High school students from various academic institutions in Southern Luzon are gearing up to compete for the Biotechnology Quiz Contest to be held on 22 September 2007 at Umali Auditorium, SEARCA, College, Laguna.

The activity is a prelude to the 1st National Biotechnology Quiz Contest for High Schools organized by the Philippine Society for Microbiology, Inc. (PSM), together with the University of the Philippines Diliman National Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (UP-NIMBB), Philippine Molecular Biology & Biotechnology Society (UP-MBBS), and the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines.

The contest aims to emphasize the significance of biotechnology and other related fields in the development of the country and society, as well as to encourage the youth to take on the challenge of being future scientists. Likewise, it seeks to promote meaningful intellectual interaction and camaraderie between students and experts in the field of biotechnology.

Qualifying teams of the regional elimination will vie for the national championship scheduled on February 2008.

The biotechnology quiz contest for Southern Luzon is co-sponsored by the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center.

For further details, visit PSM's website at http://www.philsocmicro.com . – Rochella B. Lapitan, SEARCA BIC