Carolinians talent show

Carolinians talent show at SM during the USC Intramurals 2007.

Thanks mistressnicey.

Message from the President

To be
what we promise to become;
To do
what we pledge we shall do;
To live
as we profess and proclaim:

This is to Witness to the Word –
God’s Word and ours.

This is the Corporate Social Responsibility
of the University of San Carlos.

University of San Carlos is an educational institution named after San Carlos Borromeo. As such, it follows the ideals of its patron, among which are to organize its academic programs and social processes so that those who take them become competent professionals who have at heart not just their professional advancement but the good of the bigger society.

University of San Carlos is a Catholic institution of learning. As such, it adheres to the teachings of the Catholic Church in all the aspects of academic life: teaching–learning, research, community service. At the same time, in the spirit of ecumenism and communion, it shares what it believes even with those of other faiths and those who may not have any.

University of San Carlos is owned and operated by the USC Corporation, the majority of whose members are missionaries of the Society of the Divine Word (Societas Verbi Divini: SVD). As such, in its pursuit of its academic and educational goals, it is committed to spread the Word of God and to endeavor that the Word is not only preached but practiced and lived. It is committed to inspiring the community within and outside it with the SVD missionary spirit which draws its strength from the Word of God who became man and lived among us.

University of San Carlos is part of the global society that is the city and province of Cebu, the region of the Visayas, the Filipino nation, Asia, and the world. As such, it collaborates with all stakeholders in education, with government and non–government organizations, with all people of good will in pursuing its educational mission and in responding to social and environmental concerns.

We are the University of San Carlos.

WITNESS TO THE WORD is our Corporate Social Responsibility:
the Word within our worlds and beyond our borders.

Within our worlds, shaped and guided by our Catholic faith, the missionary orientation of the Society of the Divine Word, and the ideals of our patron, San Carlos Borromeo, the University of San Carlos strives to be the best educational institution that we can be, to give our best to those who entrust themselves to us for the education that they seek.

Beyond our borders, our Corporate Social Responsibility also urges us to go, and so do we. We reach out to those who can not come to us. With them we share “what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is Life” . . . so that they, too, “may be in union with us, as we strive to be in union with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ ,. . . and so that our joy may be complete.” (1 John, 1:1-4)

Our Corporate Social Responsibility flows from our vision:

A WORLD
where the darkness of sin
and the night of unbelief
vanish
before the Light of the Word
and the Spirit of Grace;

A SOCIETY
where citizens are competent,
noble in character, and community – oriented.

The fruit of our mission shall be seen when all Carolinians and everyone
within our worlds and beyond our borders
so live that

what they know, they apply justly and honestly;
what they do not know, they seek to learn;
what they do not have, they endeavor to acquire;
what they have, they share.

This is to Witness to the Word.

This is the
Corporate Social Responsibility
of the
University of San Carlos.

USC Foundation Week
August 19 – 25, 2007

Marine Algae Taxonomy Workshop in Malaysia

Bio chair represents Philippines in Marine Algae Taxonomy Workshop in Malaysia

A training workshop on the taxonomy of marine algae was recently held by the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from August 15–22. The workshop was originally intended to train young phycologists from all over Malaysia but the invitation was extended to phycologists from other Asian countries including Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Hongkong–SAR to foster exchanges of information and camaraderie among the region’s young phycologists.

Danilo B. Largo, Chair of the USC Department of Biology, who is actively doing research on marine algae, was invited to represent the Philippines.

Dr. Largo explaining to a group of workshop participants about the characteristics of “gozo” (Eucheuma) – an important world source of carrageenan from the Philippines.

The participants were given hands-on training on how to identify algae based on morphological approach using materials they brought from their respective countries. They were also introduced into the use of molecular approach in algal taxonomy and constructing phylogenetic tree as a tool to analyze evolutionary history of certain algal taxa.

While most of the materials used in the workshop were from their own country, the participants had a chance to collect seaweeds at Port Dickson in the state of Negeri Sembilan located in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and some 80 km from Kuala Lumpur. The exercises enabled them to compare the richness of Southeast Asian biodiversity on marine algae (or seaweeds) which is perhaps unsurpassed by the rest of the world.

Participants of the seaweed taxonomy workshop; Dr. Largo is 4th from the left (2nd row).

