The Nucleus 2022-2023

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From the Editor’s desk This academic year was confusing, be it lessons, or personal life. The most important question we must be asking ourselves is who are we? How do we define ourselves as students of this university?

Transitioning from an online set-up to a hybrid set-up the first semester, then short after, a full-blown face-toface the second semester was hard. It led to loads of unexpected situations and difficulties we encountered as students that just spent two years learning though a computer screen.

However, this was the time when we first experienced first-hand what it was like to be a student of the University of the Philippines Diliman. That first time walking to class, waking up at 7 AM, and then regretting that 7 AM choice as the semester progresses. The first time wearing that UP ID proudly. The first time going to class and interacting once again with your classmates, forming stronger bonds than ever before. That first time taking an exam face-to-face, and immediately after, spending time with the people who shared those experiences with you, is something that was not possible before. Slowly but surely, we form our definition or our identity of who we

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truly are as students of this university.

It was not easy as well as an organization to transition to a fully face-to-face set-up. It has been two years since the last face-to-face term, and we also had to define our identity as an organization in the face of the old normal. This year we were faced with countless criticisms that did not even consider our efforts.

Despite this, we pulled through.

Despite all the panic caused by the unforeseen and unexpected number of requirements before planning a face-to-face event. Despite all of the failures, we as an organization stood tall and proud. We got closer than we ever did online, the tambayan was full of life once again.

Slowly but surely, we are defining ourselves in this new age after that 2-year long pandemic, be it as students, as educators, as members, or as an organization.

Congratulations to everyone that survived this transition year. Change is scary, but we have to face it headon, and we did just that. No matter what may happen in the future, may we stay true to our identity, and face all the incoming challenges with a formed heart and mind.

“May we stay true to our identity and face all the incoming challenges with a formed heart and mind” - Jalen Galvez, EIC the nucleus | 7

Thanksgiving...

Virtual Exhibit... and many more!

ChemSoc Week 93

the FEW. the PROUD. written by Jalen Ross Galvez

We finally met our heroes, and we became our very own heroes or villains in this year’s celebration of ChemSoc Week. Chemsoc Week 93: CHEMICON is this year’s theme for the week-long anniversary celebration of UP Chemical Society. It draws inspiration from comic books and superheroes that filled our imaginations and dreams as children, up to now.

Due to the persistent limitations of the pandemic, this year’s CS Week was still held online, except for the Thanksgiving mass conducted at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice Church in UP Diliman. As the tradition goes in the online set-up, a virtual exhibit was held featuring the organization’s members, past photos, and the upcoming events for the week, which are Brain Freeze, IChem Sing, Exergonic, Pitagan, and Mem’s Night. It also came with a comment contest, allowing people that view the exhibit a fun activity to participate in.

The celebration officially began on August 29, 2022, with the posting of the org video and main pub on the organization’s Facebook page. The ChemSoc Week proper was conducted from September 4, 2022 - September 10, 2022.

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Not all heroes wear capes Thanksgiving Version 93 written by Billie Elica Lorete The celebration of 93 years of service and good company is not complete without the recollection of moments with people who have unknowingly become the heroes in a chapter of our life story may it be during difficult times or as constants.

Since face-to-face traditions were gradually being brought back, the Thanksgiving event headed by the Membership committee kicked off with a Thanksgiving mass at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice Church in UP Diliman in the afternoon, followed by the celebration via Zoom on the night of September 04, 2022.

Aligned with this year’s ChemSoc anniversary theme, Comics, the night was filled with games and sharings anchored on superheroes. This year, the highlight of the ceremony, which was the thanksgiving from each of the members, focused on the question, “Who’s your hero?”.

The members took turns expressing their gratitude to certain individuals and groups of people for helping them go through the highs and lows of the year. A tap on the back was also given to themselves for being their own needed heroes in trying times – for surviving as a better person.

An ice-breaking game of ‘a picture for 5 seconds to say 3 words’ served as an attendance check for the committee members as they tickled their brains out to supply three terms under the category flashed in the picture. This was followed by the heartwarming welcoming message of President Princess Vinia Putulin as the first event of the academic year was set in motion.

