Ask Theory

Paul Caesar Flores is a PhD student at Yokohama National University and a Research Student at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. He is particularly interested in the fields of marine geophysics, seismology, and earthquakes, and was involved in multiple projects such as mapping mesophotic coral ecosystems, offshore active faults, and sea level rise.

We talked about the field of marine geophysics, work opportunities for geologists and geophysicists, mapping active faults under the sea, using satellite data to study coasts, and more.

How to contact Paul:

Facebook: fb.com/marineearthscience

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Joshua P. Torres is a conotoxinologist at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Copenhagen. As a medicinal chemist, he studies the medicinal potential of marine animals and bacteria, mostly from the Philippines.

We talked about cone snails and how they manage to be both dangerous and beneficial to humans, the discovery of the cancer-killing molecule boholamide A, the relationship between studying nature and drug development, the scientific contributions of Filipino scientists who work abroad, a fellowship opportunity for Philippine-based scientists, and more.

Apply for the M. Victoria Carpio-Bernido Research Fellowship 2023 now! Deadline is on September 30, 2022. More information here: https://spp-online.org/mvcb-fellowship-2023/

How to contact Dr. Joshua:

Twitter: @yeahhh_wa

Email: [email protected]

Roxanne Aviñante is a Senior Science Research Specialist at DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), and the Project Leader for the Kooha App. She is a research professional and software engineer with over a decade of experience in information and communication technology research and development (R&D) and systems engineering.

We talked about what “citizen science” means, what it takes to become a citizen scientist, the difference between a citizen scientist and a wannabe expert, more information about the Kooha app project, the benefits of (and some FAQs about) the Kooha app, and more.

Download the Kooha app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ph.gov.dost.asti.kooha

How to contact Roxanne:

Facebook: fb.com/koohaapp

TikTok: kooha.ph

Email: [email protected]

Framelia Anonas heads the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute's Nuclear Information and Documentation Section, which handles the content creation, media relations, events organizing, information services, and social media of the Institute.

We talked about what she likes most about nuclear power, her most memorable experience related to your work, being skeptical about new information, the most common objections about nuclear power, tips for communicating controversial science topics to the public, and more.

How to contact Framelia:

Facebook: fb.com/framelia.v.anonas

PNRI Facebook Page: fb.com/PNRIDOST

Instagram: @framvee

Alexis Kristin Bautista is a food hygienist who serves as the Hygiene and Sustainability Team Lead of SMX Convention Center under SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. She handles food safety, hygiene, and sanitation in convention centers and hotel properties across the Philippines, with nearly a decade of extensive experience in the industry.

We talked about the more complicated aspects of food safety in mass catering, interesting stories about her experiences on the job, what Filipinos should know about food safety, the impact of COVID-19 on her team’s operations, “new normal” hygiene protocols for food safety, and more.

How to contact Alex:

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Peter Julian Cayton is an Associate Professor at the School of Statistics, University of the Philippines Diliman. He also pursues interdisciplinary work as a member of the UP Resilience Institute, which conducts cutting-edge research in Philippine disaster risk reduction and management. He engages in a range of applications in statistics on volcanology, climatology, resource management, and epidemiology.

We talked about how people can sometimes look at the same data but come up with different conclusions, using statistics in everyday situations, how statistics can predict winning lottery numbers and election results, situations in which we shouldn’t use statistics to make decisions, what the numbers are telling us about the future of COVID-19 in the Philippines, and more.

How to contact Dr. Peter:

Twitter: @pjacaytonphd

Facebook: fb.com/pjacaytonphd

Mark Joseph Tinao is a biologist and a Certified Pollution Control Officer. He streams online content about farming, academic writing, and science & technology as Seph Scientist, promoting science communication and encouraging young people to pursue careers in the sciences.

We talked about environmental education & pollution control, plant science and conservation, looking at biology as more than just a pre-med course, communicating science via Tiktok, social media platforms as tools for science communication, and more.

How to contact Mark:

TikTok: @seph_scientist

Instagram: @seph_tinao

Facebook: fb.com/seph.tinao07

Jonas Marie Dumdum is a registered chemist and sustainability science and policy advocate. He volunteers as coordinator for the Energy SubCluster of The Climate Reality Project Philippines. He also hosts the SUSTAINARUMBLE! Podcast, the first podcast that explores critical issues on sustainable development in the Philippines.

We talked about ensuring the effectiveness of environmental sustainability projects, how climate change impacts and will continue to impact Filipinos, the problem of single-use plastic waste, the potential water crisis in Metro Manila, bringing sustainability discussions to the public, and more.

How to contact Jonas:

Facebook: fb.com/sustainascientist

Instagram: @sustainascientist

SUSTAINARUMBLE Podcast: fb.com/sustainarumble (also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts)

Engr. Julius Sempio is a licensed geodetic engineer specializing in geoinformatics and remote sensing. He is an advocate of space science in the Philippines, as well as a komikero (Pinoy komiks creator).

We talked about the current state of space science in the Philippines, why microsatellites are such a big deal, working with the Diwata-1 microsatellite, common misconceptions Filipinos have about space science, combining science and art, and more.

How to contact Julius:

Facebook: fb.com/jhsempio

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Carina Laroza is an inclusive science communication advocate and the founder of Scienkidfic Xplorers (now AghamJuan). She develops and conducts science outreach programmes for underserved communities and public schools around Metro Manila, and trains volunteers on how to effectively facilitate the programmes. She also obtained an MSc Science Communication degree at the University of the West of England, Bristol as a Chevening Scholar.

We talked about her journey as a science communicator, making science inclusive in the Philippines, things every science communicator should know, scientists as science communicators, debunking misinformation and respecting opinions, and more.

How to contact Carina:

LinkedIn: Cari Laroza

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: fb.com/scienkidficxplorers