Graduate and undergraduate students from the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UP Visayas (UPV-CFOS) participated in different student exchange programs at partner universities abroad.
Four MS Fisheries graduate students namely Annie Louise Piñaloza, Nielven Cansejo, Jirah Mamigo and Eugienie Marie Almira, and a BS Fisheries undergraduate student, Fiona de Castro, had the opportunity to study in Asian universities this year.
Piñaloza and Cansejo, both taking up MS Fisheries (Fisheries Biology), were accepted under the Postgraduate (Master) Programme on Tropical Fisheries with International Linkage (ILP), which is a collaboration between seven member schools in the Southeast Asian region including UP Visayas through CFOS and Japan that implement the internationalized post-graduate program on tropical fisheries.
Piñaloza, attended the 40-day 2024 ILP Summer Session at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Japan from August 16 to September 25, 2024. She was also a recipient of the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) Scholarship for this program.
She joined six other participants from ILP’s partner institutions such as Sam Ratulangi University (Indonesia), Kasetsart University (Thailand), Nha Trang University (Vietnam), Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University (Indonesia) and National Chiayi University (Taiwan). She described her learning experience as transformative and vibrant.
Cansejo, on the other hand, was hosted by National Chiayi University (NCYU) in Taiwan from July 31, 2024 - 1 September 2024. The participants attended lectures and engaged in hands-on laboratory and research activities. His study exchange was funded by the Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) of Taiwan’s Ministry of Education.
Moreover, second year MS Ocean Sciences students Almira and Mamigo spent their two-month internship at Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan from May 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 and June 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024, respectively as recipients of the 2024 Taiwan International Internship Program (TIIP), a fully-funded internship for international students that provides hands-on training and scientific experience at Taiwan’s premiere research institution.
Mamigo said “being part of the internship program in Academia Sinica was a great opportunity and experience for young and aspiring researchers. We were exposed to different perspective of our field of interests, trained with experimental techniques and met great mentors who guided us with our studies. I also met a lot of interns, post-docs and researchers who eventually became my friends and support system.”
Meanwhile, De Castro, a third year BS Fisheries student, completed one semester Mobility Program and earned 15 credit units at Pukyong National University (PKNU) in Busan, South Korea from February 27 to June 27, 2024.
This was made possible through the Mobility for Vigor and Excellence- University of the Philippines (MOVE UP) Scholarship Grant, a program designed to provide qualified UP undergraduate student with financial assistance as well as opportunities to study and attend degree-related training at UP partner universities overseas. She was also a beneficiary of the CAMPUS Asia-AIMS (Asian International Mobility for Students) Program that promotes academic mobility among Asian students throughout the region.
“Being a scholar of the PKNU-YES Program and the MOVE-UP Program is something that I will forever cherish and be grateful for. I want to thank the UP Office of International Linkages, University of the Philippines Visayas, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, PKNU AIMS, and the entire PKNU for giving students like me an opportunity to immerse in Korea’s beautiful culture and for giving me a platform to represent my country and my people. I wish all of these academic institutions the best in all your endeavors, especially in your endeavors that foster international cooperation and camaraderie. Thank you once again for everything,” De Castro stated. (With sources from Asst. Prof. Dr. Mary Grace Sedanza, CFOS coordinator for International Linkages)
