Congratulations, Ateneo S.W.E.E.P. teams and Engr. Rod Michael Coronel

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Link: http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2009/03/congratulations-ateneo-sweep-teams-and.html

Engr. Rod Michael Coronel of the ECCE Department, Ateneo de Manila University

Members of the Ateneo Grid and High Performance Computing Group (A-GRID) during a meeting at Cravings, Katipunan, Quezon City on March 19, 2009. (Left to Right): Dr. Rafael Saldaña (A-GRID Coordinator), Engr. Roy Bayot, Kevin Cristobal, and Engr. Rod Michael Coronel (cluster systems administrator).


(Note: I am an affiliated faculty of the Electronics, Communications, and Computer Engineering Department (ECCE) of Ateneo de Manila University. Recently, our engineering students won major awards in the SMART Wireless Engineering and Education (SWEEP) Awards. My co-faculty, Engr. Rod Michael Coronel who is a member of the Ateneo Grid and High Performance Computing Group (A-GRID) and system administrator of our MEDGRID and AGILA computer clusters is the adviser of one of the winning teams. CONGRATULATIONS, ROD and the ATENEO winning teams !)


From the Ateneo Blueboard:

Ateneo teams bag 1st and 3rd places in 5th SWEEP Awards

Two Ateneo teams emerged as winners in the recently concluded Smart
Wireless Engineering and Education Program (SWEEP) Innovation and
Excellence Awards held last March 12-14, 2009 at SM Megamall Megatrade
Hall 2.

The Smart PasaGoods team, composed of Carlos Miguel
Lacson(5-BS ECE), Aldrin Khan(5-BS ECE), Marc Ericson Santos(5-BS ECE)
and Marty Peterson Tan(5-BS ECE) and mentored by Mr. Ronell Sicat(ECCE
faculty), bested all ten finalists. Smart PasaGoods is a system for
gathering relief goods through the use of social networking, Smart SMS
and Smart Money transfer. It allows advanced collection, easy donation
transactions and donation monitoring.

Receiving second runner up is Smart Iwas Baha, a system which allows
subscribers to get flood information on public roads through SMS or
MMS. Data is collected from actively participating community members
and is archived for analysis and other applications. The system was
developed by Paulo Olayres(5-BS ECE), Dale Derrick Dy,(5-BS ECE) Grace
Benedicto(5-BS ECE) and mentor, Engr. Rod Michael Coronel(ECCE
faculty).

The winning teams received 500,000 and 150,000 respectively. Aside
from the cash prizes, the school will also receive the same amount in
the form of a grant from Smart Communications.

Smart SIGHT and Smart SWAVE, two other teams from Ateneo, were also
among the ten finalists. Smart SIGHT is a forecasting system that
notifies its subscribers of a disastrous condition due to a typhoon
using Smart's BTS combined with a sensor suite based on the radiosonde
technology. The team is composed of Luis Antonio Aguja(5-BS ECE),
Stephanie Tan(5-BS ECE) and Mark Baldwin Martinez(5-BS ECE) and
mentored by Engr. Jimson Ngeo(ECCE faculty). On the other hand, Smart
SWAVE is an accelerometer-based weather forecast system designed to
monitor wave levels and determine if vessels can pass through certain
areas in the ocean. The system can also serve as a tsunami detector.
The team is composed of Daniel Lagazo(5-BS CoE), Jeuz Ser Aragon(5-BS
CoE) and Zyra Landrito(5-BS ECE) and mentored by Mr. Ronell Sicat(ECCE
faculty).

All projects were supported by the SWEEP laboratory under the
supervision of Engr. Ma. Leonora Guico and the Electronics,
Communications and Computer Engineering Department.

Ateneo de Davao won first runner up and received 300,000. Bulacan
State University, Systems Plus College and the University of San
Carlos (Cebu) also had teams among the ten finalists. Non-winners
received 30,000 pesos as consolation prizes.

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Congratulations: Ateneo Students Top U.P. Statistics Contest

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From the Ateneo Blueboard (c/o Ms. Edith Bagtas, Math Dept. Secretary)

The annual statistics competition, STAT - IS - EEKS, sponsored by the UP
Statistical Society and held last September 13, 2008 was totally dominated by
Ateneo students.

Ateneo won the top three awards in both the individual and
the team categories in the competition which was participated in by 31 teams
from the top colleges and universities in the country.

