LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS, LALAWIGAN NG BULACAN IKA 7 NG MAYO 2021- APAT (4) na container vans  na naglalaman ng 490,000 piraso ng tinapay na enhanced nutribun na nagkaka halaga ng 4.9 Milyong Piso ang idi deliber ngayong araw dito sa Bulacan Provincial Capitol Gymnasium batay sa order ng Department of Social Wefare and Development (DSWD) sa pakikipagtulungan ng Bulacan Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) ang DSWD ng Bulacan.

Ayon kay Dir. Angie Quinones-Parungao, Provincial Science and Technology Officer ng Bulacan, si Ms. Marie Garcia ng Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) ang nagsabi sa kanya ukol sa aktibidad na kanila raw i-dokumento at kung maari ay imbitahin na rin si DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Pena na kilalang “anak ng Bulacan”

Samantala sa opisyal na facebook post ni DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña sinabi niyang nitong Hulyo July 2020, marami ang nakamalas ng virtual na paglulunsad ng Enhanced Nutribun (E-Nutribun) na may squash (kalabasa) at ang kasunod ang agarang pambansang roll-out nito ng mga sumunod na buwan.

Dagdag pa ng kalihim, nitong lingo lamang aniya ang Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) sa pangunguna ni Director Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, ay naglunsad ng pinakabago nilang variety: E-Nutribun na may carrots!

Sa mga hindi naka a alam, ang E-Nutribun ay isang pinag ibayo at may inobatibong pormulasyon  na masasabing isang bersyon ng bantog na nutribun na ipinamimigay sa mga mag aaral ng pampublikong paaralan nuong dekada 1970 hanggang 1980 upang solusyunan ang suliranin ng bayan sa malnutrition.

Samantala ang bago at reformulated version ay naging inspirasyon ni Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles sa TV cooking show,  na “Kain na” kung saan ang dating DOST-FNRI Director Mario Capanzana ay nagsilbing  resource person.

Sa mga sumunod na buwan ilang mga entrepreneurs ang nagpakita ng interes na I adapt ang teknolohiya, ang mga ito ay dumaan sa assessments, training at compliance sa mga standards at protocol sa pagpo-produce at pagma-market ng E-Nutribun.

Sa kasalukyan ay may 79 adopters ng E-Nutribun sa halos lahat ng rehiyon ng bansa. Ayon pa kay Secretary de la Pena bilang tulong sa mga entrepreneurs sa bahagi ng production at marketing ng E-Nutribun nakatulong rin ito ng malaki upang magkaroon ng mga karagdagang trabaho at hanapbuhay ang mga mangagawa ng mga panaderya bilang mga nag adapt ng teknolohiya, tagapag supply ng mga bakery supplies, at oportunidad sa mga magtatanim ng gulay.

Para sa mga magtatanim ng kalabasa na nakaranas ng napakalaking pagkalugi nitong mga nakaraang buwan dulot ng mga hindi nabiling mga produkto, pagbagsak ng presyo at pagbaba ng demand ang E-Nutribun ang nagligtas sa kanila bilang mga magtatanim ng nasabing gulay.

Dagdag pa ni de la Pena, ang pagli link sa mga E-Nutribun adopters sa mga concerned government at private agencies, DOST-FNRI ang pumili mismo sa kalabasa bilang sangkap ng sa pormulasyon ng nasabing tinapay at sa ikalawang variant ng E-Nutribun, na carrots ang ginamit.

Ang Carrots, ay mayaman sa beta-carotene na ginagawa ng katawan para maging Vitamin A. Vitamin A ay responsible sa good eyesight, healthy skin at hair, at nakakatulong upang palakasin ang immune system. Gamit ang bagong variant ng E-Nutribun na may carrots, ang kasalukuyan at mga nagnanais na maging technology adopters ay magkakaroon ng pagpipilian sakaling mag mahal ang kalabasa o magkaroon ito ng limitadong suplay.

Wika pa ng kalihim ng agham, may mga technology adopters na nagpakita ng interes sa E-Nutribun na may carrots. Ito muli ay isang oportunidad pang ekonomiko na kapwa malaki ang maitutulong sa mga panaderya, mga manggagawa nila at sa mga magtatanim ng gulay.

Buong buo ang suporta ng DOST’s sa mga technology adopters na siyang sumasalamin sa Technology Transfer and Commercialization Program ng kagawaran na nagkakaloob ng technical at financial assistance sa ibat-ibang sektor kabilang ang food processing, hindi lang para palakasin ang micro-, small-, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), kundi gawin at matiyak na science-based ang mga processes at technological innovations.

Para sa karagdagang mga impormasyon  ay maaring bisitahin ang facebook page ng DOST FNRI sa mga nai mag adapt sa teknolohiya ng E-Nutribun (mula sa detayeng galing sa opisyal na facebook page ni DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Pena at Dir. Angie Quinones ng PSTC Bulacan)///Michael Balaguer,09333816694, michaelbalaguer@yahoo.co.uk at konekted@diaryongtagalog.net  

Malawakang solusyon upang paigtingin ang pagtuturo ng agham sa Kabisayaan sa gitna ng pandemya, kailangan ani mga eksperto
ni Allyster A. Endozo, DOST-STII
 
Sa isang birtwal na pagpupulong l na ipinalabas sa Facebook Live, ibinahagi ng mga guro mula sa tatlong rehiyon ng Kabisayaan ang kanilang mga saloobin upang mapaigting ang pagtuturo ng agham sa mga mag-aaral ng paaralang sekundarya sa gitna ng pandemya.
 
