Dr. Danilo Largo (left), together with his co-authors, receives the first runner-up award in the recently concluded Ched Republica Award for their research on the “Development of an Integrated Multi-tropic Aquaculture (IMTA) System for Tropical Marine Species in Southern Cebu, Philippines.” (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Research Director Danilo Largo of the University of San Carlos (USC) grabbed first runner-up honors in the Commission on Higher Education’s (Ched) Best Research and Publication (Republica) Awards during the ceremonies held last July 26 in Manila.
Dr. Largo, PhD, won the award for his paper “Development of an Integrated Multi-tropic Aquaculture (IMTA) for Tropical Marine Species in Southern Cebu, Philippines” published in Aquaculture Reports and co-authored by Annie Diola (USC) and Mario Marababol (Department of Tourism, Region VII). The pilot study benefits coastal communities in Ronda town, southwest Cebu, demonstrating Ched’s emphasis on research, development and extension and alignment with the Global Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr. Largo’s research was funded by the Ched Philippine Higher Education Research Network (PHERNet). USC researchers Zona Hildegarde Amper, PhD, from the Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History and Patrick John Lim, PhD, from the Department of Chemistry also submitted papers that were awarded as regional qualifiers for social science and natural science, respectively. Both researches have been published in scholarly journals and also enjoyed Ched PHERNet support.
Dr. Amper’s paper “Surviving Water Scarcity in a Small Island Community” tackled a pressing issue in the archipelago and demonstrated the community impact of academic research. Dr. Lim’s paper, which estimated mercury levels in consumer products and verified its presence in the Cebu City sanitary landfill, was commended earlier by the Sangguniang Panglunsod for vital information in aid of legislation.
Part of the USC contingent to the Ched research conference held in the same venue on July 26 and 27 was Engineering Dean Evelyn Taboada, PhD, who was invited to present her success story on technology transfer, turning mango wastes into value-added products and leading to the establishment of Green Enviro-Management Systems Inc. with 60 employees.
The USC delegation was headed by Elizabeth Remedio, PhD, USC-Ched PHERNet coordinator, and Celeste Villaluz, USC Grants Management technical officer.