By DAVID DIZON
abs-cbnNEWS.com

Fish mucus with antimicrobial properties, microtremor devices that detect natural vibrations of the ground and marine bacteria used as antibacterial agents against major rice diseases - These are just some of the science projects made by young Filipino students that have won honor for the Philippines in the annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF).

According to Teresa Pacis, external communications manager at Intel Philippines, the yearly search for the country's top science projects is raising a new breed of scientists from high schools all over the country.

"The projects are very varied but our students are particularly strong in the life sciences. The Philippines does have a niche in this. We don't spend so much on the projects but what I've noticed is that most of the projects are socially relevant and geared towards helping the community," she told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

This year, a microtremor device made of scrap materials developed by a three-man team from the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) won the Distinguished Achievement Award given by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists to projects that display excellence related to the geophysical sciences. The team received a $1,500 cash prize and a trip to the Society of International Exploration Geophysicists international expo this November in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Team members Marvin Paolo Ambrosio, Adrian Patacsil and Rachel Ruth Cahilig said the device could be useful for architects and engineers in testing the structural safety of buildings in the event of an earthquake.

Cahilig said their device only cost P400 to make, which is much cheaper than the P1.2 million price tag for a regular electronic microtremor device. Currently, only the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has such a device in the country.

"Using the recorder, you will know the predominant frequency of microtremors and compare it with the predominant frequencies of buildings to know if they can withstand earthquakes. This is useful for construction of buildings and even bridges," she said.

Cahilig said she first thought of the idea of creating a microtremor device after spending an internship with Phivolcs during her third year in PSHS.

Says team leader Ambrosio: "We compared the test results of our device to the electronic microtremor recorder and it came out the same, which makes our machine reliable."

Ecosystem for research

Joselito Tulao, higher education manager of Intel Philippines public affairs department, said the annual Intel science fair, done in coordination with the Philippine Department of Education, attracts more than 100 submissions from various high schools all over the country. This year's competition saw two team projects and three individual projects besting 114 other entries for the chance to represent the country in Intel ISEF in Atlanta, Georgia last May 13 to 16.

He said the other science projects were equally strong including a project to develop hollow blocks made of magnetic iron ore and rice husk ash and one that measured the ripeness of mangoes based on its electrical resistance. "The hollow blocks were made of materials cheaper than cement but were more durable than cement hollow blocks," he said.

Pacis said some of the science projects that won awards in the science fair have attracted the attention of some companies and local leaders. She said Marikina Mayor Marides Fernando once expressed interest in a project to extract biodiesel from janitor fish, which would solve Marikina's problem with the aquatic pest.

"The problem was -- there wasn't enough funding yet and also, maybe not enough janitor fish to make the project feasible," she said.

She added that another project on possible antibiotic properties of fish mucus caught the attention of a pharmaceutical company.

Pacis said one advice she gives all students who win in the science fair is to patent their findings. She said that while acquiring a patent can reach up to P20,000, the Intellectual Property Office does give discounts to students and young inventors.

Tulao said that for science and research to progress in the Philippines, the government and private sector must work togethers to support a local "ecosystem" that would help researchers thrive.

"Intel's efforts is only to get the students interested in research and science. Of course, those who are naturally inclined to the sciences are attracted but those who aren't interested are not tapped because there's no system yet that's established.Through this competition, we hope to kindle their interests for research," he said.