Professors from the UP Diliman College of Engineering (COE) received the 2021 Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (PhilAAST) award for their achievements in their respective fields.
Professor emeritus Guillermo Q. Tabios III, Ph.D., of the COE Institute of Civil Engineering, was given the Michael R.I. Purvis Award for Sustainability Research, and Prof. Joey D. Ocon, Ph.D., of the COE Department of Chemical Engineering, the David M. Consunji Award for Engineering Research.
They were among eight recipients announced in a Sept. 6 virtual presser hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and livestreamed on its Facebook page, ahead of PhilAAST’s 70th annual convention from Sept. 7 to 9.
Tabios was honored for “his advocacy in linking sustainability science, policy and management with the use of transdisciplinary approach for sustainable water resources development. This includes his works in 2-D hydraulic modeling of floods, dam-break and reservoir, optimization of reservoirs, pipe network and project sequencing, and staging of large-scale water systems.”
Ocon was recognized for his research excellence and immense contribution to “the development of novel materials and processes for clean energy technologies (i.e. fuel cells, batteries, and electrolyzers), including how these technologies are applied at the system level.”
The Michael R.I. Purvis Award was established in honor of Dr. Michael Robert Irvin Purvis, a distinguished energy engineer from the United Kingdom who served for 20 years at De La Salle University.
The David M. Consunji Award for Engineering Research was established by PhilAAST and DMCI Holdings, Inc., and aims to recognize outstanding researchers in the field of engineering.
The PhilAAST is a non-profit national organization of scientists and technologists that aims to promote and broaden the base of scientific advancement in the Philippines through research that “center on promoting the value of science to the community.”