Having a twist from the original version, spy fall, the main game called ‘villain fall’ trickled

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the fun in this gathering. This had semi started the committee wars for this year as committees including the Internal Affairs Committee participated and revealed their suspected villains each round.

Refreshments in the virtual setup have come in a form of sound and visual entertainment for the audience. With this, an intermission number was pre-recorded by the organizing committee showcasing the soulful poetry reading of Nikki Gil’s Glowing Inside matched with the actions inspired from the video of Teacher Marianne Latap (youtube channel). The presentation has emphasized the glow, joy, and love that the organization stretches to its members even through uncertainties.

Truly, ChemSoc continues to grow and glow as a family, bringing not just joy but pure love to one another. This has proved that even after 93 years of various volumes and episodes – of climax and lows, the ChemSoc comics still banner its official hashtag: #ChemSocSarapKapiling.

We appreciate the heroes that come into this chapter of our lives and we also become the heroes in the story of another.

After last year’s successful reboot, Brain Freeze steps back into the scene opening with Case #93 last September 5, 2022, marking its second year online as a mysterythemed amazing race.

Before the pandemic, Brain Freeze was originally one of the biggest ice cream eating contests within the university. However, times have changed, and so have the events, yet Brain Freeze remains a crowd favorite whether as an ice creaming eating competition or as an online amazing race cause headaches have never been this fun.

The 5-day event revolved around another baffling detective story that called for heroes to solve a hair-raising, or more appropriately, a hair-lengthening fictional case.

Participants were tasked with identifying the cause of the debilitating and excessive hair growth on several victims within the campus. A daily set of tasks challenges them to snoop and scour for clues scattered across a variety of social

media platforms—from discreet comments on Facebook posts, photos in tweets, and locations in Instagram stories, to exploring an RPG-like virtual reality where important documents were hidden. After identifying the correct clues, they had to solve puzzles ranging from the classic crossword to analyzing a gel electrophoresis result.

Duty called for all the registered 18 teams, but only the top 3 teams remained persistent in their pursuit to solve the case.

Finishing at the top w a s Team Limelight, comprising of UPD BS Chemistry students J u d e l y n Lacosta, J a n e l l a Borromeo, and Chloe Kelly Chua. Asher Ayeras, Ryan James Santos, and John Adrian Cruz of Team Visibility bagged second place.

Team nuschem comes in third place, with only two members, namely Richelle Chua and Kenneth Alvarez. The event concluded on September 9, 2022, with winners claiming their well-deserved prizes sponsored by Sison Review Center and Shimadzu.

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After a successful run last year, the online singing competition I Chem Sing expanded its horizons, now accepting submissions from all undergraduate students in the National Capital Region, instead of being limited to UP undergraduate students as it was last year.

In this year’s theme of superheroes, the contestants were required to submit video recordings of themselves singing songs from official soundtracks of foreign or local hero films. A total of nine students participated in the competition, with their respective submissions posted online.

Resident UP Chemical Society member and BS Chemistry student Jannah Nicole Cortez was crowned as this year’s grand champion, garnering an average score of 93.000 with her own rendition of the famous OPM song ‘Narda’

by Kamikazee.

Taking second place is Mia Kaella Enriquez, an AB Creative Writing student

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from the University of Santo Tomas, with an average score of 91.08.

Her cover of ‘Rewrite the Stars’ from the film ‘The Greatest Showman’ captivated the judges.

Lastly, Camille Bulo, a BAS Laboratory Technology student from the Technological University of the Philippines-Manila, secured third place with an average score of 87.01.

She delivered a soulful performance of ‘Every Summertime’ originally sung by NIKI from the film ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’.

The panel of judges for this edition of I Chem Sing included Danielle Ann Alejandro, an alumna of the UP Chemical Society and the second runner-up of CS Idol 2018, as well as the champion of Chem Idol 2018 and 2019. Joining her were Larry Byl Cuenca, a music teacher, composer, musician, and songwriter, and Amiel Sol, a singersongwriter signed under VIVA Records.

by Christian Paul Ende, John Rupert Bernabe In its third consecutive year, UP Chemical Society’s “Exergonic 2022: A Chemistry Career Webinar” was held online on the 10th of September 2022 during the organization’s week-long celebration of its 93rd founding anniversary. The webinar aimed to provide an avenue for undergraduate students to explore possible career paths after finishing their degree as chemistry majors. Over 200 participants from across the country watched the webinar from the comfort of their homes via Zoom or Facebook live stream.

