DOST-FPRDI partnered with the Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) in providing technical assistance to Adoress Farm.
The initiative is under the National Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubation Program of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD).
DOST-FPRDI’s technical expert, Dr. Jennifer P. Tamayo, will train Adoress Farm staff in developing the antimicrobial soaps and hand mists using their own plant materials. The institute will also provide business development services and access to testing laboratories.
Supporting small enterprises
According to Dr. Noel Catibog, Chief of DOST-PCAARRD’s Technology Transfer and Promotion Division, the Technology Business Incubation (TBI) program hopes to accelerate the transfer and commercialization of research-based outputs in the country.
“TBI is an innovative process where an institution supports start-ups by providing them necessary technical and business development services,” explained Catibog.
The DOST-FPRDI has its own TBI called the “Peak Three”.
Established in 2019 with funding grant from DOST-PCAARRD, Peak Three is intended as a support system for small or starting wood and non-wood forest products enterprises.
Among its services are assistance through various wood and non-wood processing technologies; linkage with investors; assistance in intellectual property protection; mentoring on business management, marketing and finance; and technology training and testing services.
First of its kind
Catibog shared that the partnership between two or more TBIs— such as the case between DOST-FPRDI and LSPU— is the first of its kind in the country.
Known as co-incubation, this collaboration is seen to bring “access to a wide range of services, larger pool of technical experts and network of investors and partners; better benefit-sharing of knowledge, facilities and equipment; and higher promotion of technology commercialization.”
According to DOST-FPRDI Director Dr. Romulo T. Aggangan, the co-incubation initiative is an “excellent pathway for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Research & Development Institutes to commercialize their technologies and collaborate in research and product development.”
“We are encouraging start-ups or small wood and non-wood forest products enterprises to check out DOST-FPRDI’s TBI. The institute will be glad to assist you in moving your business to the next level,” Aggangan ended.
Interested parties may contact DOST-FPRDI Director Dr. Romulo T. Aggangan at info@fprdi.dost.gov.ph or fprdi@dost.gov.ph. ### (Apple Jean C. Martin- de Leon)
3 Pinoy space engineers make history with Maya-2 cubesat launch The date 21 February 2021 (1:36 AM Philippine Standard Time) is now forever etched in the history of space science in the Philippines with the launch of the country’s second cube satellite, called Maya-2 CubeSat, that was developed by three Filipino student engineers.
The Maya-2 CubeSat was launched through the International Space Station (ISS) along with Paraguay’s GuaraniSat-1 CubeSat and Japan’s Tsuru CubeSat for the BIRDS 4 Satellite Project – KyuTech aboard the Northrop Grumman CRS-15 mission.
The Maya-2 CubeSat team is composed of BIRDS-4 Project Manager Izrael Zenar C. Bautista who obtained his degree in MS Energy Engineering from the University of the Philippines Diliman; BIRDS-4 Project member Mark Angelo C. Purio, on the other hand, obtained his degree in MS Electronics Engineering from the De La Salle University and his MA in Education from Adamson University; and BIRDS-4 Project member Marloun Sejera who earned his degree in MS in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the Mapúa Institute of Technology.
Incidentally, the three Filipino space engineers are now pursing doctoral degrees in Space Systems Engineering and Space Engineering at the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech).
According to Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Maya-2 is the country’s fourth satellite that was launched through the International Space Station (ISS). Diwata 1 and 2, both microsatellites, were launched in 23 March 2016 and 29 October 2018, respectively, while Maya-1 was launched in 29 June 2018.
“Since DOST started the Philippine Space Technology Development Program in 2014, we have already sent orbiting into space two micro satellites, Diwata-1 and Diwata-2, and two nanosatellites Maya-1 and Maya-2,” de la Peña said.
The science chief also said that the DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) and the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineering (UP IEEE) are the implementors of the satellite development projects in cooperation with two Japanese universities, Hokkaido University and Tohoku University. This initiative is also part of the Stamina4Space Program of the DOST funded by the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) and implemented by the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI).
The Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program is a space research & development program that aims to further develop deep expertise that enable and sustain the growth of a local scientific-industrial base in space technology and applications in the Philippines.
The development of Maya-2 CubeSat is part of the 4th Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project called “BIRDS-4 Satellite Project” that is a cross-border interdisciplinary CubeSat project hosted by the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan, in collaboration with the three countries.
The Maya-2 CubeSat weighs 1.3kg equipped with a camera for image and video capture, attitude determination and control units for active attitude stabilization and control demonstrations, Perovskite solar cells and Latchup-detection chip, and an Automatic Packet Reporting System Message Digipeater (APRS-DP).
According to Professor Paul Jayson Co, project leader of the STAMINA4Space Space Science and Technology Proliferation through University Partnerships (STeP-UP), the satellites use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components to verify proper function in space and the information gathered from BIRDS-4 will form the basis for usage of these COTS components for future space missions.
Co was also quoted, saying that the satellites also carry a store-and-forward payload that can be used to gather data from ground sensors for more practical applications like for weather and infectious disease analysis.
Furthermore, Co disclosed that aside from the Maya-2 CubeSat, there will be two more, Maya-3 and Maya-4, that will be launched within the year.
Moving forward, these projects are seen to further intensify the efforts of the country to harness the power of satellite technology for other purposes like those for agriculture, forest cover and natural resources inventory, weather forecasting, and disaster damage assessment and monitoring, among others.
De la Peña also revealed that the Philippines is aggressively pursuing its space development program because of its many benefits to the Filipinos. In a press statement, the science chief said, “The succeeding micro satellites Diwata-3 and Diwata-4 and succeeding nanosatellites are now in various stages of development, now done completely in the Philippines.” (S&T Media Service)
The innovative system of DOST S- Pass app has a local mobility features as substitute of the use of pen-and-paper or logbooks. It can also be used to document and monitor border crossings in LGUs. The travelers will be monitored by scanning their unique S-PaSS QR Code. Simple the system will then automatically record information on its eLogBook for recording and monitoring purposes.
Registering at www.s-pass.ph app as the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has adopted and approval by the IATF last February 26 2021 as uniform travel protocols for all local government units (LGUs). The Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage (S-PaSS) Travel Management System developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region VI and will now be institutionalized as the one-stop-shop application/communication for travelers.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) crafted the uniform travel protocols for land, air and sea, in close coordination with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, League of Provinces of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, and the League of Cities of the Philippines.
The DILG, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Transportation (DOTr), the DOST and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as the LGUs, shall together ensure the smooth implementation of these protocols.
The S-PaSS is also meant to benefit not only the travelers but also the authorities to properly monitor the movement of people in different locations in the effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.It is initially developed as a travel management system which is primarily intended to make a hassle-free journey for Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs), Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), Emergency Travelers (ETs), and other travelers during this pandemic.
Meanwhile, the StaySafe.ph System shall be utilized as the primary contact tracing system by the government. While the Traze app as existing contact tracing application will be integrated at StaySafe.ph System.
This is a convenient and safe way for travelers to apply for Travel Authority (TA) online, without the hassle of long queues, before visiting their local police station where the QR Code can be used to view one’s TA, to register at designated monitoring locations, and track real time one’s travel history.
Simultaneously with the use of S-PaSS, authorities shall still continue to strictly implement the minimum public health standards, such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette, and wearing of face masks and face shields. Clinical and exposure assessment shall be strictly implemented in all ports of entry and exit while health assessment of passengers, supervised by medical doctors, shall be mandatory upon entry in the port/terminal and exit at point of destination.
For more detail Travelers and interested parties may email DOST VI at ord@ro6.dost.gov.ph or can call at 033-3200908.
MJ Olvina – Balaguer of DZMJ Online Makabuluhang Jornalismo your happiness channel +639053611058 maryjaneolvina@gmail.com or konekted@dzmjonline.net
