schoolscolleges2020 hed news


SCIENCE AWARDEES. Ken Raymart Añabieza and Melody Kimberly Pitoc look on as BPI Foundation Executive Director Faye Corcuera and XU President Fr Bobby Yap unveil the recognition plaque bearing the names of recent XU BPI DOST Science Awardees.

Two XU students were among those recognized by the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for their researches in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering.

Ken Raymart Añabieza’s study on “Chemometrics-Assisted Chelatometric Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (CDLLME) System for Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Determination of Ultra-trace Cu(II) in Water Samples” probed the potability of tap water by examining copper content in three sampling sites in one of the barangays in the city.

Ken, BS Chemistry, said he was “concerned over heavy metals mixing with our drinking water.” Guided by his thesis adviser Dr Heidi Rabanes, he was inspired to develop a simple, fast, safe, inexpensive and environmentally-friendly method in determining ultra-trace copper in water samples. Copper, a form of heavy metal, is toxic when taken in large quantities.

His study showed that CDLLME is an effective method for extracting copper at low concentrations and gives a precise and accurate measurement of copper at 90-93 percent recovery. It further concluded that tap water in the three sampling sites in barangay Agora are safe based on the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Ken’s fellow awardee Melody Kimberly Pitoc, BS Chemical Engineering, studied the viability of Napier grass as an alternative source of bio-oil, syngas and char.

Her study, “Determination of Operating Parameters for the Fast Oxidative Pyrolysis of Napier Grass in a Fluidized Bed Reactor,” done with teammates Rashida Ryhanna Bantuas and Jill Carlotha Cajote under the guidance of Dr Ma Theresa Cabaraban and Engr Edwin Richard Ortiz, found that the low ash content, high volatile matter and low fixed carbon of Napier grass make it suitable for bio-oil production. Bio oil can be converted into biofuel, a substitute for petroleum.

With energy being an environmental concern, Mel wanted to explore a greener source of energy to help address the energy crisis felt especially in Mindanao. Her study previously won the in-house Renewable Energy Studies Award of the College of Engineering.

XU President Fr Bobby Yap SJ commended Ken and Mel for pursuing research topics that resonate with Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si.”

“I think if Pope Francis were here, he’d be proud of what you’re doing,” Fr Bobby told the two awardees who graduated cum laude in March 2016.

“Ensuring that the water the poor drinks is safe is an important concern, and looking for renewable sources of energy, such as Napier grass, is urgent and necessary,” he said.

“I was really glad to find out that these were the topics given recognition,” Fr Bobby added even as he stressed the need to do “research for service, for others and for the poor.”

BPI Foundation Executive Director Faye Corcuera assured BPI’s continued support for promising university students in their pursuit of research. She also encouraged Ken and Mel to continue on the path of scientific pursuit.

This year, the BPI DOST Science Awards honored 30 regional awardees from 11 universities across the country for achieving high levels of excellence in their specialized fields of science.

But beyond doing research for its own sake, Fr Bobby laid the emphasis on research that touches not just the mind but also the heart.

“We want our students to develop habits of the mind and habits of the heart,” he said.

These habits are summed up in three qualities: curiosity, having the desire to know; wonder, having a sense of wow and amazement; and reverence, giving praise to the Lord by being good stewards of His creation.

“When you see all these curious, amazing things, you have to take a leap of faith that, yes, these are gifts that come from Him,” he said. “These habits form a spirituality of research that leads to praise and reverence in serving our Lord.”