The Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE) and the Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P.) formalized their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) virtual signing ceremony held last January 25, 2021. The PAASE-T.I.P. partnership encompasses the training of future science and technology leaders as well as close cooperation in T.I.P.’s innovation center projects.
PAASE president Dr. Gisela Concepcion and T.I.P. president Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz represented the two organizations. Serving as witnesses were Dr. Mariano Sto. Domingo, PAASE president-elect 2022-2023; Dr. Jose Cruz, PAASE founding member and 2nd PAASE president; Angelo Lahoz, T.I.P. senior vice president; and Dr. Cynthia Llanes, T.I.P. Quezon City vice president for Academic Affairs.
“This MOU is a milestone for PAASE. It is our first agreement to be signed with a higher education institution—T.I.P.—to offer Filipinos the highest quality of STEM education. T.I.P.’s aim to likewise promote science and engineering research, development, and entrepreneurship also resonates well with our mandate and goals at PAASE. The collaboration between PAASE and T.I.P. is very likely to succeed and to yield positive outcomes,” commented PAASE president Dr. Gisela Concepcion.
PAASE is a non-profit organization composed of scientists and engineers of Philippine descent who have distinguished themselves in scholarly and research related activities. It has over 230 members from all over the world specializing in diverse fields of study, including physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, mathematics, computer science, and engineering.
The MOU paves the way for T.I.P. to tap PAASE members as visiting professors to teach online courses in the school’s undergraduate and graduate programs. The first priority is for PAASE industry experts to serve as online guest lecturers in T.I.P.’s Graduate Programs, such as in the Ph.D. in Computer Science and the Professional Science Master’s in Data Science programs.
“A primary objective of PAASE is to promote contacts and collaborations among Filipino scientists the world over, and to help the Philippines in her efforts to advance science and engineering teaching and research in our country. Today’s MOU directly supports this aim,” explained Dr. Jose Cruz.
“Raising the economic welfare of the Philippines and the well-being of Filipinos would be more likely to occur with wise application of science, technology, and innovation. This means a need for more computer scientists and data scientists. Formal degree programs in these fields are the quickest ways to reach critical mass in this sector of the workforce,” Dr. Cruz added.
Additionally, T.I.P. may also tap PAASE members to serve as Research Fellows and Research Consultants for projects under T.I.P.’s innovation center called T.I.P. TechnoCoRe. As the engineering school’s technopreneurship and collaborative applied research thrust, T.I.P. TechnoCoRe enables T.I.P. researchers and faculty members to participate in nation-building and solution-generating efforts with the full support of the school. T.I.P. TechnoCoRe has most recently worked with eminent PAASE member Dr. Vince Faustino, an Intensivist at the Yale University School of Medicine, and other civil society groups for the SiglaVent Automated Emergency Ventilator project.
“Collaboration is the only way to go. This was the case before the pandemic, but now, even more so, during the pandemic. PAASE and T.I.P. have a common thrust in strengthening science and engineering teaching and research in the country. With our two organizations coming together, the possibilities are endless. I am in awe of PAASE’s credentials and I look forward to a fruitful, working partnership with its members,” concluded T.I.P. president Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz.
Learn more about PAASE by visiting paase.org/about-paase. For more information on T.I.P. and T.I.P. TechnoCoRe, please visit tip.edu.ph or T.I.P.’s official social media accounts through @TIP1962official for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You may also visit technocore.tip.edu.ph or email [email protected].
In photo, from top left, clockwise: PAASE President Dr. Gisela Concepcion; PAASE Founding Member and 2nd PAASE President Dr. Jose Cruz; PAASE President-Elect 2022-2023 Dr. Mariano Sto. Domingo; T.I.P. Quezon City Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Cynthia Llanes; T.I.P. Senior Vice President Angelo Lahoz; and T.I.P. President Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz formalized the PAASE-T.I.P. partnership during the virtual MOU signing last January 25, 2021.