FORTY seven undergraduate research works were presented during the Science and Technology Undergraduate Symposium at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex last Feb. 14.
According to Dr. Maribel Nonato, director of the Research Center for Natural Sciences (RCNS), the number of research works presented this year was three times more compared to last year’s.
“The research culture is very much present among faculty members in the University and it is quite evident that they (faculty members) have transmitted this culture to our students,” Nonato said.
She added that the construction of the research complex facilitated the easy accommodation of the students. For the first time, parallel sessions were held in the different seminar workshop rooms in the research complex: four in the morning and in the afternoon.
Rector Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O.P., on the other hand, emphasized that research should not be considered merely as an appendix to the life of the academic community but rather it must be considered as an integral part.
“Research must find its place not only in the academic life of the faculty members but also in the life of students,” the Rector said in his opening remarks.
He added that building a culture of research in the University is a difficult and challenging task and will take a long time to convince everyone of its importance to the community.
Fr. Lana said he was glad that research is getting into the system of the students, which is a great realization of the need to cultivate productivity.
“The fruits of your academic labor are already commendable but more meritorious are the time, creativity, and efforts you have spent for your works. This is only the start of what awaits you in the broader horizon of scientific exploration,” he said.
This year, students from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Engineering, College of Science, and the Food Technology Department of the College of Education presented their researches during the symposium. It was also the first time that Psychology and Information Technology students participated in the symposium. Girard R. Carbonell
