Ask Theory

Dr. Erees Queen "Reese" Macabebe is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering at the Ateneo de Manila University. She heads the Ateneo Energy Research Lab. Her research interests include Renewable Energy with expertise in Photovoltaics, Energy Management and Analytics. In 2020, she received the Outstanding Young Scientist Award in Engineering Sciences and Technology from the National Academy of Science and Technology.

We talked about the responsibility of fighting climate change, energy consumption awareness, renewable energy and related technologies in the Philippines, the use of AI in energy analytics, the most difficult thing about addressing the climate crisis, and more.

How to contact Dr. Reese:

Email: [email protected]

Alyssa Marie Gimenez is a doctoral student studying Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley pursuing a career in scientific research and academia. Her career interests focus on bridging global public health disparity research with cellular/molecular biology to advance health equity, literacy, and academic opportunity in underrepresented South-East Asian communities both stateside and abroad.

We talked about how the GradMAP Philippines initiative helps Filipino students, why there's no such thing as a stupid question, becoming a mentor for STEM students, how to get over the fear of asking questions, and more.

How to contact Alyssa:

Email: [email protected]

GradMAP Facebook: fb.com/GradMAPph

GradMAP Twitter: @gradmap_ph

GradMAP Instagram: @gradmap_ph

GradMAP Email: [email protected]

This episode of Ask Theory was made in partnership with GradMAP Philippines, a mentor network helping Filipino scientists get through graduate school applications. GradMAP Philippines envisions a thriving community of Filipino scientists that work to reduce barriers for Filipinos in pursuing advanced degrees in STEM and related fields. For more information, visit: ⁠https://www.gradmap.ph/

Dr. Nikki Heherson Dagamac is a long-term Balik-Scientist at the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science at the University of Santo Tomas. He translated his expertise in the fields of basic and applied ecology, evolution, and genetics in the development of the course plans of various technical courses in the Biology program. His knowledge on machine learning, ecological modeling and statistics, and population genetics became fundamental in drafting remote and virtual laboratory exercises in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology.

We talked about slime molds and why they matter, becoming a Balik Scientist, shaping the next generation of scientists, applying science in biodiversity conservation, and more.

How to contact Dr. Nikki:

Email: [email protected]

Juan Salvador "Duno" Dantis is a chemical biologist taking his PhD studies at UC Irvine, and is the Co-Director of Events and Communications at GradMAP Philippines. His research under the Darci Trader lab involves elucidating the mechanisms by which proteasome activity modulates neurodegeneration and how this can be leveraged as a novel therapeutic avenue for protein aggregation diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

We talked about pursuing the STEM track in graduate school, the GradMAP Philippines initiative, the importance of having STEM mentors, how to become a mentor for STEM students, and more.

How to contact Duno:

Email: [email protected]

GradMAP Facebook: fb.com/GradMAPph

GradMAP Twitter: @gradmap_ph

GradMAP Instagram: @gradmap_ph

GradMAP Email: [email protected]

This episode of Ask Theory was made in partnership with GradMAP Philippines, a mentor network helping Filipino scientists get through graduate school applications. GradMAP Philippines envisions a thriving community of Filipino scientists that work to reduce barriers for Filipinos in pursuing advanced degrees in STEM and related fields. For more information, visit: https://www.gradmap.ph/

Dr. Jabez Joshua Flores is an Environmental and GIS Specialist with a doctorate degree in Environmental Science from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He has also taken intensive landscape ecology courses at the International Association for Landscape Ecology in Italy.

We talked about permaculture and health, unconventional paths to science careers, how to effectively communicate numeric data, the Next Generation One Health fellowship, preparing for "Disease X," and more.

How to contact Dr. Jabez:

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Website: permacultureresearchph.blogspot.com

Facebook: fb.com/permacultureresearchph

Instagram: @permacultureresearchph

YouTube: @PermacultureResearchPH

This episode of Ask Theory was made in partnership with Next Generation One Health Philippines. For more information, visit: https://nextgenonehealthph.com/about

Dr. Aries Arugay is the Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Asian Politics & Policy, an international Scopus-indexed journal on regional affairs. In 2020, he was the sole social scientist to receive the Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the National Academy of Science & Technology, for his contributions to the “study of democratization processes and consolidation, security sector reform, and strategic studies in the Philippines and Asia.”

We talked about the current state of Philippine democracy, why disinformation spreads so easily and can be so convincing, how the public reacts to scientists giving opinions on national issues, misconceptions about the social sciences, and more.

How to contact Dr. Aries:

Website: polisci.upd.edu.ph

Twitter: @ariesarugay

Facebook: fb.com/wargod

Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy has been the Dean of the School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering at Mapua University, Manila for 15 years. He is the founder of USHER (Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System) Technologies Inc., specializing in applying technological measures that can assess the health and safety of buildings for disaster risk reduction.

We talked about what resilience means, using localized technology for earthquake resilience, becoming a scientist and an entrepreneur, disaster risk reduction in the Philippines, taking USHER Technologies from idea to reality, and more.

How to contact Dr. Francis:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.usher.ph

Facebook: fb.com/ushertechnologies

Dr. Susan Gallardo is a retired professor of Chemical Engineering at De La Salle University (DLSU). In 2019, she received the David M. Consunji Award for Engineering Research for her work in environmental engineering and catalysis, as well as industrial and hazardous waste treatment and management. She is actively involved in community service and organizations like JSPS Alumni Association, Association of Tokyo Tech Alumni and Research Scholars, Women Engineers Network and more.

We talked about clean air technologies in the Philippines, what it would take for most, if not all Filipinos to have clean water, challenges in hazardous waste management in the Philippines, her community service work, and more.

How to contact Dr. Susan:

Email: [email protected]

Deign Frolley Soriano is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology, University of the Philippines Baguio. He has been part of several research projects including biodiversity assessments in urban forests, island ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems across Northern Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region. He actively engages with various environmental NGOs and socio-civic organizations that focus on environmental protection and conservation and the role of young people in these causes.

We talked about nurturing the love for science at a young age, the road to becoming a scientist, the struggles of studying science abroad, the youth’s role in saving the environment, collaborative efforts with NGOs and socio-civic organizations, and more.

How to contact Deign:

Facebook: fb.com/deignfrolley

Instagram: @deignfsoriano

Twitter: @deignfsoriano

Dr. Andreia Carrillo is a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University, where she works as a galactic archaeologist. She studies the formation of our own Galaxy, the Milky Way, using data from real stars and from simulated universes. 

We talked about what a galactic archaeologist does, what makes humanity want to look up at the stars so much, the state of astronomy and astrophysics in the Philippines, the ups and downs of being a Pinay scientist, the global presence of scientists from the Philippines, and more. 

How to contact Dr. Andreia:

Email: [email protected]