Nineteen Grade 12-STEM students from UP High School in Iloilo (UPHSI) were among the select groups chosen to present their research as Global Guests in the poster presentation category of Science Castle Osaka Kansai 2024, held on December 21, 2024 at Yamato University in Suita, Osaka, Japan. The students were accompanied by UPHSI faculty members Dr. Jonny B. Pornel, Dr. Reynold Tan, Prof. Joel B. Labos, and High School Principal Prof. Edelia T. Braga.
Science Castle Osaka Kansai is an international conference aimed at fostering a "super high school-level research community," featuring oral and poster presentations from schools in Japan alongside global guests from Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
Six research studies from Grade 12-STEM students of UPHSI were featured in the poster presentation. These studies included “Cresunscreen: Formulation of the Calabash (Crescentia cujete) Methanolic Extract as a Sunscreen Cream,” presented by Abbie Jessica Leigh, Antoine Kaiser Demontaño, Arwen Jayne Deriada, Aisha Yaelle Homeres, and Caiden Ramirez. Another study, “Efficacy of Green Mussel (Perna viridis) Shell Scraps as an Adsorbent in Crude Coconut Oil Refinement,” was presented by John Emmanuel Ocastro and Agatha Keath Guillermo (Ocastro et al.). The study “Raw Kapok Fiber (Ceiba pentandra) and Dried Luffa Sponge (Luffa aegyptiaca) as Composite Materials for Natural Oil Adsorption” was presented by Alyssa Marie Verde (Gimeno et al.).
The research titled “Fabrication of High Temperature-Resistant Cellulose Aerogel from Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Pod Husk for Efficient Thermal Insulation” was presented by Ariette Jezka Villanueva and Peter Andrei Carmen (Villanueva et al.). Another study, “Crab Shell–Derived Chitin Synthesization on Recycled Fabric Scraps,” was presented by Kerubim Iana Paulin Senobin, Unicka Pearl Jose, Chrystel Therese Mendoza, and Llya Nyssa Mikkailah Sulit. Finally, “Assessing the Prevalence of Microplastics in Fish Sold in Local Markets of Iloilo” was presented by Keith Jan Matthew Abad, Julia Marie Barcelona, Kranbee de la Viña, Ronaldo Gabriel Rivera, and Jan Emmanuel Tan (Abad et al.).
Additionally, UPHSI representatives Ariette Jezka Villanueva and Peter Andrei Carmen shared their experiences from the Science Castle in Asia earlier that year during the Leave a Nest parallel session.
All participating teams received financial support from the Friends of UPV High School Foundation Inc., the UPHSI Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), and sponsorships from various individuals and organizations. (With sources from UPHSI)
