(First of two parts)
IN July, 11 remarkable Filipino scientists, all of them not older than 40, were recognized by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), for contributions in the physical, natural, and social sciences.

NAST, the premier advisory body in science and technology in the country, chose the following individuals not only to spur them to do more research and service, but also to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

Agriculture
Von Mark Cruz received his Bachelor of Science in Biology degree from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) in 1993 and, in 1998, his Master of Science in Genetics degree also from UPLB.

In 2006, with the help of the Fulbright program and the Department of Agriculture, Cruz got his doctorate in plant breeding from Iowa State University in the United States.

At UPLB, Cruz taught genetics and was active in biotechnology and genetics education and communication. While in the US, he taught plant germination and genomics to Native American students.

Cruz helped in technology transfer, as program manager at the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, and provided support on data analysis and breeding for biotech crop projects at UPLB.

Currently, Cruz is a geneticist at the US Department of Agriculture National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, where he is studying oilseed species and domestication of certain plants.

Roel Suralta graduated cum laude in 1994, with a BS in Agricultural Botany degree from Visayas State University. He obtained an MS in Agronomy from UPLB through a Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) scholarship and, in 2008, a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from Nagoya University in Japan under another government scholarship.

Suralta studies botany and its links to agriculture, researching such topics as the tolerance of crop plants to drought, responses of roots to drought stress, behavior of rice under irrigated or unfavorable conditions, and screening methods for drought resistance in rice.

As a pioneering researcher, Suralta has also studied root responses to fluctuating soil moistures, the current trend in world rice research to save water and maximize production. Currently, Suralta is a research specialist at PhilRice.

Molecular biology
Gayvelline Calacal received her BS in Medical Technology degree from the University of Santo Tomas in 1993, and her MS in Molecular Biology from UP Diliman in 2003.

Calacal specializes in the use of DNA technology in forensics. She has developed DNA typing research to validate analytical procedures in handling different types of biological samples for forensic applications. She created a system for the collection, handling and analysis of evidence, in particular in sexual assault cases and human remains identification. She has helped in the generation and expansion of the Philippine reference population genetic databases.

Her work has helped our legal system resolve civil and criminal cases. She has done human remains identification, providing closure to families of victims. Currently, she is a researcher with the DNA Analysis Laboratory, Natural Science Research Institute at UP Diliman.

Rachel Ravago-Gotanco graduated cum laude in 1995, with a BS in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology degree from UP Diliman. In 2001, she completed her MS in the same field at her alma mater. She is currently finishing her doctorate studies in marine science, supported by the Global Environment Fund-Coral Reef Targeted Research Program.

Ravago-Gotanco studies applications of molecular genetics to ecology, populations, biogeography, and evolution of marine species. Her master’s thesis on the population genetic structure of milkfish earned her international recognition. She has also contributed to current knowledge on patterns of diversity and population connectivity for various reef-associated species.

Physics, computer science
Eric Galapon got his BS in Physics degree from the University of Northern Philippines in 1992, graduating cum laude. He finished his MS and Ph.D. degrees in the same field at UP Diliman in 1996 and 2001, respectively.

Galapon researches the foundations and applications of quantum mechanics, mathematical physics, and computational physics.

He has published leading physics journals in the world (“Physical Review Letters,” “Physical Review,” “Proceedings of the Royal Society of London”) that have significantly contributed to theoretical understanding in these fields. The articles have been based on research done entirely at his laboratory in the country. Currently, he is working at the National Institute of Physics in UP Diliman.

Allan Sioson got his BS and MS in Mathematics degrees from the Ateneo de Manila University. In 2005, he received a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Applications from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Sioson specializes in bioinformatics, as applied to phenomena such as evolutionary history using DNA arrays, and even botany. While still in graduate school, Sioson had collaborated with plant biologists, biochemists, and fellow computer scientists to identify genes that helped various plants acclimate in specific stress conditions.

Currently, Sioson is in Ateneo de Naga University working on the database and systems biology for Mt. Isarog National Park, focusing on plant and arthropod interactions. The project hopes to contribute to conservation efforts in the national park.

Read last of two parts here.