HOT STUFF: CHEMISTRY NEWS FEATURED IN LSB!
In a recent issue of Loyola Schools Bulletin (LSB Issue #9, February 2006), the success stories of the ADMU Chemistry Department were featured.
The following articles were lifted from that particular issue of the LSB.
David Peralta (2nd from
left), together with his thesis adviser Dr. Nina Rojas (far left)
and finalist Varsolo Sunio, with Dr. Rafael Guererro and Dr. Benjamin Chan
of the
Department of Physics
David P. Peralta, IV BS/MS Chemistry, placed 3rd in the Project of the Year Competition of the BPI-DOST Science Awards held last January 24 at the Bank of the Philippine Islands headquarters in Makati.
His work, entitled “Isolation, Purification, and Characterization of a 25-35kDa Glycosidase from Ginger (Zingiber officinale),” involved the characterization of an enzyme that is able to convert some plant compounds from an inactive form to its active form. He undertook the project for his BS Chemistry thesis under the guidance of Nina Rosario L. Rojas, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Chemistry. Every year, the BPI and DOST select six projects from over thirty projects of the current BPI-DOST Science Awardees nationwide. The six projects are presented orally to a board of judges.
Two of this year’s six finalists came from the Ateneo. Aside from David, Varsolo C. Sunio of the Department of Physics was selected to present his work entitled “Volume Holographic Storage and Animation Based on Phase Multiplexing Using an Elastomer Phase Mask Formed Via Self-Assembly.” His mentor was Raphael Guerrero, Ph.D.
Final judging of the projects was based on the scientific merit, commercial potential, and national impact. Judges included BPI and DOST officials and invited experts. The BPI-DOST Awards of the Ateneo de Manila will be given at a ceremony on March 8.
Aside from being a candidate for magna cum laude honors this March, David heads the Ateneo Chemical Society (ACheS) and sings with Kinema. He looks forward to the study tour this summer of the advanced German class. David can be considered a second generation BPI Science Awardee because his thesis mentor, Dr. Rojas also received a BPI Science Award in 1990. He will stay for another year at the Chemistry Department to complete a BS/MS Chemistry five-year degree program.
Biological compounds are generally divided into genes, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. While genomics and proteomics have achieved a certain level of public popularity, knowledge regarding carbohydrates is usually limited to simple sugars, such as sucrose and glucose.
Glycobiology is a relatively new field of study that seeks to understand the intricate and important role that various sugars have in biological systems.
Jennifer T. Aguilan, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry, is currently a post-doctoral research associate at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, conducting research in the field of glycobiology. She is studying a fundamental biochemical process called glycosylation, which is needed to understand various congenital diseases, immunologic conditions and muscular dystrophies.
Dr. Aguilan completed her Ph.D. Chemistry at Ateneo in 2005 working on the structure of kappa-carrageenan, the carbohydrate found in seaweeds. Her research was recognized by the SOSE Outstanding Student Research and CHED Republika awards.
Lorna Arao-de Leoz, an instructor and MS Chemistry graduate of the Department of Chemistry, won the award for Outstanding Thesis in Advanced Science and Technology from the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). The awarding ceremony took place last December 9 at the PHIVOLCS Auditorium at UP Diliman.
De Leoz’s MS thesis entitled “A Modified Synthetic Method for Mitoxantrone, An Anti-cancer Drug” was chosen among many contenders in the field of chemistry from various universities. Her thesis adviser was Modesto T. Chua, Ph.D., of the Department of Chemistry and Executive Director of the Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC). De Leoz did her research in collaboration with Mary Ann Endoma, Ph.D., of UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry and Gisela Concepcion, Ph.D. and Lourdes Cruz, Ph.D., both from the UP Marine Science Institute.
This is not the first time that de Leoz has received an award for this research. In March 2005, she also won first place in the SOSE Awards for Outstanding Student Research, Graduate Level.
De Leoz completed her undergraduate education at the Ateneo with a BS Chemistry in 1994 and a BS Computer Engineering in 1995. She was recently accepted to the PhD Chemistry program at the University of California, Davis.
