In lieu of annual health and wellness month that aims to raise awareness in human health and living, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute conducted the 2nd OLYMFISH with the theme “Team NFRDI, playing as one, winning as one”. The event, headed by Maria Salvacion Ferrer (a.k.a. Ma’am Baby), hosted different sports competition including basketball, volleyball, badminton as well as chess. In addition to this, games such as wiggle worm were also included in the event line up.
The four teams were allocated from the divisions at the NFRDI and the centers: Research and Ecological Assessment Division (Yellow Team); Post-harvest Division (Red Team); Administrative Division (Blue Team); and the centers from Butong, Guian and Lanao (Green Team). On the first day of the event (July 28, 2016), the OLYMFISH was opened by our Interim Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Noel C. Barut. Subsequently, each team shouted their chant and presented their muses. The yellow team garnered the best chant and the green team was awarded for their best muse. The cheerdance competition followed this, wherein the yellow team placed third. After a healthy lunch, the sports competition began starting from the basketball, followed by the volleyball and badminton. The second day (July 29, 2016) hosted all the championship games. Overall, the green team achieved the highest accumulated points earned from all the games that hailed them as the OLYMFISH 2016 Champion. First place was held by the blue team, Second place was awarded to the red team and the Third place for the yellow team. The awarding ceremonies was hosted by Mr. Christian Dallego who announced all the winners including those with special awards. The yellow team, where GFL belongs, might not have garnered the championship this year, it sure was a wonderful experience that brought us closer together bound by laughter. Congratulations yellow team!
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Retired Commander of the Philippine Coast Guard, Commodore Eduardo Gongona, visited the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute as its new fisheries chief last July 11, 2016. Director Bayate led the introduction of Commodore Gongona to the NFRDI community. The division and section chiefs of NFRDI: Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos (Research and Ecological Assessment Division), Elsa E. Furio (Social Sciences Research Section), Frank Santos (Aquaculture Division) Salvacion Ferrer (Marine Plants Section), Ulysses Montojo (Post-harvest Division) and Noel C. Barut (Administrative Division Chief), introduced themselves and gave a brief introduction of their respective sections/divisions.
An open forum tackling current concerns was the main topic of the meeting. The members of NFRDI community addressed their concerns to Commodore Gongona and explained to him their wishes and expectations. The meeting ended with a warm welcome of NFRDI new fisheries chief. The University of Santo Tomas together with local and international organizers including NFRDI-BFAR, National University of Singapore (NUS) and California Academy Sciences (CAS), held their First Philippine Symposium on Freshwater Biodiversity and Ecosystems (PSFBE) last June 7-10 of the present year at the Grand Ballroom of Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, UST, Manila.
The symposium catered to participants coming from different parts of the Philippines along with other Asian countries. The O.P. acting rector of UST, Rev. Fr. Richard Ang, welcomed the participants, and the PSFBE 2016 symposium chair, Dr. Rey Donne S. Papa, gave the symposium overview, during the opening ceremonies on June 7. The keynote lecture was delivered by Dr. David Dudgeon from the University of Hong Kong wherein he emphasized the need in exerting more efforts in conserving freshwater diversity especially in the present era wherein there are a lot of advancements and changes occurring. There were parallel sessions that focused biodiversity and ecosystems as well as taxonomy and systematics. Prior to the end of the first day of symposium, the Taal Lake’s first biomuseum – “TAALAMAN” located at the UST Main Building Lobby and UST Museum was opened followed by a welcome dinner. The word “TAALAMAN” was mentioned to be coined through the words “Taal” which is a lake in the Philippines and “Laman” which means component, that simply promotes the theme of the biomuseum wherein it exhibits the aquatic species found in lake Taal. Plenary sessions were carried out during the the second and third day, June 8-9, of the 1st PSFBE. The first speaker was Dr. Terry Gosliner of CAS whom delivered his lecture entitled, “The Verde Island Passage: An exemplar of Philippine Aquatic Megadiversity” by means of video