Students

Back in the Finals

December 03, 2024
The UP Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) overcame the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers’ tough challenge in their final-four encounter with a 78-69 win on Nov. 30 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The win booked the Fighting Maroons into their fourth consecutive Finals appearance in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament. Harold Alarcon and Francis Lopez paced the Fighting Maroons with 16 points apiece, while Reyland Torres chipped in 13 points. Quentin Millora-Brown (QMB), who was named best player of the game, had another superb output scoring nine points, 19 rebounds, four blocks, and three assists. Alarcon (right) drives past against UST’s Leland Estacio. Photo from the UAAP Media Team It was a back-and-forth affair between the Fighting Maroons and the Growling Tigers in the first half, with UST taking the upper hand, 35-33, at the halftime break. In the third quarter, with the Fighting Maroons still trailing by six points, 34-40, Alarcon, Torres, Lopez, and Terrence Fortea teamed up for a 21-4 scoring blast to grab the lead, 55-44, with two minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the said quarter. The UPMBT eventually hung on to a seven-point advantage, 57-50, going into the payoff period. The UPMBT. Photo from the UAAP Media Team The Growling Tigers refused to gave in and fought back to came within four points, 62-58, on a series of basket conversions by Nic Cabañero. In the ensuing plays, the UPMBT, led by Alarcon, JD Cagulangan, and QMB, countered a 10-3 run to give the Fighting Maroons a comfortable 11-point lead, 72-61, with a little over three minutes left in the game. The Diliman-based dribblers then put up a tight defensive stance to frustrate the Growling Tigers’ last ditch-effort in the dying minutes of the game, sealing the Fighting Maroons return to the UAAP Finals. The Fighting Maroons will have their finals rematch against the De La Salle University Green Archers. Game one of the best-of-three championship series is on Dec. 8, 5:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. QMB scores against two UST defenders. Photo from the UAAP Media Team
Academe

COE holds PCA colloquium

December 02, 2024
Over 160 ongoing and completed research projects by faculty of the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Engineering (COE) were featured in the latest edition of the Professorial Chair Awards (PCA) public colloquium on Nov. 25 at the COE Institute of Civil Engineering building. Organized by the COE and the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc (UPERDFI), in collaboration with the UP National Engineering Center (UP NEC), the colloquium continues the theme FAST TRACK (Filipino Engineers for the Advancement of Science and Technology Through Research and Collaborative Knowledge Sharing): Engineering Research Towards Achieving Philippine Sustainable Development Goals. The first FAST TRACK was held in January this year. FAST TRACK participants with Vistan. Photo by Jerald DJ Caranza, UP Diliman Information Office The research projects were grouped into eight categories among the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations: good health and well-being; quality education and strong institutions; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; industry, innovation, and infrastructure; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; and climate action. All the presented projects were partially or fully funded by PCA from the COE and the UPERDFI. According to the 2023 UPD Faculty Manual, a professorial chair is “a form of recognition for achievement in the academe, established to advance knowledge and learning in various fields or disciplines. Chairs are positions supported by special endowments and awarded to members of the faculty at the tertiary level who have distinguished themselves in the fields they represent.” Tanchuling. Photo by Jefferson Villacruz, UP Diliman Information Office Welcoming participants and interested parties were UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, COE Dean Maria Antonia Tanchuling, UPERDFI Vice President Patrick Vincent G. Peña, UPERDFI Chair Manuel Torres, and former UPERDFI President Rafael Nestor Mantaring. Some of the projects presented were Renewable Energy-Powered Methane Production using LCES in Luzon, Philippines: A Techno-economic Study by Rizalinda L. de Leon, PhD of the Department of Chemical Engineering; Impact of Demographic Shifts and Geographical Bailwicks in Modeling future Presidential Elections by Philip Christian Zuñiga of the Department of Computer Science; Right of Way Acquisition Using Geospatial Technologies by Florence A. Galeon of the Department of Geodetic Engineering; and CCTV on Steroids: The Design and Implementation of BantAI, a Robbery Prediction System for Edge Devices by Isabel M. Austria,PhD of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute.   Peña. Photo by Jefferson Villacruz, UP Diliman Information Office FAST TRACK concluded with a plenary panel discussion with Romeo Gilbuena Jr., consultant at the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and World Bank and a,researcher at the Aston University (UK), and Federico Monsada, Chairman and CEO of Minercon International Inc. and President of…

