New Research Opportunities and Partnerships at the 2nd ICES
Environmental scientists, professors, researchers and students gathered in the two-day 2nd International Conference on Environmental Science at the New College of Arts and Sciences (NCAS) Auditorium, August 3 to 4, 21017.
This year’s host, the School of Environmental Science and Management-UP Los Baños, partnered with Philippine Environmental Science Association (PESA), Office of the Institutional Linkages (OIL), Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), Forest Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), Oscar M. Lopez (OML) Center, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO-SEARCA), Philex Mining Corporation, Deutsche Gesellscaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbelt (GIZ), Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquaculture, Forestry ana Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), CBK Power Company Limited, Goldquest Biotechnologies, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS-UPLB), City government of Calamba and the Provincial Government of Laguna.
With the theme “Baselining, Yardsticks and Agenda-Setting in Environmental Science Research”, more than 400 participants and observers from state colleges and universities, government agencies, LGUs, international agencies, NGOs and private companies and organizations attended the conference.
Dr. Decibel F. Eslava, Professor and Dean of SESAM, expressed her gratitude to all partners and participants. “SESAM’s hosting of this year’s ICES is part of the activities of SESAM’s 20th anniversary”, Dr. Eslava said.
Dr. Decibel F. Eslava, Dean of SESAM, expressed her gratitude to all partners of the 2nd ICES.
In his welcome speech, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., Chancellor, UPLB said that environmental science is close to UPLB’s heart, as SESAM takes the lead in this field and it is part of UPLB’s mission as a research university. He also mentioned that UPLB is the first institution to a graduate program in environmental science in the ASEAN region. “We may not solve the environmental problems today, but this is a relevant forum on how we can continue R&D as an important part of our mission”, Dr. Sanchez stressed.
For his part, former SESAM Dean and current President of Siliman University, Dr. Ben S. Malayang said environmental research has been a collection of mostly disaggregated stories and inquiries of different aspects of environment. “I hope environmental science becomes both a science and art with an arsenal of reason and passion”, he added.
In his plenary speech, DOST Undersecretary and Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Director Renato U. Solidum, said that the Philippines ranks third in the world in terms of high hazard exposure and risk, due to geographic setting and number of population. “We need science-based disaster imagination. It is like a boxing match, you have to study your opponent’s style, so you will know what will be your strategy in offense and defense”, Dr. Solidum stressed.
Aside from the plenary session, there were 24 parallel sessions with141 oral presentations and 45 poster presentations from various disciplines of environmental science in this two-day event. The next ICES will be hosted by the University of Eastern Philippines, Catarman, Northern Samar on 2018.
