i feel a different kind of joy every time my eyes meet yours
i feel a different kind of contentment every time your hands touch my cheeks
i feel a different kind of peace every time i hear your voice caress my ears
it is just so amazing how we met unexpectedly
it is just so amazing how i saw you in my dreams and became real
the first time i saw you, i knew you were the one.
every moment of my life i give back to you
every breath that i take i dedicate for you
every task i accomplish, i offer to you
i love you, do you love me too?
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
The real world that awaits...
Your will be done Lord! :) I completely surrender my life to you!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Grabe :)
I really had fun today and yesterday. Well, I had an unexpected win and cash from PIChE Davao's Undergraduate Research Compatition, met a lot of PhD's in the forum and was inspired to do a lot of further studies. Moreover, i enjoyed the food during the competition, started working on the other things that i have to do and went out with my friends (JP, Kring, Vebz, Doning, Elfin, Gil and many more) haha. I thank the Lord for this day! :D Salamat Lord :)
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Things to be thankful for! (Gratitude is the best Attitude)
The past four years in college was really a blast! I am very blessed for all the experiences that led me to where i am now and to the people who walked with me in this journey. I really feel that "the world conspires" only if you are sure of where you want to go. Thus, here are the things that i am for, for the four years of formation that i had in college:
1. My school. To be honest, Ateneo is my least preferred school way back in college, because, i feel like my parents can't afford to send me there and my preferred course (which used to be bs materials engineering) is not available in Ateneo. But, it is just so amazing that i am led to this least-preferred-school and end up excelling there. I am more than convinced that everything was planned by God, for all the circumstances which led me in Ateneo de Davao were beyond my control.
2. My family. I just have the most supportive and loving parents in the world! I love you Mama and Papa :). Moreover, I am thankful for the moral and financial support being extended by my grandmother (nanay pisyang) to our family. And i just love my brother and sister too, although we have occasional misunderstandings :D I am doing my best for you. Thanks for helping me scrape those pectin samples for my thesis! Hahah!
3. Awards and Recognitions. My college life was filled with awards and recognitions for the things that i have done. I graduated Valedictorian, Magna Cum Laude and Leadership Awardee. My thesis also bagged the 2nd Runner-up in the BPI Best Project of the Year. I was also awarded the Most Outstanding student for 2 years and Outstanding Club President in second year. These awards are beyond my imagination and i am just living the vision that i told myself before i entered college: "It's payback time."
4. I had a girlfriend. Well, although i am already single at this point, but i feel really blessed for having a girlfriend. And i am thankful for everything!
5. My course. I just appreciate how the detours led me to BS Chem. More than that, i found my calling in chemistry, that is to develop my very own drug. Yes, i really am motivated to go into research about creating a formulation to cure dengue and so on.
6. My friends, teachers and Involvements. I am so blessed, because for the past four years, i had great friends, teachers and joined great clubs which really helped me become better as a person. More than that, i expanded my network of friends and had worthwhile connections with them.
7. My relationship with God. My entrance to a catholic and Jesuit university allowed me to be closer to God! I am thankful for everything that i learned from the Jesuits!
These things will always be in my heart. The Ateneo experience that i had and the four years of college self-searching and formation that i had was really memorable and if i may say truly life changing! I look forward to a more challenging yet, more rewarding life experiences and people ahead! I know that my destiny is already written, i just have to fulfill it. And i know i am successful! May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
1. My school. To be honest, Ateneo is my least preferred school way back in college, because, i feel like my parents can't afford to send me there and my preferred course (which used to be bs materials engineering) is not available in Ateneo. But, it is just so amazing that i am led to this least-preferred-school and end up excelling there. I am more than convinced that everything was planned by God, for all the circumstances which led me in Ateneo de Davao were beyond my control.
2. My family. I just have the most supportive and loving parents in the world! I love you Mama and Papa :). Moreover, I am thankful for the moral and financial support being extended by my grandmother (nanay pisyang) to our family. And i just love my brother and sister too, although we have occasional misunderstandings :D I am doing my best for you. Thanks for helping me scrape those pectin samples for my thesis! Hahah!
3. Awards and Recognitions. My college life was filled with awards and recognitions for the things that i have done. I graduated Valedictorian, Magna Cum Laude and Leadership Awardee. My thesis also bagged the 2nd Runner-up in the BPI Best Project of the Year. I was also awarded the Most Outstanding student for 2 years and Outstanding Club President in second year. These awards are beyond my imagination and i am just living the vision that i told myself before i entered college: "It's payback time."
4. I had a girlfriend. Well, although i am already single at this point, but i feel really blessed for having a girlfriend. And i am thankful for everything!
5. My course. I just appreciate how the detours led me to BS Chem. More than that, i found my calling in chemistry, that is to develop my very own drug. Yes, i really am motivated to go into research about creating a formulation to cure dengue and so on.