The winners in the individual category are:

First Place
- Emerson Escolar (BS/M AMF)
- Alvin Tan (BS ME)

Second Place - Emmanuel Plan (BS MA)


Coach - Mr. Tony Zosa
Instructor
Math Department

The winners in the team category are

First Place - (Ateneo Mathematics Society)
Gian Chua
Emerson Escolar
Jason Naniong

Second Place - (Ateneo Celadon)
Jessica Chua
Earvin Go
Mark Anthony Tolentino

Third Place - Ateneo MEA
Kyna Cheu
John Clerigo
Alvin Tan

Coach - Mr. Tony Zosa
Instructor
Math Department

The fourth place in the team category was also occupied by the Ateneo CMG team
composed of Alvin Belleza, Carmina Padua and Emmanuel Plan. (coach - Mr. Tony Zosa,
Instructor, Math Department)

Ateneo has consistently topped this competition in both the team and
individual categories for the last three years. However, this year is the
best performance ever delivered by our teams.

Note: Earvin Go is my student in Numerical Analysis (Ma 195).

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ATENEO STUDENTS AND TO TONY ZOSA OF THE ATENEO MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT !!!
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Congratulations to Dr. Rafael Guerrero, NAST Awardee

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From the Ateneo Blueboard:

The School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo de Manila University proudly announces that Dr. Rafael A. Guerrero, Assistant Professor of the Department of Physics, was selected as awardee of the 2008 National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Talent Search for Young Scientists in the field of Physics.

Dr. Guerrero, along with two other scientists from the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines-Los Banos (UPLB), had to present his paper before a panel of judges last April before being chosen as the grand winner.

Dr. Guerrero presented his paper on volume holographic storage which introduces bigger data storage for computers and a new way of producing images.

It will be recalled that he also won the Outstanding Scholarly Work Awards for Science and Engineering in 2006. He has been active in research in the area of photonics.

The awarding ceremonies will be held on July 10, 2008 at the Manila Hotel.

Congratulations, Dr. Guerrero. We are proud of you!

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Ma 20 (Calculus): Congratulations to 'A' Students (Exam 1)

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Note: Last Tuesday, 1 July 2008, I gave the 1st Long Exam to my Ma 20 (Calculus) class. I started giving the results of the exam on 2 July (Wednesday) until 4 July (Friday).

Out of the 28 students in my class, three students got a grade of 'A' in the first exam. Their raw scores are as follows (perfect score is 100 pts.):

1. Miguel Antonio ROJAS : 96

2. Ann Jillian ADONA : 93

3. Jose Isaac MONJE: 92

CONGRATULATIONS!
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Congratulations to the Ateneo Environmental Management Coalition Team

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From the Ateneo Blueboard:

The Ateneo Environmental Management Coalition (AEMC) team, composed of Mr. Herwin Jerome P. Unidad (V BS Physics with Material Science Engineering), Mr. David T. So (V, BS Physics with Material Science Engineering), Ms. Vivienne Erica M. Zerrudo (IV, BS Environmental Science), and Ms. Abigail Favis (Coach and faculty of the Environmental Science Department), was proclaimed National Winner (first place) at the ASEAN DuPont Green Vision Case Challenge held at the DuPont Far East Office in Makati last 2 July 2008.

Their winning entry is entitled "Waste to Resource Conversion at the Loyola Schools, Ateneo de Manila University". They will represent the Philippines at the ASEAN Green Vision Sustainability Forum to be held at the Singapore Management University on 16 July 2008.

Congratulations to the AEMC!
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My Thoughts on the Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz Boxing Match, 6/29/08

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Caption: Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao KO'd Mexican David Diaz during their title match in Las Vegas, USA today, 29 June 2008.

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So, what is Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao doing in my "academic" blog?

Well, today I was supposed to visit my parents in our house in Bacoor, Cavite; however, as I was preparing to drive from my condominium unit in Quezon City to Bacoor, it started raining, so I decided to watch tv while waiting for the rain to stop.

Then, I recalled that today (Sunday) was the Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz boxing title match (WBC Lightweight Title).

Since I was online, I checked my Twitter updates and lo! and behold my colleague Rommel Feria (Rom) has reported that Pacquiao won by KO (knock-out) during the ninth round.

When I checked the Philippine Inquirer Online I read a report that Pacquio indeed won by KO in the ninth round while the match was just being played on Channel 7 (GMA) tv.

Having known who already won I just amused myself with taking photos of the event (on my flatscreen tv) using using my digital camera :)

I congratulate Manny Pacquiao for winning the title match against the Mexican boxer David Diaz. Manny made history by becoming the new World Boxing Council lightweight champion and the first Asian to earn four world titles in four weight classes.

Having said that, I would like to say also that I am not a boxing fan and I do not particularly like this "bloody" sport. In fact, many people consider boxing as a "barbaric" sport. However, it is interesting to note that boxing is one of the very few sports where Filipinos excel.

Being a sports champion Manny Pacquiao should bear mind that he must strive to be a good role model to Filipinos especially the Filipino youth.

