Amid looming El Niño, UP-led research highlights need for marine science

Amid looming El Niño, UP-led research highlights need for marine science

Published: July 26, 2023

By: Timothy James M. Dimacali

From mangroves to coral reefs, research from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science’s Marine Science Institute (UPD-CS MSI) was at the forefront of recent discussions on the future fate of the country’s marine systems and the people who depend on them.

Over 100 research papers from MSI scientists were presented at the 17th National Symposium on Marine Science, which was held from July 20 to 22 in Batangas City under the theme, “Saving Our Seas: Restoring Marine Systems for People and Nature.” It was sponsored by the Philippine Association of Marine Science (PAMS).

Dubbed simply as PAMS 17, the national symposium follows closely on the heels of the World Meteorological Organization’s warning that global sea surface temperatures hit all-time record highs in June. The extensive scope of the UP researchers’ work underscores the importance of marine science in national security and nation building.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Gil Jacinto, who retired from the MSI in 2020, highlighted the importance of the country’s researchers in his speech, “Philippine Marine Science: Navigating the Ocean Decade towards 2030.”

“Symposiums like PAMS give UP MSI an opportunity to share results and best practices to other researchers,” said MSI Deputy Director for Research Dr. Deo Florence Onda. “The discussions allow us to build on what we already know, help others progress in their own work, and learn from feedback on how to improve further.“

“Moreover, PAMS strengthens camaraderie, widens networks, and facilitates future collaborations,” he added.

For more information on the PAMS 17 symposium, including a list of MSI studies presented, please see their online news or visit their website at https://www.msi.upd.edu.ph/

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph.

Skin like butterfly wings: UP scientists investigate rare deadly disease

Skin like butterfly wings: UP scientists investigate rare deadly disease

Published: July 17, 2023

By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

As rare and deadly as it is poetically named, “Butterfly’s Disease” (scientifically known as “epidemolysis bullosa” or simply “EB”) has no known cure. But a handful of Filipino scientists are working their way towards a treatment.

EB is a very serious disease, for those afflicted as well as for their families. Sufferers have severely fragile skin that easily blisters and tears even with the slightest touch, hence the comparison to butterfly wings. EB also varies in form, with mild cases that only affect the outer skin to extreme cases that injure even internal organs—an extreme condition that can lead to severe disability or even death.

To further understand Butterfly’s Disease, scientists from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) have focused on a genetic mutation known to cause an even rarer type of EB called Junctional EB (JEB), which affects more layers of the skin and can be fatal if it happens during early infancy.

Genetic investigators’ surprise discovery

The onset of JEB has been associated with a genetic mutation called G273D that affects how the body produces a protein called ITGA6-ITGB4 integrin (or Integrin A6B4 for short), which plays a vital role in joining together cells and tissues. The G237D mutation causes the production of malfunctioning Integrin A6B4 and decreases the presence of functional Integrin A6B4 on epithelial cell surfaces, leading to weaker cell adhesion in the skin tissue and resulting in severe skin blisters.

Molecular biologist Dr. Neil Andrew Bascos and his graduate students, Kim Ivan Abesamis and Camille Anne Bagoyo, of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UPD-CS NIMBB) are investigating just how G237D affects the structure of Integrin A6B4.

“We weren’t looking to study EB when we started this study,” Dr. Bascos narrated. “The main goal of the research has previously been looking at the function of integrins and their roles in cancer. Interestingly though, we’ve found that integrins may be associated with many other relevant diseases. Finding its involvement in this disfiguring disease provides us a means through which our research may be able to help the afflicted people.”

In their computational study, the researchers investigated how the G237D mutation prevents Integrin A6B4 from forming, and from binding their targets properly. Some factors, such as the presence of calcium ions, were also observed to stabilize integrin interactions.

Paving the way for future research

The study sets the direction for further research into factors that can alter the effect of the G237D mutation on Integrin A6B4 function. Exploring these factors can pave the way for discovering cures for EB. “At this point, it’s very much basic research, medyo predictive pa. It would need proof of principle, but these studies give us concrete targets to test in the search for ways to alleviate the disease,” Dr. Bascos said.

