MANILA, Philippines - Students from Palawan State University (PSU) Laboratory High School will represent the Philippines in the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) Water Rocket Competition in Japan on November 29 to 30.
Hitting the target's center and bringing home P10,000 cash prize, Nur Alan Pavlo Barte, Reniel Rosaceña with coach McArthur Maravilla bested 19 other teams from Cebu, Iloilo, Palawan and Pampanga.
Quezon National High School and Sta. Teresita National High School got the second and third place, respectively.
“The whole experience is awesome. We didn’t expect to win and we didn’t expect that we’ll be going to Tokyo to represent the country,” Barte and Rosaceña said.
Science Education Institute (SEI) Director Dr. Josette Biyo noted that the duo recorded the first ever bull's eye hit in the competition which guaranteed them the spot to represent the country in the APRSAF.
The Water Rocket Competition was part of the celebration of the 2014 World Space Week (WSW) organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under the SEI. In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 4 to 10 of every year as WSW to promote space science technology and its benefits among students and educators.
According to astrophysicist and Philippine Space Science Education Program Focal Person Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, Puerto Princesa, Palawan is one of the best sites fro space observation in the Philippines which is why the WSW was held there this year.
“There is also a cultural aspect in bringing space education to Palawan. Early Palawenos utilized the stars to navigate the seas and for agriculture. Thus, it is very apt that we brought the World Space Week Celebration this 2014 to Palawan,” Sese said.
Biyo further noted that they want to expose students to space science in able to entice them to pursue a career in the field. The DOST is considering to establish a space agency in the future.