DLSU-Manila is a CHED Center of Excellence in Civil Engineering

The Commission of Higher Edution (CHED) designated De La Salle University-Manila as a Center of Excellence in Civil Engineering from 2016-2019. According to the CHED website: "Center of Excellence (COE) refers to a department within a higher education institution, which continuously demonstrates excellent performance in the areas of instruction, research and publication, extension and linkages and institutional qualifications."

As a COE, DLSU CE Department can avail of the following benefits (CMO No. 55 Series 2006):
1. Non-monetary and subsidies and awards such as graduate scholarships
2. Priority for CHED research grants
3. Deregulated and autonomous status

The following project proposals from COE are accepted by CHED:
1. Faculty Development for academic staff (degree and/or non-degree)
2. Upgrading of library resources
3. Upgrading of facilities
4. Program and Instructional Materials Development
5. Research grants
6. Publication Awards
7. Innovation and commercialization projects
8. Academe-Industry Projects
9. Faculty Development for other institutions like seminars and workshops
10. Consortia agreements
11. Internationalization activities

CE Visiting Professor Lecture by Dr. Mateo-Babiano

Dr. Iderlina Mateo-Babiano, Visiting Professor, Civil Engineering Department, DLSU and Senior Lecturer in Planning, University of Queensland (UQ), Australia will deliver a lecture on "Bicycle sharing in Asia: a stakeholder perception and possible future, " on  March 30, 2016 (Wednesday), 1400-1530 hrs at the Yuchengco Seminar Rooms 407-408.

Abstract:

Despite public bicycle sharing programs (PBSPs) gaining global attention as important climate smart transport strategy to support sustainable, low carbon societies in the West, they still continue to have limited uptake in the Southeast Asian setting. Evidence points to the scheme’s high capital cost requirements, a perceived lack of support or the limited awareness and understanding of its potential role as a green transport alternative within Asia’s distinctly diverse context. While existing schemes in other regions could provide a better understanding about bicycle sharing, the need to improve our understanding of PBSP’s role in catering for the local transportation mobility and access needs and requirements as well as identifying strategies to make PBSP better adapted to local Asian condition is in order. To address this gap, this paper aims to understand the glocalisation of low carbon technological innovations such as PBSPs. Using a survey-based research design approach, this study examines the perception of various stakeholders on their perceived benefits and values as well as to identify the factors, which have facilitated or constrained the implementation of innovative PBSP technologies within the Asian setting. This paper aims to improve our understanding about the perception of potential PBSP implementers within Asia’s urban centers. A better understanding of the challenges is the first step in planning for a smarter society, while a more crucial aspect is building the evidence base so as to enhance our understanding on the glocalisation of bike sharing schemes. To date, there has been limited information and analytics to inform low-carbon planning globally especially from the perspective of diverse stakeholders.

 

About the speaker: Dr Iderlina Mateo-Babiano is a Senior Lecturer in Planning at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. She is a scholar in sustainable and active transport research (mainly on walking and bicycling) but has also advanced a significant body of knowledge in land use and transport interaction, transport and health, transport and resilience, urban design, transport history, and development planning, with theory and policy implications within the Australian and Asian setting. Dr Mateo-Babiano received her doctoral degree from the Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan while she completed both her Master in Urban and Regional Planning and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of the Philippines.

To date, she has published 46 peer-reviewed publications in addition to several invited talks and international research presentations. She has also been a chief investigator in research projects, both in Australia and Asia. Several of her current research projects encompass research and scholarship of teaching, including Bikesharing; Gender and active transport; Building students’ spatial skills; and Delivering better homes for public housing tenants.

She is currently a member of the International Scientific Committee for the World Society for Transport and Land Use Research (WSTLUR), Great Asian Streets, Australasian Transport Research Forum (ATRF) and serves as Topic Group Chief for the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies International Scientific Committee.

 

GCOE faculty attends ERDT Research Management Training, Dr. Oreta: Speaker on Mentoring

 DOST and the Engineering Research & Development for Technology (ERDT) hosted a Research Management Training on March 12-13, 2016 at the Summit Ridge, Tagaytay. The objectives of the training seminar are: By the end of the training,

• "the participants should be familiar with engineering research management, graduate students mentoring, challenges to research and innovation, and collaboration in research; 
• be familiar with key strategies of other faculty advisers from other universities in managing students and research;
•  be able to learn and get insights from the experiences of other faculty members; and 
• be able to establish preliminary and potential linkage and collaborative works in research among co-participants."

Resource Speaker

 Dr. Andy Oreta, professor of the Civil Engineering Department was one of the resource speakers of the seminar. Dr. Oreta was invited to talk about "Research Management in Engineering (Mentoring)." In the seminar, Dr. Oreta presented his talk on "My Reflections on Mentoring" which consists of five subtopics: (a) My former thesis advisees, (b) Why students fail to finish the thesis, (c) My tasks as a thesis adviser, (d) Benefits of an ERDT adviser, and (e) A good mentor. Dr. Oreta listed his successful advisees like Dr. Jonathan Dungca (his 1st MSCE graduate), now GCOE Dean, Engr. Jason Ongpeng, now CE Dept. chair and Dr. Lessandro Garciano, now Head of Structural Engg Division - they are now the bosses of Dr. Oreta! Dr. Oreta used the PhD Comics to add humor to his presentation.  He also recommended a useful reference for mentors and graduate students, "How to get a PhD" by Phillips and Pugh. Dr. Oreta emphasized that mentoring is a lifetime endeavor which starts with academic advising to career & professional/family life counselling. He ended his talk with a quotation by St. Lasalle; "Artists work on canvas, builders work on stone, even doctors work on human bodies, but teachers work on human souls, which will shine with them like stars for all eternity."