Speakers from medical and research & development fields were invited to share their experiences and career journeys as they become the professionals they are today. Besides promoting their respective fields, they also inspired the attendees by sharing their struggles and some words of wisdom on how they surmounted those challenges.

The first speaker from the medical field was Dr. Kathlene Marie BarcelonaTabilog, who pursued a double degree in medicine and business administration at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. Despite having a family business in manufacturing and trading, she always dreamed of becoming a doctor. While her undergraduate journey was certainly challenging, particularly in organic chemistry, she still valued the knowledge and skills she gained along the way as she believed that chemistry prepared her for medical school. As a result of her medical and business training, she was able to “find more opportunities, hone [her] craft, and serve the underserved.” Dr. Barcelona-Tabilog left an inspiring remark for the attendees, saying, “There are some hiccups along the way and some detours which can either lead you to a shortcut or make the way even more complicated. Even when faced with adversity, if you are truly committed to your goal, nothing will stop you from chasing that dream.”

Another hero from the medical field with a specialization in internal medicine, Dr. Ma. Anna Angelica S. Cruzado-Cruz was the event’s second speaker. She started off by telling her own share of uncertainties and hardships as an undergraduate chemistry student.

But more to this, she highlighted the importance of extracurricular activities that gained her skills to get through

medical studies. It took her 11 years, including specialization and subspecializations training, to fully practice her profession and face the real world. She reiterated, “Is it hard? Yes, it is. I know it can sound discouraging, (…) but [I] need to remind [myself] that this is what [I] want for every day of that 11 years.” She described the MD journey to be really long, and a way to reach the finish line was to accept and enjoy this calling.

During the question and answer portion, Dr. Tabilog and Dr. Cruz called out the state of the country’s healthcare system. Dr. Cruz revealed that it was as bad as they expect expressing the struggles during trainings and how they cope. “We need to learn how to bend [and] go with the flow. Kasi if we don’t do that, we will break,” Dr. Tabilog emphasized.

The last speaker, Dr. Ralph Rolly A. Gonzales, took the discussion into the perspective of a chemistry researcher venturing on a foreign country. Although working as an Assistant Professor at Kobe University in Japan, he described himself more as a researcher than a professor. His studies involve membrane technology and biorefinery. In his talk, Dr. Gonzales showed some opportunities that await a chemistry graduate which sounded promising but then accentuated the uncertainties that also lie ahead.

“Some opportunities are not exactly what you expect them to be,” Dr. Gonzales pointed out as he revealed that the opportunities presented led him to the field of applied chemical and environmental engineering.

Furthermore, Dr. Gonzales stated that a good researcher must have natural curiosity, willingness to learn, and inspires young minds. While passion is a key attribute, he asked to take into consideration the challenges faced by researchers such as funding, permanent job positions, and length of time to build one’s expertise. He also highlighted the impact of good mentors in the field. Staying in a foreign country, Dr. Gonzales agreed that language was needed to integrate a researcher into the society, but still highlighted that science is universal.

The participants were reminded of the importance of making opportunities and having the courage to grab them as Dr. Gonzales ended with a quote, “Create the future you.”

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written by Jalen Ross Galvez 2 years have gone by since the crowned disease appeared.

2 years of my life were spent indoors that leaving it feels weird From calls in Zoom and Discord To hanging out with people and never getting bored From “can you guys hear me?”, “am i heard?”