call. He was followed by Dr. David Taylor of NUS whom was the geographer that shared his knowledge on “Environmental resilience and recent environmental changes in Tropical East Asia: Sedimentary evidence from crater lakes”. Subsequently, Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos of NFRDI explained the significance and made efforts in “Establishing a long-term landed catch and effort monitoring (LCEM) to support stock assessment and management of major freshwater ecosystems in the Philippines”. The succeeding speakers delivered their lectures during the third day, June 9. Dr. Chih- Hao Hsieh of National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica Taiwan imparted his lecture entitled, “Climate and human induced impacts on plankton – The Lake Biwa story”. While Dr. Noboru Okuda of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Japan focused on “Methanotrophic food webs as a carbon recycling system in lakes under climate changes”. Last but definitely not the least, Dr. Masahisa Nakamura of International Lake Environment Committee Foundation, Shiga University gave an interesting talk about “ILBM, an ecosystem service framework for integrated water management with lakes as a key component”. Forums were opened after each speaker that gave the participants their chances in asking questions or queries to the speakers. There were parallel sessions in contributed papers and oral competition among graduate students during the afternoon sessions. The symposium ended with the distribution of awards and launching of Philippine Society for Freshwater BioSciences (PSFB). The closing remarks was given by the Dean of College of Sciences in UST, Dr. John Donnie A. Ramos. The members of the GFL including MFH Ventolero, RD Aguila, JMR Pereda, PMD Pattugalan and KP Sarmiento, acted as part of the secretariat committee. They catered to participants in the on-site registration and served as organizers in parallel sessions. KP Sarmiento together with GFL laboratory supervisor MFH Ventolero, BFAR-Cordillera former project leader Mr. Marx Garcia and NFRDI Scientist II Dr. MD Santos, presented their poster entitled, “DNA Barcoding of Freshwater Aquatic Species from Four Rivers in Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines”. The said poster focused on identifying aquatic species collected from the rivers of CAR as part of the National Stock Assessment Program (NSAP). Generally, the symposium turned out to be a complete success as the lectures, plenary sessions, and parallel sessions were delivered on time and completely. Impressions given by participants during the closing ceremonies rendered great feedback particularly mentioning the intent to attend the next freshwater symposium. Moreover, the participants gave thanks to the organizers by giving them the chance to meet freshwater experts that could truly help them in their own projects. Dr. Papa mentioned “See you again on 2018” when the next PSFBE shall be held. The paper entitled "Updates on the status of giant clams Tridacna spp. and Hippopus hippopus in the Philippines using mitochondrial CO1 and 16S rRNAgenes" authored by former GFL labrat, Mr. Apollo Marco D. Lizano and Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos has chosen as recipient of the OUTSTANDING SCIENTIFIC PAPER AWARDS for 2016 by the National Academy of Science and Technolog, Philippines (NAST Phl).
Kudos to you for a job well done!!! The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST Phl) has chosen the paper entitled: "Taxonomic identification of 'Ludong' fish from the Cagayan River (Philippines)" as recipient of the OUTSTANDING SCIENTIFIC PAPER AWARDS for 2016 authored by Ms. Minerva Fatimae H. Ventolero, Mr Billy Joel N. Catacutan, a Genetic Fingerprinting former labrat and Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos of National Fisheries Research and Development Institute and co-authored by Dr. Evelyn C. Ame of BFAR Region 2..
The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) is the highest recognition and scientific advisory body of the Philippines under the Department of Science and Technology. With that, the whole GENETIC FINGERPRINTING LABORATORY is very of of you, guys! It calls for a celebration, Min Mama! The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) hosted a 3-day long workshop on Aquatic Wildlife Taxonomy and Systematics last April 25-27, 2016 at The Heritage Hotel, Pasay City. The seminar invited local and international specialists from the California Academy of Sciences. On the first day, the program was graced Atty. Annaliza A. Vitug, Chief of the Fisheries Regulatory and Quarantine Division. The workshop was made lively by quirky, yet intellectual remarks by Ms. Ludivina L. Labe as she introduced the guest lecturers.
