Newsletter: Ateneo card game Herbularyo blends Filipino traditions and organic chemistry

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo Research Communications

Herbularyo gets players acquainted with both organic chemistry and traditional Filipino medicine in as little as five to ten minutes of gameplay. The scientifically-grounded traditional Filipino remedies found in the game are based on real research from the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC). PHOTO: OAVP-RCWI

Medicinal plants have long been a cornerstone of Philippine traditional medicine, dating back generations. Tawa-tawa, a low-growing herb that thrives in open grasslands, is a valued supplementary treatment for dengue; the gel of the succulent aloe vera can help soothe a scraped knee; boiled guava leaves help disinfect wounds; tea from the yerba buena helps relieve minor aches and pains; and ampalaya helps with managing diabetes.

Newsletter: Out of the Lab, Into the World: An Atenean’s Mission to Make Research Matter

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo Research Communications

Science doesn’t change the world by staying inside a laboratory.

For generations, scientists have been taught how to conduct research; far fewer have been taught how to tell the world why it matters.

For Dr. David Peralta, Editor-in-Chief at Wiley-VCH GmbH, one of the world’s leading publishers, helping researchers bridge that gap has become both his driving purpose and advocacy.

Newsletter: Ateneo aquaculture scientist Dr. Janice Ragaza appointed to leading animal science journals

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo Research Communications

Ateneo de Manila University Department of Biology Associate Professor Dr. Janice A. Ragaza has recently been appointed to leadership roles in two internationally-prestigious scientific journals: she now serves as Associate Editor of Animal Feed Science and Technology, and is also among just a handful of scholars from the Philippines and Southeast Asia on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Applied Aquaculture.

Newsletter: Escaped flowerhorn fish threaten Laguna biodiversity, pose potential public health risks

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo Research Communications

A hardy aquarium fish prized for its golden hue, the ornamental Flowerhorn cichlid (Amphilophus spp.) has become a problem for the residents of San Pablo City, Laguna: it is increasingly taking on an outsized role in both the natural ecosystem and local aquaculture operations in nearby Lake Sampaloc.

Researchers from the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Biology and the Ateneo Aquatic and Fisheries Resources Laboratory have documented the broad presence of Flowerhorn cichlids in the volcanic crater lake in San Pablo City, Laguna. The researchers say that this “fenced and feral” status is intensifying pressure on native biodiversity and posing potential risks to public health.

Sought after in the aquarium trade for their vibrant golden hue, Flowerhorn cichlids are becoming a concerning invasive presence in Lake Sampaloc. SOURCE: Gasmen, 2026.

Originally introduced through the aquarium trade, Flowerhorns reportedly escaped into the lake during a major typhoon, and fish assemblage surveys as early as 2016 had already documented their establishment. Researchers Hannah Nicole C. Gasmen and Dr. Janice A. Ragaza discovered that the species “are no longer merely escaped ornamental fishes, but have become integrated into local aquaculture through intentional retention and sale, indicating that human activities may continue to reinforce their persistence and spread.”

Newsletter: Team Philippines wins gold, places 6th overall at first Asia-Pacific AI Olympiad

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The eight-member Philippine national team won one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the first Asia-Pacific Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (APOAI 2026), securing a historic tie for 6th place versus over a hundred of the best secondary school students from across 18 countries.

Newsletter: Philippines among top 3 nations in AI Olympiad

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The Philippines placed among the top three national delegations at the recent 2026 Northern Eurasia Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (NEOAI), marking a major international showing for the country’s young artificial intelligence talent.

Newsletter: Ateneo scientists eye national power generation from Visayas tides

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications

With its vast coastlines, the Philippines is no stranger to the unrelenting power of waves and tides. Being able to tap even just one-fifth of this power would already be equivalent to the nation’s current total energy capacity, say Justin Kyle O. Ricafort and King Harold A. Recto of the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering.

Newsletter: Why is universal healthcare so elusive in the Philippines?

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Public health researcher Veincent Christian F. Pepito presents key governance barriers to Universal Healthcare during the Ateneo Breakthroughs lecture on 28 April 2026, highlighting how fragmentation between national agencies and local governments continues to shape healthcare access on the ground. SOURCE: OAVP-RCWI, 2026.

For many Filipinos, illness doesn’t begin with a diagnosis. It begins with a question: How much will this cost us?

Newsletter: Ateneo fetes decades of research excellence with 2026 University Scholarly Work Awards

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Ateneo de Manila University President Fr Roberto Yap SJ, Vice President for Education Dr Maria Luz C Vilches, and Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation Dr Filomeno Aguilar Jr (center) are flanked by (L-R) Ateneo School of Government Dean Dr Jennifer Oreta, School of Science and Engineering Dean Dr Raphael Guerrero, John Gokongwei School of Management Dean Dr Roberto Martin Galang, Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences Dean Dr Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, School of Humanities Dean Dr Patricia Lambino, and Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design Acting Dean Dr Maria Isabel Martin at the 2026 University Scholarly Work Awards. PHOTO: Rafa Lopez, OAVP-RCWI

The Ateneo de Manila University marked the silver anniversary of its University Scholarly Work Awards (USWA) in 2026, celebrating 25 years of scholarly excellence while reaffirming its stature as the Philippines’ leading university in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) rankings.