6. My friends, teachers and Involvements. I am so blessed, because for the past four years, i had great friends, teachers and joined great clubs which really helped me become better as a person. More than that, i expanded my network of friends and had worthwhile connections with them.
7. My relationship with God. My entrance to a catholic and Jesuit university allowed me to be closer to God! I am thankful for everything that i learned from the Jesuits!
These things will always be in my heart. The Ateneo experience that i had and the four years of college self-searching and formation that i had was really memorable and if i may say truly life changing! I look forward to a more challenging yet, more rewarding life experiences and people ahead! I know that my destiny is already written, i just have to fulfill it. And i know i am successful! May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
Just so i know!
When i met the big (and smartest) guys of Chemistry today (who happened to be Whitten, Skoog, Campbell, McMurry, Atkins and others in my encounter with the books that they authored), i just can't help it but tell myself: "Marami pa akong kakaining bigas." But i tell you, it just motivates me to do more and strive for excellence in Chemistry even more. I am just so fired up, because i know that i am one of them! I declare it! I just have to do my work here and, well, then the details will follow!
I am! :)
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
I am! :)
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
<3
Monday, April 12, 2010
Valedictory Address of Michael A. Casas
VALEDICTORY ADDRESS
Ateneo de Davao University Commencement Exercises March 20, 2010
By Michael A. Casas
BS Chemistry, Magna cum Laude
Valedictorian and Leadership Awardee
Rev. Fr. Antonio S. Samson of the Society of Jesus, President of the Ateneo de Davao University; Rev. Fr. Jose Cecilio Magadia of the Society of Jesus, Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in the Philippines; Mr. Paul Dominguez, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; members of the Jesuit community in Davao City, honored guests, university administrators, faculty and staff, our dearest parents, friends, the members of the graduating class of 2010, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant and wonderful morning to everyone.
On this very day, the graduating class of 2010 gratefully and humbly faces our mentors, friends and beloved parents as we end the 4, 5 or more years toward obtaining our respective college degrees. We are basking in the glow of boundless idealism as we try to review and look back at the memorable and life-changing experiences that led us to arrive at this level of maturity in our relatively young lives. But, my dear fellow graduates, after this very day, after the last applause has been heard, we are mindful that we are yet to continue our quest towards greater self-knowledge and understanding of the world in the biggest university we call LIFE. This realization isn’t new, of course, but it is accompanied by a far greater appreciation of the fundamental values –the necessary essentials –which carried us through this momentous occasion, something which millions of our unfortunate young people can only dream of.
Having said that, we rightfully acknowledge and express our deepest appreciation for the privilege accorded to us being molded according to the philosophy of Jesuit education. It is precisely in this context that we ask where and how to situate ourselves amidst a much bigger world that awaits us, a world that welcomes our collective aspiration enough to change it, transform it, and make us believe that it is our turn now, this time, to contribute towards rebuilding our nation.
As we labored through college life, we lived through the experience knowing that our Jesuit education brings with it a worldview that sees that goodness of the world through the eyes of a loving Creator. We lived out these experiences of fostering a truly holistic, liberating, and altruistic view of education in whatever way possible. After each learning endeavor, whether in the discursive climate of the classrooms or in the sea of poverty that typifies our immersion and exposure areas, we seek the values that we acquire in these experiences and learn to reflect on them to see their implications and contributions to the human person and eventually to society at large. In what we have come to understand as the one crucial principle of Jesuit education, we have imbibed the principle of faith and justice as an overarching theme of the Catholic social teaching on preferential option for the poor. Eventually, we know and understand through so many formative learning experiences that Jesuit education seeks to be interdisciplinary for it attempts to integrate different forms of knowledge as an approach to living life.
Much has been written, by and among Jesuits themselves, about our mode of proceeding as a Jesuit academic institution. Let me attempt to summarize some of these ideals by way of highlighting the important points: that the reason why we are celebrating today –our graduation –far more transcends the goals of monetary reward, popularity, and success; that it is essentially all about having the heart, the will, and the character to address the social cancer in our society and the greater world that awaits us; that we have the desire and the political will to really take a serious look at poverty and conflict in all forms and truly work in finding the appropriate solutions to break these disempowering cycles of violence; that we believe in a cause far greater than ourselves by seeking ways to end all manners of discriminations, as we learn to share our faith with others in total act of charity, and ultimately, in working for an equitable distribution of the world’s resources and our patrimony.
And so, my fellow graduates, the essence and goal of Jesuit education poses a challenge to all of us who have benefited largely from this framework of formation. As bearers of this educational legacy, particularly at this point in our nation’s history, what do we expect of ourselves? Ultimately, in the presence of our mentors and parents who celebrate with us this morning, we ask ourselves what does our dear Alma Mater truly expect of us? How then must we respond and what is the scale of our response? How must we seize the opportunity to make a difference in our nation’s history?