To yourself hearing those tweets from the campus bird From playing video games all-day To actually going out and coming to play Stepping out into the known, unknown In 2 years how much have we grown How much have we learned, how much have we realized And what can we do now that we’re no longer paralyzed Now that we’re no longer stuck in the prison of our home Now that we get to experience the greenery once more and are free to roam Feeling the freshness of the aiar that was once noxious The toxic, dangerous breath that kept us anxious Now we feel the warmth hug of a morning breeze As we venture outside and hear the buzzing of bees Who am i? The question in everyone’s mind As a new journey awaits the new world presents New problems and new solutions, we will find To not go back to the prisoned world we all resent We must once again define ourselves In this new-old normal world Release what we kept on our shelves Spread our minds, hearts, and souls, was once furled

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On September 04 to 10, 2022, UP ChemSoc celebrated its anniversary, CHEMICON: ChemSoc Week 93. Holding the events both onsite and online, UP ChemSoc successfully transcended virtual barriers with the help of its Platinum Sponsor, Sison Review Center, Silver Sponsor, Shimadzu Philippines Corporation, and Donor, Polarix. These sponsors have continuously supported the organization’s goals, bringing opportunities and rewards to the members and event participants. Together with the sponsors, partner organizations also aided the success of this week-long celebration. We would like to extend our gratitude to our Major Partners, Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology Chemical Engineering Students Society, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Chemical Society, Teatro Tomasino UST, UPV Chemistry Society, Western Mindanao State University–Chemical Society, and WriterSkill, to our Minor Partners, BU Chemical Science Society, Chemistry Society of Mapúa, TUP Chemical Society, UP Biochemistry Society, and UP Zoological Society, and to our Publicity Partners, Association of Geologists and Geological Engineers of Mapúa, Contemporary A cappella Singers Association, UP Diliman Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, UST Biochemistry Society, UST Chemical Society, UST Pharmacy Dance Troupe, and Young Women’s Christian Association - FEU Chapter. Lastly, this celebration also stood as an avenue for different chemistry organizations to interact and help one another. With this, UP ChemSoc would like to thank our Exergonic Major Partners, CLSU Chemical Society, PLM Chemical Society, UPV Chemical Society, TSU Chemical Society, Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology Chemical Engineering Students Society, and WMSU Chemical Society, and Minor Partner, UPLB Chemical Kinetics Society. UP ChemSoc Week 93 would not have been possible without your support and participation.

Written by: Princess Vinia Putulin

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written by Esron Rey Natividad “Mga bagong siyentista ng bayan, para his motivational speech and shared his sa bayan!” words of wisdom to his fellow passers. He reminisced about their journey together This was the message embodied by and the challenges brought about by the the 32 new chemists from the Institute pandemic. In spite of these hurdles, he of Chemistry (IC) of UP Diliman as showed great excitement for the fresh we recognized and celebrated their chapter the new breed of chemists are excellence for passing the 2022 Chemistry about to unfold, which they will face with Licensure Examination in PASINAYA 2022: an additional hazard pay, he joked.

Alay sa mga Bagong Pasa last November 21, 2022.

Afterwards, everybody was serenaded by the angelic voice of UP ChemSoc This year’s recognition was extra special member Angelica Carbonell, with her because after two years of the online rendition of “A Million Dreams,” reminding setup, Pasinaya was conducted face- us how we can all spark a change in the to-face at ChemRez, IC. To kick off this world with our dreams. Each passer was momentous event, institute director Dr. then awarded a certificate of recognition Len Herald Lim gave his opening remarks, for their achievement in and in service to expressing his pride as the alumni’s hard chemistry. work, perseverance, and months of review finally paid off.

To wrap the event up, Dr. Rheo LamorenaLim gave her closing remarks, reminding Mr. Joshua Jener Lopez, Batch ’21-’22 the passers what duties and responsibilities Salutatorian, Baldomero Olivera and the “RCh” affixed after their names entails.

Lourdes Cruz (BOLC) Awardee, proud alumnus of the UP Chemical Society, Congratulations and padayon to the new and one of the board passers, delivered chemists of IC!

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Once again, representatives of the Philippine Science High School Main Campus (PSHS-MC) claimed the top three spots on the 22nd Philippine National Chemistry Olympiad 2023 – National Capital Region (PNCO-NCR) held February 11, 2023, via Zoom.

The PNCO-NCR is a one-day interhigh school chemistry competition organized by the UP Chemical Society that is open to all NCR public and private high schools where the top five (5) competitors will represent NCR in the PNCO 202 3 National Finals.

“Competitions like these are important because they do not just promote the subject [Chemistry] as an important field, but they also provide an avenue for us to showcase our knowledge and skills,” said Carl Angelo M. Caluag, UP Chemical Society’s Junior Faculty Adviser.