Serving as facilitators of the workshop were the leading phycologists from Japan (Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Kawai, Kobe Univ.), Korea (Prof. Dr. Sun Ming Boo represented by Dr. Kim Myung Sook and Dr. Eun Chan Yang), Thailand (Prof. Lewmanomont Khanjanapaj) and Malaysia (Dr. Lim Phaik-Eem and Prof. Dr. Phang Siew Moi). An Annotated Checklist of Marine Algae of Southeast Asia will be the main output of this workshop. This will be the first of a series planned by the organizer, Prof. Phang Siew Moi, head of the University of Malaya Maritime Research Centre (UMMReC).

Dr. Largo’s travel and accommodation expenses were graciously provided by the workshop organizer.

Author: D. B. Largo

USC students win 7th National PRISAAP Youth Congress

Students reap awards at 7th National PRISAAP Youth Congress

Students of the University of San Carlos reaped awards during the 7th National Private Secondary School Administrators Association of the Philippines (PRISAAP) Youth Congress.

The University of San Carlos-North Campus earned the award Best in "In-School Activities Student Council Project Proposal." Meanwhile, Rolando Calomarde Jr. (IV-Gold) bagged 2nd Runner Up in the Pagsulat ng Sanaysay event. Jundale Joyohoy (III-Gold) placed 3rd Runner Up in the Poster Making Contest while Miguel Flve Matutino was 4th Runner Up in the Mr. PRISAAP 2007 contested by 38 students.

The USC-NC Group also placed 3rd Runner Up in the Folk/Ethnic Dance Contests while four students were semi-finalists in the English Essay Writing Contest, namely, Kevin R. Ty (III-Gold), Simeon Philippe Noval (IV-Green), Eduardo Nepangue (IV-Gold), and Kynt L. Tabudlong (III-Gold).

The students were accompanied by their coaches as well as parent chaperons, namely Lolito Belonguel, Deosel Platero, Dennis Lacson, Ruth Mae Luche, Dr. Alan Quirante (PTA President), and Marieta Calomarde (PTA Treasurer).

Author: P. J. Lim
22 / August / 2007

Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia opens USC Foundation Week

The honorable Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia graced the opening of the University Foundation Week today, August 20, 2007, at the USC Talamban Campus.

Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia speaks during the opening of the Corporate Social Responsibility exhibits at the lobby of Bunzel Building.

Gov. Garcia expressed her gratitude to USC on choosing the theme, "Beyond Borders, Within Worlds" and emphasizing the University's Corporate Social Responsibility. She said that now more than ever, public and private partnership is important. "No man... no woman... can do this alone," Gov. Garcia remarked on social responsibility.

The day started with a Holy Mass attended by the University community who filled to capacity the Church of St. Arnold and St. Joseph. USC President Fr. Roderick C. Salazar Jr., SVD celebrated the Mass along with his confreres. Reflecting the theme of the Foundation Week, prayers were offered in four languages.

The Opening Mass at the Church of St. Arnold and St. Joseph was well attended by the USC community.

Afterwards, Fr. Salazar read the statement of USC's Corporate Social Responsibility. Part of the document emphasized the Carolinian's identity and the theme, "We have seen with our eyes and touched with our hands... we witness to the Word beyond our borders, within our worlds." Copies of the statement were then given to representatives from the four campuses.

Fr. Salazar reads the statement of USC's Corporate Social Responsibility.

The celebrations during the opening of the exhibits at the Bunzel Building lobby highlighted the University's involvement in the communities. Corporate partners also put up their own exhibits. The opening was also attended by Commission on Higher Education Regional Director Dr. Enrique Grecia and Board of Trustee member Dr. Pericles Dakay, who assisted the governor in cutting the ribbon.

Gov. Garcia, assisted by Dr. Pericles Dakay (to her right) and Dr. Enrique Grecia, opens the Corporate Social Responsibility exhibits.

Author: P. J. Lim
20 / August / 2007

Christopher Y. Go awarded the San Carlos Borromeo Award

San Carlos Borromeo Award conferred on Christopher Y. Go

The San Carlos Borromeo Award was conferred today on internationally-recognized amateur astronomer Mr. Christopher Y. Go in in solemn ceremonies this afternoon at the CAFA Theater, Talamban Campus, with physicists, Go's relatives, and the Carolinian academic community in attendance.