Frederick Buechner offers this reflection, and I quote, “The place God calls you to, is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.” Unquote. In Philippine society today, we are called to identify a form of that particular hunger that Buechner proverbially speaks of through our collective and unified movement in working for the promotion of justice. For one, we are invited to look at the adverse effects of climate change as a hunger that should be responded to. Further research, but more importantly changing our ways of dealing with our environment, should be done to seriously respond to this call. On another scale of hunger, we have a government whose entanglements in a lot of scandals and unsavory decisions including, among others, the prevalence of warlordism in our political arena, the culture of corruption and the self-serving desires of some officials to perpetually remain in power, have caused serious dissatisfaction among us, eventually questioning the legitimacy and moral ascendancy of some of our government officials and the institutions they represent. And to top it all, the usual political circus that somehow characterized our national and local elections, which, I am sure, some of our senior voters have grown tired and weary of. But more than seeing the usual fare in our electoral process, this crucial first-ever automated election is also a venue of addressing that hunger, that hunger for a clean, honest and orderly conduct of elections, a rallying cry so old and yet so new that it awakens a new sense of awareness particularly among the young.
With these observations, we ultimately find our deepest desires to know the extent of our calling and the scale of our response by first and foremost understanding ourselves. It is a process so crucial that it lays the foundation to understanding LIFE in the grand scheme of things. By knowing who we are, it allows us to discover our place in this world as we eventually assume the position of leadership in society. By way of an example, we can perhaps identify groups and individuals who responded to the hungers of society by listening to their inner calling. For instance, the scientists who actively take part in materializing researches to help address the grave effects of climate change is their response to humanity’s hunger in making this world a far better place to live. The much-loved and respected late President Cory Aquino articulated, to the last draw of her breath, her hunger that all Filipinos unite as one people and pray together as one wounded nation ready to rise again.
In like manner, we are called towards discerning how to go about making a difference in the lives of people by anchoring our life’s sets of values on the essential things. Time and again, experience tells us that this is often difficult perhaps because it challenges us to go inwards. Meaning, that before we can speak of change as a new paradigm, before we see the dignity and self-worth in others being similar to our own, and before we put our lives on the stake in order to dream of a bigger good in the name of heroic and loving service, we need to look within ourselves and listen to the inner calling of God within us.
To my fellow graduates, my fellow Ateneans, I speak from the bottom of my heart when I say that it is such a privilege to speak on your behalf this morning, to carry our voice as members of the graduating class of 2010. And, by your leave, allow me to verbalize these parting words: that we hold on to that imaginative mind; that we keep our expectations low but set our standards high; that we maintain that attitude of humility; that we become a person for others; that we live life to the fullest; that we become the change that we want to see in the world; that we strive to know our purpose in life; that we become a good example to others; that we do ordinary things with love; that we enrich our faith in God; that we love our calling with passion; that we take the risk; that we learn to let go; that we remain still and know that He is God; and most of all, that we never give up, never give up and never ever give up.
Thank you everyone and to God be the glory!
*from: http://www.addu.edu.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=753&Itemid=210
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
The real world
I should really say that i am super tired today. Really tired. Imagine, i have been going here and there just to get my TOR, apply for the alumni ID, borrow the phy chem book of joey, blah blah blah. This is the harsh real world that they call. And yes, so far so good. Although this day made me really tired, but i really appreciate my experience today, because i feel like i am one of them now. I am not a spectator, but i am part of the people who move in this world. I am now away from my very own comfort zone. Yes! It is both sad and good. Sad, precisely because, things won't be easy now. Good, because i will finally learn how to live in this very competitive world.
In as much as yes, i am entering in this new and complex society, but i believe that i ought to carry with me the sets of values which i have learned beforehand- imagination, dreaming big, respect, integrity, punctuality, excellence, humility, love, gratitude, service, faith. Yes, the world can influence me, but these remains to be my strongholds, my buffer so that i can get hold of myself and be reminded of the necessary essentials just so i can fulfill the personal legend written for me. I know that i can do it! I can fulfill my destiny! I am!
I am thankful that today, i have finished a bunch of things. But, to be honest, this day just opened much more things to do. Well, that is life i guess- your assignments never end, unless it's your time to say goodbye. Sorry if i was somewhat morbid there, but it is a fact that we should all face. While we are still alive, things will come and will continuously come.
