PAFIOO AWARDEE DR. JANE Y. GERARDO-ABAYA DEMYSTIFIES NUCLEAR SCIENCE IN UP DILIMAN LECTURE

𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗬. 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗼-𝗔𝗯𝗮𝘆𝗮, a distinguished recipient of the CFO’s 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀 (𝗣𝗔𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗢) under the 𝙋𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙤 category, took center stage at the i-conNECt lecture on “Nuclear Science and Technology (NST) for Philippine Sustainable Development.” Held on January 21, 2025, at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City, the event provided a platform for Dr. Gerardo-Abaya to demystify nuclear science, highlighting its practical applications and pivotal role in achieving sustainable development in the Philippines.

Hosted by the UP College of Engineering (UP-CE) and the UP National Engineering Center (UP-NEC), the seminar opened with welcoming remarks from Professor Maria Antonia Tanchuling, Dean of the UP-CE, who acknowledged the CFO’s support and expressed enthusiasm for future collaborations to harness nuclear science and technology as a tool for national progress and sustainable development.

Dr. Gerardo-Abaya discussed the non-power applications of nuclear science and technology in everyday life, emphasizing its role in achieving 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN. She highlighted how nuclear science can be applied to various sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, and environmental protection, to advance sustainability and improve the quality of life. To conclude her presentation, she underscored the importance of inspiring Filipino youth to pursue careers in STEM fields, urging educators and institutions to empower students and propagate knowledge to achieve ambitious milestones for nuclear science in the country.

Discussions during the seminar addressed significant industry concerns and practical applications of nuclear technology. Dr. Sherman M. Chavez, General Manager of Biotechnology and Research Services at Unifrutti Tropical Phils., Inc. in Davao, raised issues surrounding 𝘍𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘵 (Funga disease) affecting banana production and exports and how nuclear technology could assist in establishing systems to eliminate pathogens in bananas. Additionally, Dr. Ramon Carlo L. Cruzpero, Health Physicist III at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Nuclear Medicine Department, shared the ongoing efforts of the Society of Medical Physicists in the Republic of the Philippines, Inc. (SMPRP) in advancing the application of nuclear science in the medical field.

The open forum delved into the projected benefits of NST, the influence of global politics on its development, and community-driven initiatives to maximize its local impacts. Dr. Czar Jakiri S. Sarmiento, Deputy Executive Director of the UP-NEC, concluded the seminar by reinforcing Dr. Gerardo-Abaya’s call to action to actively contribute to the advancement of NST. He emphasized the need to empower educators, disseminate knowledge broadly, and aim for ambitious yet attainable goals to ensure the technology benefits the Filipino people.

To show appreciation for the student participants of the public lecture, the CFO distributed various IEC materials such as BaLinkBayan t-shirts and notepads, Peso Sense money organizers, 1343 polo shirts, and posters, which served as tokens of gratitude for their active participation and engagement in the event.

Under the leadership of the CFO Chairperson and Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II, the Commission’s participation in initiatives such as this aligns with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.’s 𝘉𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘴 campaign, which emphasizes innovation, education, and partnership as cornerstones of sustainable national development.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘍𝘖, 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘰 𝘝. 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢, 𝘑𝘳. 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘓. 𝘋𝘦𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰-𝘈𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘥, 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘺. 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘰, 𝘔𝘳. 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘔𝘴. 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘚𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘶𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘴. 𝘙𝘊 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘢, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘈𝘍𝘐𝘖𝘖 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘋𝘳. 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰-𝘈𝘣𝘢𝘺𝘢, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴.