CapSU personnel trained on patent search, documentation

By Niño Manaog

Extension Associate

Capiz State University

Four members of the Capiz State University (CapSU) took part in the Patent Search and Documentation, a training module workshop sponsored by the Intellectual Property Office Philippines (IPOPhil) on April 16–18, 2013 at the Carlos Hilado Memorial State College in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.

The participants were three faculty researchers, namely: Engr. Arlyn Olmo and Engr. Efren Linan, both of the College of Agricultural Engineering of CapSU Burias Campus; Engr. Jose Ike Uvas, of the College of Engineering and Architecture of CapSU Roxas City; and Mr. Niño Manaog, university extension associate of the CapSU Research, Development and Extension Center (RDEC) now based in Roxas City.

The training is the second course to be completed by the same members who will consist of the Information and Technology Services Office(ITSO) of the Capiz State University.

The discussions on patent classification and patent search were led by Ms. Virginia Aumentado and Ms. Winelma Garcia, intellectual property rights (IPR) specialists; and Engr. Wilfredo Calaguan, assistant chief of the Documentation,Information and Technology Transfer Bureau (DITTP) of the IPOPhil.

The CapSU participants joined some 50 other participants who were taught patent classification and patent search techniques using three online databases, namely: Espacenet developed by the European Patent Office (worldwide.espacenet.com); the US Patent Office (uspto.gov), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (wipo.int).

Foremost, the participants were taught how to search patents online even as their institutions are prospective originators of technologies which can be patented for novelty, inventive step and reproducibility.

In March 2013, the same team attended Foundation Course on Intellectual Property (IP) held at the Western Visayas State College of Science and Technology (WVCST) in Iloilo City.

Initiated by Dr. Cora Navarra, vice-president for research and extension, CapSU’s involvement in the ITSO efforts of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will be further beefed up in the last week of May this year when it hosts the third leg of the IP, namely: patent and claims drafting.

CapSU faculty study writing for refereed journal

Magallanes, Navarra push CapSU faculty to further research 

By Niño Manaog

Extension Associate

Capiz State University

“Improve research performance,” said Editha L. Magallanes, president of the Capiz State University (CapSU) to some 75 faculty members of the CapSU System during the Writing for Refereed Journals, a training workshop organized by the CapSU Research, Development and Extension Center (RDEC) headed by Dr. Cora Navarra, vice-president for research and extension.

During the said traning held on April 23–24, 2013 at the CapSU Roxas City Campus in Fuentes Drive, Roxas City, Magallanes encouraged the faculty members from the ten campuses of CapSU system to avail themselves of this opportunity designed to enhance their research skills, particularly in scientific writing. She stressed the need for their researches to be published in a refereed journal, particularly challenging the younger members of the faculty to pursue research to beef up their professional credentials.

Further, the CapSU president zoomed in on how through research they can add value to indigenous resources in the province such as the coconut (lubi) and green mussels (tahong) to become more profitable. Magallanes likewise said that CapSU, led by RDEC, will organize an editorial board who will manage the peer review of scientific papers to come up with refereed issues of the CapSU RDE Journal.

For his part, Dr. Aladino Leccio, vice-president for administration and finance, called on them to work together even as he announced that only the scientific papers published in refereed publications can be credited under the National Budget Circular (NBC) evaluation scheme. Leccio asked the group to take to their tasks seriously so that they can further improve their careers.

Gathering researchers from the areas of agriculture and natural and social sciences, the workshop featured the expertise of Ms. Maria Judith Lagarde Sablan, managing editor of the Philippine Journal of Science (PJS), a journal managed by the Science and Technology Information Institute (STII), the publication arm of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

For two days, Sablan briefed the faculty on the writing format accepted by the PJS, and shared to them the ethical principles observed in science publication. On the second day, participants retrieved their existing research proposals and rewrote them, tailor-fitting the same to the format prescribed by the PJS and generally most refereed journals. Foremost, Sablan highlighted the task of the researcher to both "inform and transform" even as she promoted that science, a discipline based on trust, has to be advanced to effect change in the society.

The capability building initiative drew favorable feedback from the participants.

Dr. Bede Ozaraga, campus administrator of CapSU Dumarao who has been specializing in Darag native chicken, had to say that the idea of coming up with a refereed journal will help them especially as regards the Office Performance and Commitment Review (OPCR), an employee's performance indicator tool which requires them publication of research results in a peer-reviewed journal.

PUBLISH, DON’T PERISH. Dr. Cora Navarra (far left, top), Capiz State University’s vice-president for Research and Extension brought the expertise of Judith Lagarde Sablan (top, second from left), managing editor of the Philippine Journal of Science to the CapSU faculty researchers; both CapSU President Editha L. Magallanes (top, far right) and Vice-President for Administration and Finance Aladino Leccio (bottom, second from right) encourage researchers to study and publish to boost themselves up the professional ladder.

Ms. Rhodora Ticar, research coordinator for CapSU Poblacion Mambusao specializing in biological sciences, said that the skills taught in writing the research paper for peer-reviewed journals was very useful. Ticar welcomed the simplified format that was taught which can help her in pursuing a research project this year.