The real world is just so real. Like in Physical Chemistry, no "constants" or idealized systems can be employed this time. Every factor is in play and will surely contribute to the outcome of my journey. I know, it won't be easy. Yes, i know that the road will be challenging. But i am sure that i will succeed! I am successful for I am walking with and for the Lord!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
In as much as yes, i am entering in this new and complex society, but i believe that i ought to carry with me the sets of values which i have learned beforehand- imagination, dreaming big, respect, integrity, punctuality, excellence, humility, love, gratitude, service, faith. Yes, the world can influence me, but these remains to be my strongholds, my buffer so that i can get hold of myself and be reminded of the necessary essentials just so i can fulfill the personal legend written for me. I know that i can do it! I can fulfill my destiny! I am!
I am thankful that today, i have finished a bunch of things. But, to be honest, this day just opened much more things to do. Well, that is life i guess- your assignments never end, unless it's your time to say goodbye. Sorry if i was somewhat morbid there, but it is a fact that we should all face. While we are still alive, things will come and will continuously come.
The real world is just so real. Like in Physical Chemistry, no "constants" or idealized systems can be employed this time. Every factor is in play and will surely contribute to the outcome of my journey. I know, it won't be easy. Yes, i know that the road will be challenging. But i am sure that i will succeed! I am successful for I am walking with and for the Lord!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Michael Casas
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Updates!
A lot of things happened after my last blogpost. And, a lot of things are to be expected in the days to come. I should say that the journey up to this point of my life is worth thanking for. I am very grateful for everything that happened to me and for all the experiences that God allowed me to have. More than the experiences, i thank the Lord for the lessons that made me wiser and the people who helped me get through. I am very much thankful also for the achievements and awards which affirmed my efforts. Truly, "the world conspires to help you achieve your dreams" whenever you do your best and your eyes are set on your goals.
I am bringing with me a sense of peace and gratitude at this point in my life. Gratitude, because, i believe that I am very blessed by God despite my sinfulness. The Jesuit saying "sinful yet called (and blessed)" is something which i believe quite accurately describes my state at this point. Well, i should honestly say that everything that happened to me and to my life are things which i never expected. If i may look back, a mere entrance to Ateneo de Davao is a blessing in itself. I did not make it to UP and Singapore, but i was welcomed with open arms in Ateneo de Davao. This is something which i am very thankful for. If the admissions director did not allow me to be enrolled then, i can't imagine where i would be situated at this point. I am thankful for my course. I once wanted to become a materials engineer in UP Dil or in Singapore. But detours led me to enroll in BS Chem Eng in ADDU. And yet, another detour, which is my shifting to BS Chem due to the advise of DOST. Isn't it amazing that no matter how hard and how long the road to BS Chem was, i am still able to excel. Thanks be to God! I am also thankful for my friends. All of them who came to my life really helped me shape my character and in one way or another helped me know who i am. I am thankful for my teachers. Their expertise, experiences and wisdom made me aware of the truths about life. I am thankful for my family. My mama, papa, nanay, brother and sister are always there to help me all th way.
On another side, i am at peace with myself. I am at peace to some extent, because, i have rid of some misconceptions about the world. I am at peace, because, i have known Jesus during the Holy week retreat even more personally. Now, i appreciate love, the cross and my relationship with Him more no matter how sinful i am, for as long as i go back to Him in humble repentance and prayer. I am at peace, because, i found myself. I realized that i have a legend to fulfill, a destiny to make real by just doing what i ought to do. I am at peace, because, i have a clearer vision now, on the look out for what is good and what ought to be done. I am at peace in the arms of God as i go on with my life each day!
It was a meaningful and a great journey after all. It pays to surrender to God everything. The events in my life made me understand the real meaning of surrender and faith. Believe in His perfect plan, because after all, He made this universe beautiful and perfect after all!
At this point, i look forward to a more challenging chapter of my life. But for now, i will be reviewing for the board exams! I hope, i can make it! I will make it! For the greater glory of God! I really do not know what happens after the board exam... I'd just lift it up to Him and allow His grace to lead me to my destiny, towards fulfilling my own destiny.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
I am bringing with me a sense of peace and gratitude at this point in my life. Gratitude, because, i believe that I am very blessed by God despite my sinfulness. The Jesuit saying "sinful yet called (and blessed)" is something which i believe quite accurately describes my state at this point. Well, i should honestly say that everything that happened to me and to my life are things which i never expected. If i may look back, a mere entrance to Ateneo de Davao is a blessing in itself. I did not make it to UP and Singapore, but i was welcomed with open arms in Ateneo de Davao. This is something which i am very thankful for. If the admissions director did not allow me to be enrolled then, i can't imagine where i would be situated at this point. I am thankful for my course. I once wanted to become a materials engineer in UP Dil or in Singapore. But detours led me to enroll in BS Chem Eng in ADDU. And yet, another detour, which is my shifting to BS Chem due to the advise of DOST. Isn't it amazing that no matter how hard and how long the road to BS Chem was, i am still able to excel. Thanks be to God! I am also thankful for my friends. All of them who came to my life really helped me shape my character and in one way or another helped me know who i am. I am thankful for my teachers. Their expertise, experiences and wisdom made me aware of the truths about life. I am thankful for my family. My mama, papa, nanay, brother and sister are always there to help me all th way.
