Young Pinoy scientists showcase work in nanotech, genetics, chemistry
The three finalists of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Talent Search for Young Scientists presented their research to the media at the awarding ceremony of the NAST-Hugh Greenwood Environmental Science Award at the Hyatt Hotel Manila on April 23.
The NAST Talent Search is a competition meant to encourage young scientists (aged 35 or below the year the award is given) to pursue a career in science. The authors of the best three scientific papers submitted will be awarded trophies and cash prizes.
This year, the finalists are Dahlia C. Apodaca of the Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines Diliman, for her paper “Electropolymerized Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Films of a Bis-Terthiophene Dendron: Folic Acid Quartz Crystal Microbalance Sensing”; Mario A. Tan of the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences of the University of Sto. Tomas, for his paper “Isolation and Total Syntheses of Two New Alkaloids, Dubiusamines-A and -B, from Pandanus dubius”; and Marcos B. Valdez of the School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo de Manila University, for his paper “Differential Development of Sex-related Characters of Chickens from the GSP and PNP/DO Inbred Lines After Left Ovariectomy.”
Dr. Apodaca, who has a PhD in Chemistry, is focusing on nanotechnology (working with matter on the molecular to microscopic scale). “There is a very wide application for it,” she says. In the Philippines, nanotech research is focused on developing nanostructured solar cells and energy storage devices, nanomaterials for packaging and construction and nanosensors for rapid detection of food contaminants. Apodaca’s work has been on the Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) sensors, which are detection devices that are simple, low-cost, reusable and recoverable and which can be used in a number of applications, from detecting land mines to toxic substances in food.
Dr. Tan, who has a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, is working on identifying new alkaloids from the pandanus (pandan) plant. The ones identified by Tan and his colleagues so far provide materials of pharmacological and ecological relevance and are used to develop sedatives and diuretics. The antioxidant, anti-tubercular, anti-infective and antioxidant properties of the plant also make it a vital source of medicines to treat illnesses, diseases and disorders such as tuberculosis, leprosy, rheumatism, headaches, urinary tract infections.
Dr. Valdez, who has a PhD in Animal Genetics, is working on chicken sex reversal—even creating a chicken with one female side and one male side—as a viable way to preserve the germline (the sequence of cells that contain genetic material that will be passed on to offspring) of chicken varieties. Now that the genome of the domestic chicken has been completely mapped, says Valdez, “We are on the road to attaining a wealth of knowledge from its analysis.”
After their presentation, the finalists were interviewed by the NAST board of judges. The winner will be announced at an awards presentation to be held on July 12.
Earlier at the event, the NAST-Hugh Greenwood Environmental Science Award was presented to botanist Dr. Virginia Castillo-Cuevas for her work in curing crop disease. — TJD, GMA News
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