Sustainable Development Goals

A Collaboration for Resilience: The Mapúa MCL and UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) Partnership

 

 

The collaboration between Mapúa MCL and the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI) will soon be finalized through a Memorandum of Understanding with both parties agreeing to be partners in promoting resilience through Research and Development (R&D), capacity building, sharing of useful resources and information, and other related activities.

Since last year, UPRI and Mapúa MCL have conducted relevant activities that support each other’s objectives and programs. UPRI participated in Mapúa MCL’s webinar last January 6, 2023 titled, “Climate Action and Disaster Resilience: An Academe-Enterprise Collaboration.” This activity of Mapúa MCL is part of the initiatives under the school’s SECRA program, which is a three-year project co-funded by the Erasmus+ of the European Union (EU). The Executive Director of UPRI, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay gave a talk on the initiatives of the Institute, particularly on the hazard monitoring activities of what used to be Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), now UP Resilience Institute. He also discussed the current status, gaps, and the needs of the country related to hazard monitoring, disaster risks, calamity response, and other related issues. Lastly, Dr. Lagmay highlighted the importance of probabilistic models to the faculty and student participants.

The collaboration between Mapúa MCL and the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI) will soon be finalized through a Memorandum of Understanding with both parties agreeing to be partners in promoting resilience through Research and Development (R&D), capacity building, sharing of useful resources and information, and other related activities.

Since last year, UPRI and Mapúa MCL have conducted relevant activities that support each other’s objectives and programs. UPRI participated in Mapúa MCL’s webinar last January 6, 2023 titled, “Climate Action and Disaster Resilience: An Academe-Enterprise Collaboration.” This activity of Mapúa MCL is part of the initiatives under the school’s SECRA program, which is a three-year project co-funded by the Erasmus+ of the European Union (EU). The Executive Director of UPRI, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay gave a talk on the initiatives of the Institute, particularly on the hazard monitoring activities of what used to be Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), now UP Resilience Institute. He also discussed the current status, gaps, and the needs of the country related to hazard monitoring, disaster risks, calamity response, and other related issues. Lastly, Dr. Lagmay highlighted the importance of probabilistic models to the faculty and student participants.

 

 

To further reinforce the foundations of the partnership, Mapúa MCL Team composed of its administrators visited the UPRI Institute on June 1, 2023. The visiting MMCL Team is Days after the webinar, an online exploratory meeting between Mapúa MCL and UPRI was conducted with administrators and officers of both institutions as participants. During the meeting, Dr. Lagmay discussed potential projects that Mapúa MCL can start. He also discussed the Citizen Science initiative which Mapúa MCL can utilize as a model. Citizen Science is the collection and analysis of data coming from participating members of the general public who serve as collaborators contributing data to scientists and researchers.

composed of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Engr. Anthony Hilmer S. Medrano, Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Engr. Maribel G. Songsong, Assistant Vice President for External Relations and Global Linkages Prof. James Ronald O. Mesina, Director for Research Dr. Hermie V. Articona, MITL Dean Engr. Jesunino R. Aquino, CCIS Dean Khristian G. Kikuchi, and Office for Strategic Partnerships and Global Engagement (OSPGE) Director Ms. Pearl Stephanie Ulep. They were given a tour of the facilities of UPRI and was oriented on the activities of the institute.

 

 

The most recent activity between the two institutions was the visit of SECRA international participants to the UP Resilience Institute last November 17, 2023. Facilitated by the SECRA Philippine Team composed of Mapúa MCL, Ateneo de Manila University, and Philippine Normal University, SECRA participants from UK, Estonia, Sweden, Sri Lanaka, and Thailand visited the UPRI. They were oriented on the work of the institute during the visit. Also, they were able to witness a demonstration on how hazards are monitored by the institute. Lastly, they were given opportunities to see actual published reports given to LGUs who ask UPRI’s assistance in mapping out risks in their area.

Both Mapúa MCL and the UP Resilience Institute are looking forward to having a Memorandum of Understanding to make the partnership official. Under the MOU, they are hoping to conduct more productive activities, research projects, and other capacity building activities that would benefit not only the members of the two institutions, but the whole nation as well.

 

Mapúa MCL’s Project Lawa Team visits the LSPU NICER’s Tadlac Lake Project

 

The Mapúa MCL’s Project Lawa Team headed by Prof. Jonalyn G. Ebron visited the Tadlac Lake Water Quality Monitoring Project under the Niche Centers in the Region for Research and Development or also called as the ‘NICER’ Program of Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) in their Los Baños Campus. NICER is one of the programs of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). NICER provides grants to equip HEIs to produce quality research projects and technology that will promote the development of their region.

