Ask Theory

This episode of Ask Theory was made possible by the British Council in the Philippines, in support of their Women in STEM Scholarship program.

Kami Navarro is a professional science communicator based in Singapore. She manages Pinoy Scientists, a platform that aims to highlight Filipino scientists worldwide and their stories. She is also part of the Panel of Experts for the International Science Council's Public Value of Science program. She was previously the science editor at a Singapore-based STEM media company and taught science communication at top universities in the Philippines.

We talked about the various career paths one can pursue in science communication, what every early-career science communicator should know, the Pinoy Scientists initiative, the best and worst parts of being a science communicator, developing science communication in the Philippines, and more.

How to contact Kami:

Website: kaminavarro.com

Instagram: @scikam

Tell a keen Filipina scientist you know about the British Council scholarships for Women in STEM and help them realise their dreams! Visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/in-uk/scholarship-women-stem for more information on how to apply.

This episode of Ask Theory was made possible by the British Council in the Philippines, in support of their Women in STEM Scholarship program.

Jana Quismundo is a recent Master's in Neuroscience graduate. Under the European Erasmus Mundus program, she spent the last two years in Germany and the Netherlands studying at the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She now works as a Scientific Officer for Genetic Cures for Kids, an Australian foundation working to accelerate the discovery of drug treatments and gene therapies for rare diseases.

We talked about why she decided to pursue neuroscience, fascinating facts about the human brain, misconceptions about depression and eating disorders, the importance of understanding neurological conditions, navigating through the challenges of grad school, and more.

How to contact Jana:

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: jana.quismundo

Twitter: @janaquismundo

Society for Pinoy Neuroscience Enthusiasts: fb.com/spine.ph (Facebook), @ph_spine (Twitter)

Eating Disorder Awareness PH: fb.com/eatingdisorderawarenessph

Tell a keen Filipina scientist you know about the British Council scholarships for Women in STEM and help them realise their dreams! Visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/in-uk/scholarship-women-stem for more information on how to apply.

This episode features Mark John Mandigma, an aspiring research scientist in the field of synthetic method development and drug discovery. He is currently on a research exchange program (Elite Network of Bavaria/Swiss European Mobility Program) at Universität Zürich, Switzerland.

We talked about the most remarkable thing he learned as a chemist, the chemical processes involved in his research, using gas to discover new types of medicine, his most recent research project, the story of erythromycin, and more.

How to contact Mark:

LinkedIn: Mark John Mandigma

Facebook: fb.com/marcuz.mandigma

This episode features Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, a neuro-ophthalmologist and public health advocate focused on tobacco control. He is the executive director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). 

We talked about the difference between secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke, the diseases that can result from exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke, secondhand smoke during the COVID-19 pandemic, the science of nicotine addiction, solving the problem of secondhand smoke in the Philippines, and more.

How to contact Dr. Ulysses:

Facebook: fb.com/yul.dorotheo

Facebook Page: fb.com/UlyssesDorotheoMD

Email: [email protected]

Website: seatca.org

For more information about quitting smoking:

whyquit.com

This episode of Ask Theory was made possible by Probe Media Foundation Inc., as part of Cycle 5 of the Nagbabagang Kuwento: Covering a Smoke-Free Philippines media fellowship program.

This episode features Hillary Diane Andales, a science communicator and astrophysicist-in-training. In 2017, she won the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, an annual global competition for students to inspire creative thinking about science. She is currently an undergraduate researcher at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.

We talked about her research in astrophysics and observational astronomy, science communication tips and techniques, the pressure that comes with being a scientist-in-training, the link between science and society, how scientific innovations can improve our lives in unexpected ways, and more.

How to contact Hillary:

Website: hillaryandales.com

Facebook: @hilldiandales

YouTube: HillaryDianeAndales

Twitter: @cosmichillarays

Instagram: @cosmichillarays

This episode features Timothy James Cipriano, a geographer whose research is focused on hazards and disasters, urban and environmental studies, and disease geographies. He used to work with the UP Resilience Institute, and recently volunteered as a data validator for the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team.

We talked about the significance of geography, why science should always be done with the people, collecting data during the pandemic, what the Philippines can learn from past disasters, ways to improve disaster risk reduction in the Philippines, and more.

How to contact TJ:

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Twitter: @bigbrotherteej

Instagram: @bigbrotherteej

This episode features Dr. Inez Ponce de Leon, a molecular biologist and science communicator. She is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication at the Ateneo de Manila University, as well as a weekly columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

We talked about styles of science communication in the Philippines, having inclusive conversations about science, the trap of falling in love with platforms, why smart-shaming happens, how facts can be perceived as weapons, and more.

How to contact Dr. Inez:

Email: [email protected]

Website: inezpdl.com

Twitter: @inezpdl

This episode features Dr. Carlo A. Arcilla, a geologist and the Director of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI).

We talked about how nuclear medicine can help in the fight against cancer, the role of nuclear science in the pandemic, how nuclear technology helps with food productivity, nuclear science and climate change, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, and more.

How to contact Dr. Carlo:

Email: [email protected]

This episode features Prof. Phillip Alviola, an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biological Science at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the UPLB Museum of Natural History’s curator for small mammals and other wildlife. He is a bat biologist who uses his expertise to study bat-borne viruses and develop community-based methodologies for monitoring biological diversity.

We talked about how to become a virus hunter, how viruses thrive in bats, zoonotic diseases and their connection to biodiversity conservation, other animals of interest for virus hunters, what every Filipino should understand about zoonotic diseases, and more.

How to contact Prof. Phillip:

Facebook: fb.com/phillip.alviola

Email: [email protected]

This episode features Tara Abrina, an environmental economist and researcher at the University of the Philippines. She is the founder of Kapit Sisid, a network of freediving and marine conservation professionals.

We talked about how free-diving serves as a medium for marine conservation, the Kapit Sisid initiative, involving rural communities in environmental conservation, being a STEM worker in the Philippines, environmental economics in the Philippines, and more.

How to contact Tara:

Instagram: @taraabrina

Carrd: taraabrina.carrd.co

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