it as a joint effort to “break the barriers of affordability and availability.” --ROY DOMINGO

Originally Posted by odyssey

Neo Explore: breaking barriers for laptop users
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/033...adlines02.html
By Alma Anonas-Carpio
Correspondent

IN a joint effort to “break the barriers of affordability and availability,” local computer maker Neo Manufacturing and Services Inc. and Intel Technology Philippines Inc. launched over the weekend a “netbook” computer that is less than a third of the price of a conventional laptop computer.

According to Mariel Que, business development manager of Neo, the Neo Explore netbook was designed as a “ruggedized” laptop for children in primary school.

At the launch, Intel country manager Ricky Banaag said the netbook, though primarily designed for a “very young market,” is versatile enough for first-time PC users who wish to buy and use a laptop computer only for “Internet-centric” activities such as chatting, web phone and surfing, as it is “focused more on web consumption than [photo or video] editing.” It has the capacity for a webcam.

The Neo Explore netbook is “highly portable,” Banaag said. It weighs only 1.45 pounds. It comes with a 10-inch screen, a full querty keyboard and touchpad designed for the hands and fingers of children.

The netbook is slightly wider in dimensions than a typical grade-schooler’s lunch box. It packs a 30-gigabyte flash memory—in lieu of a hard drive—512 megabytes of RAM, WiFi, USB 2.0 jack, basic Windows XP Startup operating system and an Intel Atom processor chipset. It has a battery life of four hours, with components that are “highly power-efficient,” including its Intel Atom chipset, Que said.

“All in all, with the 45-nanometer Atom processor, which is the smallest processor in the world, the Neo Explore provides an affordable laptop for children and adults alike,” Banaag said. The suggested retail price for the Explore is P16,999.

Que said the Neo Explore’s 30-gigabyte capacity is “7.5 times larger than the [data] storage capacity offered by other netbooks [in] the market.”

Neo’s primary position is that the Explore is a “personal learning device for students and that it is an easy-to-carry communications gadget,” she added.

Banaag said that while the Atom “was not specifically designed for netbook devices, he expects the newest and smallest Intel chip to find its way into an “array of computing devices, specifically highly portable devices that demand greater energy efficiency” and lower heat emissions.

The Atom processor “is the name for a new family of low-power processors designed specifically for mobile Internet devices and a new class of simple and affordable Internet-centric computers,” according to Intel.

Banaag said Intel sees a “tremendous opportunity for PC users to have access to more affordable laptop PCs,” adding that demand for the Neo Explore “is very strong.”

eXplore X1: New netbook to compete with Asus eeePC

NEO recently announced the availability of the first locally branded, Internet-centric netbook PC called the NEO eXplore X1, The new Intel-powered portable computing device, based on the Intel classmate PC design, aims to reduce the affordability gap for PC ownership and to compete directly with the commercially successful Asus eeePC. The 1.4Kg Neo eXplore X1, with a Celeron 900MHz CPU, Windows XP Starter Edition, 7" LCD screen, 512MB RAM and 30GB Flash-based HDD, is priced at P16,999.00.
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/...0331tech9.html

[IAMME]

Here's what's been keeping me busy since last year:

Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
Aquaculture Department

I hope you like it. My favorite part is towards the end.
Scenes were shot in Iloilo, Guimaras, Rizal, Laguna, and Quezon City.

[urban Iegend]

Visayas State University
Baybay, Leyte
Visayas State University was formerly named the Leyte State University (LSU) in Baybay City, Philippines. It continues to specialize in agricultural research and education, including work in jatropha propagation and development of a dwarf macapuno coconut. The university also hosts a program on reforestation, and features an annual pig-skinning competition.

RD&E Programs:
National Coconut Research Center - Visayas
Philippine Root Crop Research & Training Center
National Abaca Research Center
Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Program
Farm and Resource Management Institute







National Maritime Polytechnic
Cabalawan, Tacloban City

Research Services - RESEARCHES CONDUCTED/ COMPLETED BY NMP 2001 - 2006

1.Benchmarking the Maritime Training Centers in the Philippines (2006)
2.The Management Level Training and Development Plan: An Examination of Training Requirements, Training Availability and of the NMP's Role (2006)
3.Stress Management Profile of Filipino Seafarers (August 2006)
4.The Human Factor in Marine Casualties and Incidents in the Philippines(April 2002)(Revised Research, June 2006)*
5.Factors Affecting Career Progression of Filipino Merchant Marine Officers to STCW '95 Management Level Positions(October 2005)
6.Can the Philippines Produce a Greater Number of Officers to Comply with Global Demands?
7.Profile of Employed Filipino Ratings (July 2003)
8.Survey on the Health-Related Problems of Seafarers in the Workplace(September 2002)
9.Profile of Women Executives in the Maritime Sector(May 2002)
10.Mixed Nationality Crews: The Filipino Seafarers Experience (April 2002)

[3D-CAD]

Originally Posted by IAMME

Here's what's been keeping me busy since last year:

Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
Aquaculture Department

I hope you like it. My favorite part is towards the end.
Scenes were shot in Iloilo, Guimaras, Rizal, Laguna, and Quezon City.