 

 

 

Prof. Ebron, together with the Research Director, Dr. Hermie V. Articona, and student researcher, Michael James F. Gnilo visited LSPU’s Los Baños campus to know more about the Tadlac Lake Project. The objective of the meeting is for Mapúa MCL’s team to understand the implementation and nature of the Tadlac Lake project and to gather inputs that would help define the scope and features of Prof. Ebron’s project. Project Lawa is developing research undertaking from Mapúa MCL’s College of Computer and Information Science (CCIS). The goal of this project is to create an efficient AI-based water quality monitoring system, which employs computational modeling and integrated mapping to help protect the lakes in the CALABARZON Region. The meeting between Mapúa MCL and LSPU’s NICER Team was suggested by the local DOST Region 4A office to encourage researchers with the same objectives to explore possible collaboration and technology integration thereby enhancing the implementation of their respective projects.

 

 

 

The LSPU’s NICER Team headed by Prof. Jonardo R. Asor, together with project staffs, Gene Marck Catedrilla and Jefferson L. Lerios, research assistant Glend Ferrer, and their consultant Director Christian Paul de la Cruz, currently manages the water quality monitoring project in Tadlac, which will end December this year. Though the project is about to end, Prof. Asor hopes to continue the research so their team can conduct more useful activities that would help protect Tadlac and other lakes within the region.

 

 

 

Overall, the meeting was fruitful for both institutions. LSPU’s Los Baños Campus Director, Engr. Manuel Luis R. Alvarez and the Mapúa MCL Team have identified areas for collaboration that both schools may explore in the future, specifically on enhancing Engineering programs and conducting joint research projects.

Mapúa MCL presents Research Initiatives on Resilience at SECRA Meeting

 

 

Mapúa MCL presents two research initiatives on resilience during the Strengthening University-Enterprise Collaboration for Resilient Communities in Asia (SECRA) Meeting held from October 8 to 14, 2023 at Mid Sweden University, in the city of Östersund, Sweden. SECRA is a three-year project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union (EU). It aims to promote the development of resilient communities in Asia by creating innovative and productive collaborative projects between academic institutions and their industry partners within the context of disaster risk reduction and risk management.

Dr. Hermie V. Articona, the Director for Research of Mapúa MCL, presented a developing research project and a published paper of faculty members, both reflecting the research thrust of the institution which is anchored primarily on sustainability and technology development. These research initiatives are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), SDG 11 and 17. SDG 11 is anchored on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. On the other hand, SDG 17 is focused on promoting global partnerships for sustainable development – which is the main objective of the SECRA program.

 

 

The first research project presented is entitled, “PROJECT LAWA: Design and Implementation of Computational Modeling and Integrated Mapping for Water Quality Monitoring.” The lead for this project is Prof. Jonalyn G. Ebron from the College of Computer and Information Science. While the second presented work is a published paper in the business category entitled, “Impact of Entrepreneurial Characteristics on the Business Resiliency of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in the Philippines.” The faculty author of this published paper is Prof. Donn Enrique L. Moreno from the E.T. Yuchengco College of Business.

These research initiatives reflect the two pathways that Mapúa MCL can pursue to help build resilient communities. The first pathway centers on the development of technology that can help us understand and manage environmental hazards, that are useful during disasters, and that can aid the needs of the community post-disaster events. The second pathway is anchored on building resilient Micro, small and medium entreprises (MSMEs), which can help sustain the economy especially during the aftermath of devastating disasters. Maintaining sources of income is crucial in rebuilding communities during the post disaster recovery period. Mapúa MCL’s Project Lawa falls on the first category, while the study on resilient MSMEs falls under the second category.

 

 

Project Lawa aims to create an efficient AI-based water quality monitoring system, which employs computational modeling and integrated mapping to help protect the lakes in the CALABARZON Region. An efficient and accurate system that would regularly monitor the general health of the lakes in the region is crucial in building sustainable and resilient communities. The Project Lawa Team hopes to raise awareness and concern on the issues surrounding water quality, and solicit action by bringing together local communities, agencies, Local Government Units (LGU), Non-Government Organizations (NGO), and other stakeholders near the target lake where the technology will be deployed.

From another standpoint, the author of the published paper on MSMEs, Prof. Moreno, sees business resilience as equally vital as building strong infrastructures and communities that can withstand disasters. Understanding the entrepreneurial characteristics and their contribution to the development of a resilient entrepreneurial mindset is integral in shaping the behavior of local businessmen. Specifically, creating a mindset that can survive and consistently endure yearly episodes of calamities in the Philippines such as typhoons, flooding, and other usual geographically related disasters affecting MSMEs.

Overall, the successful week-long SECRA Sweden Meeting became a venue for fruitful academic and research discussions giving partner institutions from Thailand, Sri Lanka, UK, Estonia, Philippines, and Sweden the opportunity to discuss important environmental, social, academic, and governance issues. The participants from the 13 partner academic institutions discussed the main targets of their work packages that include policy review plans, future research projects on resilience, and collaborative strategies that would help achieve the common endeavor, which is to build a stronger and more resilient Asian communities.