The award was presented by Fr. Teodoro Gapuz, SVD, vice-president for academic affairs, on behalf of the University Administration and the Board of Trustees, with Dr. Roland Emerito Otadoy, chair of the Department of Physics, and Dr. Elizabeth Remedio, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as witnesses.

Go (third from left) with the San Carlos Borromeo Medal and citation, is flanked by Otadoy, Remedio and Fr. Gapuz (first, third and fourth from left).

Named after the University’s patron saint known for his great contributions to Catholic reformation and the establishment of seminaries while living a humble existence, the award was conferred on Go in recognition of his discovery of the changing conditions of a storm on planet Jupiter known as Red Spot Jr., officially designated as Oval BA, an achievement recognized internationally.

A graduate of a Physics degree from USC in 1991, Go rose to international fame on February 24, 2006, when he alerted the Jupiter Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) that Oval BA, a storm that formed in Jupiter in 2000, had metamorphosed from white to red. This important discovery was confirmed by the ALPO Japan Kansai Division. In March 2006, it had become as red as the planet's most famous "landmark", the storm called Great Red Spot. In reference to this, Oval BA is now fondly known as Red Spot Jr. or Red Jr.

Other than the award, Go was also given an appointment as the University’s first honorary lecturer signed just this morning by Fr. Pres. Roderick C. Salazar, Jr., SVD and confirmed by Fr. Teodoro Gapuz, SVD, the vice-president for academic affairs. Fr. Gapuz represented Fr. Pres. Salazar during the ceremonies as he had to depart for Manila for an urgent meeting.

Go presents his findings in response to his appointment as honorary lecturer.

In response to the award and the appointment, Go made a 20-minute presentation of his discovery and of the progress of work on Jupiter following his internationally-recognized achievement.

Red Spot Jr. is now under intense study by a group led by Dr. Imke de Pater and Dr. Phil Marcus, both of the University of California at Berkeley, with Go as a member. The research team was allowed the use of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in mid-April 2006 to obtain high-resolution images of Red Jr. On July 14 this year, the Great Red Spot and Red Spot Jr. had a conjunction. But the two survived unscathed. To study this phenomenal event, the team was allowed use of the W. M. Keck Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Go processed the deep infrared images from the Gemini Observatory also located at Mauna Kea.

The San Carlos Borromeo Award.

The group has also been awarded four orbits of HST in February 2007. Just recently, its proposal to use Cycle 16 of HST to study the Jovian climate was approved by the Space Telescope Science Institute, the agency under NASA handling the HST.

This is only the third time the San Carlos Borromeo Award has been given by the University since 2005 when it was first conferred on anthropologist Dr. Wenda Trevathan of New Mexico State University. In June this year, Ambassador Alex Weishaupt of Germany was also conferred the award. This is the first time, however, that the award is presented not as a plaque but in the form of a gilded medal with the lines “San Carlos Borromeo Medal of Excellence” engraved around a relief of the known portrait of the saint.

Author: J.E. Bersales
21 / August / 2007

USC forum on extra-judicial killings

Impunity of perpetrators and lack of serious effort at investigation and prosecution are two major factors for the unabated political killings in the country.

These were pointed out by Atty. Jose Midas Marquez, spokesperson of the Supreme Court, and Atty. Neri Colmenares, spokesperson of the lawyers’ group Counsels for the Defense of Civil Liberties, at the forum held at the Wrocklage Yard of the University of San Carlos (USC) yesterday (August 16, 2007) afternoon.

The forum themed, ‘Political Killings: Effects on the Judicial System’, was attended by students and faculty of the departments of Sociology and Anthropology, Political Science, and Economics, as well as lawyers, religious, human rights advocates, and law students from other universities.

The organizers with Atty. Jose Midas Marquez, Spokesperson of the Supreme Court and Atty. Neri Colmenares, Spokesperson, CODAL.

Atty. Marquez said the judiciary is addressing the problems by working on the recommendations identified in the Supreme Court Summit on Extra-Judicial Killings last month. These are the inclusion in the rules of court of the remedy of Writ of Amparo, which encompasses the demand to avail of the bill of rights, and the strengthening of the witness protection program, among others.

