Out of 197 research project entries from all over the world, all four teams from the Philippine Science High School-Ilocos Region Campus brought home awards from the Malaysian International Young Inventors Olympiad (MIYIO) 2015 held from April 3 to 5 at Tun Syed ShehShahabudin Science Secondary School, Penang, Malaysia.
Nelle Alison P. Gacutan and Armina Nicole C. Balanon took home a gold award for their project entitled “Adsorption of Lead Using Zinc Oxide Microflowers.”
Meanwhile, Vibiene Norma C. Bernal and Erika Kate J. Chan each went home with a silver award for their research projects entitled “Characterization of Soro-Soro (Euphorbia neriifolialinn.)Latex for Natural Rubber Production,”and “Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Rice Straw for Bioethanol Production Using Extracts from Overripe Tomato Fruit (Solanumlycopersicum),”respectively.
The team of Camille Anne V. Aguinaldo and Anthony John D. Mangussad also received another silver award for their project entitled “Feasibility of Sweet Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor l. Moench) Bagasse and Cadena De Amor (Antigononleptopushook and arn) as Raw Materials in Cardboard Production.”
“All four groups were able to bag awards and it really feels amazing not only because we won but also, more importantly, because we feel that all our hard work and efforts in conducting our researches paid off,” said Gacutan.
“Winning it is also important in that it proves a point that the Philippines nurtures great inventors and has a bright future ahead as far as research and science and technology are concerned,” Balanon added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ronnalee N. Orteza, Campus Director of PSHS-IRC, said that the event was a showcase of how IRC scholars can compete and even be at par with student researchers outside the country.
“To be able to nurture brilliant young minds of today and prepare them to be this country’s next legion of researchers and scientists may be a daunting task, but it’s worth it when you see them prove themselves and even perform well in the international arena,” said Dr. Orteza.
All teams were accompanied by their adviser, Mr. Eddie Jay Domingo, and Ms. Monaliza Mandac.
According to its website, MIYIO is an international competition of schools organized by Tun Syed ShehShahbudin Science Secondary School, the Malaysian Ministry of Education, University Sains Malaysia, and RCE Penang. It aims to expand the application of science and engineering knowledge for problem solving and use in daily life, as well as create awareness and a growing interest among students and teachers about the benefits and wonders of science. - Romulo A. Bagacina Jr.