Ang pulong ay isinagawa ng National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) sa ilalim ng Kagawaran ng Agham at Teknolohiya (DOST) sa ikalawang araw ng Pulong Pang-agham ng Rehiyong Kabisayaan mula ika-13 hanggang ika-14 ng Abril 2021.
 
Tulad ng mga institusyon sa buong bansa at sa ibayong-dagat, napilitang mag-ibang-tanaw ang mga paaralang sekundarya sa buong Kabisayaan mula sa kinagawiang face-to-face (F2F) setup ng silid-aralan upang makontrol ang pagkalat ng sakit na COVID-19.
 
Pinuri ni Dr. Cristito A. Eco, Ikalawang Direktor ng Opisina ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon (DepEd) sa Rehiyon 7, ang paggamit ng mga cellphone, online tutorial, at maging digital simulation upang mapalawak ang suporta sa mga mag-aaral at pati mga tagapangalaga. 
 
Subalit ipinaalam niya ang tila “pagkabawas” ng natututunan ukol sa matematika at wika dahil sa kakulangan sa digital resources. Ani niya ay dapat mabigyang-pagtingin ang distance learning ng mag-aaral kung siya ay taga-lungsod o mula sa kanayunan.
 
Para kay Dr. Shena Faith M. Ganela, Direktor ng Mataas na Paaralang Pang-agham ng Pilipinas sa Kanlurang Kabisayaan, umaayon ang pagtutulungan ng mga magulang at guro pati mga patimpalak at proyekto sa kurikulong gumagamit ng modyul at Internet.
 
Madalas makaligtaan ang halaga ng mga tagapagturo at maging mga sikiyatriko sa pagsubaybay sa mga nahihirapang mag-aral sa bahay. Ani niya ay dapat mailunsad ang programa sa kalagayang pag-iisip habang binabaybay ang mga pagsubok-pandemya.
 
Bukod sa “re-tooling” para sa mga gurong sasabak sa non-F2F instruction, pinaburan ni Dr. Shalom Grace C. Sugano—Punong-Guro ng Mataas na Paaralan ng Pampublikong Unibersidad ng Kabisayaan—ang alituntuning academic ease ng DepEd upang pahabain ang panahon para sa mga mag-aaral na nagsisipagtapos ng kani-kanilang mga modyul.
 
Hindi rin dapat ipagwalang-bahala ang remote learning na ayon sa kanya ay nangangailangan ng pansin mula sa pamahalaan. Ani niya ay dapat pahalagahan ang mabilis at panatag na koneksyon sa Internet para paigtingin ang online learning.
 
Pag-uusapan sa mga Pulong Pang-agham ang kahandaan ng bansa sa kasalukuyang pandemya at sa hinaharap. Isasagawa ang mga pulong mula ika-27 hanggang ika-28 ng Abril sa tulong ng mga eksperto mula Luzon at mula ika-11 hanggang ika-12 ng Mayo para naman sa mga taga-Mindanao.

DOST-PCIEERD launches 9 new AI R&D projects

From applications in agriculture to the education sector, the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) launched on 08 April 2021 nine (9) new projects on artificial intelligence (AI) research and development aimed at spurring growth in this emerging industry in the Philippines.
 
In a virtual launch, DOST PCIEERD unveiled the AI projects to be undertaken by the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin), De La Salle University (DLSU), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and Caraga State University (CarSU).
 
“AI is one of our priority areas as it truly can boost the country and usher us to the fourth industrial revolution. As a powerful agent for good, AI can disrupt traditional processes and provide solutions and opportunities that Filipinos can maximize,” said DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit.
 
Autonomous vehicles
 
The Autonomous Societally Inspired Mission Oriented Vehicles (ASIMOV) Program, composed of two component projects, will be implemented by DOST-ASTI and UPMin.
 
It will take on the challenge of developing AI-enhanced, mission-driven robots working autonomously or with humans to help address the society’s needs. In its initial phase, it will focus on laying the groundwork by developing and innovating these key functional modules of intelligent mobile robots: sensing, actuation, control, navigation, and communications.
 
UPMin will handle the Harmonized Aerial Watch and Knowledge-based Survey (HAWKS) Project, the aerial component of the ASIMOV program and will primarily conduct R&D towards the development of core technologies necessary for autonomous drone deployment. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be developed for easy monitoring, object detection, and mapping, with minimal human control.
 
On the other hand, DOST-ASTI will focus on the Robot for Optimized and Autonomous Mission-Enhancement Response (ROAMER) Project. It will develop prototypes of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that will help increase productivity of different industries in the country, especially agriculture. Techs under Project ROAMER are envisioned to monitor, survey, and map agricultural farms for better decision-making and management.
 