Some people with EB die as infants. Others manage to survive, but suffer from chronic illnesses that stem from its effects. Although little is currently known about effective treatments and cures for Butterfly’s Disease, the UP scientists remain steadfast in their quest to gain a deeper understanding of EB, in hopes of improving the quality of life of these patients and their families.

References:

Abesamis, K. I. A., Bagoyo, C. A. S., & Bascos, N. A. D. (2021). Investigating the effect of a non-conservative mutation (G273D) on integrin alpha6-beta4 binding interactions. Biophysical Journal, 120(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2020.11.1709

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. (n.d.). Epidermolysis Bullosa. Retrieved from https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/e/epidermolysis-bullosa

EB Research Network. (n.d.). Understanding EB & its classification. Retrieved from https://www.eb-researchnetwork.org/research/what-is-eb/

GMA Integrated News and Public Affairs. (n.d.). Butterfly Child. Brigada. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1693026984165308.

Survey confirms disappearing population of critically-endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in Bicol

Survey confirms disappearing population of critically-endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in Bicol

Published: July 12, 2023

By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

No sooner has their existence been confirmed that the rare Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) of San Miguel Bay in Bicol are already at risk of disappearing from the region.

Irrawaddy dolphins are characterized by gray or dark-blue backs and pale bellies, with a high tolerance to various levels of salinity that enables them to live in areas where salty seawater and freshwater meet – such as in the mouths of rivers and bays. They are among the world’s most endangered dolphin species, indicated as critically endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are also considered critically endangered by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

A mission to find live Irrawaddy dolphins in the area of San Miguel Bay in Bicol led scientists from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (UPD-CS IESM) to validate the existence in the area of this critically-endangered species during a recent dolphin survey conducted from July 6 to 9, 2023.

Efforts to locate Irrawaddy dolphins

The team, led by IESM Professor and Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Laboratory (MMRCL) Head Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, sighted two Irrawaddy dolphins—one near Canron Island and another near Canimog Island, both in the waters of Mercedes, Camarines Norte.

“These dolphins prefer brackish waters, making the San Miguel Bay area an ideal place for the Irrawaddy dolphins to thrive, with its shallow depth, a wide range of salinities, and presence of nearby offshore islands,” Dr. Aragones explained.

The IESM researchers and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office 5 (BFAR5) were motivated to organize the dolphin survey after conducting key informant interviews in October 2022 about a stranded Irrawaddy dolphin reported as a bycatch in August of the same year.

The team covered a total area of about 680 square kilometers. In terms of travel distance, they covered a total of 335 kilometers in 23 hours, spread over four days, with transects traversing the shorelines of towns in Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.

Seeking refuge in San Miguel Bay

According to Dr. Aragones, not only do these rare sightings of Irrawaddy dolphins confirm their existence in San Miguel Bay, they also indicate that only a few of these dolphins are left. “It is most likely that the Irrawaddy dolphins are using the offshore islands in the San Miguel Bay as a refuge area, and that there is now probably much less food for them there since it is one of the most over-exploited fishing grounds in the country,” Dr. Aragones explained.

Dr. Aragones also urged the creation of an action plan with BFAR5 on the protection and conservation of these critically-endangered dolphins. “I already talked with BFAR5 Regional Director Ariel Pioquinto about enhancing San Miguel Bay again to ensure the Irrawaddy dolphins’ habitat,” he said. “We hope to harmonize local ordinances with existing national laws regarding protected species.”

The dolphin survey team was composed of spotters from IESM; the BFAR5 – Fisheries Protection and Law Enforcement Group (BFAR5-FPLEG); the BFAR – Fisheries Resources Management Section (BFAR5-FRMS), and the Ateneo de Naga University Institute for Environmental Conservation and Research (INECAR).

Other populations of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Philippines can be found in Malampaya Sound in Palawan and the Iloilo-Guimaras-Negros Occidental area.