Atty. Colmenares however cautioned that good intentions of the Supreme Court and dedication of human rights lawyers and advocates will not be enough without full public support and participation especially when government security forces are suspected to be involved.

The forum, which was co-sponsored by the USC Lex Circle, USC Supreme Student Council, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)–Cebu City, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) and KARAPATAN, was opened by Atty. Briccio Joseph Boholst, chairperson of IBP–Cebu City and moderated by Atty. Noemi Truya, of NUPL.

It strived to: 1) heighten awareness on the state of political killings; 2) familiarize participants on the strategies employed to abate the problems related to political killings; and 3) provide a venue to discuss possible legislative and judiciary solutions to end all political killings.

Author: contributed by Dennis Abarrientos
18 / August / 2007

2007 Most Outstanding USC Alumni Awardees

Seven feted as hundreds of alumni come home to USC anew

Seven of this year’s eight Most Outstanding Alumni Awardees were feted by Carolinians Inc., the alumni association of all USC graduates, as hundreds of other alumni from various places in the country and abroad---including a large delegation from the Carolinians of Surigao, Inc. and Carolinians Midwest USA---came to attend the 2007 USC Grand Alumni Homecoming.

The seven were Philip Ngai Tan (B.S. in Business Administration) for entrepreneurship; Archt. Socorro B. Atega (B.S in Architecture, Magna cum laude) for landscape architecture; Judge Marilyn L. Yap (Bachelor of Laws), for law and justice; Dir. Prudenciana C. Cruz (B.S.E. major in Library Science) for library science; Engr. Ernesto Codina (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) for aeronautics and space flight engineering; Arlene Donaire (A.B. in Economics) for environmental advocacy; and Arnulfo Ramos (M.A. in History) for community service. Also awarded but failed to attend the event was Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell (Pre-Medicine) for dermatology.

Carolinians, Inc. President Archt. Lizeta Uy (extreme left) with seven of the eight outstanding alumni: (from right): Tan, Atega, Yap, Cruz, Codina, Donaire and Ramos.

Prior to the homecoming, various colleges conducted alumni congresses in different venues of the University's four campuses between 1:30 and 3:30 to bring together graduates of the University and the academic community.

The Grand Homecoming, with the theme “Carolinians: Crossing Borders, Coming Home”, opened with the traditional Holy Mass at 3:30 at the Church of St. Arnold and St. Joseph. The dark clouds and brief downpour failed to dampen everyone's spirits as the gathering proceeded in earnest at the lobby and concourse of the College of Architecture and Fine Arts.

Fr. Pres. Roderick C. Salazar, Jr., SVD, in a brief opening statement, exhorted the alumni to be witnesses to the Word even as he explained the beautifully crafted theme of this year's USC Foundation Week, "Beyond Borders, Within Worlds: Witness to the Word, USC's Corporate Social Responsibility".

The annual homecoming traditionally kicks off the first day of USC Foundation Week, which marks the time when four Jesuit priests and a lay brother opened the oldest school in the Philippines and USC's precursor, the Colegio de San Ildefonso, on August 21, 1595 in Cebu.

As in previous years, a fireworks display wowed the alumni even as fanfare and celebrations of noble achievements by Carolinians ensued. A unique feature of this year’s reunion was the special request for all alumni to attend wearing their best pair of jeans. The cover and signage of the homecoming were also a fresh departure from the usual formalized designs that marked most of the homecoming souvenir programs in the past.

Author: J.E. R. Bersales
19 / August / 2007

2007 USC Foundation Week Event Schedules

Day 1 - Sunday, August 19, 2007
09:00 A.M. College Alumni Congress
Parallel Session

01:30 P.M. College of Engineering
Alumni Congress
Harold Rigney Hall

03:00 P.M. Alumni Homecoming
Registration
Church of St. Arnold and St. Joseph
and CAFA Building

04:00 P.M. Alumni Homecoming Mass
Church of St.Arnold and
St. Joseph

05:30 P.M. Alumni Homecoming
CAFA Theater and Lobby
Fireworks
CAFA Grounds

Day 2 - Monday, August 20, 2007
09:00 A.M. 2007 Foundation Week Mass
Church of St. Arnold and St. Joseph
Opening of Market Exhibit
Dept of Business Administration
Main Campus