These robots will initially be tested in realistic emulated surroundings and eventually evaluated in actual environments. They will be used as learning platforms for building effective field-ready robots during the later phases of the ASIMOV Program.
 
AI in big data processing
 
UPMin will also spearhead the Philippine Sky Artificial Intelligence Program (SkAI-Pinas). Its main research component is the Automated Labeling Machine – Large-Scale Initiative (ALaM-LSI), which will be conducted in partnership with DOST-ASTI.
 
SkAI-Pinas aims to bridge the gap between the availability of massive remote sensing data in the country and address the lack of a sustainable technology-based framework that will facilitate widespread processing, systematically and effectively.
 
It is comprised of an AI knowledge base, including experts, protocol, and an AI repository for models and labeled images to accelerate the workflows of remote   sensing applications and fill the gaps in past and present remote sensing projects.
 
Through the ALaM-LSI Project, AI-based techniques will be utilized to enable the development and deployment of relevant applications and services for Filipinos.
 
Tremor sensors to monitor structural health of infrastructures
 
DLSU intends to develop a low-cost, wireless structural health monitoring system with visualization through the Intelligent Structural Health Monitoring via Mesh of Tremor Sensors (meSHM) Project.
 
The system will be made up of less than 50 sensors and will utilize internet of things (IoT) technology and mesh networks that can be installed in buildings, bridges, or metro rail systems. The system will be pilot tested in the cities of Biñan and Sta. Rosa, Laguna before large-scale deployment within cities in Metro Manila.
 
Once fully developed, the meSHM team will work on the commercialization of the system for it to be used by different infrastructure stakeholders such as real property owners, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), local government units (LGUs), and city engineers.
 
This will pave the way for a more complete data collection and analysis, and lead to upgraded studies and more policies on disaster preparedness and prevention that involve vertical and horizontal structures in the different cities in the country.
 
Health monitoring chatbots for students
 
Another project from DLSU is the Development of Multi-lingual Chatbot for Health Monitoring of Public-School Children Project. The team behind this will create a system that can interpret audio input and can converse with students using two major Philippine languages, Filipino and Bisaya.
 
To achieve this, they will develop speech and natural language processing models that can provide appropriate and intelligent responses in the form of questions or suggestions.
 
The information gathered by the healthcare chatbot will be extracted to update the health database of the students stored in the cloud. Health analytics and visualization of the collected data will also be provided for decision-making.
 
The pilot version of this chatbot will be deployed in public schools in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd).
 
Towed camera system for marine litter monitoring
 
To help protect the environment and reduce marine pollution, UPMin will develop a simple, cost-effective technology to monitor and quantify the marine litter in shallow coastal areas.
 
The UPMin will base their technology on an existing towed optical camera array system for deep sea monitoring that has undergone sea trials. They will redesign and improve this by adding sensors and cameras to be efficiently used in shallow coastal water surveys.
 
It will also have a built-in image processing and deep learning or machine learning capability that can identify marine litter, compute the map area covered by litter, and build models for predicting marine litter future scenarios.
 
Automated software for faster spectroscopy analysis
 
UPLB’s goal is to develop an automated software that accepts values from a standard Impedance Spectrometer and uses a machine learning algorithm to identify electrical, mass, and temperature parameters by looking into the time series plot and plot library. This also involves properly fitting a spectrum with sufficient parameters that minimizes common errors in existing numerical fittings.
 
The developed algorithm will be tested and deployed at UPLB’s Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Laboratory. The laboratory houses projects concerning materials development and testing.
 
The program will be integrated with a simple user interface that anyone can conveniently use. One does not need to be familiar with the specifics of the program. It can be treated like a black box. The user can just input the values or parameters that s/he intends using. The academe, particularly research, and industries involving electronics, semiconductors, food, medicine, and agriculture, are targeted to benefit from this project.
 
Intelligent system for traffic control and management
 
Using an IoT sensor network and deep learning, CarSU will design and develop an intelligent traffic control and management system. It will monitor traffic in a selected area by using various devices that can measure several physical traffic parameters like flow, density, volume, headway, waiting time, throughput, as well as pollution.
 
Furthermore, the base station will be established and equipped with intelligent behavior and direct policy search capabilities using reinforcement learning to automatically and efficiently manage traffic and to avoid congestion.
 
To make this possible, the CarSU team will design a road and vehicle traffic simulation with traffic lights based in Butuan City.
 
They will also develop and test a prototype of intelligent mobile traffic lights and will design web-based or mobile-based applications that will enable easy access to traffic conditions.
 
Paringit expressed optimism and confidence that these AI projects can prompt progress in the country.
 
“As a leader and partner in enabling innovations by harnessing emerging technologies, we recognize that these cutting-edge AI projects that will be implemented by government agencies and higher education institutions (HEIs) will be a huge leap for the Philippines as we deep dive into the AI industry and harness its full potential.  These projects are a testament of our shared goal of uplifting our nation by making innovation work for the Filipino people,” Paringit said.    (DOST-PCIEERD/Raissa Ancheta at pcieerdmedia@gmail.com or +63976-037-8666)