UST Science kickstarts FTIR Seminar-Workshop
By: Julia Melisse Tungol and Kenaiah Ramos
The College of Science hosted the first day of its Seminar-Workshop on Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) Spectroscopy at the Central Laboratory Auditorium last March 08, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 4:35 PM.
This two-day event explored the application of FTIR spectroscopy in the fields of materials science, biomedical science, forensic science, and food science. Experts were invited to speak about the uses and advantages of utilizing FTIR spectroscopy in their respective fields.
The seminar started with the opening remarks of Prof. Rey Donne S. Papa, PhD, Dean of the College of Science, where he emphasized the importance of cooperation among different departments and offices. “... we are not individual barangays working here. We are one Filipino community who want to raise the standards of research…” he stated.
National Dong Hwa University’s Prof. Chia-Liang Cheng, PhD, gave the keynote address, followed by Acad. Prof. Emeritus Fortunato Sevilla, PhD from the UST Department of Chemistry, who talked about the applications of FTIR in an industrial setting. Mr. Ronald Jefferson Narceda, MSc, from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), introduced to the attendees the applications of FTIR in forensic analysis. UST Department of Chemistry Asst. Prof. Melfei Bungihan, PhD, and Mr. Gilberto Diano, MSc from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) discussed the importance of FTIR in materials science and the food industry, respectively.
Meanwhile, Ms. Patricia Cecille Monica Panganiban, MSc from the School of Archaeology of the University of the Philippines, lectured on art and cultural heritage preservation applications on FTIR. UST Department of Biological Sciences Prof. Pia Marie Albano, PhD, and Department of Biochemistry Asst. Prof. Mark Kevin Devanadera gave a lecture on the importance of FTIR in cancer likelihood and the pharmaceutical industry, respectively. The last batch of speakers consists of Prof. Maureen B. Sabit, PhD, also from the Department of Biological Sciences, and Engr. Rock Christian Tomas from the University of the Philippines - Los Baños, who talked about the applications of FTIR on environmental analysis and FTIR data interpretation, respectively.
Day 1 of the program ended with the closing remarks by Assoc. Prof. Alan Rodelle Salcedo, PhD, who thanked all the people who made the event successful.
Day 2, the workshop proper, was held today, March 09, 2024, in Rooms 501 and 502 of the Central Laboratory, where they taught the workshop participants FTIR spectroscopy application and data analysis. The seminar-workshop is the first ever FTIR spectroscopy workshop in the Philippines, hosted by the university in collaboration with Chemisphere Lab Sciences Inc.
