Sila scientist, tayo ordinary lang, ano ang ma eshare natin back home

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Pinoy scientists return home to share expertise

Dr. Dennis Merino

Six Filipino scientists in leading foreign laboratories and universities overseas, have returned home to share their experiences and expertise they acquired abroad to undergraduate students and researchers in the country.
Dr. Dennis Merino, an expert in matrix analysis in the field of mathematical sciences, is set to conduct lectures, seminars, and researches that would benefit local scientific institutions and campuses.
Merino, a Filipino professor at the Department of Mathematics in the Southeastern Louisiana University since 1992, will teach in the Institute of Mathematics in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City for two months until July.
“The talent is actually here. Hopefully, we can get more talents from universities all over the country for the benefit of our country and maybe, I can help achieving that,” Merino said.
Dr. Francisco Chung, a molecular medicine expert who has acquired post doctoral fellowships from various laboratories in Australia and United States, wanted to “stimulate graduating medicine students” and let them know that they are at par and as talented as the students abroad.
Like Merino, Chung returned home to render his expertise at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the College of Medicine in the University of the Philippines–Manila under the government’s Balik Scientist Program (BSP).
After studying abroad since 2004, Chung has two more years in the program “to connect Filipino medicine students to international laboratories” that would encourage them to produce international quality researches in the field of medicine.
Merino and Chung are not the only ones who availed themselves of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)’s program.
Plant molecular genetics expert Nora Lapitan, water engineering and management expert Amor Valeriano Ines, nuclear engineer Carlito Aleta, and civil engineer Victor Pulmano have also come back under a short-term program to share their expertise.
DOST Secretary Estrella Alabastro welcomed the six overseas Filipino experts who are part of the 21 scientists who have applied for the BSP and come back to serve the country this year alone.