CEAT’s Department of Chemical Engineering holds Centennial Professorial Lecture Series

The Department of Chemical Engineering of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT-DChe) held the Centennial Professorial Lecture Series on the theme “The Role of UPLB in Strengthening the Growth of Chemical Engineering Education and Research” on March 12 at the AMTEC Conference Room.

Three professorial chair lecturers discussed different aspects of chemical engineering education and research. Dr. Jovita L. Movillon discussed the instruction aspect, Professor Rex B. Demafelis covered the research aspect, and Dr. Manolito L. Bambase talked on strengthening alumni relations.

Dr. Movillon discussed Republic Act 9297 known as the Chemical Engineering Law, defined the scope of chemical engineering, and provided a brief history of its development since February 1983.  She said that UPLB was the benchmark for the curriculum in some schools in Malaysia.

According to Dr. Movillon, DChe has conducted a survey among students aimed at helping them graduate on time; discussed internal and external issues affecting the students; discussed learning resources for teachers; and talked about establishing a creative and challenging classroom teaching approach. DChe, Dr. Movillon said, aims to become an institute in the future.

Professor Demafelis described the researches of the DChe since 1983 up to the present. He said that DChe is collaborating with eight international universities, namely: Harvard University, University of Oxford, MIT, Stanford University, Imperial College of London, CalTech, University of California in Los Angeles, and the University of Auckland. He said that collaborative researches with other schools and networking with research institutions and government agencies could help address pressing industrial needs.

He also explained the department’s engineering thrusts and research projects from 2011 to 2016 that could contribute to the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) such as the biofuels project. He pointed out the importance of having an enabling environment for the successful implementation of the research agenda such as having a research ‘culture’, adequate manpower and organizational structure, and facilities and infrastructure.

Dr. Bambase stressed the importance of alumni relations and how CEAT can benefit from alumni engagement through curricular development and enrichment, institutional linkages and  profile building, fund raising campaigns, and outcomes-based educational models. He reported that DChe presently has 1,338 alumni with 54 percent coming from the 21-31 age range and who graduated in the last 10 years, while the rest are in their late 40s.  He said that the younger generation is presumed to be working in the country in various industries and could be tapped as partners. To increase alumni involvement and promote student-alumni interactions, he gave recommendations including sustaining virtual engagement through online communities and social media and organizing regular events. Further, he emphasized the importance of partnering with the industry and the internationalization of higher education as a response to globalization.

For its future plans, the DChe is proposing the sharing of research and development facilities and training laboratories (e.g.,  sugar technology), exchange programs with the industry, technical assistance services, and commercialization of technology.

Dr. Jonathan L. Salvacion, dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the Mapua Institute of Technology, who  served as discussant, shared  useful practices in Mapua that could be beneficial to DChe. 

            Dr. Arnold Elepaño, CEAT dean, reminded the DChe of its goals to engage with the private sector and alumni, to interact with the students and equip them with the necessary skills, and to continue working in line with the CEAT roadmap. (KE Araguas)