Very Promising ! I liked it. I suppose, the Philippines being an archipelago, has an inherent advantage for aquaculture. This could be our niche in the industry.

[PINOYmeat]

Lexmark deems Cebu fit for R&D operations
Monday, April 14, 2008

American developer and manufacturer of printing solutions, Lexmark, recently completed its research and development facility at the Cebu Business Park which houses its state-of-the-art multi-million dollar technical facilities.

In a press conference held recently, Lexmark president and chief executive officer Stan Combs said that their expansion in Cebu was the result of their company’s satisfaction over the “kind of work” that their employees have done throughout the start of their operations in the Philippines.

Lexmark International Philippines, Inc. was started in 1999 with the establishment of an inkjet cartridge assembly plant at the Mactan Export Processing Zone II (MEPZ 2).

Their new investments in the Cebu Business Park will be composed of two new facilities: Lexmark Plaza 1, a 23-floor facility which is still under construction and will be completed by the end of this year and Lexmark Plaza 2 which houses its research and development center.

“We consider our investments carefully and we have seen enough successes in our Cebu operations so we felt very good about these major investments,” said Combs.

The newly completed Lexmark Plaza 2 said the general manager of Lexmark’s hardware development Chris Burdette will enable their Cebu operations to conduct full product development as it contains the “most advanced” technical facilities for product development, printer software development, embedded code and networks, packaging and system test.

These advanced facilities include an acoustic lab that performs extensive testing to meet the standard noise level of their products to become competitive in the world market as most countries have become stringent to product noises. There is also a packaging laboratory, temperature and humidity chambers, and the first EMC (electromagnetic capability) chamber in the Philippines. All these facilities will perform different tests that will ensure that their products conform to international standards.

Burdette added that Lexmark Research and Development Center Cebu will be the base of Lexmark's R&D operations in the Asia-Pacific region and it will specialize in software development for printer drivers and network adapters and in rebranding of Lexmark printers for original equipment manufacturer partners worldwide.

“This is the most advance technology center in the Philippines and even in some parts of the world. It’s a full development process-capable building where we can develop products from start to finish,” added Burdette.

There are several reasons cited as to why Lexmark opted to establish a major commitment in Cebu by putting up their second biggest research and development laboratory next to their main office in Lexington, Kentucky.

Combs said that these are due to the city’s strategic positioning being the center of the country which will enable an easy access from all areas in the Asia-Pacific region where they have business partners such as China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

Since Cebu has several universities with a good education system, another core reason is the “skilled, talented, trainable and degree-qualified” Filipino workforce. Also a factor is that “English is the second language in the Philippines,” making it easy for an American company like Lexmark to communicate with its Filipino workforce. And Combs also stressed that the Philippine government has a “pro-business investment climate.”

“We found the Philippines and Cebu to fit with all the desired qualities for investment so we have invested heavily on facilities and people and this is our major commitment to Cebu and the Philippines as a location of our operation,” he pointed out. —Rhia de Pablo

HERE

[shaKEIRa]

Originally Posted by IAMME

Here's what's been keeping me busy since last year:

Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
Aquaculture Department

I hope you like it. My favorite part is towards the end.
Scenes were shot in Iloilo, Guimaras, Rizal, Laguna, and Quezon City.

nakapunta na ako sa SEAFDEC Iloilo... very nice... we tried electrophoresis... grabe.... sana diyan ako work after graduation...

[LordCarnal]

Lexmark Research and Development Center (under construction)

Photos by slemarken

[IAMME]

Originally Posted by 3D-CAD

Very Promising ! I liked it. I suppose, the Philippines being an archipelago, has an inherent advantage for aquaculture. This could be our niche in the industry.

I'm glad you liked it. Yes, the Philippines has so much potential for aquaculture.. if only people would invest in it more, and follow environment-friendly and science-based technologies.

Originally Posted by shaKEIRa

nakapunta na ako sa SEAFDEC Iloilo... very nice... we tried electrophoresis... grabe.... sana diyan ako work after graduation...

What's your course and when are you graduating?

[boy muscovado]

Originally Posted by ritche

Scientists here conduct researches with national and international impact.

This would make me believe that Siliman University of Dumaguete is the country's premiere marine biology research and training center

[shaKEIRa]

Originally Posted by IAMME

I'm glad you liked it. Yes, the Philippines has so much potential for aquaculture.. if only people would invest in it more, and follow environment-friendly and science-based technologies.


What's your course and when are you graduating?

marine biology...

[IAMME]

nakapunta na ako sa SEAFDEC Iloilo... very nice... we tried electrophoresis... grabe.... sana diyan ako work after graduation...

Originally Posted by shaKEIRa

marine biology...

If you were serious, we might need more people here in SEAFDEC in the coming months. Stay tuned to your PM inbox!