The first lecture was on the Introduction to Philippine Marine Biodiversity by Dr. Terry Goslinger. He enticed the participants with figures and illustrations showing the unique and amazing marine biodiversity along the infamous Coral Triangle. However, the mood in the room turned melancholic as he unveiled photos of bleached coral reefs and seabeds with no coral reefs at all! Although the lecture had an unexpected twist, Dr. Goslinger noted that it’s not yet too late. To quote him: “Reef rehabilitation works, as long as there are people willing to participate.” Dr. Richard Mooi followed, discussing the Introduction to the Principles of Systematics. Technical terminologies and basic rules on binomial classification were tackled, including evolutionary lineages and phylogenetic systematics. Afterwards, Dr. Meg Burke went on to discuss how science information can be disseminated to local communities to develop an atmosphere of knowledge regarding the effects of anthropogenic disturbances, and how to counteract these effects through effectively communicating science. According to her, there are 4 steps: (1) Know your audience, (2) Keep it simple, (3) Make it relevant to the audience, and (4) Use the power of visuals and physical audience. Dr. Goslinger and Dr. Mooi returned to give a lecture on Molluscan and Echinoderm taxonomy and characteristics respectively. After the lectures, the participants partook in a practical exercise called, “Darwin’s Roadshow.” The participants were divided into 2: one echinoderm and one molluscan group. Each group huddled around either Dr. Mooi or Dr. Goslinger, and each lecturer continued to discuss about the phenotypes of their taxon of interest. The participants were in awe as they discover new things about seemingly common animals. For some participants, it was their first time to see blue sea stars, black sea urchins, sand dollars, and many more! The specimens used for the activity were from both participants and the National Museum of the Philippines. Day one ended with a scrumptious dinner and a small chatter with some of the lecturers. On the second day, participants were greeted with a 3-hour lecture on the taxonomy and characteristics corals by our very own Dr. Al Licuanan. Who knew that these sessile animals could be so interesting? Dr. Licuanan was so passionate in his lecture, that one could not help being drawn into loving corals as well. He had witty antics and acronyms to help the participants remember that taxonomy of corals better. Afterwards, Dr. Kent Carpenter followed with a brief lecture on fishes. In a brief amount of time, he was able to demonstrate the evolution of fishes starting from Class Agnatha to Class Acipenseriformes. He went on to discuss about the difficulties of regulating conservation efforts on Philippine marine biodiversity and why there is an urgent need for it. Furthermore, he introduced the CITES appendices and why we should all be concerned about the on-going trade of Philippine marine animals. The workshop ended with a practical and written examination. Participants were given the entire morning of the last day to prepare for the examination and were reminded of their school days as they were handed their test papers. Regional participants had a fellowship dinner afterwards, while participants from the metro were handed their certificates of attendance/appearance and were given the signal that they could leave. The workshop was served as a pool of knowledge wherein participants could dive for more information if they wanted. The lecturers were more than happy to accommodate any inquiry about their field of specialization, maybe even more. All in all, everyone left satisfied and eager to share everything they have learned in the workshop. Employees of BFAR and NFRDI are now ready to face new challenges towards the development, rehabilitation, restoration, and preservation of Philippine marine biodiversity. The Genetic Fingerprinting Laboratory, headed by Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos (Scientist II and OIC, Capture Fisheries Research and Development Division), organized a mini-lecture series focusing on two major topics: DNA Forensics, discussed by Minerva Fatimae H. Ventolero M.Sc. (Aquaculturist I); and Population Genetics, discussed by Roselyn D. Aguila M.Sc. (Science Research Specialist II). Attendees last March 31, 2016 (Thursday) were equipped with brief understanding on the two topics as they leave the NFRDI conference room after the discussion. The discussion on DNA Forensics, initiated by Ms. Ventolero, started from understanding the concept of forensic science and its importance. The first people who contributed in building up the field of forensics, particularly its history, were discussed. The use of DNA forensics in solving crimes and/or judiciary-related cases, as well as other applications were further identified. The concept of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) were pointed our briefly, including DNA fingerprinting. On the other hand, Population genetics started by Ms. Aguila who, initially, provided the basic concepts in studying genetics. The lecture continued on the discussion about tuna stocks collected in the Philippines with that of Papua New Guinea. In addition to that, Dr. Santos pointed out some tips on conducting an effective lecture that may be beneficial to participants that are planning to pursue an academic career in teaching or even to those who are orally presenting that serve as resource speakers. Dr. Mudjekeewis D Santos spearheaded the mini-lecture series. Ms. Ventolero presenting brief discussion about DNA Forensics. Participants at the mini-lecture series conducted last March 31, 2016 (Thursday) Ms. Aguila providing discussion about Population Genetics.
The Mudjie Wise Key Islet is named after Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos, Scientist II, of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, as resolved by the Sangguniang Barangay Dita, Zamboanga City.
Dr. Santos is a renowned outstanding young scientist for his outstanding marine biosciences, specifically for his work in utilizing molecular biology and biotechnology for food security and conservation in fisheries to increase aquaculture productivity and for proper management of capture fisheries for its sustainable use to enhance the opportunities for fisherfolk livelihood and the fisheries industry in contributing to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. The Mudjie Wise Key Islet was approved to be added on Google Maps last April 1, 2016 based on the suggestion on Map Maker. Now, it is live on Google Maps. Congratulations, Dr. Mudjie Santos! The University of the Philippines - Marine Science Institute hosted a day-long seminar on Philippine Marine Biodiversity last March 30, 2016. The seminar discussed the current status of the on-going research on the Verde Island Passage (VIP) by a team of scientists from the California Academy of Sciences led by Terry Goslinger, Richard Mooi, Kent Carpenter, Meg Burke, and Gary Williams. Before anything else, Dr. Goslinger highlighted the goals and overview of the VIP project. It was followed by an informative report by Dr. Mooi regarding the newly discovered species in the Verde Island Passage, and an enticing lecture by Dr. Carpenter on the patterns of fish diversity.