10:30 A.M. Opening of Exhibits
Laurence Bunzel Lobby
Opening of Market Fair
Beside Steyler Canteen
Talamban Campus

01:30 P.M. Launching of University CSR
Harold Rigney Hall

04:00 P.M. Launching of the Center for the
Advancement of Teaching and
Learning
SMED Conference Room

04:00 P.M. Cultural Show
SM Food Court

06:30 P.M. Food for the Soul
Casino Español

OPEN HOUSE AND EXHIBIT VIEWING
Day 3 - Tuesday, August 21, 2007
08:00 A.M. Opening of University
Intramurals
Anselmo Bustos
Sports Complex
Market Fair
Laurence Bunzel Lobby

01:30 P.M. San Carlos Borromeo
Award for Excellence in
Astronomy
CAFA Theater
Job Fair
Bernard Wrocklage Yard

03:00 P.M. GADJA
South Campus Pentagon

OPEN HOUSE AND EXHIBIT VIEWING
Day 4 - Wednesday, August 22, 2007
08:00 A.M. University Intramurals
Anselmo Bustos
Sports Complex
Harold Rigney Hall

09:00 A.M. Lecture on Nutritional Managementgt
and diabetes mellitus
Theodore Buttenbruch Hall
Market Fair
Laurence Bunzel Lobby

01:30 P.M. Academic Congress
"The Philippine Law on Marriage"
Theodore Buttenbruch Hall

03:00 P.M. Basic Education Carolinian
Festival Mass
South Campus Pentagon

06:00 P.M. Carolinian Idol
Bernard Wrocklage Yard

OPEN HOUSE AND EXHIBIT VIEWING
Day 5 - Thursday, August 23, 2007
08:00 A.M. University Intramurals
Anselmo Bustos
Sports Complex
Opening of Intramurals
for Basic Education
South Campus

09:00 A.M. Lecture Demonstration:
Art of Self Defense
Bernard Wrocklage Yard

09:00 A.M. Lecture on Alternative
Medicine
Harold Rigney Hall

01:30 P.M. Emeritus Lecture
Dr. Resil B. Mojares
Theodore Buttenbruch Hall

01:30 P.M. ADEA & CFA Sportsfest

OPEN HOUSE AND EXHIBIT VIEWING
Day 6 - Friday, August 24, 2007
08:00 A.M. University Intramurals
Anselmo Bustos
Sports Complex
Basic Education Intramurals
South Campus

09:00 A.M. Exhibition:
Aqua Show..Synchronized Swimming
(USC Aquamaidens)
Bronze Medalist - Thailand
Swimming Pool

9:00 A.M. Symposium on Stewardship
Harold Rigney Hall

03:00 P.M. Intramurals Closing Ceremonies
Anselmo Bustos
Sports Complex

OPEN HOUSE AND EXHIBIT VIEWING
Day 7 - Saturday, August 25, 2007
08:00 A.M. Carolinian Festival
South Campus Pentagon

08:00 A.M. PE Festival
Talamban Soccer Field

OPEN HOUSE AND EXHIBIT VIEWING

Fr. Cyrus Toledano Mercado is Acting VP Finance

Mercado is Acting VP Finance

Fr. Mercado

Fr. Cyrus Toledano Mercado, SVD, M.M. was recently appointed Acting Vice President for Finance following the resignation of Fr. Vicente L. Uy, SVD.

Fr. Uy, who was also USC athletics director, left the University to become the Special Assistant to Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez.

Fr. Mercado is the son of Pablo Mercado and Eden Toledano Mercado and has two siblings, Lurleen and Mareden. He hails from Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila.

His previous assignment was with the SVD Southern Provincialate before he was asked to assume this latest appointment at the University.

He comes to office with impressive credentials, having completed a Master in Management degree at the Asian Institute of Management. Before that, he completed a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics degree from De La Salle University. Fr. Mercado also holds a Master of Arts degree in Theology, major in Pastoral Ministry (magna cum laude), from the Divine Word School of Theology in Tagaytay.