For interviews and further information, you may contact Dr. Lemnuel Aragones (IESM Professor and Marine Mammal Research & Conservation Laboratory Head) via mobile no. (0928)5018226 or email laragones@iesm.upd.edu.ph; and Noel Umbao (Fishing Regulations Officer and Officer-in-Charge of BFAR5-FRMS) at mobile no. (0918)2112003.

For other inquiries, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph

AI-powered Baybayin translator being developed by UP mathematicians

AI-powered Baybayin translator being developed by UP mathematicians

Published: July 11, 2023

By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Filipino mathematicians have just invented a computerized method for converting entire paragraphs and even full documents written in the ancient Filipino Baybayin writing system into text that even non-native readers can easily understand. And they’re now hard at work developing a full two-way translator.

By combining mathematics and technology, scientists from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science Institute of Mathematics (UPD-CS IM) have made what is likely the world’s first paragraph-level optical character recognition (OCR) system that can distinguish between entire blocks of Baybayin and Latin characters in a text image.

Thousands of images, months of hard work

In their paper entitled “Block-level Optical Character Recognition System for Automatic Transliterations of Baybayin Texts Using Support Vector Machine,” masters student Rodney Pino and associate professors Dr. Renier Mendoza and Dr. Rachelle Sambayan developed an algorithm to convert a photograph of a set of text into binary data, which is then run through a support vector machine (SVM) character classifier to automatically determine whether the characters are Baybayin or Latin.

“SVM is a machine learning algorithm used to solve regression or classification problems,” Pino explained. “We have a dataset for Baybayin characters—let’s say character A and then character BA. SVM uses techniques or mathematical methods that can separate the two datasets to determine characters BA and A.”

It took the group more than three months to collect over a thousand images for each Baybayin character, gathering a total of 110 paragraphs from different websites that have either hand- or typewritten Baybayin, Latin, or Baybayin and Latin writing. “Adding more character images improves the recognition rate of SVM,” Pino explained.

Developing a smart, two-way translator

Currently, the OCR system can spell out the Latin equivalent of the Baybayin characters on a page, thus producing a transliterated version of the text. But the researchers are looking to enable it to do so much more.

The mathematicians also plan to make the OCR system more aware of the context of Baybayin words and phrases, possibly paving the way for a full-fledged translator. They are also trying to make the system work both ways, with the ability to convert Latin words with foreign sounds into Baybayin.

“We’re trying to refine the software we developed to make it easier for future users to navigate it. We also dream of creating a mobile application that automatically and accurately translates Baybayin characters just by hovering over the phone,” Dr. Mendoza said.

However, there are some kinks to smoothen out: Dr. Mendoza said that it was challenging to get the OCR system to translate Baybayin words and sentences accurately. “For now the system can’t distinguish between some Baybayin characters that are similar in writing, such as E and I, and O and U. We also have a lot of words that have different Latin equivalents,” he expounded. “The algorithm we used shows all possible translations of the Baybayin words.”

Preserving Filipino writing systems

Although still scant, interest in and research on Baybayin is slowly increasing, making the mathematicians hopeful that more Filipinos will become interested in protecting Baybayin through research. The team published their data to encourage more researchers to conduct studies on Baybayin and OCR. “We cleaned the data in such a way that researchers could use it in analyzing Baybayin through other algorithms,” Dr. Mendoza shared. “We made the data readily available for use, so researchers wouldn’t go through the difficulty we experienced in gathering data.”

Philippine traditional writing systems, such as Baybayin, are representations of Filipino tradition and national identity. As such, the country’s government officials created the “Philippine Indigenous and Traditional Writing Systems Act,” which seeks to promote, protect, and preserve Baybayin and other traditional writing systems.

The proposed law urges using Baybayin as a tool for cultural development and safeguarding, therefore encouraging organizations and institutions to spearhead activities and projects that promote awareness of these traditional writing systems.

According to the scientists, Baybayin is living proof that we Filipinos have our own technically-sophisticated traditions. While they aren’t putting forward making Baybayin the Philippines’ primary writing system, the group believes that conducting more research on Baybayin will help preserve this heritage. “This can be forgotten,” Dr. Sambayan said. “It’s important to have a record of each Baybayin character—even having digitized ones.”

