The UP Diliman (UPD) Institute of Biology (IB) turned 38 this year, and the institute celebrated with a program honoring its alumni on Feb. 12 at the IB auditorium.

IB Director Ian Kendrich Fontanilla, in his welcome remarks, said the IB dedicated the event, with the theme Pagpupugay sa Tagumpay ng IB Alumni, to their alumni because they were pivotal in realizing the institute’s numerous endeavors.

“Noong nakaraang pandemic, and even until now, nagbibigay sila ng financial support sa mga ibang estduyante natin. Hanggang ngayon, patuloy pa rin silang tumutulong at nagbibigay. Marami silang ibinigay na equipment, supplies, at iba pang klase ng tulong para makausad po tayo bilang isang institute,” Fontanilla said.

Scholarship donors and sponsors that were given certificates of appreciation at the event were Dr. Raul Bermejo, Dr. Jess Socrates and Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity of the UP Manila College of Medicine, Dr. Alfonso and Flordeliz Aliga and the Aliga Family, Dr. Dave General, and Rosario Ilao.

The event also featured four lectures of alumni who made their mark in their respective fields. The lectures were Study Plants, Feed the World by William Patrick C. Buhian, PhD; Phylogenetic Systematics of an Aquatic Insect Subfamily Macronematinae by Christine Jewel C. Uy-Yabut, PhD; Discovering One’s Worth: Revealing the Functions of Plant Genes by Jay C. Delfin, PhD; and Updates on Blastocystis Research in the Philippines and Future Directions by Devin Edric Y. Adao, PhD.

Four science books for children authored by two IB faculty members were also launched at the event. These were A Tale of Two Snails, The Cone Snails Had a Reunion,and Nilalang sa Bakawan by senior lecturer Gizelle A. Batomalaque, PhD; and A Little Bird and a Flowering Tree by Joyce A. Ibana, PhD, head of the IB Integrative Research Laboratory.

Batomalaque said her books convey her observations of and musings about nature through art. Meanwhile, Ibana’s work showcased how ecology, developmental biology, and philosophy can be taught to children through drawings.