Being an academic, I wish that Filipinos could also excel in mental olympiads such as the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) and the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). To date, the Philippines has never won a gold medal in the IMO and has not even won any medal in the IOI. I also wish that someday, a Philippine team will win the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest - the most prestigious programming competition in the world.

Since I am in my DREAM mode I also wish that someday a Filipino scientist will win a Nobel Prize (in physics, chemistry, medicine or economics).

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Of course, it will help a lot if the Philippine government will support young Filipino talents in international science and mathematics competitions the way it is supporting Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao (with a reported entourage of 60 (?) Filipino politicians and their families tagging along with the official state visit of the Philippine president Gloria Macapacal-Arroyo amidst the recent calamities -- typhoon and sea disaster tragedies -- besetting the nation).

Well, back to reality.... CONGRATULATIONS, Manny Pacquiao!

Cheers,

Raffy
6/29/08

Congratulations, Fr. Ben Nebres, SJ and Dr. Queena Lee-Chua: DOST's Great Men and Women of Science

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Fr. Ben Nebres, SJ

Queena Lee-Chua

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(Photo Source: Math Department Website, Ateneo de Manila University)

I received a message today (6/5/08) from our Mathematics Department Chair Dr. Reginaldo "Reggie" Marcelo regarding the the science award to be conferred by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to our university (Ateneo) president Fr. Bienvenido "Ben" Nebres, SJ and mathematics faculty Dr. Queena Lee-Chua.

Below is Reggie's message:

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Congratulations to Fr. Ben and Queena for being selected as two of the 50 great men and women of science by DOST on its golden anniversary this year.

The 50 top Filipinos of Science will be recognized and awarded by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacanang sometime soon.

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From the Manila Times:

Dr. Queena Lee-Chua passionately spreads the value of understanding science both inside and outside the lecture hall. She has authored hundreds of books, articles, lectures, columns and other teaching and communication tools in which fun and learning are creatively intertwined. She teaches students, parents, media people and practically everybody who wants to learn while having fun through print, radio, TV, the Internet and in person-to-person encounters with audiences.

Fr. Bienvenido Nebres is no ordinary Jesuit priest. He successfully reconciled the fields of science and religion in his work, especially in the development of mathematics and science in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. After finishing his master's and Ph.D. in mathematics at Stanford University in California, he founded the Mathematical Society of the Philippines. He is also one of the founding officers of the Southeast Asian Mathematical Society. He pioneered a consortium of leading universities in Manila to develop Ph.D. programs in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, leading to the development of a critical mass of scientists in these areas. Fr. Nebres chaired the Engineering and Science Education Project of the Department of Science and Technology and directed a team for the Department of Education to develop plans to strengthen elementary and secondary education in the country's poorest provinces.

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Congratulations to Queena and Fr. Ben!!!

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Congratulations, Dr. Prisno (SHINE 208 International Student Awardee)

Pinoy doctor gets special award in UK writing contest

(Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/89504/Pinoy-doctor-gets-special-award-in-UK-writing-contest)

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino taking up his doctoral degree in the United Kingdom received a special award from an international competition which celebrates the achievements of international students and their contributions to the UK.The Department of Foreign Affairs reported the accomplishment of Dr. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III, a third-year PhD student at the School of Social Sciences of Cardiff University in Wales.

Prisno received a “Highly Commended" award from the SHINE 2008 International Student Award from the British Council, the UK's international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations.“I am extremely happy with the award as I have made a very good name for Cardiff University and my country, the Philippines," Prisno said.According to the DFA, Prisno joined the contest for people to understand the plight of populations in poverty and marginalized conditions, and what he does to help the less fortunate. He is the first Filipino to win the award.

Eligible international students had to write a letter narrating how the UK has excited or challenged them.“It’s easy to enter. Simply write us a letter telling us all about your time in the UK and how the UK has challenged and excited you.

Our panel of judges – other students, education professionals and British Council colleagues – will choose the best letters to become shining examples of UKlife for future international students," read in the competitions’ website.

Prisno, who hails from Tacloban City, is a medical doctor with special interest in global health and international health policy. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (cum laude) degree and Doctor of Medicine from the University of the Philippines. Prisno has worked in the field of international health and health research and policy in the Philippines, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Brazil under the European Union, World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization. His PhD research looks at the sexual risk taking behavior of merchant seafarers in the context of AIDS. “I have been working mostly in the area of health and welfare, poverty and HIV/AIDS. My research is looking at the vulnerability of seafarers to HIV/AIDS," he explained.

- Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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Note: I think that Dr. Prisno and I were together in one of the International Science and Engineering (ISEF) events organized by Intel, either in ISEF 2003 (in Cleveland, Ohio, USA) or in ISEF 2006 (in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA). I was one of the Grand Awards Judges in these events.

Cheers,

Raffy
4/15/08