Young PNRI Scientist Selected as One of the Top 5 National Finalist of the Novartis International Biotechnology Workshop (BioCamp)
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BioCamp is a pioneering biotechnology seminar organized by research-based Swiss healthcare company Novartis for entrepreneurial, postgraduate students in the natural sciences who are interested in pursuing a career in biotechnology. Participants to the International BioCamp are selected through Local BioCamps organized in the over 140 countries where Novartis operates.
Admission to the International BioCamp is highly competitive. The selection process starts with the stringent screening of the required documents, which include the candidate’s resumé, motivation letter and application form. Local BioCamp participants who pass the initial screening then undergo an initial interview conducted by a panel of judges. Based on the interviews, the judges select five shortlisted candidates who must each prepare for a final case presentation. The criteria for selection include academic credentials, professional focus, presentation/communication skills, leadership potential, and innovation.
From the almost 120 participants of the Local BioCamp held on July 12, 2010 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati City , judges shortlisted (Top 5) the following:
- Mr. CHITHO FELICIANO, Candidate, Master of Science in Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of the Philippines , Diliman Campus (UP-Diliman), PNRI, ARD, Biomedical Unit;
- Ms. KRISTINE JEANNE YAP , Candidate, Master of Science in Medical Microbiology, (UP-Manila);
- Mr. JORDAN TUN, Candidate, Master of Science in Molecular Medicine, St. Luke’s College of Medicine (SLCM);
- Mr. CARLO CASTILLO, Candidate, Master of Science in Molecular Medicine (SLCM) and
- Ms. KAREN ROSAL, Master in Molecular Biology at Okayama University in Japan.
Novartis Philippines works with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in organizing the Local BioCamp. Other Local BioCamp partners are Intellectual Property Philippines and Hybridigm Consulting, the country’s first biotechnology consulting firm.
For this year’s Local BioCamp, the panel of judges consisted of Dr. Jaime Montoya, Executive Director of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development; Dr. Francis Domingo, Novartis Philippines Chief Scientific Officer (CSO); Ms. Rose Katalbas, Novartis Philippines Human Resources Director; and Dr. Epifanio Evasco, Bureau of Patents Director. Ms. Christine Liwanag, Novartis Philippines corporate affairs & market access Director, heads the Local BioCamp program.
“Through BioCamp, we hope to enhance the knowledge and skills of Filipino scientists which we believe is important in improving the quality of Philippine healthcare,” according to Mr. Eric van Oppens, President & CEO of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.
IAEA INVITING PROPOSALS FOR 2010 COORDINATED RESEARCH PROJECTS
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is calling on research institutes in Member States to submit proposals for participation in their Coordinated Research Programme which is aimed at encouraging research, development and the practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses.
The financial support to be provided normally comes in the form of a lump-sum cost-sharing contract, which entails an average of €5000 per annum contribution by the IAEA towards the total estimated cost of the project. The counterpart, on the other hand, is expected to bear the remaining overhead and other costs of the project. In addition, the chief scientific investigators of the project are invited to attend periodic research coordination meetings at the IAEAs expense in order to have a gainful exchange with other contractors and experts in their field.
The identified research areas for the current year include: energy development; sustainable agriculture; application of nuclear techniques to address diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and carcinoma); environmental resources management; radiation technology in industry; and radioactive waste management, among others.
More detailed information can be obtained from the IAEA website: http://cra.iaea.org, including the forms for submission of a proposal.
NEW Ph.D. GRADUATE ADDED TO PNRIs MANPOWER POOL
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The commencement exercise at the Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, last March 24, saw one Filipina graduate of their Ph.D. Program in Nuclear Engineering and Management - PNRIs Lucille V. Abad, Senior Science Research Specialist at the Institutes Chemistry Research Section.
Dr. Abad successfully hurdled the academic and dissertation requirements for the doctorate degree, completing the program as a scholar of the JSPS Ronpaku (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) and with support from the Department of Science and Technology which granted her official time to undertake her studies.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Hisaaki Kudo, Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, she was able to defend her dissertation on Radiolysis Studies of Kappa Carrageenan for Biobased Materials Development, the results of which would provide basis for the development of novel products from K-carrageenan that can be harnessed for their anti-HIV, anti-herpes, anti-tumor and antioxidant properties.
Dr. Abad is now back at the Institute after pursuing her degree from 2005 to 2009.
ONLINE COURSE FOR NUKE MED PROFESSIONALS LAUNCHED
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Through the stewardship of Dr. Orestes Monzon of the Philippine Heart Center and the partnership of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and the Philippine Society of Nuclear Medicine (PSNM), the Distance-Assisted Training in Nuclear Medicine was launched today, 7 April, at the PNRI compound in Quezon City.
The ceremony formally opens the three-year training program that has picked the interest of some forty nuclear medicine professionals from different regions in the country and even as far as Saudi Arabia to participate in the distance learning course combined with practical training that was initially launched in the Philippines in 2002, under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Australia.
The trainees introduced during the launch represents the third batch in the continuing series of professionals enlisting locally to gain training on general nuclear medicine and, now, to also participate in the Pilot Study Module on state-of-the-art imaging techniques such as SPECT/CT, PET and PET/CT.
The distance assisted training is a product of the regional cooperative effort to provide accessible training to nuclear medicine practitioners, featuring a basic training standard that is common to the Asia and Pacific region. With the move to become fully on-line, the modules now promise better ease of access and mobility.
More information on the Distance Assisted Training Program in Nuclear Medicine can be obtained from their website, www.datnmtorg, while inquiries may be addressed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Details about the regional project are also available from the IAEA website, www .iaea.org.
