NAST, VSU host HyFlex career orientation for researchers in Region 8

Some of the country’s career scientists engaged in a mini-talkshow forum that allowed them to address some of the questions coming from both the physical and virtual audiences. Photo courtesy of NAST-SCS.

The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) hosted the Scientific Career System (SCS) Orientation and Research Colloquium in Eastern Visayas with the aim of developing a new pool of highly qualified and productive scientific personnel in the region.

Co-hosted by the Visayas State University (VSU) in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Office 8, this event employed a hybrid-flexible (HyFlex) modality that involved both physical and virtual audiences to introduce a unique system of recruitment, career progression, and recognition that hopes to attract more scientists in the public service.

This was held on June 23, 2022 at the VSU RDE Hall with online broadcast available in both Zoom and the official Facebook page of the SCS. 

Acd. Mudjekeewis D. Santos, a Career Scientist IV at the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) led the SCS orientation in Region 8. Doc Pogi, as he is fondly called in the scientific community, is also the pioneering Chief of the Fisheries Biotechnology Center, an attached agency to the Department of Agriculture based in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Dr. Santos went over to the specifics of the SCS and focused on the rewards and incentives that researchers can receive as Career Scientists. 

"Out of 110 million Filipinos, we only have 58 active career scientists which is a relatively a bad number.  Scientists are essential for development because they provide information and technology to advance and move forward. We cannot achieve a developed status if the number of our scientists is this low," Acd. Santos expressed. 

The program aims to promote a career path in science, motivate researchers to apply for the SCS, and expand the number of conferred scientists. The discussions included in the program were:  (1) scientific career system; (2) predatory journals and conferences; (3) ethics for researchers; (4) magna carta benefits; and (5) career talk from scientists.

The HyFlex setup of VSU allowed NAST to hold the event with virtual and physical speakers and audiences which attracted a greater number of participants for this regional SCS orientation. Photo courtesy of NAST-SCS.

#ProudViscan Dr. Ian A. Navarrete, an Outstanding Young Scientist 2016 awardee and a faculty of Southern Leyte State University, shared his knowledge on the predatory journals and conferences. He emphasized the threats brought by predatory journals and recommended ways in staying vigilant to avoid this kind of fraud. 

Dr. Maribel L. Dionisio Sese, UP Scientist II of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) discussed the fundamental ethics and norms for researchers, and their responsibilities within the scientific community. 

A special session on the DOST Magna Carta Benefits was delivered by Atty. Shiela O. Valino, Attorney IV of the DOST Legal Division, which concluded the morning session. She briefly discussed the coverage, goals, and implementing rules and regulations of the Magna Carta.

The afternoon session was devoted to the presentations of career scientists’ works and research projects on their specific fields. This is to humanize the commendable work being performed by some of the country’s career scientists by highlighting their humble contribution in building a strong science culture for the Philippines.

Dr. Vallerie Ann Samson, Career Scientist I of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), opened the afternoon session by imparting her journey from being a scholar to becoming one of the youngest career scientists in the country. Dr. Samson hails from Region 8 and took her basic education in Tacloban City.

Another VSU alumnus Dr. Ricardo F. Orge, a Career Scientist II from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), presented his work on helping farmers respond to climate change challenges by designing climate-resilient infrastructure that will help mitigate losses during typhoon season. According to Dr. Orge, this work is inspired by the challenging experiences of farmers in Eastern Visayas who endured Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Moreover, Dr. Marina A. Alipon, a Career Scientist I of the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) based in UPLB, discussed the development and commercialization of FPRDI Digital Moisture Meter for Wood Bamboo and other non-timber forest products. 

This is a handheld device that reads the amount of water present in non-timber products which is crucial in maintaining the overall quality of bamboo that ensures that the final product will not crack or split.

Related to this, the final speaker was Dr. Merdelyn Caasi-Lit, a Career Scientist I from the Institute of Plant Breeding who presented her study about native bamboo and the scientific community's continuing quest for sustainability. Dr. Lit also challenged the participants to identify the unique bamboo species thriving in Region 8 as there is a growing demand for this raw material all around the world.

A mini-talkshow forum was also held right after all the career talk of the four invited scientists where participants from both the physical and virtual setups were able to ask questions to the resource persons.

Dr. Evelyn Gergon, a retired Career Scientist I from PhilRice, delivered the final synthesis as a wrap up to the full-packed program. 

Local researchers from various higher education institutions in Eastern Visayas participated in the one-day event. The whole orientation can be replayed in the SCS official Facebook page using the following links:

AM Session - https://www.facebook.com/ScientificCareerSystem/videos/1582310988850275

PM Session - https://www.facebook.com/ScientificCareerSystem/videos/1111176639477801 

PM Forum - https://www.facebook.com/ScientificCareerSystem/videos/1376520646165807 

The Scientific Career System (SCS) has been established within the civil service pursuant to Executive Order No. 784 dated March 17, 1982, in order to support and encourage the development of science and technology which is one of the main pillars in the country's national development efforts. 

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