Prominent Speakers at the CES Innovative Sustainability Symposium 2015

The Civil Engineering Society (CES) is hosting an event entitled “Innovative Sustainability Symposium 2015” at Walo Perfecto Seminar Room of De La Salle University - Manila on April 11,  2015 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The symposium will feature resource speakers who are experts in the field of sustainable construction and engineering. The speakers and their topics are:

• Engr. Manuel Melchor Bongulto - “Eco Friendly Construction Methods and Materials”
• Dr. Michael Promentilla - “Developing green civil engineering material toward sustainable built environment” 
• Architect Dean Michael Ramos - “Green Buildings and BERDE Program”
• Architect Felino A. Palafox, Jr. - “Philippines 2021. Phl @ 500 & Beyond, Manila Megalopolis 2021 to 2050 and Sustainable Cities of the Future” 

There will be an open forum after every talk which will help the participants understand more about what the speaker had talked about. Registration fee of P400.00 inlcudes lunch and snacks (for morning and afternoon). 

Everyone is invited. Please send an email to confirm if you are going o to the CES Project team head Gabriel Cu at gabriel_cu@dlsu.edu.ph.

CIV Pre-Board Exam 101 - Phase 2 AY 2014-2015

In order to achieve a 100% passing percentage in the upcoming Civil Engineering Board Exams, the De La Salle University Civil Engineering Department introduced the “CIV Pre-Board Exam 101” to all the students taking PRCCV11 course."101" means 100% passing and No. 1 CE School in the CE Board exam. The said program was spearheaded by Engr. Cheryl Lyne C. Roxas, together with Engr. Jason Maximino C. Ongpeng (CE Chair), Engr. Irene Olivia M. Ubay-Anongphouth, and Engr. Joenel G. Galupino.

 

The Alumni and Faculty who attended the March 14, 2015 event

Diagnostics Exams were given last February 14 (Math and Surveying), February 21 (TRE, HWR and GTE) and February 28 (STE and CTM). On the last day of the CIV Pre-Board Exam 101 last March 14, 2015, the results were announced.  The diagnostic exams are aimed to assess the level of stock knowledge and degree of preparation of the students for the CE Licensure Exams which are held every November and May. Knowing the students' weaknesses in the tests will guide them on where to concentrate their review. The board exams in CE are usually scheduled in the month of May and November.

A module presentation by Ms. Ida Dino, University Counselor, from the Office of Counseling and Career Services (OCCS) was also given.

- by Joenel Galupino 

 

CE Alumnus talk on Database Management in Procurement

To expose the students to the state-of-the art in the construction industry, experts are invited to give lectures on the present and critical issues in the CE profession. Last March 4, 2015, the Civil Engineering Society, upon recommendation of Engr. Jason Ongpeng, organized a seminar entitled “Database Management in Procurement”, with the guest speaker being a Lasallian CE alumnus, Engr. Andrew Abrenica. Engr. Abrenica is presently the country lead of procurement for Accenture Philippines and has a long range of corporate experience in company procurement and goods sourcing, having worked in Bayantrade Inc. and Citibank N.A. for the past years. 

In his talk, he covered first the concepts about information interchange and the basics of data management in his company, to give the audience an idea of how these intermarry in a real life organization. He emphasized how an effective database management is key to developing successful savings opportunities through identifying the commodities a company spends on and how smart they buy these commodities, in terms of supplier pricing and priorities-based spending. After which, he discussed the scope and dynamics of his job as a procurement manager, how it eventually became his passion, and built a career around it. His work mainly deals with spend analysis, defined as “the process of aggregating, cleansing and analyzing corporate spending data, for the purposes of reducing costs, improving operational performance and ensuring compliance”. He explained how spend analysis is relevant to every company, specially the expanding ones, being in a competitive time for business.

Engr. Abrenica reiterated the importance of spend analysis in the construction industry, wherein procurement of construction supply and equipment is a vital financial aspect. Part of the success of a construction project is having the least amount of cost, while still having structural integrity and design requirements fit for the purpose of the structure. This is done by the contractors having a systematic procurement system with competent deals with suppliers. Rationalization may be one strategy for this. Ensuring the least price for a bulk of construction materials and equipment can lead the contractor to a competitive bid for the project that increases his chances in biddings.

CES Specialization Talk 2015

The “Specialization Talk: Knowing What Lies Ahead” was held on February 28, 2015, Saturday from 9AM to 12NN at Bro. Andrew Gonzalez Building Room 1403.

As an annual event, Civil Engineering Society pioneers a specialization talk for the sophomores of the civil engineering department. This talk allows students to understand the different specializations which will be offered to them when they enter their junior year. It is assumed that some students may not be aware of the different specializations or what will their future be if they take a specific specialization. This talk aims to address various questions that may be raised by the participants through the alumni that has undergone the training for each specialization.

The Civil engineering program of De La Salle University offers 4 fields of specialization:

1.                   Structural Engineering

2.                   Construction Technology and Management Engineering

3.                   Transportation Engineering

4.                   Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering

Each specializations offers different paths for each student. These fields may also be the general topic for one’s thesis topic or even a specialization choice for when they apply for a Master or Doctorate degree. The chosen speakers are proficient people who gave the participants knowledge in this matters by giving their insights on the experiences they had undergone. The DLSU CE alumni supported the event by serving as resource speakers. The resource speakers were:

• Engr. Jommel Macabagdal – CTM Speaker; Graduated on 2008 from DLSU with Honors; Project Management Director of MAXiMUS Built Solutions, Inc.; Former President of DLSU-CES A.Y. 2006-2007.

• Engr. Ronaldo Ison – STE Speaker; Graduated on 1989 from UP; MS-CE Major in Structures UP; Principal Engineer and Owner of R.S. Ison &Associates; Former President of ASEP, Chancellor of the ASEP Fellows

• Engr. Jan Santa Barbara – HWR Speaker; Graduated on 2004 from DLSU; Part Owner of Bread for Every Juan; Established Datem Water, Inc.

• Engr. Judy Valdez – TRE Speaker; Graduated on 2014 from DLSU; Project Development Officer of DOTC; Former President of JPICE – Lungsod ng Maynila A.Y. 2013-2014.

The Specialization Talk is the most effective way of informing the sophomores of what specializations they should take. The speakers were able to guide them on these matters from the different specializations that were presented.  The CES students-in-charge of the project were project head, James de Jesus and Vice President for Academics, Kenneth Elevado.

Article by: James de Jesus