Women in STEM: Dr. Marian P. Roque

Women in STEM: Dr. Marian P. Roque

Dr. Marian P. Roque is a renowned Filipino mathematician who has been teaching in the UP Diliman Institute of Mathematics for more than 35 years. She is also currently serving in the College of Science Administration as the Associate Dean for Facilities and Resources Management.

Her road toward a career in Math started when she found herself in between Mathematics competitions in grade school including the first ever National Quiz Bee. Although she lost during the Regionals, this paved the way toward the field that will define who she is today.

Dr. Roque is a true-blooded iskolar ng bayan as she earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in UP. Her PhD was under a Sandwich Program of UP and funded by Germany, and gave her the chance to do her dissertation at the University of Essen. This opportunity opened her eyes to the discrimination that some women in STEM experienced at that time. She, herself, had become the subject of these prejudices as some of the people she met assumed that she was in Germany to look for a husband. “I faced a lot of challenges being a Filipina so I needed to be assertive, which was hard at first when I was still learning their language,” she adds. With the support of her German adviser, Prof. Bernd Schultze, she was able to overcome all hurdles.

Even with the discriminatory treatments she received while doing her dissertation and post-doctoral fellowship abroad, Dr. Roque continued to prove herself. Her mantra was to appear strong and not fall under the stereotypes. “I just had to prove to myself that I can do mathematics too, like men, or even better.”

Dr. Roque has authored and co-authored publications on partial and ordinary differential equations including “Analytical and numerical solution for wave reflection from a porous wave absorber” (with I.Magdalena) and “On the deficiency index of even order symmetric differential expressions with essential spectrum” (with B. Schultze). She received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) in 2015 as recognition for her outstanding contributions in Mathematical Sciences, particularly her research in ordinary and partial differential equations. She also co-authored (with Doina Cioranescu and Patrizia Donato) the book, “An Introduction to Second Order Partial Differential Equations (Classical and Variational Solutions).”

Despite her struggles as both a scientist and a mother, Dr. Roque managed to successfully raise a daughter who is now a medical doctor. She found this an extra achievement to her scientific journey as the stereotype that women should stay at home and take care of the family is still rampant in society. “During the pandemic, it has been observed that the publications of female Mathematicians and scientists in general have decreased. I guess one reason for that is because mothers, daughters, sisters had to stay home and take care of their families’ physical and mental health which is a full-time job for some. This has made it more difficult for female mathematicians to continue with their research,” Dr. Roque says.

Dr. Roque believes that visibility is key to having more women in STEM fields. We need more female scientists to inspire the younger ones, we need to celebrate the achievements of women in the field, especially those who are breaking the bias. During this election season, she also reminds society, especially women voters, to choose someone who will strive for genuine equality and will also put an end to gender-based violence.

As we celebrate women’s achievements, we must also remember the true essence of Women’s Month, which is to raise awareness against stereotypes and continue taking actions toward equality.

#BreakTheBias #womeninSTEM

Click here to know more about Dr. Marian Roque: https://math.upd.edu.ph/faculty/roque-marian

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#COVIDisAirborne Part 2

#COVIDisAirBorne Part 2 Webinar | HOW TO PROTECT: "What are the protective measures against airborne transmission"

Established safety protocols are not enough to reduce the growing number of COVID-19 cases

In the second part of the #CovidIsAirborne webinar, resource speaker Prof. Jose-Luis Jimenez emphasized the insufficiency of the current preventive measures that are in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Filipinos continue to suffer from the spread of the virus especially with the presence of the more infectious Omicron variant. That being said, Prof. Jimenez stresses that the safety designs implemented are flawed and built around the belief that the virus is transmitted through surfaces and droplets despite the truth of it being airborne.

Where do we go from here?

Many have grown accustomed to the sense of safety that is given by the current protocols but the rise in cases to around 3.6 million, according to the most recent report from WHO, shows the inadequacy of these conventions in preventing the spread of disease. Current policies enforced by DOH may be outdated and require improvement around the basis of airborne transmission to alleviate the growing number of cases. Proper public dissemination of the airborne transmission of COVID-19 and the use of proper equipment should also be made a priority.

Social distancing is not enough

One of the current policies provided by WHO recommends at least a one-meter distance but data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) shows that airborne transmission of the virus can occur at distances greater than six feet and the virus can remain in a room or linger for hours despite the absence of the infected person.

Proper Equipment

Prof. Jimenez also mentioned that many are misled by false information regarding masks and their efficiency in filtering out the virus, when in fact, many factors contribute to its filtration efficiency. Most critical is the mask fit, as gaps on the sides or beneath the mask still allow particles to get in without filtration. The best recommended mask is the N95, however, the use of surgical masks is still widely acceptable to prevent transmission. Meanwhile, cloth masks are ineffective and should not be allowed in high prevalence areas.

Ventilation

Because COVID is an airborne disease, the risk of contracting it is higher indoors. Prof. Jimenez suggested that activities be performed outside, where ventilation is the greatest. Supporting this, a historical example that he mentioned was that in 1907, when tuberculosis was rampant in American cities. Doctors from Rhode Island proposed open-air schoolrooms to mitigate the spread of the disease among children, later proving successful when none of the children got sick.

To monitor ventilation, he also suggested the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) meters to indicate how much exhaled air there is in an area. The amount of CO2 can be correlated with the amount of viral particles present and can help determine if an area is properly ventilated. A device that Prof. Jimenez uses to detect the amount of CO2 is an NDIR (nondispersive infrared sensor).

Preventive measures and equipment can be costly but can and will help contribute in alleviating the spread of disease. However, as Prof. Jimenez says, improvements of safety protocols are still met with resistance by government officials as a reflection of our current COVID response.

For now, proper information dissemination is critical for the public to improve safety conditions on their own and for the unaware to be better informed. As the improvement of COVID responses are met with resistance, many of us need to take into account individual safety and our obligation to the safety of others. Simple deeds such as wearing proper masks and talking less to prevent the spread of aerosols can still make a big difference in this long standing battle with COVID-19.

#COVIDisAirborne

#COVIDisAirborne - Understanding and Implementing the Paradigm Shift

Everyone is invited to join the first part of the “#COVIDisAirborne: Understanding and Implementing the Paradigm Shift” on 3 February 2022, 8:00 AM (PST).

Dr. José Luis Jiménez, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder and one of the most highly-cited authors in 2021, will discuss the science and history behind airborne transmissions, focusing on equipping people with the necessary tools to adapt to the paradigm shift.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/airbornepart1 to register. See you!

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