Some of the researches in the first Philippine International Science Fair (PISF) were conceptualized in the areas where the schools are located, and those that come from Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS) based them on the availability of existing natural resources.
For example, PSHS Central Visayas student Ruel Jan Anthony Moldez and fellows Janreich Miramon and Matthew Martin Sanchez discovered a potential bio-ethanol fuel source from an unlikely source called tiger grass, which is commonly used in making walis tambo or broomsticks.
“These plants are very abundant in grasslands and open spaces in Cebu City and nearby municipalities, so we researched and found that certain biochemical components of the plant are rich sources of ethanol, the same biofuel found in jatropha seeds and have been added to petroleum products,” Moldez says. “It just goes to show that nature has blessed us with so many gifts, so we must make use of them to take care of the environment, and not contribute to its decline or decay.”
Foreign delegates like South Korea’s Hyun-Joo Lee, Jee-Hyun Bae, Yeon-ju Kim, and Won-Jung Park of Korea Science Academy were delighted at the throngs of teenagers flocking to their booth, even if they admit to not being fluent in English, as they explained their study of the structural colors of Morpho butterflies by printing photonic crystal nanobeads.
“I think the students are fascinated with us since we looked like a K-pop girl group, but that’s okay because they are genuinely interested with what we are about to say,” says Lee, who also thought that science made them feel not as geeks but girls with intelligence and personality. The same sentiment was echoed by the all-boy contingent from Kaohsiung Senior Municipal High School, one of Taiwan’s top secondary schools, whose research about artificial lighting of indoor plants had the support of their own ambassador, who personally came to view their exhibit.
“The interest of the Filipino students is very encouraging. This is our first time to visit another country, and even attend an international science event like this. For us, it was a simple science experiment for our school requirement, but after listening to the experts, we know we wanted to pursue our studies further,” says Chun-Yueh Yen, who spoke in behalf of his fellow delegates and classmates Chia-Ching Wang and Chang-Chih Tsai. “In school, everyone thought of us as nerds with no social life. But here we feel we belonged to a community that embraces us. For us, studying science is as cool as learning the newest dance move or being fashionable.”(Randy Garlitos)