Three undergraduate research papers from the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) won in the first Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF) at the third Philippine Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology-Visayas Chapter (PSBMB-VC) regional symposium held online last July 20, 2022.
The papers of Ms. Nicole Pauline P. Plagata, Mr. Krizzian V. Hernando, and Mr. Ande Bryle N. Genciana were the first, second, and third place winners, respectively in this year’s YSF competition. The student participants were graduating BS in Fisheries students of CFOS.
The YSF is the highlight of the PSBMB convention and symposiums that recognizes outstanding undergraduate research works in biochemistry and molecular biology and other allied courses.
Any individual or group research projects carried out in any academic or research institutions in the Visayas region for the period 2020–2022 were eligible for the competition.
The research works of Plagata, Hernando, and Genciana were adjudged finalists out of seven (7) entries in the region that were submitted for said competition. The papers were screened based on their scientific merits.
Plagata’s top prize research is entitled “Aqueous extraction as an effective method to liberate the bioactive peptides from the tissues of four underutilized marine bivalves.” Her research adviser is Asst. Prof. Rhoda Mae C. Simora, PhD. of the Institute of Fisheries Processing Technology (IFPT).
Hernando’s presentation was about “DNA barcoding and morphological identification of scorpion fish (Family Scorpaenidae) from Panay Islands and Guimaras” while Genciana shared the results of his study on “Expression of genes related to fatty acid metabolism and growth in saline-tolerant Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed with coconut oil and low fat diet.” Asst. Prof. Dominique P. Mediodia of the Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology (IMFO) and Asst. Prof. Carmelo S. del Castillo, PhD. of the Institute of Aquaculture (IA) served as the thesis advisers of Hernando and Genciana, respectively.
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Sharon N. Nuñal, PhD., director of IFPT, UPV-CFOS, was one of the speakers in Parallel Session B, one of the two parallel lectures. She delivered a lecture on Anti-inflammatory Activities of Lipids from Mussel.
The PSBMB is an organization dedicated to advancing biochemistry knowledge by fostering research and education, promoting professional communication and knowledge exchange among members and other biochemists abroad, and establishing strategies for utilizing biochemistry to improve the socio-economic and health conditions of the nation.
Ms. May Flor S. Muegue, faculty member of CFOS-IFPT, is one of the Board of Directors of PSBMB-VC. She was also the coordinator of the YSF, which she hosted as well as the event’s moderator.
