Ask Theory

This episode features Purple Romero, a fact-checking journalist based in Hong Kong. Her articles on health, environment, and gender issues have been published on international websites such as Vice, SCMP, Foreign Affairs, Mongabay, Channel News Asia, and Agence France-Presse.

We talked about the history of fake news, the difference between misinformation and disinformation, why people create and spread false information, the tools and skills of a fact-checking journalist, tips for ordinary citizens to effectively tell fact from fiction, and more.

This episode features Sabrina Ongkiko, a public school teacher at Culiat Elementary School. A vocal advocate for science literacy, she received The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Award for her commitment towards educating children, empowering teachers, and helping to transform the Philippine education system.

We talked about her most memorable experiences as a science educator in the Philippines, tips and techniques for teaching science effectively, the World Bank’s recent report about the state of education in the Philippines, points for improvement in the country's science education system, ways to empower Pinoy teachers and students, and more.

This episode features Maybelle Fortaleza, a marine scientist and member of the research team at the Coral Reef Resiliency and Ecology Studies Laboratory in UP Mindanao.

We talked about the possible reasons why the Philippines is so biodiverse, the biggest problem in marine conservation, how to change or improve the way we talk about saving marine species, meeting science idols and celebrities, the need for inclusive science communication in local communities, and more.

This episode features Dr. Enrico Paringit, the Executive Director of Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) under the Department of Science and Technology. A licensed geodetic engineer, he served as the project leader of the Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation (DREAM) initiative.

We talked about how the Philippines is improving the way we prepare for, respond to, and deal with the consequences of natural hazards, how DOST-PCIEERD supports research in the Philippines, the relationship between science and policies, important considerations for drafting S&T policies, and more.

This episode features Dr. Jomar Rabajante, a faculty member of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He is the OIC-Dean of the Graduate School of UPLB, a fellow of the UP Resilience Institute, and a lead researcher of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team.

We talked about simulation theory and our concept of reality, the surprising and unexpected things that numbers can reveal about real life, being named one of the Philippines’ Outstanding Young Scientists, using data and numbers to deliver crucial pandemic information to policymakers, how to recover from being overwhelmed by numbers and statistics, and more.

This episode features Mark Ivan Roblas, a science communicator and Supervising Science Research Specialist at DOST-PCIEERD. He also served as the project leader of the Science Explorer, the Philippines' first mobile learning science facility, and is managing the agency’s social media scicomm initiatives.

We talked about his most memorable experience as a science communicator, why it’s important to communicate science well, how science communication can be improved in the Philippines, who can become a science communicator, common misconceptions about science and scicomm, and more.

This episode features Dr. Nathaniel Hermosa, the Program Coordinator of the Photonics Research Lab at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s National Institute of Physics. He has been recognized as an outstanding young scientist by the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines.

We talked about unlocking the secrets of light, how a crazy idea helped his team develop an invisibility cloak, quantum entanglement and teleportation, why it’s important for scientists to have other interests, the most important characteristic of a science practitioner, and more.

This episode features Dr. Lillian Rodriguez, an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biology in the College of Science. In 2016, she became a National Geographic Explorer, and was given a grant to study the biogeography and evolution of pollinator fig wasps associated with sycomorus figs in the Philippines.

We talked about why fig (balete) trees and fig wasps are important in Philippine ecosystems, some unexpected things we can learn from studying plant-insect interactions, her experience as a National Geographic Explorer, how we can do better at conserving our local biodiversity, why evolution doesn’t really work the way many of us imagine it, and more.

This episode of Ask Theory features Kristine Sabillo, a science journalist and digital media manager. She has covered stories about science, politics, technology, and current events for ABS-CBN and Inquirer.net, with a particular focus on topics related to climate, energy, and health.

We talked about telling science stories to the public, the biggest challenges of being a science journalist, the thrills of working with and learning from Pinoy scientists, how science news can go viral with the right angle, the future of science journalism in the Philippines, and more.

This episode of Ask Theory features Kristine Jane Atienza, a licensed nutritionist-dietitian who has worked with the United Nations World Food Program and World Vision. A space enthusiast, she is also a founding member of the Philippine Union of Student Organizations for Astronomy (PUSO for Astro) and a core member of the Manila Street Astronomers.

We talked about why trans fats are so bad for the body, everyday food items that are actually sources of trans fats, viable alternatives for trans fatty ingredients, how consumers can avoid trans fats, space nutrition (and what astronauts eat), and more.