The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has been elected as the new President of the Los Banos Science Community Foundation, Inc. (LBSCFI). UPOU’s term as President will start on 01 August 2020 until 31 July 2022.
Dr. Melinda dela Pena Bandalaria, Chancellor of UPOU, looks forward to UPOU leading the organization especially in the conduct of virtual activities and other activities that will respond to the threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Joane V. Serrano, Director of the UPOU Office of Public Affairs, has been Chancellor Bandalaria’s permanent representative for LBSCFI. On behalf of the Chancellor, she accepted the opportunity to serve the organization and the community. She also shared UPOU’s gratitude for the support of the member-agencies and looks forward to productive years ahead.
The UPOU has been a member of LBSCFI since December 2000 and has been a member of the LBSCFI Board of Trustees (BOT) for several terms. In 2010-2012, UPOU served as President of LBSCFI where then Chancellor Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso produced the LBSCFI’s flagship project “Maki-Makiling,” a magazine program aimed at facilitating the transfer and adoption of science and technology (S&T) research outputs of LBSCFI member-agencies and planting the seed of awareness in and appreciation for S&T and tackling issues in the community. It was aired via the local cable TV channel.
Other members of the LBSCFI BOT that were elected for this term were International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) as Vice President, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as Treasurer, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) as Secretary, University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), Forest Products Research and Development Institute(FPRDI), Department of Science and Technology 4A (DOST-Calabarzon), Local Government Unit of Los Banos (LGU-LB) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
The LBSCFI was established by the DOST in 1984 with 10 private and public institutions in Los Baños seeking to share library resources with one another. Now, LBSCFI is a consortium of 22 public and private institutions aiming to uplift the community by mobilizing inter-agency cooperation and the sharing of science and technology (S&T) resources. It lives by the tagline “Uplifting lives through S&T.”
Written by Anna Canas-Llamas
Edited by Joane V. Serrano
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