The past few weeks and months have been shining moments for NOPSSCEA schools which gained national honors through the performance of their students in major competitions. The winners are Mylene Stephanie Lacson of La Consolacion College who topped the digital art category of the 40th Shell National Student Art Competition; Edward Warren Torres  of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, who emerged champion in the Smart Wireless Engineering and Education Program national quiz bowl and the St. La Salle team of Electronics Communications Engineering seniors who ruled the innovation competition also sponsored by Smart Communications.

St  Lasalle Dominates
Smart Innovation Tilt

Create, Innovate and Explore. This was the code, apart from the cell broadcasting disaster preparedness system which they developed that paved the way for five St. La Salle students to clinch the team champion’s award in the 4th SMART SWEEP Innovation and Excellence competition  held in Cebu City early in February.

The competition aims to help strengthen engineering education and technology in the country. The USLS team, composed of leader Delman Alago ad members Francis Parcon, Kimwell Laluma, Paul Alvarez and Mark Paulo Salada, was accompanied to the national competition by ECE Department head Engr. Edgar Altarejos and mentors Jared Santibañez and Constancio Legaspi.

Their entry, which took five months to prepare is an innovative wireless project in keeping with the SWEEP theme of “Going Wireless  for Disaster Preparedness”. The study, entitled “Geo Specific Public Warning System Using Cell Broadcasting”  uses cell broadcasting, a cell feature that allows networks to send text messages to subscribers through identified areas, a similar feature used in Am/FM radio in messaging.

Delman explained that cell broadcasting sends info-messages through target location and mapping, adding that any phone has this kind of feature – which, in the case of Nokia, is known as “info messaging”. The message pops out anytime with reports delivered, which subscribers usually ignore, he added.

The team leader recalled they spent sleepless nights and even their own allowances for the project. “Five computers simultaneously operated round the clock while we were working on this at home he said, adding they invested nearly P15,000 for the project.

Their effort paid off with the students winning P500,000 for the grand prize and their school also getting another P500,000.

On the innovative side of the project, Alagao pointed out that cell broadcasting is such a powerful information tool that is from message jam, especially when traffic is congested, like during Christmas and new Year’s days.  When the threats of disaster occur, the network,  they have developed, having  identified the location of the danger, can instantly alert subscribers in the area.

Parcon said that, if implemented nationally, the system can easily people in probable disaster areas at the fastest time.

The team also received a Cisco Certified Network Administrator scholarship from Trends Net Inc.

The USLS project bested 58 other entries, including two submitted by Ateneo de Manila students, which were later trimmed down to 10 finalists. The Ateneo entries, which staged flood detection using a sensor device and on epidemic mapping respectively,  were adjudged second and third.

Alagao pointed out that his team was motivated to win. We wanted to win that’s why we did our research and technical work very well with each member being focused and cooperative in our team effort.

And he added the x-factor which was  “with the production cost which was really less yet the whole thing is feasibly high”. The group has talented members with different gifts and all these complemented, said Engr. Altarejos, adding that the team demonstrated dedication, leadership and active participation – which are the traits of true engineers”.

Recoletos ECE Senior
is quiz Bee Champ

A highlight in the 4th National SWEEP Awards held in Cebu City last month was the ‘PalaECEpan’ quiz bee which Recoletos Engineering student Edward Warren Torres dominated.

Participated in by entries from almost all of Smart’s  40 partner schools, the quiz bee was held to recognize the broad knowledge of students of various area in their field. The questions covered general engineering, electronics, signaling, data  communication, transmission control and internet protocols and  transmission and wireless technologies.

Torres won the closely-contested final round over Don Joven Agravante of the university of San Carlos in Cebu City, Nerissa Saluder of the Systems Plus College Foundation  in Angeles City,  Daryl Aaron Gaerlan of Ateneo de Manila University and Kistoffer Sy Laiz of Ateneo de Naga.

The national champion did a two-month preparation fort he competition but this volunteer Knights of the Altar of the Oratory of St. Nicholas of Tolentine believes more than hard work, his prayers and God helped him in the competition.

UNO-R Dean Christopher Taclobos  and the winner’s mentor,  Engr. Christopher Alunan, along with the Recoletos  Engineering community, said they are happy of Edward Warren’s performance.

For his victory, the Bacolod student, the younger of the two sons of Warner Torres and Eulita Torres of JR Torres Subdivision in Bacolod City,  won  P40,000, a mobile phone and a full scholarship grant from Edge Review Center.

The quiz bee champ said he will treat his friends, classmates, teachers and parents once he receives the prize and save the rest for his Cebu  review for the licensure exam later this year.

LCCian: Shell Digital
Art Contest Winner

For aspiring Fine Arts practitioner Mylene Stephanie Lacson, anything that is simple is beautiful. For her, simplicity means “less colors, less strokes, less expectations”.

This, she said,  should be the principle that every Filipino artist of her generation should have in mind in painting the world as she stressed: “ Let’s not complicate things, rather, simplify and true beauty shall be revealed.”

Taking inspiration from her LCC ARFIEN Department family, Stephanie, a Fine Arts senior majoring in Advertising, bested hundreds of entries as her work, “Tackle Down,” was declared first-prize winner in the 40th SHELL National Students Art Competition-Digital Art Category in Ayala Museum early November last year.

“It was my first time to join a competition. My friends thought it would be worth the try,” she said.

Her work used Photoshop technology with minimal brushes with blue, brown, and black coordination, tells a story of a neglected and unnoticed teddy bear in an event.

“There’s no really exact story to it. I’m not fond of teddy bears; it just came in and in the process it wove a story,” she said.

The young digital artist recalled that her group, MAJICAL, named after the first letters of her friends’ first names —  Mylene, Agnes, Jenny, Ileana, Cheryll, Anika, and Larisa — thought of joining the competition since all are graduating this year.

“There were different categories like acrylic, oil, sculpture, and digital art. Each of us chose her field among the major categories and submitted our work,” she pointed out.

It took Stephanie less than three hours to accomplish her work, saying, “It was fun doing it, no expectations of winning at all.”

It was Stephanie’s second time to be acknowledged as an artist, following her Christmas card project in 2004  which was bought by San Miguel for  P3, 000.

The NSAC is an annual undertaking of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation as part of its corporate commitment to help aspiring visual artists in the country.

 Stephanie received a P50, 000-cash prize and plans of saving half of the amount in the bank and the other half as a gift to herself- a Hong Kong trip after her graduation in  March.