Newsletter: UPD scholars win best presentations in 13th ASTHRDP Graduate Scholars’ Conference

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By: College of Science DOST-ASTHRDP Staff

Four scholars from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) took home the award for best presentations in the 13th Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program (ASTHRDP) Graduate Scholars’ Conference, held on September 18-19, 2025 at the Limketkai Luxe Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.

Newsletter: UP-Developed Model Shows Promise in Detecting Early Signs of Metastasis In Breast Cancer Patients

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By Harvey Sapigao

UPD-CS Biologist Regina Joyce Ferrer analyzing breast cancer organoids. (Photo credit: Dr. Michael Velarde)

In the Philippines, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, with over 33,000 new cases reported in 2022. That year, it claimed more than 11,000 lives, making it the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the country, following lung cancer.

Newsletter: UP Scientists Explore Marine Microbial Genomes from Mabini, Batangas

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By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a process in which groundwater from land seeps into the ocean, transporting freshwater, nutrients, metals, and even pollutants into marine ecosystems. The diverse microbial communities in these SGD sites make them hotspots for biological and chemical activity, playing a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance. Studying these microorganisms helps scientists not only understand their impact on marine ecosystems, but also explore their potential applications in medicine and biotechnology.

Newsletter: UP Scientists Develop Advanced Impact-Based Flood Forecasting System

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By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

The massive floods that tropical cyclones bring now demand urgent and science-based decision-making.

The Impact-Based Flood Forecasting System determines specific areas in the Philippines that are most likely to be affected by severe flooding. (Photo credit: Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay)

Considered one of the most devastating natural hazards globally, floods pose critical threats to both human life and economic stability. The Philippines is no stranger to flooding, as approximately 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) each year. According to the 2023 World Risk Index Report, the country also ranks first among those most affected by extreme weather events.

Newsletter: UP Scientists Explore Alanine’s Effect on Spider Venom Antimicrobial Peptide

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By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Antimicrobial resistance is a global issue, making the search for a new generation of antibiotics imperative. Scientists investigate various compounds to discover new antibiotics, one class of which is antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), produced by organisms in response to bacterial infections.

Newsletter: UP Geologists Report Subsidence Rates in Select PH Metropolitan Cities

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By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Land subsidence, or the gradual sinking of the ground, threatens not only Metro Manila but also other cities.

Extreme damage running along the length of a road in Marilao, Bulacan is visible. (Photo credit: Sulapas et. al., 2024)

Excessive groundwater extraction, rapid urbanization, tectonic motion, and the natural compaction of sediments contribute to land subsidence worldwide. This issue is worsened by rising sea levels due to climate change, leading to frequent and severe flooding especially during high tides or typhoons, as well as local contexts of hazard management regulations.

Newsletter: CS Researchers Receive UPD 2024 REPS Chair and REPS Awards

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By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Researchers from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) are recipients of the University’s first-ever recognition for its Research, Extension, and Professional Staff (REPS).

Researchers from UPD-CS will be recognized at UP Diliman’s first-ever recognition focused on its Research, Extension, and Professional Staff (REPS). (Photo credit: Craig Soroño).

The UP Diliman REPS Chair and REPS Awards aims to recognize the achievements of the REPS in the fields of research and creative work, extension services, and professional public service. These awards also aim to encourage REPS to advance knowledge and learning in their respective fields, establish scientific and thought laboratories, and develop collaborative programs that support UP’s mandate as the nation’s leading research university.

Newsletter: Save Philippine Seas and UP Diliman College of Science Host 2-Day Workshop on Science Communication

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

Participants and organizers take a photo in front of the UPD-CS Admin Building. (Photo credit: SPS)

Selected students and researchers from the University of the Philippines – Diliman (UPD) participated in the Commservation Workshop, a two-day event focused on the basics of science communication and conservation. The workshop was organized by the UPD College of Science (UPD-CS) in collaboration with the non-profit organization Save Philippine Seas (SPS) and took place on October 12 and 14.

Newsletter: Here’s How UP Physicists are Helping with the Hunt for Gravitational Waves

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By Harvey Sapigao

A black hole inside an accretion disk. (Photo credit: BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash)

In 1916, Albert Einstein theorized that two merging black holes create ripples in the spacetime fabric, similar to how a pebble creates ripples in a pond. These ripples, called gravitational waves, stretch and squeeze spacetime in amounts so minuscule that they were once believed to be too faint to detect.

Newsletter: UP Scientists Explore Non-Gaussian Laser Effects on Metal Heat Diffusion

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

While existing research on material properties rarely examines changes in laser pulses, or the flashes of laser lights, over time, scientists from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) approached laser exploration differently by investigating how non-Gaussian lasers affect the diffusion of heat in metals.

Pulsed laser ablation of a material inside a vacuum system. (Photo credit: Dr. Lean Dasallas)

Newsletter: UP Study Pinpoints Key Player in Aggressive Type of Prostate Cancer

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By Harvey Sapigao

Schematic diagram of protein CYB561 (oblong figure in center) in action. CYB561 processes some iron into its more active form, contributing to the active iron pool (Photo credit: Azur et. al. 2024).