One of the slides of Dr. Oreta on Mentoring as a lifetime career

Thirteen faculty members from DLSU-GCOE attended the training. Representing the CE Department were Dr. Mary Ann Adajar and Engr. Richard De Jesus who actively participated in the group activities of the training. There were six resource speakers, three from UP Diliman, two from Mapua Institute of Technology and Dr. Oreta from DLSU. The participants came from the ERDT consortium schools - UPD, UPLB, AdMU, CLSU, MSU, MSU-IIT, MIT & DLSU.

DLSU-GCOE Faculty busy with SWOT exercise

DLSU delegates participated at the seminar- workshop on “Developing Resilient Persons”

Last March 1-3, 2016, Engr. Erica Uy (CE Faculty) and Benjamin Cruz (BSMS ERDT scholar) attended the seminar-workshop on Developing Resilient Persons hosted by the Environmental Studies Institute of Miriam College. The participating Christian schools are De La Salle University Manila, Trinity University of Asia, Central Philippine University, College of St. John Roxas, Silliman University, University of San Jose Recoletos, University of St. La Salle Bacolod, Southern Christian College, Ateneo de Davao University and Miriam College. The objectives of the seminar are as follows: (1) Prevent Disaster Risk Reduction and management practices in the universities; (2) Develop a pedagogy for resilient persons education; and, (3) write 20 teaching and learning modules on developing resilient persons.

The delegates of the participating Christian Schools.

Before the seminar-workshop, the two came up with DLSU’s best practices on DRRM. It was presented at a poster exhibit and it was further discussed by Engr. Erica Uy during the presentation of the Best School DRRM Programs and Practices. It featured the following: DLSU’s protocols on earthquake, tsunami and fire drills as well as the evacuation map; awareness of DLSU, as a research based institution, through its participations in different seminars; and, External participation of DLSU through COSCA related activities including Sagip Metro, Capacity Building and localization of Sustainable Development Goals. 

Poster exhibit.

Best school DRRM programs and practices presentation.

The delegates were welcomed by the following: Glenda Fortez, Ph.D; Vice-President, Miriam College; Glenn Shice, Ph.D., Vice President for Porgrams, United Board of Christian Higher Education; and, Donna Paz T. Reyes, Ph.D., Executive Director Environmental Studies Institute, Miriam College. Series of lectures and discussions were presented by various professionals from varying fields of environmental science, engineering, psychology, history and information technology as well as each university’s approach on DRRM practices. A pedagogy was created by the delegates on the characteristics of a resilient person for self and for others. Finally, 10 teaching modules and 10 learning modules on developing resilient persons were created by the faculty and students respectively. Engr. Erica Uy drafted the teaching module on “Landslide Assessment” while Benjamin Cruz drafted the learning modules on “Infrastructural Adaptability on Climate Change” and “Climate Change and Hazard Mapping”.

Mr. Benjamin Cruz presenting his learning module.

DLSU delegates together with the organizers.

By: Engr. Erica Elice S. Uy and Joseph Benjamin Z. Cruz

GCOE QA organized SoTL Seminar/Workshop

The GCOE SoTL Scholars and Resource Speakers

The GCOE QA Office and DLSU QA Office hosted a seminar/workshop on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) for GCOE faculty on March 4, 2016 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the HSSH 4Flr Conference Room. This seminar/workshop addresses DLSU KRA 1 which is “Education that is excellence-driven and learner-centered” with the goal that “Teachers are enabled to perform more effectively as Lasallian educators.”  This goal is assessed based on an “incremental increase in the number of faculty members engaged in SoTL research projects.” Hence this activity was conducted to increase the awareness of selected GCOE faculty about SoTL and engage them to publish papers on engineering education and SoTL in conferences and journals. This activity enhances the GCOE OBQA program and serves as an impetus to revive the Master of Engineering Education program at GCOE and offer a PhD on Engineering Education in the future.

 

Dr. Sison served as SoTL resource speaker and workshop adviser

 

Certificate of Appreciation from the GCOE Dean was presented by Dr. Oreta to Dr. Sison

The seminar started with a brief presentation by Dr. Andres Oreta, GCOE QA Director about his paper related to the "Evolution of an Engineering Educator." He also presented conferences on engineering education and journals where the faculty can submit scholarly papers on SoTL. The resource person on SoTL was Dr. Raymund Sison, CCS Professor and University Fellow who introduced the SoTL framework which he proposes for DLSU and SoTL concepts. Dr. Derlie Mateo-Babiano, CE Dept. visiting professor from the University of Queensland, Australia announced Graduate Certificate and PhD opportunities in Australia.  Eight faculty members from GCOE actively participated in the seminar/workshop. The GCOE participants were:

• 1. Michelle Almendrala - ChE
• 2. Efren Dela Cruz - ME
• 3. Ann Dulay - ECE
• 4. Samuel Hernando - CE
• 5.  Marlon Musngi - MEM
• 6. Maria Cecilia Paringit - CE
• 7. Jazmin Tangsoc - IE
• 8.  Oscar Unas – MEM

After the seminar, a workshop was conducted wherein each participant shared his/her idea of a possible SoTL project or paper. Dr. Sison gave comments on how to improve their proposals. Interesting proposals were presented such as Innovative teaching of  Engineering Ethics and Laws by Dulay and Dela Cruz, use of virtual reality in ChE by Almendrala, Simulating a CNC machine by Musngi, Pair-wise or cooperative problem solving in Surveying by Paringit and Real-world problems in Structural Analysis by Hernando. The participants which are named as GCOE SoTL Scholars will  champion SoTL in the college and their respective departments. 

Dr. Maricel Paringit, SoTL Scholar from CE Dept.

Engr. Sammy Hernando, SoTL Scholar from CE Dept.

 

A simple SoTL souvenir was given to each participant