Dr. Sambayan expressed concern that the number of Filipinos who can read and write Baybayin is decreasing, adding to the importance of identifying and translating Baybayin characters into Latin. “We’re hoping that through this OCR system, we could preserve and pass on the knowledge of understanding Baybayin to future Filipino generations,” she said.

Baybayin and other traditional writing systems are a part of the Philippines’ rich history. Several old Filipino documents are in Baybayin—documents that can uncover more information about Filipino culture. The scientists are encouraging more Filipinos to join them in cultivating the body of knowledge the country has on Baybayin. “Kapag walang gagawa nito, sinong gagawa? Even though its implication already has a bit of a niche, I think this is still a vital research venture,” Dr. Mendoza said.

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph.

Sources:

Pino, R., Mendoza, R., & Sambayan, R. (2022). Block-Level Optical Character Recognition System for Automatic Transliteration of Baybayin Texts using Support Vector Machine. Philippine Journal of Science, 151(1), 303-315.

Philippine Indigenous and Traditional Writing Systems Act, S. 1680, 19th Cong. (2022).

UPD-CS embarks on joint int’l study to fight snail-borne disease in PHL villages

UPD-CS embarks on joint int’l study to fight snail-borne disease in PHL villages

Published: June 29, 2023

By: Timothy James M. Dimacali

The University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science’s Institute of Biology (UPD-CS IB) recently entered into an international research collaboration to fight a parasitic snail-borne tropical disease that affects millions of Filipinos across the country.

UPD-CS Dean Dr. Giovanni Tapang (seated, second from left) is joined by (seated, L-R) UPD-CS IB Director Dr. Ian Kendrich Fontanilla, CWRC Deputy Chief Engineer Guiya Chen, CWRC-CRSI Vice President Shiming Yao, UPD-CS IB Assistant Professor Dr. Ian Kim Tabios, and UPD-CS IB Assistant Professor Dr. Lerrie Ann Ipulan-Colet (standing, rightmost) at a courtesy call by CWRC-CRSI researchers last June 26. (PHOTO CREDIT: Dr. Ian Kim Tabios)

The UPD-CS IB has partnered with the Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute (CRSI) of China’s Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC) on a joint project entitled, “Construction and Demonstration of Water Conservancy Combined with Schistosomiasis Control (WCCSC) in ASEAN Countries,” with support from the Asian Cooperation Fund.

Schistosomiasis is an often-neglected tropical disease that greatly impacts many agricultural villages in the Philippines, particularly poor and marginalized communities. In 2019 alone, it was reported that the disease affected some 12 million people across the country. The joint project aims to demonstrate the impact of water conservancy technology on the control of the snail vector of schistosomiasis in selected endemic villages in Leyte. The team will provide training to local health workers and engineers in the principles and applications of WCCSC.

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph.

Pinoy archaeologist helps rewrite human history in Southeast Asia

Pinoy archaeologist helps rewrite human history in Southeast Asia

Published: June 29, 2023

By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

New findings from a cave in northern Laos add to a growing body of evidence that modern humans arrived in Southeast Asia over 80,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought. The groundbreaking findings were recently published in the prestigious journal, Nature.

Analyses of fossils and sediments from Tam Pà Ling (“Cave of Monkeys” in Lao) by an international team of scientists—including a Filipino researcher formerly from the University of the Philippines (UP) and currently at the Flinders University Microarchaeology Laboratory in South Australia—has pushed back the time when we know our species, Homo sapiens, was present in Mainland Southeast Asia.

The newly-discovered fossils provide unmistakable evidence of the presence of modern humans in northern Laos as far back as 86,000 years ago. This is almost 20,000 years older than most of the evidence from sites so far studied in Southeast Asia and adds further confirmation of a pre-60,000-year-old dispersal of modern humans into East Asia.

“This discovery is helping us better understand the distribution of our direct ancestors at a time when we know other populations of humans, now extinct, existed,” said Vito Hernandez, the Filipino geoarchaeologist who is part of the team that published these recent findings from Tam Pà Ling.