For the third time, the event was conducted online with two (2) hours of answering problemsolving questions via Zoom and Autoproctor, a software which monitors student activity like noise and switching tabs.

Among 42 students across 18 schools, PSHS-MC claimed the top three ranks while Saint Jude Catholic School and Jubilee Christian Academy snatched the last two spots.

Here are the winners, Rank 1: Kiersten Gene Calubaquib Rank 2: Aaron Joseph Gavino Rank 3: Davis Nicholo Magpantay Rank 4: Daphne Lauren C. Bernardo Rank 5: Tiffany C. Duyungco Although the competition led some students to chat “bawi na lang (ako) next life” [(I’ll) make up for it in the next life], the online event was a success and promises to bring back the face-to-face setup next year.

“Hopefully, this event has not traumatized you but has inspired you to take up Chemistry in your college years. See you in the future!” added the PNCO-NCR Regional Coordinator, Franz Jabin Kirbie C. Garcia.

As of time of writing, they have already competed in the National Level and got the following awards: Bernardo and Duyongco for Bronze, Gavino and Magpantay for Silver, while Calubaquib got Gold and will be part of Team Philippines to compete in the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad in Zurich, Switzerland on July 16-25, 2023.

Team Geologs’ Patricia Shayne Rodriguez, Mikylla Lapitan, and John Irish Palomaria won first place in the UP Chemical Society’s (UP ChemSoc) Battle of the Bonds (BOTB) 2023, last May 29. The three BS Geology students ranked first among 5 teams in the final round of the competition.

BOTB is an annual quiz bee catered to current students of General Chemistry subjects, Chem 16 and Chem 17. This year’s theme was “The Great Filter,” with the comeback of face-to-face Chem 17 classes dubbed as ‘the filter’ for Chemistry majors.

Due to the limited number of participants, 5 teams directly advanced into the finals: Teams Geologs, Kimists, Chemie lang, Oni, and MPL. Geologs, Chemie and Oni were early frontrunners during the easy round with 8, 8, and 7 points, respectively.

Geologs dominated the latter round with a combined 27 points in the average and difficult rounds to win the contest. Oni followed with 9 and 15 points, respectively, while Teams Chemie lang and Kimists were tied after three rounds. However, Chemie lang ended up third as they beat Kimists during the tiebreaker.

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First-ranked Geologs won merchandise and PHP750 in cash, while Oni and Chemie lang won merchandise, and PHP500 and PHP300, respectively. No teams went home empty-handed because merchandise was also given to Kimists and MPL. During the onset of the pandemic, BOTB shifted into an online mode where questions were posted weekly, and prizes were given to lucky and intelligent winners. But this year, BOTB finally came back into its original face-to-face format.

L

ast May 8, Larz Emmanuel V. Labsan and Aces Joseph L. San Pedro were awarded the Baldomero M. Olivera and Lourdes J. Cruz Excellence in Chemistry awards at the ChemRez Room of the Institute of Chemistry Teaching Building.

Labsan topped UP Diliman’s BS Chemistry class of 2023 closely followed by San Pedro with a 0.01 margin in their Cumulative Weighted Average Grade (CWAG), making them the Top 1 and Top 2 of their class, respectively.

According to Dr. Charissa Ferrera, Mr. San Pedro’s thesis adviser, his efficiency in time managing and organizing, and his sheer diligence stood out as some of his notable traits as her student.

Outside of academics, San Pedro, who is a member of the UP Chemical Society, also served as a Freshies, Shiftees, and Transferees (FST) representative back in AY 2019-2020 of the 1st semester, FST Council Vice Chair from January to October 2020, then Institute of Chemistry Representative for AY 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. His mother, Ana Rose San Pedro, delivered a speech attesting to his hard work, during the ceremony.

