The Chemical Engineering Students Summit Philippines 2014 was held last February 7-9 in the University of the Philippines Diliman. Over 300 students from all over the country came to participate in a three-day series of seminars, lectures and workshops organized by the UP ALCHEMES.
Chemical Engineering Students Summit Philippines 2014 | Nexus: Embracing New Possibilities Through Unified Perspectives
The participants happily waiting in line for registration
February 7 marked the start of the event as it kicked-off with its first program in Quetzal: ChE Career Paths Colloquium. Undergraduates with internship experiences were invited to share some of their insights on working with big companies. Edsel Serrano, intern at Coca-cola Bottlers Philippines Inc., Charles Hernandez, intern at Philippine Polypropylene Inc. and Paul Kevin Dacre, intern at Texas Instruments talked about their on-the-job training experiences with these companies. Engr. Mark Lynius Payabyab and Engr. Diana Gernan, shared their work experiences, giving the participants some ideas on the different paths taken by chemical engineers.
After Quetzal, a kick-offdinner was held in the evening to officially launch the summit in the event, Ecclesia. The participants enjoyed themselves as they got to meet the other participants in a night full of fun, games, food and newly formed friendships.
Early the next morning, some of the participants prepared themselves for plant visits in Raconteur. A set of participants visited Amherst Laboratories Inc. in Biñan, Laguna to witness the different operations used to create their products. Another set went to the plant of DuPont Pioneer in San Miguel, Tarlac. It was a great opportunity for the students to witness the working environment of an engineer in the industry.
The participants visit DuPont Pioneer for Raconteur: Plant Visit
Back in UP Diliman, Scintilla: Innovations Seminar was being held. Engr. Harold Aquino shared some points on innovation and as he pointed out barriers that hinder it, stressing out that in order to innovate efficiently, do not fix what is not broken.
His talk was followed by one from Dr. Wilfredo Jose who talked about the paradigm in chemical engineering, introducing his advocacy to the participants. The participants left the seminar enlightened from the talks as lunch time came.
In the afternoon, the younger participants attended the seminars Et ChEtera and Vida Verde while the fourth and fifth year students attended a career workshop in Fianchetto. In Et ChEtera, Engr. Walter Escaño gives a lecture and a complementing activity on marketing ideas. Different relevant concepts in
economics were taught to help them optimize the return of their endeavors. In Vida Verde, Ms. Raiza Elumba from Haribon Foundation Inc. gave a talk on the preservation of the endemic species in our country raising environmental awareness in future engineers. Meanwhile in Fianchetto, students listened to the talks of Mr. Samuel Santos and Mr. Elbert Olaes, both from Flour Company, as they gave a lecture on how to secure the position you want. The speakers shared important notes on what should and what shouldn’t be included in a resume and tackled some pointers on what to do before, during and after an interview. It was followed by a workshop about business etiquette, image and social grace handled by Ms.
Suzie Benitez.
The students discussing marketing plans for an activity in Et ChEtera
On the last day of the summit, experts Dr. Alvin Culaba and Mr. Rafael Diaz, together with the UP Debate Society, led the participants in a debate on biofuels and alternative fuels entitled Kibitz. It was then followed by the final seminar of the summit, Fianchetto, a corporate talk. The talk included Ms. Jean Tamondong from Shell and Engr. Prince Elmer Reyes from Philippine Batteries Inc. who introduced the participants to the different corporate companies in the country. Then finally, after three days of seminars and talks, the summit celebrated with Piging, a culminating party held at La Piazza, Old Balara Road, Diliman. It was a night full of food, fun and games. Various special awards were given away to the delegates. There were special performances from This Band from the UP Music Circle. To officially close the event, everybody went outside to participate in the release of LED balloons into the air – a perfect farewell to the ChESSPh 2014.
The participants, together with UP ALCHEMES, getting ready to release the balloons
With the theme “NEXUS: Embracing New Possibilities through Unified Perspectives,” the Chemical Engineering Students Summit Philippines 2014 has cultivated the value of interaction and sharing of ideas into the minds of the chemical engineering students. The three-day event full ofseminars and various activities was a success hopefully molded the students into well-rounded individuals. With that, the Chemical Engineering Students Summit Philippines carries the hope for future chemical engineers, that they may nurture the advancement of chemical engineering in the country.
