Filipino scientists cited

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science (PhilAAS) awarded recently four top Filipino scientists.

Fortunato dela Peña, DOST Undersecretary for Scientific and Technological Services and president of PhilAAS, said that the PhilAAS Gregorio Zara Award was given to pharmacologist Nelia Cortes-Maramba for her work on medicinal plants, and food microbiologist Ida Dalmacio, for her research on biotechnology leading to the establishment of the country’s databank on microorganisms.

The first PhilAAS Paulo Campos Awardee for Medical Research is geneticist Carmencita David-Padilla, director of the Newborn Screening Reference Center in UP Manila’s National Institutes of Health. She was chosen for her medical research and advocacy of newborn screening, which helped in the enactment of a law on newborn screening in the country.

The Paulo Campos Award for Medical Research is being started in honor of National Scientist Paulo Campos, regarded as the Father of Nuclear Medicine in the Philippines.

The first PhilAAS Esther Vibal Awardee for Educational Technology Innovation is computer scientist and IT practitioner Ernesto Boydon of the Asia Pacific College, for his work on the development and promotion of the use of online learning systems. Boydon is known for having created a community portal layer in learning platforms.