On another side, i am at peace with myself. I am at peace to some extent, because, i have rid of some misconceptions about the world. I am at peace, because, i have known Jesus during the Holy week retreat even more personally. Now, i appreciate love, the cross and my relationship with Him more no matter how sinful i am, for as long as i go back to Him in humble repentance and prayer. I am at peace, because, i found myself. I realized that i have a legend to fulfill, a destiny to make real by just doing what i ought to do. I am at peace, because, i have a clearer vision now, on the look out for what is good and what ought to be done. I am at peace in the arms of God as i go on with my life each day!
It was a meaningful and a great journey after all. It pays to surrender to God everything. The events in my life made me understand the real meaning of surrender and faith. Believe in His perfect plan, because after all, He made this universe beautiful and perfect after all!
At this point, i look forward to a more challenging chapter of my life. But for now, i will be reviewing for the board exams! I hope, i can make it! I will make it! For the greater glory of God! I really do not know what happens after the board exam... I'd just lift it up to Him and allow His grace to lead me to my destiny, towards fulfilling my own destiny.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Kalamansi won 2nd Runner up! BPI-DOST Best Project of the Year Awards
The past few days in manila was really memorable and should i say historical. i got the 2nd runner up for this year's best project of the year awards.
all participants were brilliant in their presentation. and the shocking thing is, i have to present first after the draw lots... i was nervous... but really, i presented well (i think) and i am very thankful for the corrections and comments of Maam Agnes Aranas on my powerpoint presentation... thanks maam for the comments, they were very helpful! :). then i went as natural as i can possibly become, although my voice was a bit shaky at the start, but nevertheless, i got through.
i was particularly anxious about Dr. Corazon Menguito (PhD., Biochemistry) of the UST- Chemistry Dept. and Dr. Ramon Miranda (PhD., Biological Chemistry) of the UP-Diliman Institue of Chem and former PSHS Executuve director, because they would most likely ask the more difficult chemistry questions. the other panelists (although i can't remember their names) were Maam Environmental Scientist, Sir Dr. Physicist and a Sir Dr. Microbiologist (sorry maam and sirs if i forgot your names, but i can remember well your faces po...).
My Thesis is entitled: "Optimization of Pectin Extraction from the Peels of Citrus microcarpa (Kalamansi) and Proximate Analysis of the Residue for Selected Parameters"
During the Question and answer portion, i can remember that these questions and (my) answers surfaced...
Dr. Microbiologist
did you arbitrarily choose these acid concentrations?
- no sir, basically, i based it in laterature...
what is your relationship to the company? did they fund you?
- yes, because the company will benefit (in the words of maam chell) :)
Dr. Physicist
only 33% yield? so the 67% will be thrown away?
- actually, no sir, since the second part of the study will take care of that concern by looking for the plausible application where the residue will be used.
Maam Environmental Scientist
can you comment to the idea that if we leave the peels to decay as against the energy needs of your pectin in the processing of the peels?
- IPPA is profiting, so why not our local pectin industry in the future? CO2 is liberated in the degradation of organic matter. we don't want that to happen, so it is better to use kalamansi in pectin extraction before...
Dr. Menguito
you did not purify the pectin?
-no need. 95% ethanol gives a purer product than EDTA, acetone and aluminum chloride.
Why those temperatures? times?
- there were studies who looked into pectin yield vs. temp and time. so we adopted it in this study for kalamansi.
why use 95% ethanol? you should have tried others so we can see.
95% ethanol produces more purified product. other pptng. agent leads to impure product based on literature.
Dr. Miranda
"you have a good presentation Michael, but can you comment on the stability of pectin at different temperatures? and the stability of citric acid in these temperatures?"
-thank you sir. i really do not have readings on pectin stability at different temperatures but the trend in the data explains the strenght of HCl over citric Acid.
(but really, i was beating around the bush and i was super nervous about this question)
then maam Chell A. Jacob (Associate Director of the BPI Foundation and EMCEE of the event) cut the Q&A portion and i went back to my seat. i did not notice that i was crying. yes, it was the release of all the tension and fear that i have ever felt (and managed to hide it- in fairness) during the presentation and the Q&A portion.
Here are the finalists for this year's Best Project of the Year Awards:
>"Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS)-derived Aerosol Optical Thickness and Ground-Measured PM2.5 & PM10 concentrations in Manila Observatory: Observations and Analysis"
> Leo Miguel Paolo M. Baylon - BS Physics, Ateneo de Manila University
AdMU. physics. he studies particulate patter (PM) 2.5 and 10 in areas around manila observatory. he created a trend of this data and so on... but it was more of a data collaboration study as he is only looking at the data gathered by NASA... Dr. Miranda points out that his data do not have a pattern, i also do not understand why...
