Nov-Dec 2012
UP Law wins int’l moot court tilt
U.P. News: Folio of Winners 3
Two new NAST Academicians this year are from UP Jovan Cerda, philstar.com
Photos from law.upd.edu.ph
Team Applicant: (L-R) Julienne Morada, Bernadette Angangco, and Kesterson Kua
Dr. Jose B. Cruz, Jr., an electrical engineer, and Dr. Michael L. Tan, an anthropologist, are the two new Academicians elected this year at the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). Cruz was cited for his outstanding accomplishments as a scientist and an educator to a number of important concerns like the dynamic game theory, specifically, Stackelberg (leader-follower) games, which have directly resulted in two economists winning the Nobel Prize in Economics. Moreover, he was credited in the development of several methods for the sensitivity analysis of dynamic systems with respect to parameters variations, establishment of the concept of comparison sensitivity matrix that captures the effect of feedback on altering the influence of parameter variations on system output errors in multivariable feedback system, and the maintenance of system optimality for a range parameter values even when the feedback control structure is fixed. As an educator, he collaborates with the faculty and students of the De La Salle University (DLSU), the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) and UP to have a research network for complex systems like energy and disaster mitigation systems. In addition, he assists the Philippine Technological Council (PTC) in the development of criteria, procedures, policies and training materials for
its bid to be a signatory of the Washington Accord (WA) like Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. The WA recognizes the accreditation of engineering, computing and engineering technology programs in the jurisdictions of the signatories as equivalent to each other. His assistance is rooted in his extensive experience as a program evaluator of the US-based Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which is one of the originators of the WA. PTC membership in the WA will enable Filipino engineers to be recognized as having received engineering education equivalent to that of the WA signatories. Cruz received his B.S. degree ((summa cum laude) from UP (1953), his M.S. degree from laude the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1956), and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois (1959), all in electrical engineering. He is the former dean of the Ohio State University College of Engineering. He is listed in Who’s Who in the World. He received the 2009 IEEE James H. Mulligan, Jr. Education Medal, the highest IEEE award in engineering education. He is the author/coauthor of seven books and more than 300 articles in research journals and peer-reviewed conference proceedings. Tan is recognized for his outstanding scientific research, teaching, advocacy and
Team Respondent: (L-R) Samantha Tirthdas, Marianne Ko, and Railla Puno
Photo courtesy of Dr. Agnes Mejia
Aquino with her medal and trophy
Photo from newsinfo.inquirer.net
Kua (III-JD), along with their coach Prof. Rommel Casis, sweeped three preliminary rounds before winning the semifinal and the grand final of the competition of the East Asian Regional Rounds of the Stetson in Seoul, Korea. “The competition involved a fictional environmental law dispute between states in a simulated version of the proceedings in the International Court of Justice. The preliminaries saw Angangco emerge as best oralist and Morada as second best oralist. They were the only team to win all preliminary matches,” UP Law said. The team called Applicant went up against China University of Political Science and Law before clinching the top prize in the final round against a composite team from Seoul National UniversityEhwa. A total of 10 teams joined the regional round of the competition. “It is also worthy to note that this is the first time a Southeast Asian team has dominated the East Asian rounds while at the same time besting teams from Southeast Asia and South Asia,” UP Law added. Angangco, for her part, said they will be going up against winners of the other regional competition in the international contest scheduled March in Florida, United States. “We just got back, but the training we got from the regionals was really good and it showed us what our weaknesses and strengths were, so we’ll be working on that to prepare for the international finals,” Angangco said. The second team (Team Respondent), composed of Marianne Ko, Samantha Tirthdas, and Railla Puno bested all other participants in Stetson’s Southeast Asian Regional Round, beating teams from Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. This team had the best memorial and advances to the international finals. (Source: http://www.philstar.com/ nation/2012/12/04/880265/law-winst t) intl-moot-court-tilt)
Photo from www.ieee.org
In a historic achievement, two teams from the UP College of Law won two separate regional competitions and advanced to the Stetson International E nv i r o n m e n t a l L aw M o o t C o u r t Competition (“Stetson”) which will be held from March 21to March 23 in Florida, USA. The Stetson is the most prestigious international environmental law competition participated in by law students from universities all over the globe In an infor mation published on its website, UP Law said the team of Bernadette Angangco (IV-Juris Doctor), Julienne Morada (IV-JD) and Kesterson
Tan
development work that demonstrate the usefulness of social scientific knowledge in advancing traditional medicine. He has consistently exerted efforts to revitalize scientific research on the use of traditional medicine, develop rational drug policies, understand the social and behavioral dimensions of HIV/AIDS prevention and promote reproductive health. His social development advocacy and policy development works are founded on his scholarly works, which he sustain by ensuring that scientific knowledge is effectively communicated to various stakeholders including policy makers, community development workers, health professionals and the general public. His most important studies include Philippine Anthropology in Post Anthropology Age, which explains how anthropology has evolved in the country and the new challenges faced by this social science in relation to nationhood and globalization, “Two Sides to Home: Cross Border Sexualities” from the edited volume of Globalization, Women, and Health in the 21stCentury, which uses the Philippines to explain the complexities of sexual risks faced by overseas workers, shaped by gender norms that differ at home and abroad,
Cruz
and Traditional or Transitional Medical Systems? Pharmacotheraphy as a Case for Analysis, which questions labels like western and traditional as applied to medicine and emphasizes the need to look at how socio-historical factors shape perceptions on and in the use of pharmaceuticals. Aside from his authorship in many outstanding books and publications, he has also written more than 1000 articles in the column “Pinoy Kasi” of the Philippine Daily Inquirer since 1997. His credentials earned him a number of awards for his excellence in the various fields of his expertise, which include, Takashi Fuji Award for Originality in Social Science Research by the International Federation of Social Science Organizations (1997), Best Column on Children by UNICEF and the Philippine Press Institute (2005, 2006), and the UP Centennial Professor Award (2009) by UP. Dr. Tan obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from UP (1977), his MA in Anthropology at the Texas A&M University (1982) and his PhD in Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam (1996). (Source: http://aghampinoy.wordpress. com/2012/07/24/2-new-academicianselectrical-engineer-and-anthropologist/)