In the compiled video messages from friends, Labsan’s peers

Larz Labsan

Baldomero Lourde Awarding

! the f2f co

written by Adria

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Aces San Pedro

Dr. Lourdes Cruz

o Olivera & es Cruz Ceremony

omeback !

claimed how they were not surprised by his incredible feat and resulting award. This was further supported by Jeff Diaz, the Research Assistant who worked closely with Labsan in the laboratory and who gave a testimony in his thesis adviser’s stead. He managed to maintain a stellar performance in class despite his multiple involvements in organizational work such as UP Association of Chemistry Majors and Enthusiasts’ Deputy Director for Income Generating Projects (IGPs) of 2019, Director for IGPs from 2020 to 2022, Director for Budget Apps of 2023, then heads of events such as Akapnayan in 2021 and Hanep sa Science at Math in 2023. His sister testified to how responsible and caring he is as a brother, during the ceremony.

The UP Chemical Society, Institute of Chemistry, and UP Chemistry Alumni Foundation spearheaded the awarding ceremony which recently returned to a face-to-face setup. Dr. Lourdes J. Cruz, who the ceremony is named after along with Dr. Baldomero M. Olivera Jr., was the esteemed guest speaker.

The event gives due recognition to the Top 2 graduating BS Chemistry students based on their Cumulative Weighted Average Grade (CWAG).

a Mikaela Napay

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hroughout the years, the UP Chemical Society has remained true to its promise of promoting general welfare. As an organization, we recognize that sharing resources alleviates the instability that others are experiencing. In a world where much help is needed, we must lend a hand.

In return, we create a bond that is strong enough to resist all adversities.

Just like atoms, we need COVALENCE. This year, we rebranded Chemistree as Covalence. Driven by the same advocacy, Covalence is the annual charity event and outreach program aimed to give back to the community through our chosen beneficiary. Our beneficiary was determined by the winning committee in the Committee Wars. This year, the champion committee - Finance Committee chose Kythe Foundation, Inc. Kythe Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit, non-stock organization that advocates for helping children with cancer and other chronic illnesses.

For three decades, Kythe has provided

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hope to these children by offering psychosocial support and child life services. They provide medical needs such as hospital safety kits, medicines, and treatment. Additionally, they will attend to the patients’ psychosocial necessities by providing personal activity kits and tele-child life sessions.

In support of their goal, the UP Chemical Society conducted a fundraising activity that ran from April 17 to May 8. With the help of UP ChemSoc alumni and other donors, we were able to raise a total amount of Php 10,110.18.

Some members of UP ChemSoc personally went to the Kythe Foundation, Inc. to turn over the donations last June 17, 2023. Ms. Rhenzel Aivy Fausto, Communications & Data Protection Officer of Kythe, thanked the UP Chemical Society for their generosity and for bringing joy and hope to the lives of their pediatric patients. Donations from the event will be used to improve the quality of life for these children.

New Members of UP ChemSoc ‘22-’23 The Hybrid Batch: Batch 22A A hybrid setup was adapted by the Batch 22A - i22do nA toh of UP Chemical Society which included the pure online execution of application process events and materials with the option of fulfilling missions and buddy tasks face-to-face.

The applicants were able to organize two Apps Night having the first part to be the alternative event to the annual sportsfest.

Nineteen new members were inducted last March 26, 2023 at the UP Sunken Garden where they performed an opening number before the start of the ChemSoc members team building. The inductees were given their ChemSoc pins at the end of the deliberation as a symbol of their acceptance to the organization.

A total of six freshmen and 13 juniors successfully finished the final batch of online application. The first batch of new breed of members this academic year include Pia Izabelle Franco Osdon, Allyza Martina Sante Sanchez, Rochelle Anne Ong Go, Louise Francine Sandagon De La Viga, Lara Selena, Magsumbol, Ong, Jellyn, Lucas, De Vera, Prince Adam Roy Fuentes Forbes, Carla Mae Guadalupe Luciano, Reycel Rose, Aguala, Patoc, Manuel Edison Concepcion, Mañago, Ramon Jr, Apolinar, Britania, Kevin Nigel Villanueva Bravo, Raphael Angelo, Hermano, Guevarra, Francine Beryl Isabel, Tiu, Wee, France Ezekiel Sayenga Depante, Denisse Razel Hutalle Carigma, Moira Louis, De Guzman, Celestino, Jherome Brylle Woody, Aresgado, Santos, and Randa Elaiza, Patlingrao, Ancheta.

written by Billie Elica Lorete

And we’re back to… FACE-to-FACE: Batch 22B The long-awaited comeback of the face-to-face application process finally happened after two years of pandemic!