> "Synthesis & Characterization of TiO2 Nanomaterials Deposited on Si by Horizontal Vapor Phase Growth"
> Paul Michael B. Abrasaldo - BS Physics with Specialization in Material Science, De La Salle University
DLSU. physics. he wanted to make titanium oxide something... related to nanotechnology... it was very jargonic. i just understood that he prepared it by heating titanium oxide in a furnace... his study is quite advanced, but has no direct impact to the community...
> "Removal of Chromium from a local Chrome-Tannery Wastewater by Sodium Sulfite Reduction Coupled with Sodium Hydroxide Precipitation"
> Ma. Ivy S. Dela Cruz - BS Chemical Engineering, UP Los Baños
UP-LB. chem eng. her study was about the removal of chromium in a wastewater using sulfide reaction etc... she surpassed one step of the reaction. but i guess, her experimental condition was idealized, not including the natural organic matter and microbial community present in the actual water that she will be treating... i don't know if this is right, but this is what i remember...
> "Genetic Diversity in Representative Accessions of Cultivated Rice Species Using Grain Quality Candidate Genes through EcoTILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes)"
> John Carlo M. Malabad - BS Biology, UP Los Baños
UP-LB. bio. his study was about rice varieties. i think we would like to develop a rice that would be cooked faster... something like that. he used PCR and so on... i love the complexity of his research, but i think, the comment of one panelist was very valid that we need flood and drought resistant rice and so on...
> "Prevalence and Antibiogram of Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) among Students of Xavier University"
> Nyttli Ann O. Soriano - BS Biology, Xavier University
XU. bio (Nittly Soriano who became my friend).she wants to study the efficacy of the garlic, pomengranate and mangosteen extracted through soxhlet extraction against a strain of Staph. aureus... her study i believe needs pharma screening first to know the active principle as pointed our by Dr. Menguito.
Location: Executive Lounge of 1851 Club, 20/F BPI Head Office, Makati City
Lunch was soooo good! super delicious and i am thankful i was able to taste those rare cuisine. hahaha. thanks to BPI-DOST... it was an Asian Buffet :D i love the shrimps hahaha :)
then while waiting for the announcement of the results, we (maam simpol, maam aranas, sir fenecios and sir ryan) chatted about the presentation, about the entries and so on... well, i had a great time talking to them... we had fun :D
then, later on, the results were announced... analytical thinking was the focus of the message of the opening remarks (but i did not really get the other things that the speaker said in her message, i was too nervous).
Then Maam Environmental Scientist came to announce the winners...
" and the 2nd runner up goes to the study Optimization of Pectin Extraction from the Peels of Citrus microcarpa (Kalamansi) and Proximate Analysis of the Residue for Selected Parameters. bu Michael Casas, ADDU"
wow! it was bliss and i was so happy that that moment came and that i really won the awards. i really just can't believe it :d i am just so grateful and happy :)
i called mama and we are all happy i feel so blessed and thankful that at least for the first time, a non Luzon junior scientist proved the impact of his study to the BPI-DOST Science Awards... :) and so my thanks goes to the panelists and to the BPI-DOST Science Awards committee for giving my study a chance and such high recognition :) Thank you po! :D
on the deeper things....
i really consider this experience a miracle, because it allowed me to walk on, risk a lot of things, let go of many things and just have faith in my heart that all these things will be worth it... God is really good! and Just! He sees the hardships of His children and rewards them accordingly. it is faith that should keep us going. i am one of the living witnesses of miracles. MIRACLES HAPPEN! :)
on thanking people...
i would like to specially thank the following:
SOYUZ Foods Inc., for sharing their insights and for supplying kalamansi.
Mrs. Evelyn Tan for all the support the Chemistry department gave to me.
Dr. Lourdes Simpol for the expert advice, guidance and motivation.
Dr. Joval Afalla and Mr. Roland Anthony Mindo for providing valuable corrections to my manuscript and guidance in the laboratory.
Ms. Agnes Aranas for helping me in searching for journals and for guiding me in my powerpoint presentations and for lending her laptop!
BPI-DOST Science Awards for recognizing my research and for giving me this very high recognition that i never thought would be possible... THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
To The BPI foundation for sponsoring our Philippine Airlines Airfare, other expenses and Accommodations at El Cielito Inn.
To Ms. Chell Jacob of the BPI Foundation for the warm welcome, guidance and moral support!
Maam Tes, Sir Germs and Maam Carms for helping me in the lab and for the pectin pictures they sent to my elai the day before the defense in the BPI head office.
To sir Bong Eliab and Kalasag for the wonderful pictures of my pectin! :)
Sir Osbry Villasis for his help in the statistical analysis.
