CS @ 35: Breaking the inertia

ON A MOMENTOUS DAY in October 1983, the Board of Regents approved the splitup of the College of Arts and Sciences into three independent colleges. The College of Science (CS) was finally formed along with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. The campaign for the college’s autonomy was spearheaded by the then-Department of Natural Science and Mathematics Head Dr. Ester A. Garcia and Dr. Roger Posadas, who became the College’s first Dean until 1993.

Thirty-five years after its founding, CS would look back—and onward—with a month-long celebration held last October.

Science in Today’s Society

The UP Science Month was launched last October to commemorate the founding anniversary of the College and its continuous role in promoting science for the people.

The symposium “Building A Science Community,” kickstarted the celebration where Dr. Ester A. Garcia discussed the history and development of the natural sciences and mathematics in the country.

It was then followed by the unveiling of Mobile Marine and Naval Centrum in the CS Admin Lobby. The exhibit was a collaboration study on the current situation of and threats to the country’s marine biodiversity, and study on different naval developments by the UP College of Science Ocean Color and Coastal Oceanography (OCCO) Lab of the Marine Science Institute, and the National Institute of Physics.

CS Alumni Talks and the very first Graduate Student Research Conference took the spotlight next, showing the high caliber research and products of the College’s graduate students.

Undergraduates also took part in the celebration. The College of Science Student Council (CSSC) launched the UP Science Fair on the penultimate week of October at the CS Amphitheater, where food and activity booths awaited students. And the CSSC’s CS Idol, a showcase of talents among different institutes, culminated the week-long Fair. Geological Sciences bet Alexia Mae Rodino emerged victorious in the annual singing competition followed by Physics bet Katherine Isabel Remulla in second place and Chemistry’s Danielle Ann Alejandro in third.

The UP Science Month closed with the foundation day program on October 26, capping off with the unveiling of “Science in Service of the Society,” a mural portraying how the different sciences contribute WRITTEN BY NIKKA MACASA RICCI MARGALLO

The “Science in Service of the Society” mural on display at the CS Administration Building lobby. It was unveiled during the main anniversary commemoration event held last October 26.

photo: nikka macasa

Onward

Since its founding, CS has become the largest college in UP Diliman in terms of number of faculty members and second largest in terms of number of students. It now has eight institutes and two interdisciplinary programs. In 2016, the Commission on Higher Education identified 23 Centers of Excellence in UP Diliman, eight of which are the degree-granting institutes of the College. CS is a foremost pacesetter of academic excellence in the university.

However, according to Dean Dr. Perry Ong, CS has grown to become an archipelago which, for the longest time, has been focused on institute-centric progress. “Hiwa-hiwalay ang mga institutes. Kanya-kanya, pare-parehong magagaling,” says Dean Ong. “We’ve been doing things the same way the past 35 years. I think this is the right time to break the inertia,” he added. With the remarkable pace at which CS has been progressing, what remains to be achieved are synergy and critical reevaluation.

Dean Ong mentioned on how he looks forward to the future of CS where its constituent institutions work together as one college while fighting two things. “Ang kalaban natin ay dalawang bagay: complacency and inertia. If we don’t realize it now, we’ll continue doing the things we’ve been doing for the past 35 years ... Ito ay panahon ng pagtingin sa kinabukasan pero huwag nating kalilimutan ang nakaraan. Kikilalanin natin at magbibigay-pugay [tayo] sa mga taong naging bahagi ng pagtatag, pagsasarili ng kolehiyo ng agham at magiging kasama niya ito tungo sa bagong landas na sana ay sama-sama nating tahakin.” ●

Various scenes from the month-long celebration last October 2018.