GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/10 August) – The National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) celebration in Southwestern Mindanao is all set for Thursday with focus on inventions, halal industry initiatives and the drive against dengue, among others.
Zenaida Hadji Raof Laidan, Department of Science and Technology-12 regional director, said the annual event aims to raise public awareness and understanding of science and technology as well as DOST’s role and contribution to national development.
“Through these gatherings, we hope that various sectors in Region 12 will further synergize their efforts and work toward optimizing the benefits of S&T to reduce poverty and speed up regional progress for peace and sustainable development,” she said.
One of the premier events in the calendar of activities of the DOST, the event carried the theme “Nasa Siyensiya ang Pag-asa” (Hope lies in science).
Inventions in the region will also get the spotlight during the NSTW regional celebration through the Regional Invention Contests and Exhibits (RICE) with the theme “Imbensiyon at Inobasyon, Kabalikat sa Pag-unlad” (Invention and Innovation, Partners in Development).
Laidan said the regional office will also give focus on the headways made for the local halal industry, among them the ongoing construction of the modern Philippine Halal Science Center in the region.
At the same time, the DOST Ovicidal/Larvicidal mosquito trap system, which was developed to reduce the deadly dengue disease, will be launched during the event, she added.
Laidan said that officials from DOST’s various agencies in Manila will talk about their plans and projects for Mindanao with focus on the Soccsksargen region, in a bid to promote the benefits of S&T for countryside development.
At least two dozen entries to the RICE contest from around the region will be on display, with the winners in each category to represent the area in the 2012 National Invention Contest.
The RICE competition has six categories, namely, Invention Category (Tuklas Award), Utility Model Category, Industrial Design Category, Creative Research Category (Likha Award) for college and Creative Research Category (Sibol Award) for high school.
Exhibit of DOST-12 assisted products, technology bazaar, consultancy services and business matching were also among the events lined up in the two-day event until Friday at the Phela Grande Convention Center here. Other S&T activities were slated elsewhere in the region for a week.
Key players in the S&T community like those from the academe, national and local government units, industry, non-government organizations, researchers and scientists are expected to grace the S&T regional celebration. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)