Article by: Kristin Clarisse H. Mateo and Sophia Catherine G. Reyes
Graphics by: Lea Ysabel Q. Evangelista
Mapúa University has been known to foster the publication of research papers for the development of different communities and academe. This is in line with the University’s continuous mission as builders of society who help others through the research. In return, numerous research papers have been given recognition and acknowledgment both locally and internationally.
Looking back in the past few months, certain Mapúans embodied said mission in multiple fields through some papers from the School of Civil, Environmental, and Geological Engineering (SCEGE), School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (MME), and Department of Physics.
CEGE
Under the supervision of ASEAN Engineer Dr. Dante L. Silva and SCEGE Associate Dean Engr. Bernard S. Villaverde, Construction Engineering Management alumni Raphaela Lois H. Ejera, Clara Vina R. Villa-Real, and Jan Marvin B. Zarraga bagged the Excellent Paper, Best Presentation, and Best Content awards during the 708th International Conference on Management, Economics & Social Science - ICMESS 2020 held last August 23-24, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. They also received the Best Thesis recognition before they graduated and placed first during the University’s Research Colloquium last January 26.
Their paper entitled “Design Program Initiative Implementation Framework: A 4-P Model of Lean Construction and Value Management for Sustainable Practices Integrating a Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test for Triple-Bottom-Line Principles in Construction Industry” was also published in the Scopus-Indexed Civil Engineering and Architecture Journal.
Zarraga shared that a big obstacle in completing the research was the statistical analysis that they used because the results should be accurate and precise. “So, inaral ko pa isa-isa bago ko matapos and nag-consult din ako sa statistician kung tama ba ang ginagawa ko,” he stated.
Villa-Real added that letting others, especially students, know the vast influence of their program— Construction Engineering and Management– served as one of their inspirations. “We are not enclosed [within] just one department. That is why our research has the same goal. It is to improve the whole [field of] construction through the triple-bottom-line, [comprised of the] environment, society, and economy,” she said.
When asked about the importance of their research amidst the pandemic, Ejera mentioned that one of the articles that they read discusses how a resilient economy depends on the shift to sustainable practices. “According to this article, cleanliness and sustainability are what the construction industry needs to [curb] the spread of the pandemic. [Possible solutions can be found] through this research where we promote the elimination of waste, building quality, as well as empowering teams,” she noted.
The research team plans to create a second research paper, focusing on the same topic but using an artificial neural network.
MME
Mechanical Engineering students Ylleniza Ysabela B. Dizon, Frances Aleiza G. Jandoc, Jean Melrose P. Tejano, and Patrick David C. Tumaliuan submitted their research paper titled “Design, Fabrication, and Testing of Autonomous Stair-Climbing Robot with Stair and Wall Recognition for Disinfecting Applications in Hazardous Environment” as an entry to the first Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) Student Research Competition. With advisers Engr. Igmedio F. Isla Jr. and Engr. Ricky De Guzman Umali, their group won second place in the said research competition last October 2020.
The researchers shared that they were inspired by the numerous reports about frontliners wearing full-body personal protective equipment for several hours and how SARS-CoV 2 – the virus strain that causes COVID-19 – can linger on different surfaces. “In these scenarios, we came up with the way to remove, or at least lessen, the human aspect of cleaning surfaces so [as] to avoid the further spread of the virus,” they emphasized.
“Since it is much better to dive into research that will help aid people this pandemic, we decided to create an affordable robot for disinfection applications to help lessen [the] risk of human contact for those performing sanitation tasks,” they added.
They are currently focused on improving the robot to make it more affordable, user-friendly, and sustainable. They are also trying to find and participate in more competitions to gain more funds and improve the study.
Physics
With her research paper entitled “Multi-year Precipitable Water Vapor Observations in East Manila, Philippines using Radiosonde and Global Navigation Satellite System,” Agana Louisse S. Domingo, along with her adviser Dr. Ernest P. Macalalad, participated in the second International Conference on Water Resources and Environmental Engineering (ICWREE2020) held last September 11-12, 2020 in Shanghai, China.
The research paper focuses on radiosondes and the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), both of which can obtain information on precipitable water vapor (PWV) – helping further understand atmospheric behavior.
When asked about her inspiration behind her research, Domingo explained that there are only a few research papers about the said topic. “That inspires me to pursue my research,” she remarked.
“Also, when my thesis adviser, Dr. Ernest Macalalad, told me to ‘break the trend’ as I tweeted that I usually read GNSS research papers from Chinese and other Western authors, that motivates me more to study my research further,” she added.
As for other research projects, Domingo mentioned that if given a chance to study on other research projects that are meteorology-related, she would also consider it a great pleasure.
As proven by the builders of society, research is never just about writing to get published, but it is also about coming up with unique ideas for the betterment of humanity. It is passed down from one generation to another to be the source of information and inspiration for further innovation.