CE Faculty recognized as ASEP Outstanding Achievement Awardees

The Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (ASEP) celebrated its 60th Year Anniversary on 23 Sept 2021. One of the highlights of the event  was the recognition of ASEP Outstanding Achievement Awards  (AOAA) given to active members. DLSU CE Faculty members were awardees of the AOAA. 

Dr. Andres Winston C. Oreta and Dr. Lessandro Estelito O. Garciano, Full Professors of the Dept. of Civil Engineering were both given the AOAA for Structural Engineering Education. On the other hand, Engr, Frederick Francis M. Sison, Professional Lecturer of the department was given the AOAA for Disaster Management. 

Dr. Andres Winston C. Oreta is a professor at the Department of Civil Engineering (STE Division). He obtained his Doctor of Engineering (1994) and Master of Engineering (1991) from Nagoya University (Japan) and BS Civil Engineering from the University of the Philippines (1983). He was a former chair of the CE Dept. (1994-1997), Engineering Graduate Studies Director (1997-1999) and GCOE Quality Assurance Office Director (2015-2016). He was the 2014 DLSU Awardee, St. Benilde Romancon Pillar of Lasallian Excellence Award in Teaching, Winner-Outstanding Teacher, Lasallian Excellence Awards 2009-Students Search for Outstanding Teachers (SSOT), CHED Republica Regional Winner (NCR 1) in 2005 and DLSU's St. Miguel Febres Cordero Research Award in 2004. His publications are on system identification, artificial neural network applications, concrete engineering, disaster risk reduction and engineering education. He has published papers in ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ACI Materials Journal, Computer Applications in Engineering Education, Computers and Concrete, Engineering Structures, Journal on Advanced Concrete Technology. He is a member of ASEP, PICE, NRCP, PAASE and IABSE. 

Dr. Lessandro Estelito O. Garciano is a professor of De La Salle University (DLSU) - Manila. He obtained his Master of Science in Civil Engineering (structural engineering) degree from DLSU in 1998. He obtained his Master of Engineering and Doctor of Engineering degrees from Tokyo City University in 2004 and 2007, respectively. He was a former chair of the Dept. of Civil Engineering until 2020.  His research interests include wind, earthquake and flood hazard mapping, Bayesian updating methods, risk assessment, reliability theory and multi-hazard assessment of historical structures, hospitals and schools. Dr. Garciano is a member of the wind loads committee of the National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP). He is also a member of the Board of Director of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP). Dr. Garciano has also been awarded research funding from the University Research and Coordination Office of DLSU, AUN/SEED-Net and UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Engr. Frederick Francis Sison, a two-term president of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP) is professional lecturer at the CE Dept. Engr. Sison who has a MSCE from UP, Diliman is a partner of the E.H. Sison Engineers, Co. (EHSEC) and consultant to various structural and geotechnical engineering projects. He is a PICE member and officer of the Makati Chapter, an ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer and a member of the ISSEP.  As a part-time faculty, he teachers Foundation Engineering, Structural Analysis and Design courses. He  has been active in various post-earthquake assessment and surveys conducted under the Disaster Management Preparedness Response (DMPR) program of ASEP and Disaster Quick Response Program (DQRP) of PICE. 

DLSU CE Faculty and Students on CEForum: Experimental Stress and Structural Mechanics

The Civil Engineering Society, in coordination with the CE Faculty led by Engr. Kenneth Elevado, held a virtual forum entitled, “CEForum: Experimental Stress and Structural Mechanics” last August 28, 2021. The said forum was conducted for DLSU CE students, specifically under the LBYCV2E (Theory of Structures Laboratory) course, to broaden their knowledge on possible applications of structural mechanics and experimental testing.

The forum was hosted by Mr. Jheram De Borja, a DLSU CE undergraduate student. The program began with the welcoming remarks of Engr. Daniel Valerio, DLSU CE Assistant Prof. Lecturer. DLSU’s CE Professor Dr. Andres Oreta and past CE graduates were the distinguished speakers invited to showcase key studies on four different topics – CFRP Compression Test and DIC, Steel Testing, Bamboo Testing, and Beam-Column Testing. The following were the speakers and their corresponding studies discussed during the event:

· Engr. John Emmanuel Endaya, DLSU CE Graduate School Alumni – “Experimental Study on Residual Axial Strength Capacity of CFRP Wrapped Concrete Cylinder (Full and Partial Confinement) after exposure to Elevated Temperature”

· Mr. John Elijah Dela Cruz, DLSU CE Alumni – “Development of an Alternative BRB Under the Compression Stage Using Light Gauge Square Steel Pipe and Mortar as Infill”

· Engr. Marion Ryan Vicencio, DLSU CE Alumni, “Determining the Mechanical Properties for Flexure of Bambusa blumeana”

· Dr. Andres Winston Oreta, DLSU CE Professor, “Static Testing of Beam-Column Connections”

Speakers presented their researches to the students during the CEForum.

The knowledge experts were able to thoroughly discuss the laboratory experiment conducted in their respective studies. The forum ended with the closing remarks of Engr. Kenneth Toral, DLSU CE Assistant Prof. Lecturer.

Group photo taken together with the organizers, speakers, faculty and students who participated in the CEForum.

Written by: Nicole Louise Valderama, DLSU CE undergraduate student

ORETA and REDILLAS - Speakers at OCD DRRM Webinars

Dr. Andres Winston Oreta (Professor)  and Dr. Marla Redillas (Assoc. Professor) of the CE Department  and members of the Disaster Resilience Unit of the DLSU Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development Research (CESDR) served as resource speakers in the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Webinars hosted by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) which administers the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

On Sept. 3, 2021, the School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Webinar was held where Dr. Andres Winston Oreta presented on "S.O.S. Tips Infographics: Strengthening ORDER in Schools." Dr. Oreta's presentation is an output of the Philippine Resilience of Schools to Multiple Hazards (PRISMH) Project in collaboration with the University College London and Xavier University Engineering Resource Center and  funded by CHED and the British Council. The SOS Project, a component of PRISMH is an initiative of the DLSU Team aims to increase the organizational resilience of school stakeholders - students, teachers and staff - specifically with regards to awareness and preparedness to hazards like earthquakes, wind, typhoon and floods.  The SOS Tips Infographics are digital posters and brochures that aims to increase awareness of school children and teachers on what to do before, during, and after a hazardous event. The S.O.S. Tips infographics consist of three modules: (a) S.O.S. Tips on EmergencyEvacuation, (b) S.O.S. Tips on Wind, Typhoon and Flood and (c) S.O.S. Tips on Earthquakes. SOS Tips Infographics can be downloaded at scribd.com.

According to the OCD Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/civildefensePH), "Around 20,000 netizens participated in School-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management webinar conducted by the Office of Civil Defense today as part of the Third Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill. The webinar was livestreamed through the Civil Defense PH Facebook page and recorded 350,000 reach and

100,000 engagements with 20,000 peak viewers."

Meanwhile, on July 16, 2021, the NDRM Webinar on Making Cities ad Municipalities Resilient was held where Dr. Marla Redillas presented on "Building Urban Resilience through Making Water-Wise Cities." Dr. Redillas presented her research and projects on Low Impact Development, "a land planning and engineering design approach to manage storm water runoff as part of green infrastructure"(Wikipedia). Dr. Redillas was awarded as one of the NAST 2019 Outstanding Young Scientist for her research contributions in the sustainable management of water resources.  

You can watch the OCD Webinars at the Civil Defense Channel at You Tube. Click the following links.

• School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Webinar
• NDRM Webinar on Making Cities ad Municipalities Resilient