Alumni Milestones

Diliman, QC: A new study about the potential of seaweed as a resilient food source was published in the scientific journal “Earth’s Future” by a team of researchers from the Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED), Louisiana State University, University of the Philippines Diliman Marine Science Institute (UP MSI), and the University of Canterbury.

Researchers have discovered that seaweed can be a crucial pillar for food security in the context of abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios, as seen in scenarios like nuclear winter. Surprisingly, seaweed is resilient in adverse conditions, so its growth and potential to enhance food security increases after more severe nuclear conflicts.

Using an empirical model based on the seaweed Gracilaria tikvahiae, in combination with nuclear winter climate data, the researchers simulated global seaweed growth. The results demonstrate that seaweed has the capacity to be cultivated in tropical oceans even after a major nuclear war between Russia and the US. Such a war would deliver 150 Tg of black carbon to the atmosphere and could block out the sunlight for years but enough to drive photosynthesis. This scenario leads to increased vertical mixing and decreased phytoplankton production, providing more nutrients to the seaweed.

Previous studies show that agriculture and fisheries production would plummet, so alternative food sources like seaweed will be critical in ensuring good security in sunlight reduction scenarios. Ocean modeler Prof. Cheryl Harrison from the Louisiana State University said “It’s only a matter of time before the latter [nuclear war and large volcanic eruption] happens, so we need to be ready. Because the ocean does not cool as rapidly as land, marine aquaculture is a very good option.”

Seaweed can be quickly scaled up to meet a substantial portion of global food application demand, reaching about 70% within just 7 to 13 months. Most of this can be used for animal feed and biofuel, as human consumption is limited to 10-15 % due to the high iodine content in seaweed, which could cause adverse health effects.

In addition to the current benefits of seaweed farming, researchers suggest investing in seaweed farming as a proactive measure for global food security, both now and after a catastrophe. This could potentially avert a significant number of deaths from starvation, according to resilient food expert Prof. Dr. David Denkenberger from the University of Canterbury.

In fact, in the Philippines, low-tech seaweed farming is the commonly implemented infrastructure.

According to laboratory head Prof. Michael Y. Roleda of Algal Physiology (AlgaE) laboratory of UP MSI, “we are engaged in the selection and curation of novel and climate change resilient cultivars of tropical seaweeds (e.g., eucheumatoids and gracilariods) that possess superior traits in terms of growth, chemistry, and disease resistance. The gene bank of UP-MSI provides a platform for selective breeding and production of high quality seedstrock for distribution to seaweed farmers.” This effort by UP MSI significantly contributes to the goal of scaling up seaweed for future food production and security.

The preprint of this study was selected as one of the most exciting and interesting entries out of 17,000 submissions to the European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna (2023) and discussed in their press conference and blog. According to Lead author Dr. Florian Ulrich Jehn from ALLFED, this study opens avenues to further research about seaweed as a food solution after a nuclear war.

Access to the original paper: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003710

Media Interest:

The unexpected aspect of the study is the revelation that seaweed exhibits high growth rates in a more severe nuclear war. This further adds to the many benefits of seaweed, including its capacity to mitigate eutrophication–excessive nutrient and consequently algal growth which can deplete oxygen and harm aquatic life–and its independence from arable land, freshwater, fertilizer, or extensive pesticide applications. Seaweed fed to cattle could also significantly decrease the emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. In addition, seaweed can be used to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, combating climate change. These factors contribute to making seaweed a subject of interest for both the scientific community and the general public.

The UP Marine Science Institute is one of seven academic institutes of the College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman. It aims to advance, disseminate, and apply knowledge through research and development, and public service and extension in the marine sciences and related disciplines, playing a big role in shaping the discourse on the Philippine waters.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Florian Ulrich Jehn
First author
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-ulrich-jehn-b03a4011b/
Mastodon: @[email protected] (https://fediscience.org/@florianjehn)
Twitter: @FlorianJehn (https://twitter.com/FlorianJehn)

Michael Y. Roleda, Dr. rer. nat.
Co-author
Email: [email protected]

Communications Team
UP Marine Science Institute
Email: [email protected]

Source: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/seaweed-as-a-resilient-food-solution-after-a-nuclear-war/

The Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Cebu, through Resolution No. 16-2128-2023, recognizes UP Cebu alumna Ms. Trilbe Lizann Espina Vasquez for landing in the Top 1 spot among the 95,969 examinees in the recent Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers – Secondary Level.

The same resolution commends the University of the Philippines Cebu for producing top-quality students giving pride, honor, and inspiration to Cebu City.

Mabuhi ug padayon, UP Cebu!

Source: UP Cebu Facebook

UPLB is the lone top-performing school in this year’s Licensure Examination for Agriculturists (LEA).

To be a top-performing school one has to have 50 or more examinees and with at least 80% passing percentage.

UPLB has 101 passers and a passing rate of 99% in the 2023 LEA.

Eleven examinees from UPLB landed in the top ten: Kathleen Joy D. Franco placed second with a rating of 87.33%; Quenee Anne Z. Aurin, third place, 86.67%; Carmel Rose M. Rolloque, fourth place, 86.50%; Joel John S. Cariño, fifth place, 86.33%; Chiara Angeli K. Dela Peña and Ghar Christian R. Tesorero, both in eighth place at 85.67%; Daniella Jean E. Pamulaklakin and Luis Angelo T. Tabasa, both in 9th place with a rating of 85.50%; and Krizza Jane C. Manatad, Jairo P. Rabano, and John Kenneth L. Tabiolo who landed in tenth place with a rating of 85.33%.