The UP ChemSoc has brought back a full face-to-face application process for the second semester of this academic year.

The Batch B: BLE22(ED) BHIE was able to experience the usual Apps Orye, buddy bidding, AKWE, committee immersions, Sportsfest, and TalentShow. Also, a physical sigsheet, aligned with the app process theme: Tarot Cards, was once again utilized by applicants for interviews, missions, and buddy tasks.

Formal interviews were also executed at the official ChemSoc tambayan. Six applicants were inducted last August 05, 2023 at Vinzon’s hall where they received their monumental ChemSoc pins with the partaking and approval of the resident and alumni members. Coming from the incoming sophomore batch are Francine Charlize Nonato Feliciano, Hailoden Jalil Salainto, and Ysabelle Reese Haresco Baloy. Meanwhile, the addition to the incoming juniors batch are Jay Pascua Macabulos, Myla Rhea Pancito Hulleza, and Roxanne Aimee Rebueno Picart.

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PACS ‘ National Chemistry Students’ Congress (NCSC 2023) One of the biggest intercollegiate chemistry conferences in the Philippines returns this year as an online two-day event with the theme “ARCADIA: Securing the Future through Modern Agriculture and Chemistry.”

The National Chemistry Students’ Congress is divided into three sub-events: PACSiyensya, PACSymposium, and PACSiklaban. PACSiklaban, an intercollegiate chemistry quiz bee, was held last April 15, 2023. This was followed

by PACSymposium, an annual convention where several speakers were invited to speak in the spirit of the event’s theme, held last April 22, 2023.

PACSiyensya, a case study competition for chemistry undergraduate students, was unfortunately canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Junior Chemistry (JCC 2022)

Congress

Last November 2022, the Junior

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WRITTEN BY ADRIA

Chemistry Congress, one of the largest national chemistry congress for high school students, was held online. This year’s theme is “SYNTHESIZE: Solidifying Bonds and Fortifying Minds of Filipino Youth through Chemistry.” The congress is further divided into three subevents namely; PACSiyensya Jr., PACSymposium Jr., and TumPACS Jr. TumPACS Jr. was a twocomponent subevent involving a Meme-Making Competition and a Video Competition.

Winners were determined both by voting last November 12 and 17 respectively, and by invited judges.

The Meme-making component was won by a student from Don Ramon E. Costales Memorial National High School while the video competition was won by students from Misamis Occidental National High School.

On November 19, PACSiyensya Jr. held an oral presentation and defense for competing students as the sub-event encouraged and accepted innovative investigatory projects by high school students

‘22 - ‘23 SOGIE Educational Discussion

A MIKAELA NAPAY

across the country. Honorato C. Perez Sr. Memorial Science High School students dominated the competition. On the following day, November 20, PACSymposium Jr. invited Sittie Zuleiha S. Salik, Dr. Laurenzo Alba, Dr. Julius Andrew Nuñez, and Engr. Jed M. Bellen as speakers from different fields of chemistry to deliver careeroriented talks.

OlymPACS 2023 In the spirit of team-building, OlymPACS was held last January 28-29 and February 4-5, 2023 with the theme “Hormones.”

The UP Chemical Society was designated as the House of Renin. The organization bagged the top place in UNO, with the Most Outstanding Player being our very own 2nd Vice President, Esron Rey O. Natividad.

Society members also actively participated in most events such as Valorant, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Among Us, Skribbl.io, UNO, and Tetris.

Last December 11, 2022, a SOGIE Educational Discussion was held exclusively for PACS Inc., members in line with recent alarming cases of violence against the LGBTQIA+. It was also held to promote a better understanding and awareness of the SOGIE Bill as well as to foster a safer environment within the organization. This was held via zoom and facilitated by invited speakers.

PACSAwards 2023 To cap off the term, PACS Inc., held the PACS Awards last May 20, 2023 via zoom. Member organizations were recognized and awarded for different achievements. The UP Chemical Society’s members, Hanz Joshua M. Salvacion and Kylie Nicole A. Mendoza were recognized as Honorable mentions for the Outstanding Society Representatives award. Avelina Montalaba was also awarded as the Best Society Representative of their respective committee.

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