According to the World Health Organization, prostate cancer is the third most common type of cancer among Filipino men. In 2022, almost 10,000 Filipino men were diagnosed with the disease. In serious cases, the disease can develop into an aggressive type called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Some further progress into the most aggressive form, neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), where standard treatments no longer work and it becomes the most fatal of all prostate cancers.

Newsletter: UP Mathematician Develops Model For Heat Propagation Through Rough Surfaces

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By: Harvey Sapigao

Model for two materials with a rough interface (Photo Credit: Avila et. al. 2024)

Suppose you have a pair of pants you need to wear tomorrow. The problem is, you just washed them, and they’re still damp. So you resort to a handy tool: the flat iron.

Newsletter: UP Biologists Set Up First DNA Segments to Monitor In-demand Seafood

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

Caranx ignobilis, locally known as maliputo, became an economically important species in the Philippines due to its high value as a food fish. (Photo credit: Shenna Kate Torres)

One of the Sustainable Development Goals created by the United Nations is to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.” Aquaculture, the practice of farming aquatic animals and plants such as fish and seaweed, plays a critical role in achieving food security. The Philippines and the entire Indo-Pacific region are home to various fish species with significant aquaculture potential and increased seafood consumption, therefore requiring genetic monitoring to ensure their populations’ long-term stability.

Newsletter: Why Do Science? CERN Physicist Answers

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By Harvey Sapigao

Dr. David giving a talk at UPD-CS (Photo credit: Maria Alexandra Marmol).

There are scientists whose works are immediately appreciated by people: molecular biologists and pharmaceutical scientists who develop medicines and vaccines and find cures for cancer; climatologists and environmental scientists who monitor the weather and fight climate change; engineers who invent thinner gadgets and faster electric cars. And then there are those like particle physicist Dr. André David, whose work veers into the more unfamiliar realms of science, the kinds that elicit unimpressed comments like “What for?” and “How will this help me in my everyday life?”.

Newsletter: Staff Spotlight - Tala of the Dean’s Office

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By Harvey Sapigao

Everything starts with coffee. That’s how Marie Kristine Alice Dela Rama, known as Tala, also starts her day. “I’d say coffee, hot or cold, is vital in my office routine.” Tala is an administrative staff member at UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) Dean’s Office, where she processes and digitizes documents, and forecasts and updates contracts. But outside work, she and a couple of researchers had been working tirelessly for the past three years to write a textbook for senior high students. The book was finally published on April 1, 2024.

Newsletter: UPD College of Science Kickstarts Innovation-Research Fair 2024

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By Harvey Sapigao

Organizers and participants of the Innovation-Research Fair 2024 (Photo credit: Craig Soroño).

The UPD College of Science (UPD-CS) Innovation Committee, under the Science and Society Program (SSP) and led by SSP Director Dr. Lerrie Ann Ipulan-Colet, hosted the two-day Innovation-Research Fair on 29 and 30 April 2024 in celebration of World Creativity and Innovation Day.

Newsletter: Novel Explanation for Long-Standing Neutron Lifetime Problem Proposed by UP Nuclear Physicist

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By Harvey Sapigao

Atoms are both a wave and a particle, similar to water waves (which are waves) that give rise to water droplets (which are particles) (Photo credit: Zhang Kaiyv on Unsplash)

Neutrons, when plucked from the nucleus of atoms, become unstable and decay after some time. Physicists know that these unstable neutrons die after about 14 minutes, but they cannot pinpoint the exact seconds in which the neutrons last, even as today’s experiments are at their most precise. 

Newsletter: Science Majors Participate in Month-long Singapore-PH Leadership Exchange Program

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By Harvey Sapigao

Program participants at Mt. Pinatubo (Photo credit: Lillian Rodriguez).

Students of the UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) and the Republic Polytechnic in Singapore (RP) immersed themselves in the month-long Temasek Foundation International Specialists’ Community Action and Leadership Exchange (TFI SCALE) Programme, the first half taking place in Singapore on September 6 to 19, 2023, and the second half in the Philippines last March 31 to April 8, 2024.

Newsletter: Two UPD College of Science Professors Win the NRCP Achievement Award

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By Harvey Sapigao

Dr. Cristine Villagonzalo receiving the Achievement Award (Photo credit: DOST-NRCP)

Dr. Cristine Villagonzalo and Dr. Reynaldo Garcia from the UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) received the prestigious Achievement Award from the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) in the recently held Annual Scientific Conference and 91st General Membership Assembly last March 12, 2024.

Newsletter: UP Geologists Discover Evidence of Gas Hydrates in Manila Trench

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By Harvey Sapigao

Gas hydrates are great alternative energy sources, but they could also harm us and the environment.

Bathymetric map of Luzon, including the Manila Trench, the North Luzon Trough (NLT), West Luzon Trough (WLT), Stewart Bank (SB), and Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB). (Photo credit: Maglalang et. al. 2023)

Much like carbonated drinks are water infused with carbon dioxide, gas hydrates are ice mostly infused with methane, a natural gas used as fuel. Gas hydrates are ice-like substances that usually only form beneath the seafloor, where the pressure is high and the temperature is just below the water’s freezing point of 0°C.