In the afternoon, Dr. Burke addressed the importance of communicating biodiversity to the local communities, and how their research could benefit both local and international communities and scientists. She also discussed the different ways that awareness could be spread among the local communities to help preserve and protect the surrounding marine biodiversity. Dr. Mooi and Dr. Carpenter discussed different biodiversity tools that could be accessed online such as World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), and biodiversity softwares like EstimateS. They have also included educational or instructional websites such as Khan Academy. Overall, the interest and willingness to help preserve our astounding marine biodiversity are not enough. Action and self-awareness are also keys to maintain our marine biodiversity, not only for our generation and the next, but also for the other inhabitants of our forever home. “Research not published is research not done.” - National Scientist Mercedes B. Concepcion Publishing a scientific paper serves as the last step in completing the scientific method, which is to “report”. Paper publications enable the dissemination of current findings as well as advancements to the scientific community. Additionally, in academe, it serves as a benefit particularly for ones more impressive curriculum vitae to aim for higher teaching position and greater pay. The maxim “publish or perish”, that infers that people in academe are required to publish journals and scientific papers, and if not, lose their positions in teaching, pushes the academic community to publish more. However, the long process of meticulous reviewing of papers that requires repeated revisions lessens the interest of researchers to publish their paper. In this regard, deceitful groups offered rapid publication in “peer-reviewed journals” and invitation to “scientific conferences”. These are the so-called “predatory” journals and conferences that prey on authors wanting publications and asking them to pay for excessive rates, or simply put – corruption in open-access journals. These journals are not peer-reviewed and has no credibility to publish. The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST-PHIL) conducted the “Symposium on Predatory Journals and Conferences” last March 28, 2016 at Hotel Jen, Manila, Philippines. The symposium, moderated by the Chancellor of University of the Philippines Diliman, Academician Michael L. Tan, aimed to inform the scientific community about the dangers of predatory journals and conferences and to recommend measures to prevent falling into it. Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, Vice Chancellor for Research and Development and Professor of Mathematics in the University of the Philippines Diliman, expounded the awareness through his talk, “Threats to Academe: Predatory Publications and Conferences”. He mentioned a number of characteristics of a predatory publisher such as high acceptance rates, faulty grammar, fake editorial board, minimal or non-existent peer-review, and often associated with the terms: global, multidisciplinary and international. Dr. Nemenzo enumerated proven predatory journals listed as follows:
Furthermore, Dr. Nemenzo mentioned predatory conferences including the World Academy of Science, Engineering, and Technology (WASET, https://www.waset.org/). He mentioned that the conferences within the organization are set up to the year 2019 that occurs in various parts of the world. Acceptance of papers happen no more than two (2) weeks upon submission that is doubly and somewhat implausible, if the papers undergone legitimate screening process. It was reported that some of these predatory conferences never really happen given that wanting participants paid registration and hotel fee, and if some happens, it only occurs in a small bare room with nothing but a piece of paper for registration, and there are no presentations and all else. In light of the numerous predatory journals and conferences, Dr. Nemenzo recommended measures to be able to successfully identify and discriminate reputable from non-reputable journals. These measures are listed as follows:
Among the reactors at the symposium were: Dr. Jose Florencio F. Lapeña Jr., Professor in College of Medicine of the University of the Philippines Manila; Academician Jose Maria P. Balmaceda, Dean of College of Science of the University of the Philippines Manila; Dr. Franco G. Teves, Director of Research and Professor of Microbiology of the Mindanao State University; and Academician Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza, Chair of Publications and Website Committee and Former Secretary of NAST Philippines. The symposium ended with closing remarks from National Scientist Gelia T. Castillo. The reactors, as well as other participants during the open forum, reiterated the need of awareness and dissemination of information to prevent further damage in the scientific community. It is requested that the information be spread to provide knowledge and notice for faculty, researchers, and students against these predators. Further information regarding the predatory journals and conferences can be found at the NAST Philippines website (www.nast.ph), wherein lectures are soon to be uploaded, as per NAST organizers. By: Katreena P Sarmiento, M Sc Symposium in Predatory Journals and Conferences organized by NAST PHIL together with University of the Philippines Diliman, last March 28, 2016 at Hotel Jen, Manila, Philippines. Academician Jose Maria P. Balmaceda, Dean of College of Science of the University of the Philippines Manila, giving her reaction on Predatory Journals and Conferences. Jacqueline Marjorie R. Pereda, Katreena P. Sarmiento and Precious Maricor D. Pattugalan, attended the symposium at Hotel Jen, Manila, Philippines.
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