Newsletter: Clarification re: Archaeobot

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ArchaeoBot is an experimental research project and should not be understood as having conducted or produced the archaeological excavations and discoveries discussed in relation to early Philippine seafaring and ancient technologies as presented in Dr. Alfred Pawlik’s March 27, 2026 Ateneo Breakthroughs lecture and the subsequent April 1, 2026 Ateneo news story. ArchaeoBot is a developing concept intended to assist future archaeological work through robotics, sensing, and machine learning. It is a prospective tool for excavation support, not a standalone solution nor the source of the field discoveries themselves.

Newsletter: Toxic lead still persists in Metro Manila air amid fuel crisis and despite interventions

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo Research Communications

A hazy Metro Manila skyline reflects the persistence of airborne pollution in the Philippine capital. Ateneo de Manila University  researchers have recently found that toxic lead remains in the city’s air even decades after the phaseout of leaded gasoline, with major sources including local industrial activity, fossil fuel combustion, and legacy pollution. Much of this lead is carried aloft as particulate matter that can be deeply inhaled, posing particular risks to children and vulnerable individuals and communities. SOURCE: Aaron Vicencio, Ateneo de Manila University. CC BY-NC-SA

Counterintuitively, despite the ongoing fuel crisis and the over two decades since the global phaseout of leaded gasoline, toxic lead still lingers in Metro Manila’s air.

Newsletter: Ateneo VR escape room game teaches Martial Law to a new generation

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo Research Communications

For young Filipinos, the Martial Law era—those dark years from 1972 to 1981 that cast a long shadow until 1986—is not a lived memory but a chapter in the nation’s history often encountered only at a distance. Bridging the gap between knowing and understanding the hard-earned lessons of that era to a new generation of Filipinos is a challenge.

Newsletter: Ateneo Press, Journal titles find a new home in the Manila City Library

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo de Manila Research Communications

Building on initial talks with the Ateneo de Manila Press, the Manila City Library is set to carry a broad collection of books—from fiction, poetry, and other works of literature to academic publications and research journals—coming out of the University.

This initiative broadens the Ateneo de Manila’s efforts to make scholarly work and literature more accessible beyond the campus, to a broader public audience.

Newsletter: Ateneo de Manila research journals now available at Quezon City Public Library

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Continuing its earlier effort to bring academic work into public spaces, Ateneo de Manila University has carried out a second journal donation–this time placing its materials at the Quezon City Public Library.

Ateneo de Manila University Journals Support Supervisor Ramil Balubal and Journals Assistant Alexandra Jill Dela Cruz present selected research journals to Quezon City Public Library representatives during the turnover ceremony, highlighting the University’s publications and their expanded access for public readers, as Head of Technical Services Division Ms. Manica M. Cortes look on. PHOTO: OAVP-RCWI, 2026.

Through this initiative, selected journals are introduced into a public setting, allowing a broader audience to access research that explores themes in Philippine society, culture, history, and interdisciplinary studies—subjects that are typically housed within university spaces. Nearly a hundred copies were turned over, drawn from Ateneo’s renowned publications, including Perspective in the Arts and Humanities, Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture, Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South, Journal of Management for Global Sustainability, and Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints.

Newsletter: Ateneo robot explorers uncover Philippine islands’ ancient technologies

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications

Long before the first Spanish ships arrived on our shores, the Philippine islands were already home to daring seafarers with technology that enabled them to cross vast stretches of open seas, hunt formidable marine life, and build lives in a world that was anything but forgiving. 

Newsletter: Scribbles of discontent - Graffiti and banyulatin as works of literature

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications

Photo c/o Clem Onojeghuo via Pexels

The law often dismisses graffiti as “destruction,” “anarchy,” or even as mere “dirt.” But new research from the Ateneo de Manila University’s Filipino Department reveals what laws may not: that graffiti can be seen as works of literature emerging from unequal access to space and speech. Indeed, vandalism and bathroom graffiti—banyulatin in Filipino—beg us to ask why someone felt compelled to write them in the first place.

Newsletter: Ateneo de Manila convenes int’l symposium on AI

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Over 120 scholars and more than 70 AI-focused studies from researchers and academic leaders of Jesuit universities around the world come together this week at the Ateneo de Manila University for the Inaugural Symposium of the Global Research Alliance of Jesuit Universities (GRAJU), marking a major milestone in global collaboration among Jesuit institutions of higher education.

Newsletter: Ateneo machine learning lab opens doors to industry partners, collaborators

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Dr Pai Abu demonstrates how doctors carefully teach a smart visual system to identify patterns and features on the human body that are of potential medical interest. Such interdisciplinary partnerships between topic experts and computer scientists are invaluable towards developing practical real-world solutions. SOURCE: OAVP-RCWI, 2026.

Machine learning is one of today’s most important innovations because it allows computers to learn complex and subtle patterns that even the best human experts struggle with in a broad range of fields—from medicine to urban planning. 

Newsletter: Baring the ‘silent violence’ of Philippine jails

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Conversations about Philippine jail congestion often begin and end with statistics: thousands of case backlogs, cells built for 50 crammed with 200 bodies, and facilities straining at 300 to 400 percent beyond capacity. Yet these numbers barely capture the everyday human cost of overcrowding. 

What does punishment feel like when confinement overwhelms the senses?

Newsletter: Ateneo, Manila Observatory track down elusive rain-triggering ‘shear lines’

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Danika Geronimo, Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications

Much of the heavy rains that hit the Philippines during the Amihan northeast monsoon season between November and March are triggered by “shear lines”: kilometers-long bands of converging warm and cold air that are constantly shifting and difficult to spot even via satellite.