Research

The pig’s meaningful role in Pinoy culture

November 22, 2024
A study by a team of researchers from the UP Diliman (UPD) School of Archaeology (SA) revealed that a strong and meaningful link between the Filipinos and pigs exists throughout history (and prehistory). The research This Little Piggy: Pig-Human Entanglement in the Philippines (This Little Piggy) by authors Joan Quincy Lingao, Juan Rofes, Michelle Eusebio, Grace Barretto-Tesoro, and Michael Herrera, explores the intricate relationship between pigs and humans in the Philippines, focusing on historical, cultural, and archaeological contexts. A set of select pig specimens is one of a set of images featured in the research work. Image from This Little Piggy featured in the Springer Nature Link website The research states that in the Philippines, the most produced and consumed meat comes from pigs. The authors have classified the pigs in the country into “wild,” “native,” and “exotic.” The authors explained that the country’s different kinds of pigs “are distinguished according to the manner of acquisition—hunted or raised—and breed based on their physical appearance and genetics.” “‘Wild pigs’ include the endemic pigs in the country which are usually hunted for consumption. ‘Native pigs’ are predominantly black pigs managed in rural areas and valued for their heat tolerance, resistance, meat quality, and sociocultural roles… introduced in the Philippines 4,000 years ago… ‘exotic pigs’ are of imported breeds, such as European, Asian, and American breeds… incorporated into the daily life, culture, and foodways in the Philippines,” the research states. According to the researchers, they explored “evidence from archaeology, genetics, foodways, history, and ethnography.” They analyzed faunal remains from historical archaeological sites to understand pig utilization during the Spanish colonial era. Sites included the San Diego wreck site, Intendencia Ruins in Manila, and Structure B in Batangas. “In the Philippines, pigs played a significant role in culture, agriculture, and cuisine for centuries. The genetic diversity of Philippine pigs reflects the rich history and influences of different populations that have inhabited the islands over time,” the research explains. This Little Piggy states that “Philippine ethnographic records have pigs at the core of beliefs and rituals.” “We argue that pigs in the Philippines, from the earliest evidence until the present, occupy a significant role in the social lives of its populations and that removing them from social practices leaves a significant social void. Furthermore, pigs as ritual animals mark key junctures throughout a person’s life from birth to death,” the authors state. This Little Piggy concludes that “pigs are a key component of modern Philippine culture.” The research also elaborated how pigs play a central role in various Filipino rituals and beliefs, marking significant life events from birth to death—they are not only treated as food sources but also as integral components of social practices and spiritual connections.
Extension

Cultural dialogues through music

November 29, 2024
UP Diliman (UPD) College of Music (CMu) conducted a lecture-concert on Polish music on Nov. 21 and a lecture-workshop-concert on harp on Nov. 22 at the CMu Mini Hall. “We look forward to collaborations like this; international collaboration of music-making, learning, and of course, most importantly, friendship,” said CMu Dean Ma. Patricia B. Silvestre in her welcome remarks during the Polish music event. “It is a genuine pleasure to return to UP Diliman. I hope that your students found inspiration and joy from their masterclasses that were conducted by our Polish musicians and alumni,” said Anna Krzak-Danel, Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Poland to the Philippines. “I believe that such initiatives represent a remarkable way to foster cultural dialogue through music,” Krzak-Danel added. Krzak-Danel. Photo by Jerald DJ. Caranza, UP Diliman Information Office Leading the Polish musicians was suka player Maria Pomianowska, DMA. She is a professor at the Academy of Music in Krakow (AMK), director of the international Crossroads of Culture festival, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer. Joining Pomianowska were Anna Wandtke (assistant professor at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, soloist, and chamber musician) on violin, Piotr Kopietz (multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and cultural manager) on accordion, Wojciech Lubertowicz (sound director and multi-instrumentalist) on percussion, and Sebastian Wypych (double bass player, soloist, composer, manager, producer, art animator, and artistic director) on contrabass.   (From left) Wandtke, Pomianowska, Kopietz, Lubertowicz, and Wypych. Photo by Jerald DJ. Caranza, UP Diliman Information Office They performed compositions of Frédéric Chopin and of Pomianowska, old Polish dances, and Polish folk songs. “The essence of Polish music is demonstrated through Chopin’s timeless masterpieces,” Pomianowska explained. Pomianowska also narrated how the traditional Polish musical instruments used in the event were reconstructed from an unearthed specimen (Bilgoraj suka) and re-created from paintings (Plock fiddle). The lecture-concert on Polish music was facilitated by Ena Maria Aldecoa, a professor at the Department of Piano and Keyboard of CMU, and Solaiman E. Jamisolamin, chairperson of the Department of String and Chamber Music (DSCM). Before the evening lecture-concert, three masterclasses were held in the afternoon, one each for the violin, contrabass, and percussion. The lecture-concert was a product of a memorandum of agreement between UPD and AMK through the initiatives of Aldecoa and Pomianowska, signed in November 2023. On the second day, harp as an instrument was highlighted with a lecture-workshop by Colombian harpist Wuilmer López, followed by his concert in the evening. López. Photo by Jerald DJ. Caranza, UP Diliman Information Office  López earned his Master of Music from the INCCA University of…

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