DLSU signs MOU with PPA on offering Master's degree on ports and harbours engineering

The Civil Engineering Department achieved and reached another milestone last November 4, 2016 with the signing of the general Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and DLSU. Dr. Gerardo C. Janairo, DLSU Chancellor and Atty. Jay Daniel R. Santiago, PPA General Manager, signed the MOU to jointly develop a new graduate program in Ports and Harbours Engineering and Management (MS PHEM). Present to witness this event were representatives from  PPA top management and DLSU GCOE administrators, Dr. Jonathan R. Dungca, Dean of the Gokongwei College of Engineering (GCOE) and Dr. Lessandro Estelito O. Garciano, Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering.

Under the provisions of this MOU, both parties shall endeavour on the following general forms of cooperation:

1.      Joint research activities

2.      Exchange of academic materials and publications

3.      Exchange of faculty and personnel members for research, lectures and discussions

This new MS PHEM program will commence during the 1^st term AY 2017 – 2018. The program follows the 36 unit - MS curriculum with 6 units of Advanced Mathematics, 15 units of Major Courses on Ports and Harbours, 6 units of Electives, 3 unit of Methods of Research and 6 units of Thesis. Aside from the CE faculty, professional lecturers from the industry including PPA will be invited to conduct the courses. This innovative graduate program will cater to the demands of port engineers and young professionals who aim to pursue higher academic degrees to advance their career in Ports and Harbours.

The development of the program started during the term of Jason Ongpeng as CE Dept. Chair and was finalized in the term of Dr. Garciano.

CE Faculty lectures in the MCDRM program of PPSC

Faculty members of the Civil Engineering Department and also members of the CESDR Sub-center for DRR-CCA delivered lectures to the graduate students taking the Master of Crisis and Disaster Risk Management (MCDRM) of the Philippine Public Safety College during their three day sessions at De La Salle University, Conference Room, Faculty Center on Nov. 14-16, 2016. There are  ten sessions of seminars on various topics on DRRM, Public Safety & Resilience and lectures in a subject under the MCDRM.

On Nov. 14, Day 1 of the sessions, Dr. Lessandro Garciano, CE Dept. Chair delivered a lecture on “Basic Extreme Wind Speeds and Earthquake Hazards Analyses” while Dr. Renan Tanhueco shared his presentation on “Mainstreaming DRRM in the Philippine subnational physical framework & local land use plans and decision making processes.” On the 2^nd day, Dr. Andres Oreta shared his lectures in his DLSU graduate course seminar, Disaster Risk Reduction and Infrastructure Development (DRRID) on the general topic, “Understanding Hazards and Disasters.” The CE faculty members delivered the lectures as a community-service on the occasion of Lasallian Mission Week.

Dr. Oreta with the MCDRM grad students from government agencies

The Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) offers a  Master in Crisis and Disaster Risk Management (MCDRM) this June 2016. The MCDRM is a one year scholarship program for highly qualified uniformed personnel in the interior government, and employees in government and private sectors preferably practitioners in crisis and disaster risk management of the local government units. Details of the curriculum can be viewed at  http://ppsc.gov.ph/contact-us/masters-degree/master-in-crisis-and-disaster-risk-management

DLSU hosts ICEE-Phil 2016, GCOE faculty presents papers in parallel sessions

De La Salle University - Gokongwei College of Engineering (GCOE) hosted the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Education (ICEE-Phil 2016) organized by the Philippine Association of Engineering Schools, Inc. (PAES). DLSU is represented in PAES by Dean Jonathan Dungca as one of the directors. The GCOE Department chairs and former deans,  Dr. Rosemary Seva and Dr. Pag-asa Gaspillo  also attended the conference.

ICEE-Phil 2016 Group Photo (From https://www.facebook.com/paes.org.ph/photos/)

Papers on Engineering Education, Scholarship on Teaching and Learning, OBE and Case Studies were presented by the GCOE Faculty. CE Faculty, Prof., Dr. Andres Oreta presented his URCO SoTL Research on "Assessment of Individual and Group Problem Solving in the Course on Theory of Structures." Former Dean, Prof. Rosemay Seva presented her paper on "The Need for Human-Centered Engineering Curriculum." GCOE Quality Coordinators from ChE and ECE Departments also presented their papers related to the OBQA program of the college. Dr, Josie Borja presented in behalf of Dr. Susan Roces (ChE) about the ChE Capstone Design Course, while Dr. Gerino Mappatao (ECE) presented his paper on the use of a Case Study in one of the ECE Courses.

Dr. Oreta presents his certificate of appreciation as paper presentor

The support of the DLSU VCA office for the registration of the GCOE faculty paper presentors and department chairs is acknowledged.

Dr. Adajar recognized as the 2016 Pillar of Lasallian Excellence Award in Teaching

Dr. Mary Ann Adajar, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering was recognized as the "St. Benilde Romancon Pillar of Lasallian Excellence Award in Teaching" during the Pillar of Lasallian Excellence Awards 2016 held last Sept 30, 2016. The St. Benilde Romancon Pillar of Lasallian Excellence Award Excellence in Teaching is based on evidenced by any or all of the following: ITEO/peer/chair evaluation, comments and feedback from students, colleagues and alumni, support of student-sponsored activities, effective mentoring, new programs or modules developed, teaching innovations including use of technology in the classroom.

Dr. Adajar has served DLSU as faculty member since year 2001. Her field of specialization is in Geotechnical Engineering and Structural Engineering. She was a graduate of BSCE (Magna Cum Laude) at the Central Philippine University, Iloilo. She  completed the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering with specialization in Structural Engineering from De La Salle University, Manila and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering major in Geotechnical Engineering from University of the Philippines, Diliman Quezon City. In addition to her experience in the academe, she has more than fourteen (14) years of professional experience in the field of structural design, construction management and supervision gained from reputable consulting companies and from private practice.

Dr. Adajar is the third  Pillar of Lasallian Excellence Awardee in Teaching from the Department of Civil Engineering. The first awardee was Ms. Yen Ubay (2013) and the second awardee was Dr. Andy Oreta (2014).

Oreta - nominee in Batu Balani's The Many Faces of the Teacher

"The Many Faces of the Teacher (TMFT), an advocacy campaign created by the Bato Balani Foundation Inc. (BFFI), has rounded up twelve new stories of heroism from across the country.

TMFT 2016 continues to search the country for remarkable teachers whose spirit of excellence and compassion made an impact in their communities and students’ lives.

Out of the numerous entries submitted from different parts of the country, the Advocacy Review Board of TMFT 2016 introduces its 12 nominees from which the four TMFT honorees of 2016 will be chosen. We’re glad to present to you our third nominee, Dr. Andres Winston Oreta." -

From  https://www.facebook.com/tribute2teacher/

The four TMFT honorees were chosen from the 12 and were presented during “A Tribute to Teachers”, held at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City on October 1, 2016. Unfortunately Dr. Oreta was not chosen among the four awardees shown below. Congratulations to the awardees.