Dr. Salvacion Legaspi, dean of the College of Agriculture and Forestry of CapSU Burias Campus who also specializes in agriculture, said she learned how to write an article publishable in a refereed journal. Further, while Legaspi observed that online research journals nowadays publish studies in the molecular and cellular levels in the sciences, she expressed her apprehension in submitting scientific studies using basic parameters. Sablan, in turn, said they can submit studies as long as they carry new knowledge and they can be reproduced, replicated and even improved by other researchers.

Dr. Benedicto Sustento, Assistant Professor III of CapSU Roxas City Campus, specializing in English said he could share the mechanics for the thesis and dissertation writing skills to his graduate students and undergraduate students particularly in technical writing and advanced research.

Dr. Marcela Buenvenida, research chair of CapSU Pilar specializing in social research, found the ethical principles in research writing enligh

tening. She said that “it has given us directions for our own research projects, and it could also help CapSU determine its own policies in research publications.” Buenvenida hopes that the institution can establish its own editorial policy which will direct its refereed journal later.

On the whole, the training workshop benefited the participants in different aspects. As reflected in the evaluation sheets, some faculty researchers saw the importance of the much needed capability building workshop in their research efforts. Others said that it taught them that scientific writing entails "a patient and unhurried activity," further encouraging them to eventually publish their contributions to scientific knowledge.

Participants with the resource speaker, organizers and facilitators in the
Training Workshop on Writing for Refereed Journals led by CapSU RDEC.

In conclusion, Navarra attributed its success to the support and encouragement of the top management led by Dr. Editha L. Magallanes. Navarra then announced that the RDEC will undertake similar other efforts this year in order to draw more and improved research and extension output. In particular, a training workshop on basic photography and Photoshop designed for faculty researchers and extension workers is slated in May 2013. 

Hamburger patties, rice thresher, professionalism studies named CapSU's best papers

By Niño Manaog

Extension Associate

Capiz State University

A research study on hamburger patties and two others on an improved rice thresher and professionalism in local government offices topped the 2013 the 2013 Annual Students Research Symposium held on March 11, 2013 at the Capiz State University (CapSU) Roxas City Campus in Fuentes Drive, Roxas City.

The paper titled “Microbiological Quality of Street-Purchased Hamburger Beef Patties in Mambusao, Capiz” by Jenny Delos Santos and Lynlyn Olano of Poblacion Mambusao Campus clinched the top prize for the agriculture, forestry and natural resources (AFNR) category.

For the Development category, the research titled “Construction and Evaluation of Mechanical Rice Thresher with Compact and Efficient Paddy Separator” by Joey Rey Frac of Burias Campus was named first among eight papers.

And the study titled “Professionalism of Government Employees in Military and Local Government Units in Capiz” by Rodelyn Vigo and Cherry Pie Balbino of the Poblacion Mambusao Campus beat 18 other papers for the Social Science and Education Category.

Headed by Dr. Cora Navarra, CapSU’s vice-president for research and extension, and supported by Dr. Federito Launio, research director and Dr. Raul Ticar, extension director, and their staff, the symposium convened some 70 research students who presented 38 research studies for the school year 2012–2013.

Said number of papers came from the ten campuses of the university across the province of Capiz.

Other winning papers are as follows: for the AFNR category, the “Efficacy of Combined Ethnobotanicals Papaya(Carica papaya) and Betel Nut (Areca catechu) as Anthelmintics against Roundworms on Native Chicken” by Mary Ann Gonzales of Dumarao Campus won first runner-up; and “Water Hyacinth (Eichhomia crassipes) Rhizomes as Water Coagulant” by Ronel Servando, Denmarie Lebantiao and Gigi Gerodico of the Roxas City Campus won second runner-up.

For the Development category, the “Multi-DC Voltage Charger” by Romnick Norba of Sigma Campus was named first runner-up; while the “Double-Panel Glass Solar Dryer” by Leonor Bonza, Roger Delfin, Merwin Depita and Allan Balsote of Roxas City Campus placed second runner-up.

For the Social Sciences and Education category, “No Plastic Policy: Its Perceived Effects to the Household Consumers of Barangay VIII, Roxas City” by Enjielyn Dogelio, Marianne Jordan, French Dampog, Christine Leonor and Cyrus Fledio of the Roxas City Campus placed first runner-up; and “Potential Tourist Destinations in the Province of Capiz” by Ronnebert Bulao and Wilter Ajesta of Pilar Campus, second runner-up.

According to Navarra, the annual search for best papers among CapSU students does not only aim to harvest the finest output for the year. More important, the yearly research activity aims to instill the research discipline among the university’s graduates.

The top two winning papers for each of the three categories are representing CapSU in the regional tilt sponsored by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges Region 6 (PASUC 6) slated in the third week of March this year.

For this year, the board of evaluators were led by Navarra, Launio and Ticar and selected members of the CapSU faculty. They were assisted by Mr. Audie Belargo, senior aquaculturist at the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) Capiz and Ms. Juafe Arabeles of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Capiz.

Participants and facilitators during the 7th Annual Students Research Symposium held in Roxas City recently.