Kim, Yna and Elaine for the assistance in the lab.
ADDACS, PIGLASAPAT, SICO, SAMAHAN, CCO, NSM-SEC, ASLA, SUBDOM, Chem/ChE 4 for the friendship and support
Abigail, Ayesha and Archie for the friendship and fun.
My Family-Ms. Simplicia Arquiola, Mr. Edgar Casas, Mrs. Alma Casas, Rap rap and Camille- for the moral support, encouragement and love.
The Almighty Father for EVERYTHING! :)
WITHOUT ALL OF YOU, I WILL NOT GO THIS FAR!
What more shall i say?
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
For the Greater Glory of God! :)
Michael "Miko" Casas
all participants were brilliant in their presentation. and the shocking thing is, i have to present first after the draw lots... i was nervous... but really, i presented well (i think) and i am very thankful for the corrections and comments of Maam Agnes Aranas on my powerpoint presentation... thanks maam for the comments, they were very helpful! :). then i went as natural as i can possibly become, although my voice was a bit shaky at the start, but nevertheless, i got through.
i was particularly anxious about Dr. Corazon Menguito (PhD., Biochemistry) of the UST- Chemistry Dept. and Dr. Ramon Miranda (PhD., Biological Chemistry) of the UP-Diliman Institue of Chem and former PSHS Executuve director, because they would most likely ask the more difficult chemistry questions. the other panelists (although i can't remember their names) were Maam Environmental Scientist, Sir Dr. Physicist and a Sir Dr. Microbiologist (sorry maam and sirs if i forgot your names, but i can remember well your faces po...).
My Thesis is entitled: "Optimization of Pectin Extraction from the Peels of Citrus microcarpa (Kalamansi) and Proximate Analysis of the Residue for Selected Parameters"
During the Question and answer portion, i can remember that these questions and (my) answers surfaced...
Dr. Microbiologist
did you arbitrarily choose these acid concentrations?
- no sir, basically, i based it in laterature...
what is your relationship to the company? did they fund you?
- yes, because the company will benefit (in the words of maam chell) :)
Dr. Physicist
only 33% yield? so the 67% will be thrown away?
- actually, no sir, since the second part of the study will take care of that concern by looking for the plausible application where the residue will be used.
Maam Environmental Scientist
can you comment to the idea that if we leave the peels to decay as against the energy needs of your pectin in the processing of the peels?
- IPPA is profiting, so why not our local pectin industry in the future? CO2 is liberated in the degradation of organic matter. we don't want that to happen, so it is better to use kalamansi in pectin extraction before...
Dr. Menguito
you did not purify the pectin?
-no need. 95% ethanol gives a purer product than EDTA, acetone and aluminum chloride.
Why those temperatures? times?
- there were studies who looked into pectin yield vs. temp and time. so we adopted it in this study for kalamansi.
why use 95% ethanol? you should have tried others so we can see.
95% ethanol produces more purified product. other pptng. agent leads to impure product based on literature.
Dr. Miranda
"you have a good presentation Michael, but can you comment on the stability of pectin at different temperatures? and the stability of citric acid in these temperatures?"
-thank you sir. i really do not have readings on pectin stability at different temperatures but the trend in the data explains the strenght of HCl over citric Acid.
(but really, i was beating around the bush and i was super nervous about this question)
then maam Chell A. Jacob (Associate Director of the BPI Foundation and EMCEE of the event) cut the Q&A portion and i went back to my seat. i did not notice that i was crying. yes, it was the release of all the tension and fear that i have ever felt (and managed to hide it- in fairness) during the presentation and the Q&A portion.
Here are the finalists for this year's Best Project of the Year Awards:
>"Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS)-derived Aerosol Optical Thickness and Ground-Measured PM2.5 & PM10 concentrations in Manila Observatory: Observations and Analysis"
> Leo Miguel Paolo M. Baylon - BS Physics, Ateneo de Manila University
AdMU. physics. he studies particulate patter (PM) 2.5 and 10 in areas around manila observatory. he created a trend of this data and so on... but it was more of a data collaboration study as he is only looking at the data gathered by NASA... Dr. Miranda points out that his data do not have a pattern, i also do not understand why...
> "Synthesis & Characterization of TiO2 Nanomaterials Deposited on Si by Horizontal Vapor Phase Growth"
> Paul Michael B. Abrasaldo - BS Physics with Specialization in Material Science, De La Salle University
DLSU. physics. he wanted to make titanium oxide something... related to nanotechnology... it was very jargonic. i just understood that he prepared it by heating titanium oxide in a furnace... his study is quite advanced, but has no direct impact to the community...