This research in northern Laos, including a previous discovery of now-extinct humans known as Denisovans present between 164,000 and 131,000 years ago in Tam Ngu Hao 2 (“Cobra Cave”) located in the same mountain as Tam Pà Ling strongly suggests that this part of Southeast Asia is an early human dispersal route. “This proves that our human ancestors also traveled along forests and river valleys apart from following islands and coastlines as they moved eastward to Australia, where they are controversially thought to have migrated as early as 65,000 years ago,” Hernandez explained.

“Analyses of the fossils in Tam Pà Ling suggest that these early modern humans were part of an immigrant population, but whether their genetic line successfully survives in current populations is yet to be determined,” he added.

Initially, fossils from Tam Pà Ling were hard to date, resulting in skepticism about previously-presented evidence from the cave. This led the geochronology and geoarchaeology specialists of the team to strategically apply their techniques to ascertain how the dated sediments relate to the fossils, and determine a precise age for both.

“The dating and the quality of fossil preservation is important as we’ve seen from research led by scientists like Professor Armand Mijares at the UP School of Archaeology, but as we’ve also seen from our research and other human evolutionary research like in Denisova cave in Russia, a very close collaboration between the Earth and Human sciences is necessary if we are to achieve a more complete picture of how humans evolved and settled into different parts of the world,” he elaborated.

Hernandez was formerly part of the UP Archaeological Studies Program, now the UP School of Archaeology, where he obtained his Master of Science and taught undergraduate classes in Archaeology. He was also part of the Science and Society Program of the UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS), where he managed classes in Science, Technology and Society. “I hope to return after my research work in Australia and contribute to making our science serve Philippine society,” he concluded.

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph.

Sources:

Freidline, S. E., Westaway, K. E., Joannes-Boyau, R., Duringer, P., Ponche, J.-L., Morley, M. W., Hernandez, V. C., McAllister-Hayward, M. S., McColl, H., Zanolli, C., Gunz, P., Bergmann, I., Sichanthongtip, P., Sihanam, D., Boualaphane, S., Luangkhoth, T., Souksavatdy, V., Dosseto, A., Boesch, Q., … Demeter, F. (2023). Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos. Nature Communications, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38715-y

CS Pet ID Registration

CS Pet ID

Exciting news for CS fur-parents and their furry companions!

We’re thrilled to announce the start of the digital Pet ID rollout for pets owned by CS constituents. Get ready to embark on amazing adventures with your fur-babies in the National Science Complex (NSC), as the CS Pet ID allows you and your pets to explore and enjoy leisurely walks, provided that you follow the Rules and Guidelines.

You can find the detailed Rules and Guidelines on the registration form. Additional rules may be imposed if necessary to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment.

Please be informed that while the CS Pet ID grants access to the NSC grounds, entry to specific buildings may have separate restrictions and policies.

To register for the CS Pet ID, simply visit this link: https://bit.ly/CS-PetID or conveniently scan the QR code below.

Let the paw-some adventures at the NSC begin!

UP marine, computer scientists invent semi-automated fish monitoring device

UP marine, computer scientists invent semi-automated fish monitoring device

Published: June 23, 2023

By: Timothy James M. Dimacali

Monitoring the health of marine environments is a laborious activity, but is essential for evaluating the success of reef protection and rehabilitation initiatives. A fish census commonly involves divers swimming along a transect line, usually marked by a plastic cord, and visually counting and identifying the fish species that they encounter. This painstaking process requires trained experts and highly knowledgeable divers to accurately record data on species, size, and abundance.

In 2016, Dr. Laura David of the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science Marine Science Institute (UPD-CS MSI), together with co-author machine intelligence expert Prof. Prospero C. Naval, Jr. of the UP Department of Computer Science (UPD-DCS) presented a conference paper entitled, “FishDrop: Estimation of Reef Fish Population Density and Biomass using Stereo Cameras” which proposed a semi-automated method that combines a stereo camera rig and image recognition software to allow for more efficient and accurate reef fish census.

