THREE Thomasians bagged third place in an international engineering debate competition in Bandung, Indonesia last March 16 to 18, as the only representatives of the Philippines.

Chemical Engineering seniors Vince Luiz Cruz, Paul Ryan Henry Manzon, Queen Desiree Dalisay and adviser Ayesha Duavis secured a podium finish in the debate contest of Chemical Engineering Challenge (IChEC) 2016. The first place was won by the University of Indonesia. Bandung Institute of Technology took second place.

The tournament adopted the Asian Parliamentary Format. Each team was composed of three members, namely the prime minister, deputy prime minister and whip.

The topic was whether “technology issues should be the first consideration in the development of coal in the chemical industry.”

The Thomasians passed the elimination round, which was an essay-writing contest. In the final round, UST went against Diponegoro University. The Thomasians argued that legal and regulatory issues should be considered first.

This was the first time that Thomasians participated in the event.

Chemical Engineering Department Chairman Mark Emile Punzalan said the UST engineering students’ first-ever win in the debate category opened doors for the faculty to join other competitions aside from research competitions and quiz contests.

“This also shows the versatility of the students and a valid proof that they are able to meet some of the student outcomes that we have set. I also hope that this win serves as motivation and inspiration to all the students to take on challenges and opportunities, even in the out-of-the-classroom setup,” Punzalan said in an email to the Varsitarian.

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The debate is a new competition in the annual event. Other competitions involved plant design, solving problems, making posters and a seminar.

Dubbed as one of the most prestigious chemical engineering competitions, the 20th IChEC sought to boost the awareness of chemical engineering students on various issues and train them in solving global problems through multidisciplinary skills. Kathryn V. Baylon

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