CEC, UPLB – SARAI Project 4, in collaboration with SARAI Project 3, conducted one-day training on portal design and web writing on March 24, 2015 at the Continuing Education Center (CEC), UPLB. The training aimed to equip SARAI Research Associates to become more effective on data processing and delivery since they are the ones involved in processing data/information that will be disseminated to various stakeholders.

Ms. Aletheia Canubas of the Department of Development Journalism, College of Development Communication, UPLB, discussed on how information can be packaged and be laymanized for stakeholders. “If the people can’t understand the information you are feeding them, then, it is useless”, said Ms. Canubas. She started her presentation by engaging the participants to play Taboo. This game can help the participants to communicate more effectively to the target audience. She explained that laymanizing does not only means translating of technical information from English to local dialects but most importantly is to make people understand the information to make informed decisions. 

 “Communication of scientific outputs is a challenge that we, in the research and academe, is facing every day. It is communicating the tricky business of science”, Ms. Canubas added.  

In order to reach wider audience and communities, the SARAI Project 3 is developing an integrated and collaborative information system for climate resilient and sustainable crop production or the SARAI Portal. This is an online knowledge portal managed by the team that will hold various information such as crop advisories, crop forecast, information/learning tools, planting calendar. In line with this, Mr. Toni Jon Monserrat, instructor from the Institute of Computer Science presented a lecture on portal design.

This training is under the capacity and knowledge-building component of Project SARAI, headed by Dr. Decibel Eslava, of the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), UPLB.