Author: Patrick John Y. Lim
13 / August / 2007

Political Science professor returns from U.S. study tour

Political Science mentor returns from U.S. study tour

Prof. Jiah Sayson, the lone Filipino participant in the 2007 Study of American Politics and Political Thought, returned from the United States last July 30. She and 17 other political science academicians from other countries were hand-picked by the U.S. State Department from a long list of applicants to attend the annual program administered by the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst from June 15 to July 29, 2007.

The six-week academic program focused on the political development of the American nation---a historical, institutional, and qualitative approach to the study of American government and politics.

Sayson (seated first from left) with the other program participants.

Program participants went through a coursework that included topics such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as the founding principles and design of the nation’s governance and politics; liberalism and republicanism as the major public philosophies of the Enlightenment era; race, religion and citizenship as the centralizing themes of American life; and capitalism and the free market competition as organizing concepts of the nation’s economy.

The three-week academic residency program was accompanied by a study tour where lectures were held in various institutions such as Simmons College, Boston; City University of New York; Messiah College, Harrisburg; and University of Virginia.

Sessions with U.S. State Department officials, lobbyists and think-tanks in Washington D.C. were also organized.

Sayson also visited the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, National Civil War Museum, Gettysburg Battlefield, Jefferson’s Monticello, Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., Capitol Hill, among others. She is scheduled to deliver separate lectures to senior students and faculty members of the USC Department of Political Science in September to engage with them the knowledge and insights she gleaned from the program.

Author: J.E. Bersales
11 / August / 2007

Announcements!

Honoring of New Carolinian Pharmacists
Fr. Harold Rigney Hall
USC – Talamban Campus
August 10, 2007 9:00 AM

2007 USC Foundation Week
August 19 - 27, 2007

Oath taking of New Pharmacists
Holiday Plaza Hotel
F. Ramos Street, Cebu City
August 10, 2007 1:00 PM

Induction of Officers
Carolinians ALUMNICHEM, Inc.
Department of Chemistry
August/September 2007

Midyear Planning and Evaluation of Programs, Curriculum and Syllabi
Department of History
October 2007

ChemBlitz
Department of Chemistry
October/November 2007

28th National Conference on Local National History of the Philippine National Historical Society and Tangub City Government and Historical Commission
Department of History
November 2007

Chemistry Research Symposium
Department of Chemistry
November 2007

USC Holidays on Friday, August 3, 2007, and Monday, August 6, 2007

Holidays due to SK registration, Cebu Charter Day slated

Acting President Teodoro P. Gapuz, SVD, M.A. announced today that classes will be suspended on Friday, August 3, 2007, and Monday, August 6, 2007.

August 3, 2007 was declared as a special holiday for all high school and college students by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through Proclamation No. 1345. The proclamation allows students to register for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

Elementary and pre-school levels are not covered by Presidential Order 1345 and will thus continue to hold classes as usual. Regular office work will also continue on August 3, especially since mid-term examinations are scheduled for the following week.

Saturday, August 4, 2007 is a regular class and work day.

Monday, August 6, 2007 is Cebu Province Charter Day and is a legal holiday. There will be no classes at all levels and no work for most offices. A skeletal force of the Finance Division will report for service at regular office hours to accommodate parents and students who would like to transact business on this day.

Wrocklage Yard at the Main Campus will also be open on Monday, August 6, 2007, to serve as a study area for students.

USC Chemical Engineering Student Research Annual (ChESRA)

ChE publishes Student Research Annual

The Department of Chemical Engineering has come out with the first volume of the USC Chemical Engineering Student Research Annual (ChESRA). The publication replaces the traditional softbound undergraduate thesis manuscripts of individual student groups. The department adopted this change in order to promote the importance of disseminating research findings and to provide the larger community access to such results.

The first volume consists of 13 papers written by the graduating students of academic year 2006–2007. Topics include aspects of biodiesel and bioplastics production, bioremediation, and wastewater treatment technologies.

Dr. Evelyn B. Taboada, a professor in the department, is the editor of the research annual. The University, through Dr. Victorina H. Zosa, Director of the Office of Research, shoulders the publication expenses.

Copies of ChESRA are available at the Department of Chemical Engineering for Php300.00. The department may be contacted through telephone number (+63 32) 344 3801 local 410 or by email through lkcabatingan@usc.edu.ph.

Author: L. K. Cabatingan
02 / August / 2007