> "Removal of Chromium from a local Chrome-Tannery Wastewater by Sodium Sulfite Reduction Coupled with Sodium Hydroxide Precipitation"
> Ma. Ivy S. Dela Cruz - BS Chemical Engineering, UP Los Baños
UP-LB. chem eng. her study was about the removal of chromium in a wastewater using sulfide reaction etc... she surpassed one step of the reaction. but i guess, her experimental condition was idealized, not including the natural organic matter and microbial community present in the actual water that she will be treating... i don't know if this is right, but this is what i remember...
> "Genetic Diversity in Representative Accessions of Cultivated Rice Species Using Grain Quality Candidate Genes through EcoTILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes)"
> John Carlo M. Malabad - BS Biology, UP Los Baños
UP-LB. bio. his study was about rice varieties. i think we would like to develop a rice that would be cooked faster... something like that. he used PCR and so on... i love the complexity of his research, but i think, the comment of one panelist was very valid that we need flood and drought resistant rice and so on...
> "Prevalence and Antibiogram of Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) among Students of Xavier University"
> Nyttli Ann O. Soriano - BS Biology, Xavier University
XU. bio (Nittly Soriano who became my friend).she wants to study the efficacy of the garlic, pomengranate and mangosteen extracted through soxhlet extraction against a strain of Staph. aureus... her study i believe needs pharma screening first to know the active principle as pointed our by Dr. Menguito.
Location: Executive Lounge of 1851 Club, 20/F BPI Head Office, Makati City
Lunch was soooo good! super delicious and i am thankful i was able to taste those rare cuisine. hahaha. thanks to BPI-DOST... it was an Asian Buffet :D i love the shrimps hahaha :)
then while waiting for the announcement of the results, we (maam simpol, maam aranas, sir fenecios and sir ryan) chatted about the presentation, about the entries and so on... well, i had a great time talking to them... we had fun :D
then, later on, the results were announced... analytical thinking was the focus of the message of the opening remarks (but i did not really get the other things that the speaker said in her message, i was too nervous).
Then Maam Environmental Scientist came to announce the winners...
" and the 2nd runner up goes to the study Optimization of Pectin Extraction from the Peels of Citrus microcarpa (Kalamansi) and Proximate Analysis of the Residue for Selected Parameters. bu Michael Casas, ADDU"
wow! it was bliss and i was so happy that that moment came and that i really won the awards. i really just can't believe it :d i am just so grateful and happy :)
i called mama and we are all happy i feel so blessed and thankful that at least for the first time, a non Luzon junior scientist proved the impact of his study to the BPI-DOST Science Awards... :) and so my thanks goes to the panelists and to the BPI-DOST Science Awards committee for giving my study a chance and such high recognition :) Thank you po! :D
on the deeper things....
i really consider this experience a miracle, because it allowed me to walk on, risk a lot of things, let go of many things and just have faith in my heart that all these things will be worth it... God is really good! and Just! He sees the hardships of His children and rewards them accordingly. it is faith that should keep us going. i am one of the living witnesses of miracles. MIRACLES HAPPEN! :)
on thanking people...
i would like to specially thank the following:
SOYUZ Foods Inc., for sharing their insights and for supplying kalamansi.
Mrs. Evelyn Tan for all the support the Chemistry department gave to me.
Dr. Lourdes Simpol for the expert advice, guidance and motivation.
Dr. Joval Afalla and Mr. Roland Anthony Mindo for providing valuable corrections to my manuscript and guidance in the laboratory.
Ms. Agnes Aranas for helping me in searching for journals and for guiding me in my powerpoint presentations and for lending her laptop!
BPI-DOST Science Awards for recognizing my research and for giving me this very high recognition that i never thought would be possible... THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
To The BPI foundation for sponsoring our Philippine Airlines Airfare, other expenses and Accommodations at El Cielito Inn.
To Ms. Chell Jacob of the BPI Foundation for the warm welcome, guidance and moral support!
Maam Tes, Sir Germs and Maam Carms for helping me in the lab and for the pectin pictures they sent to my elai the day before the defense in the BPI head office.
To sir Bong Eliab and Kalasag for the wonderful pictures of my pectin! :)
Sir Osbry Villasis for his help in the statistical analysis.
Kim, Yna and Elaine for the assistance in the lab.
ADDACS, PIGLASAPAT, SICO, SAMAHAN, CCO, NSM-SEC, ASLA, SUBDOM, Chem/ChE 4 for the friendship and support
Abigail, Ayesha and Archie for the friendship and fun.
My Family-Ms. Simplicia Arquiola, Mr. Edgar Casas, Mrs. Alma Casas, Rap rap and Camille- for the moral support, encouragement and love.
The Almighty Father for EVERYTHING! :)
WITHOUT ALL OF YOU, I WILL NOT GO THIS FAR!
What more shall i say?
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
For the Greater Glory of God! :)
Michael "Miko" Casas
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