CE Researches presented at 7th AEEC - Palawan

DLSU Delegates at 7AEEC. L-R: Lejano, Oreta, Sarao, Ngo & Tanhueco

DLSU CE Faculty, Dr. Bernardo Lejano, Dr. Andres Oreta and Dr. Renan Tanhueco and undergraduate students, Ernesto Sarao III and Kriss Ngo attended the 7th ASEAN Environmental Engineering Conference held on Nov. 21-22, 2014 at the Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The 7AEEC which is organized by the AUN/SEED-Net and JICA has the theme, "The role of environmental engineering in community preparedness, immediate response and environmental sustainability." The conference was hosted by the University of the Philippines Diliman and supported by ERDT.

Two papers were presented by the CE Faculty and students. BSCE student Ernesto Sarao III presented their paper on "Utilization of Perna Viridis as Partial Substitute to Cement in Concrete Mix" by R. Talagtag, E. Sarao III, K. Ngo and B. Lejano. The study shows that crushed tahong shells are viable partial replacement for the combination of 0.4  water cement ratio and 10% replacement which enhances the concrete strength by 48%.

Ngo, Sarao and Lejano at the 7AEEC Technical Session on Green & Sustainable Infrastructure Systems

 Dr. Andres Oreta presented the paper on "Framework for Civil Engineering Research: Addressing Safety & Sustainability Through Disaster Risk Reduction" by A.W.C. Oreta, R. T. Tanhueco and L. E. O. Garciano. The framework is described below. Oreta also highlighted the completed researches of students and faculty that are aligned with the DRR framework.

The framework emphasizes the need to focus researches on how to reduce or avoid hazards and reduce vulnerabilities. which will lead to reduction of disaster risks. Reduced disaster risks leads to safer structures and improved safety to the people. Reduced disaster risks also leads to sustainability since there will be less damage to infrastructures and less wastage of resources and less impact to the people which translates to better living conditions. When we protect our people, assets and infrastructures, we increase the people’s resilience and health, preserve our resources and maintain the balance between built and natural environment.

Dr. Oreta presents a paper at the 7AEEC Technical Session on DRRM & Climate Change

R-L:  Dr. Tanhueco & Dr. Oreta with UPD Chancellor Michael Tan, UPD VCA, Dr. Benito Pacheco and DREAM leader,  Dr. Erci Paringit at Hotel Centro, Palawan

CES President is PICE MOCES!

 

Congratulations to Kristian Caringal, BSMS - CIV STE student and president of the Civil Engineering Society for being chosen as the awardee for the Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Student (MOCES 2014) by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) during the 40th  National Convention held at Legaspi City last Nov. 12-15, 2014. The MOCES awardees in 2013 (Vince Imperial) and 2012 (Syrus Gomari) were also from DLSU Manila.

Cheryl Roxas presents papers at joint AUN/SEED-Net Conferences held at Indonesia

The Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in Indonesia hosted the joint conferences - Conference for Civil Engineering Research Networks (ConCERN 2014) and the 7^th ASEAN Civil Engineering Conference (ACEC) under the AUNSEED-Net. A total of 170 participants, including several distinguished keynote speakers, from member institutions in the ASEAN region and Japan atte nded the conference held at the ITB campus on 4-5 November 2014. The Field Management Meeting was also held to discuss about the future direction, plans and activities in the Civil Engineering field. Deadline for submitting applications for the AUNSEED-Net supporting programs were also announced, which includes hosting the ACEC in 2015 and 2016. 

Engr. Cheryl Lyne C. Roxas, an alumna of the AUNSEED-Net program, presented the following papers:

1.      Effects of Bottom Ash and Chloride Concentration on Concrete Mixed with Seawater 
by Co,K.; Dy, S.; Mariano, A.; Saez, J. and Roxas, C.

2.      An Updated ANN Model for Predicting the Structural Cost of Building Projects in the Philippines 
by Roxas, C.  

Engr. Roxas also served as the moderator for the Infrastructure and Engineering Management session.

The conference was a success as it served as a venue for establishing research collaboration with other universities in the ASEAN region and reunion of the AUNSEED-Net program alumni, professors and staff.

DLSU BSCE Program meets AUN-QA Standards

The BSCE program of  De La Salle University which was audited on November 11-13, 2013 by the AUN-QA assessors (Prof. Ir. Dr. Shahrir Abdullah, University Kebangsaan Malaysia and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suprijadi Haryono, Institut Teknologi Bandung) was found to be in accordance with the requirements of the standard details of the ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance Standard. Read related blog on actual assessment.

According to the results of the assessment, "the Civil Engineering programme has put in place quality assurance approaches to address the criteria spelt out in the AUN-QA guidelines. Of the 15 criteria, one (1) criterion, namely stakeholders satisfaction, was commended as 'example of best practice', eleven (11) criteria were rated 'better than adequate' while three (3) criteria were rated 'adequate as expected' ”. From a scale of 1 to 7, the overall verdict for  the BSCE program was 4.9. Based on the self-assessment report, evidences and interviews, the Civil Enginneering programme fulfilled all criteria. Overall the quality assurance implemented for the programme is between “adequate as expected” and “better than adequate”.

