Science, Technology, and Nation

• Scientists and technologists are key drivers of research and innovation, playing significant roles in developing and modernizing sectors like business, manufacturing, education, public health, and public safety
• The Philippine Government Science and Technology Agenda includes providing STI-based solutions for disaster risks and climate change adaptation and mitigation
• One of the initiatives under the Science for Change Program is the Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER) Program, which capacitates Higher Education Institutions in the regions to improve regional research by integrating development needs with existing R&D capabilities and resources
• Another initiative is the R&D Leadership (RDLead) Program, which complements the establishment of R&D Centers through the NICER Program
• The Collaborative R&D to Leverage PH Economy (CRADLE) for RDIs and Industry Program fosters collaboration between academia and local companies to enhance competitiveness and catalyze innovation
• Aisa Mijeno's vision was to light up the rest of the Philippines sustainably with the Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALt) lamp, aiming to address light inequality and end the use of combustion-based light sources for millions of people
• Ramon C. Barba, a Filipino scientist, inventor, and horticulturist, successfully induced flowering of mango trees by spraying them with ethereal and potassium nitrate, dramatically improving yields
• Fe V. del Mundo, the first Asian woman admitted to Harvard, known as the Mother of Philippine Pediatrics, symbolizes female empowerment in medicine
• Maria Y. Orosa's notable food invention, "Soyalac," a powdered preparation of soya beans, saved thousands of lives during World War II in Japanese concentration camps
• Angel Alcala, a Filipino scientist, contributed significantly to the environment and ecosystems, identifying 50 new species of reptiles and amphibians due to his efforts
• Science in the Philippines is considered both knowledge and methodology, independent of time and place, credited to education for its development
• In 1957, the Philippine government made the teaching of science compulsory in all elementary and secondary schools, with efforts to improve science education focusing on undertrained teachers, inadequate curriculum, and lack of resources
• The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) project, launched in 1959, aimed to improve biology education in secondary schools, financed by the National Science Foundation, USA
• The Science Education Project in the Philippines aimed to disseminate improved curricula and teaching techniques in science and mathematics, enhancing teacher education programs