UPLB has been a top-performing school in LEA for 19 years now.

The Agriculturists Licensure Examination was administered by the Professional Regulation Commission through the Board of Agriculture in 19 testing centers all over the Philippines in November 2023. (Juan Paolo A. Aquino)

Source: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/uplb-is-lone-top-performing-school-in-2023-lea/

UP Manila extends its heartfelt congratulations to the graduates of the College of Allied Medical Professions who have successfully passed the Physical Therapist Licensure Examination (PTLE) and Occupational Therapist Licensure Examination (OTLE).

A special commendation to our outstanding Topnotchers for their exemplary performance:

PTLE Topnotchers:

Ma. Barbara Tolentino Manalaysay – 2nd Place, 89.40%
Claire Chan Bathan – 6th Place, 89.00%

OTLE Topnotchers:

Kizha Marie Sevidal Gabutan – 1st Place, 85.00%
Adrian Andag Silva – 4th Place, 83.00%
Chloe Julienne Kapunan Abrasada – 6th Place, 82.40%
Irish Marie Esguerra Ilagan – 7th Place, 82.00%
Jamie Christine Enriquez Meneses – 7th Place, 82.00%
Nicole Mari Savillo Olorvida – 7th Place, 82.00%
Ericka Josh Therese Kang Lo – 7th Place, 82.00%
Betina Mae Untalan Untalan – 7th Place, 82.00%
Leny Crystel Flores San Diego – 8th Place, 81.80%

In addition, UP Manila is proud to be recognized as the Top Performing School in the OTLE, achieving the 1st Rank with an impressive passing rate of 95.45%.

These accomplishments reflect the dedication and excellence of our graduates in the December 2023 Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist Licensure Exam.

We extend our warmest wishes to these accomplished individuals and express our confidence in their future endeavors as healthcare professionals. May they continue to bring honor to UP Manila. Congratulations! 🎓👏

Source: University of the Philippines Manila Facebook

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred governments worldwide to respond with containment policies, with the Philippines having one of the longest and most stringent COVID-19 policies in the world. How effective were these policies in containing the pandemic and providing social and economic support to citizens? This is the question UP Diliman College of Science’s Science, Technology and Society (UPD-CS STS) researchers ventured to answer.

A novel, multidisciplinary approach

STS scientists and faculty members Prof. Benjamin Vallejo Jr, Dr. Rodrigo Angelo Ong and Asst. Prof. Ranjit Singh Rye found a new interdisciplinary approach to the problem: “We just adopted statistical methods commonly used in marine behavioral ecology. After all, government policy response is a set of behaviors that can be standardized and compared with each other. The most significant behavioral responses can be statistically modeled,” Vallejo said.

“Furthermore, a multidisciplinary perspective allows for a better contextualization of how effective the policies are,” he added.

Using standardized policy response measures collated by the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker project (OxCGRT), they assessed the effectiveness of the Philippine response from 2020 to 2022. The OxCGRT includes daily policy response and implementation data from 180 World Health Organization (WHO)-member states, from 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2022.

The STS scientists were able to determine that stringent pandemic policies—including lockdowns, quarantines, stay-at-home ordinances, and travel restrictions—were effective in containing the pandemic within the first 60 days. These are all dependent on law enforcement and a securitized approach.

Effectivity of lockdowns and vaccinations

Complete lockdowns negatively affected the economy, so there was a gradual and phased relaxing of policies beginning in May 2020. It was during the relaxing of lockdowns with limited mobility starting with essential personnel that the shortcomings of the government’s response became apparent. With lockdowns being phased out, contact tracing and testing became more necessary to immediately contain clusters of infections. The government was least effective in these efforts.

The policy analysis also revealed that the government’s vaccination rollout and prioritization, although with logistical difficulties at the start, was effective in reducing infections in the health workers sector and thus ensuring the delivery of health services The health workers received the vaccine in a shorter timeframe than the rest of the population beginning March 2021. Overall, it can be said that vaccination caused a more positive outcome in the pandemic.

It was also found that the continuation of travel health checks—such as requiring proof of vaccination, COVID-19 rtPCR tests, and, later, antigen tests—had a low odds ratio to the rate of COVID-19 case increase. This simply means that these requirements lessened the risk of spread of infections across provincial and international borders.

Mask wearing and social distancing

Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as mask-wearing and social distancing, while significantly effective at the local level, were not significantly effective at the national level. The reason is likely related to the differing levels of citizen compliance in communities. Implementation was with the local governments and reflects on political and governance realities. Politicians who implement restrictions without their constituents being consulted and convinced of the necessity of restrictions are likely to lose votes in the next election. In a democracy, citizen engagement with governments remains essential in responding to a crisis such as a pandemic while protecting civil rights according to law. Citizen participation is a central idea in STS in government.

The key role of STS in policy analysis

The UP STS scientists’ work demonstrates that STS approaches to science-informed policy analysis can objectively assess the strengths and weaknesses of government policy. The scientists hope that their study will make policy and governance more effective especially in crises.

Prof. Vallejo is a marine biologist with the UPD-CS Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology; Dr. Ong, a physician, is a professorial lecturer with the Science and Society Program; and Asst. Prof. Rye is with the Department of Political Science of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UP Diliman. Prof. Vallejo and Dr. Ong also trained under the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) in Malaysia on science advice and policy analysis.

Reference:
Vallejo B, Ong RAC , Rye, RS (2023) An Assessment of the Philippines government’s Response to the COVID-19 pandemic based on policy response indices. SciEngg 16 (2) 426-436