The proposed technology would enable divers with minimal training to obtain high-quality population and species distribution measurements using the specially developed stereo camera rig and fish video analyzer software.

FishDrop promises to help improve the Philippines’ reef resilience and biodiversity restoration efforts, and contribute towards the overall health of the country’s reef ecosystems.

This coming Monday, June 26, Dr. David is set to take the iStories stage to expound on ‘FishDrop’ and share their team’s journey not just in developing the technology, but also in successfully translating this groundbreaking innovation into a patent.

“Perseverance is necessary to get the concept and the product translated into a patent and commercial venture. It has not been an easy road,” says Dr. David. Like any other intellectual property and patent applications, the journey for FishDrop has been tedious, nevertheless rewarding. Dr. David hopes that through her sharing, she may inspire others to persevere with their own scientific endeavors despite the trudging process.

iStories is a series of innovation-themed talks, storytelling, and activities featuring local and international scientists. The initiative aims to ignite the creativity and inventiveness of young scientists not just from UPD-CS but from other institutes inside and outside UP.

Its fourth session is scheduled for June 26, 2023, 3:00 pm at the MSI Audio Visual Room and will also be live via Zoom. To join, you may register through this link https://bit.ly/iStories3rd.

The iStories series takes place at 3:00 pm on the last Monday of every month. Subscription to individual sessions or the entire iStories webinar series is also possible through the same registration form.

For inquiries about iStories, please message adride_staff@science.upd.edu.ph

For interview requests and other media concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph

Sources:

Naval, P. C., & David, L. T. (2016). FishDrop: Estimation of reef fish population density and biomass using stereo cameras. In 2016 Techno-Ocean (Techno-Ocean). DOI: 10.1109/Techno-Ocean.2016.7890710.

Agam-agam sa Agham: The current and future prospects of science communication in the Philippines

Agam-agam sa Agham: The current and future prospects of science communication in the Philippines

Published: June 21, 2023

By: Timothy James M. Dimacali

What can be done to improve weather and disaster reporting in the Philippines? How are scientists portrayed in Pinoy movies and pop culture? Where can we find the best examples of science communication for Filipino online viewers? When can we hope to develop a science-appreciative Filipino culture?

Explore the answers to these and other questions at “Agam-agam sa Agham: The current state and future prospects of science communication in the Philippines”. This free public lecture is a joint initiative of the UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) and Science Communicators Philippines (SciCommPH). it will be held on June 30 (Friday), 2pm – 5pm at the UPD-CS Auditorium. It will also be streamed live to registered participants.

You can reserve a slot at the event and receive the Zoom login details by registering here: https://bit.ly/SciCommLectureReg

The list of distinguished speakers includes:

SciCommPH is a non-stock, non-profit national organization of scicomm practitioners and researchers, journalists, and scientists.

Pinoy appointed editor of esteemed int’l journal

Pinoy appointed editor of esteemed int’l journal

Published: June 21, 2023

By: Timothy James M. Dimacali

For the first time in its 77-year history, the esteemed scientific publication Optik: International Journal for Light and Electron Optics will be helmed by a Filipino scientist.

Prof. Percival F. Almoro of the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science National Institute of Physics (UPD-CS NIP) was appointed Section Editor of the Optik journal by international scientific publishing house Elsevier as of June 2023.

Established in 1946, Optik is an internationally-renowned scientific journal, having published in its pages works by famous physicists including R. W. Gerchberg and W. O. Saxton, for whom the phase retrieval algorithm is named. It is also the official journal of the German Society for Applied Optics, which counts among its honorary members Nobel Prize winners Stefan Hell (2014, super-resolved fluorescence microscopy) and Dennis Gabor (1979, holography). As of 2021, Optik showcased an above-average impact factor of 2.84.

In his new editorial capacity, Almoro will have final responsibility and the last word on the journal’s specialized content in areas ranging from optical metrology and interferometry to phase retrieval.

“This editorship stint is a great honor not just for me but also for all Filipinos,” Almoro said. “It is a recognition on the international stage that researchers in the country can carry out good quality research.”

For interview requests and other media concerns, please email media@science.upd.edu.ph.