The three areas that needs improvement are (a) facilities and infrastructure, (b) QA of teaching and learning process and (c)staff  development activities.

CE Dept holds Academic Advising for Froshies et al

Last October 24, 2014, the CE Department conducted Academic Advising for Froshies and the upper class students who need faculty advice and guidance. Under this activity, the performance of the student is assessed based on the grades of the previous term. The faculty provides sound advice and recommendation such as "avail of tutorials", "consult guidance counselor", "enroll a subject on specific term", etc. This is the first academic advising after it was revived this school year. The academic advising is aimed to monitor the performance of the students and to introduce intervention for those who are performing poorly in some courses. The academic advising is one activity of the Gokongwei College of Engineering for assuring quality education at DLSU-Manila.

CIV faculty and BSMS students attend 5ACEE at Taipei, Taiwan

DLSU delegates: Adam Abinales (Asst. Lecturer), Kirk Yu (BSMS), Kenneth Toral (BSMS) and Andres Oreta (Professor)

DLSU faculty and students attended the 5th Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering (5ACEE) commemorating the 15th Anniversary of the Chi-chi Earthquake held on October 16-18, 2014 at Taipei, Taiwan. The ACEE was founded by the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines in 2004 and the 5ACEE is hosted by the National Taiwan University and National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) of Taiwan.

BSMS Civil Engineering students presented papers in the parallel sessions. The papers presented were:

Kirk Yu present his paper at the session on Urban Risk Management

• Seismic Risk Assessment of Heritage Buildings in Iloilo City, Philippines by Kirk Yu and Andres Oreta (Adviser)
• 
  
• Structural Retrofitting of RC Buildings using Turnbuckle Exterior Post Tensioning by Kenneth Toral and Bernardo Lejano (Adviser)

KennethToral poses infront of the venue for the session on Seismic Retrofit and Evaluation of Structures

Dr. Andres Oreta, attended the meeting of the 5ACEE International Scientific Committee (ISC) where the host of the 6ACEE was discussed. It was decided that the 6ACEE will be held in the Philippines and to be organized by ASEP on September 2016.

The 5ACEE ISC members posed for a photo after the meeting

 Dr. Oreta and Kirk Yu also joined the technical tour at the NCREE laboratories where the shaking table, static testing equipment, isolated floor and other state-of-the art equipment are located.

Static testing of large columns

Isolated floor with dampers

CIV STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE SAKURA EXCHANGE PROGRAM IN SCIENCE

Welcome Party

The Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program (SAKURA Exchange Program in Science) was hosted by The Center for Contribution to Peace in Asia, it was conducted last October 12 to October 18, 2014. There were a total of 30 participants from De La Salle University, this includes 2 faculty members - Dr. Alvin Culaba (EVP for External Relations and Internationalization) and Dr. Jonathan Dungca (GCOE Vice Dean), 10 CE students, and 18 students from different colleges.The CIV students are:

1. Engr. Joenel Galupino, MS Student
2.  Mr. Renz Chua, BSMS Student
3. Mr. Kristian Caringal, BSMS Student
4. Mr. Sean Ting, BSMS Student
5. Mr. Benjamin Cruz, BSMS Student
6. Mr. Jiaan Gesalem, BSMS Student
7. Ms. Ivy Sanchez, BS Student
8. Ms. Modwena Juego, BS Student
9. Mr. Heisen Sanchez, BS Student
10. Mr. Dwayne Acosta, BS Student

The program concentrates on Resources and Environmental Engineering. With Waseda University as the host school, multiple lectures were conducted along with laboratory tours. Among the distinguished speaker is Prof. Shuji Owada. He talked mainly about the relationship of economy, population, food, and industry resources along with its importance to the society. They also showcased the Owada laboratory facilities with the help of Prof. Owada’s research assistants. Most of their research focuses on how to improve the recycling processes and how to solve resource problems. 

During the first day of the program, the DLSU delegates were warmly welcomed at the Waseda University. They prepared a welcome party which became an avenue of sharing of experiences. The DLSU students also had a chance to mingle with Japanese students and were able to showcase each other’s culture. Some members of the hosting organization were also present in the event.

 

Recycling Plant Visit

Laboratory Tour

The exchange program participants also visited two Tokyo recycling plants. Both plants are recycling electronic wastes such as  appliances, refrigerators, air conditioners, printed circuit boards (PCB), computers, laptops, and the like. The wastes undergo a rigorous process to obtain rare useful metals which they sell back to the industry.

 

The program was culminated by different presentations organized by the DLSU students. Message of appreciation were given by representatives of both parties. Members of the administrators of the event – Japan Science and Technology and Asia Peace Making center were also present in the farewell party. The program was ended by the awarding of certificate of achievement for the course to the delegates by Michiharu Nakamura, PhD., President of Japan Science and Technology.

The DLSU participants with the Japanese Professors

Write up by: Kristian Lawrence V. Caringal

Photos from: Dr. Jonathan Dungca and Jiaan Gesalem