Junior researchers of the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) are put in the limelight during the IPB Junior Researchers Organization (JRO) 3rd Scientific Conference on February 16 and 17, 2023. The conference, with an impressive list of speakers and judges, sought to highlight and strengthen the research endeavors of IPB’s junior staff.
IPB Director Fe De la Cueva, in her welcoming message, expressed her excitement as the two-day event will surely bring a lot of learning for everyone, regardless of age.
Gracing the opening of the event as well was Department of Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, who expressed his willingness to support the young scientists in any way he can. He also urged the youth to do their best, which UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho, Jr. and CAFS Dean Elpidio Agbisit, Jr. later reiterated in their respective messages.
Young researchers, said Chancellor Camacho, play an important role in attaining food sustainability. As children of the university, they also hold a lot of potential in serving the Filipino people, remarked Dean Agbisit.
DAY 1
With many academic and scientific dignitaries present, Day 1 officially kicked off with the ribbon cutting of posters, followed by the plenary sessions.
Dr. Zuwei Qian, Director of marketing at the Asia Pacific Region for Pacbio, gave a talk on “Accurate and Actionable Genomics Data to Drive Agriculture.” Dr. Rico Ancog, Dean of the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management, discussed “Sustainability Considerations in Food Systems: Environmental Footprint Accounting.” This was followed by Ms. Erlene Manohar, coordinator at the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT), who talked about “Harnessing research and extension convergence: the COGENT approach to a sustainable and practical coconut breeding initiatives”. Lastly, Dr. Nonoy Bandillo, Assistant Professor at the Department of Plant Sciences of the North Dakota State University, delivered a lecture on “Integrative omics for increasing rates of genetic gain in pulse crops.”
In the afternoon session, five junior staff, namely, Ms. Angelica Bobis, Mr. Speedy Crisostomo, Ms. Aira Janella Elec, Mr. Ian Bien Oloc-oloc, and Mr. Jose Arnel Reyes, presented their papers in the Junior Researchers’ Forum (JRF). Dr. Violeta Villegas, Academician Evelyn Mae Mendoza, Dr. Elpidio Agbisit, Jr., Dr. Nathaniel Bantayan, and Dr. Lilia Fernando-Corpuz each expressed their amazement and imparted their advice to the young presenters as judges for the forum.
DAY 2
The second day ****started off with a plenary talk by Dr. Luciano Talens, a former Senior Scientist at Inventprise LLC, who discussed “Virology in the 21st Century”. This was followed by inspirational messages from National Scientist Dolores Ramirez and Academician Evelyn Mae Mendoza, who each recounted experiences and lessons in their career that helped shape who they have become.
Afterward, the poster sessions took place, featuring 19 posters for the upstream category and 8 posters for the downstream category. Presenters took turns explaining their posters to the ensemble of judges including National Scientist Emil Javier, Academician Eufemio Rasco, Scientist Lolita Dolores, Dr. Apolonio Ocampo, and Dr. Felipe dela Cruz, Jr.
The most-awaited awarding ceremony was held in the afternoon, with JRF participants Ms. Angelica Bobis emerging as Best Presenter for her team’s paper entitled “In Vitro Screening of Mapilak Lines Reveals Possible Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 Infection”, and Mr. Ian Bien Oloc-oloc et al. bagging the Best Paper award for his team’s work on “Jasmonic acid signaling in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.): Genome-wide Identification, Functional Characterization, and Expression Analysis of Jasmonic Acid ZIM-Domain (JAZ) Genes in Response to Eggplant Fruit and Shoot borer (Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee) Infestation”. One poster from the Downstream Category, and five posters from the Upstream Category were also awarded as among the Best Posters for this year’s conference.
The program concluded with a brief closing message from the IPB Deputy Director, Mr. Elmer Enicola, who congratulated everyone for a successful two-day event. Mr. Cris Cortaga, the IPB JRO President, also expressed his massive thanks to all the conference organizers , and enjoins the IPB junior staff to stay tuned for the organization’s future activities. (Juvelle P. Villanueva; Edited by Cris Q. Cortaga)