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by PAM
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| "Gift" for our Department and our lab from "my kids"... :) |
Benavides Outstanding Achievement Award
For Outstanding Achievement of Regional, National or International Importance. A tribute to the pioneering spirit of the founder of the University, Fr. Miguel de Benavides, O.P., the award is conferred on student(s) whose performance in regional, national or international competitions, conferences or congresses symbolizes the University's commitment to excellence.
Last Monday's excitement from the opening of our "2012 UST Chemical Engineering Product Innovation Challenge + Mini Expo" quadrupled when our Department Chair shared with me the happy news that my research students were chosen to receive "a Benavides" this year, and asked if I could let them all know. I said 'yes'... but not after giving a little excited squeal! ;)
The good news was confirmed on the next day, the second day of our Expo, by our Faculty Secretary... with a
'My kids' are in the news... :)letter from the University's Office of the Secretary General, informing us that the Food Engineering Research Group of the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences (RCNAS) has been chosen to receive the Benavides Award - Group Category for Outstanding Achievement this year. The Group won the First, Second and Fourth Places in the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE) National Undergraduate Research Contest last month, and it is for these achievements that a Benavides is being awarded to them. This time, I was already emotionally composed enough to say a (what I hope was a) dignified-sounding, 'thanks, sir'. :) Unfortunately, it was an extremely busy day (and evening, too) that I was not able to pass the info to my students until really late via text message. They were absolutely excited, of course! :)
During the conferment of the Award at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion yesterday, I met for the first time some of my students' parents. :) I finally met the people whose love and care nurtured 'my lab kids' to become the wonderful individuals whom I
Celebrating with other awardees in the Chem. E. Dept.had the great fortune to work with... they are such joyful gifts from up above. We all climbed the stage to accompany 'our kids' to receive the award, which they worked hard for - 'their gift' to our dear Department this year... and my Batch 2012 lab kids' challenge and inspiration for my present lab kids from Batch 2013 (uhm, guys, I know you are reading this! Hehe...) to aspire to continue the tradition of excellence in and out of our lab.
CONGRATULATIONS, Joy (Alday), PJ (Consignado), Clang (Domingo), Noel (Ligero), Shiela (Maragay), EJ (Rieza), Kiki (Singson), Jen (Suarez) and Jho (Yuson)! Congratulations to the other Benavides awardees (Individual Category) from our Department, too: Ven (Alolod), Rein (Bandong), Yan-Yan (Bartolome) and Erick (Magayones)! Great job, guys! :) I hope that this feat would inspire you to continue doing wonderful things through hardwork and steadfast commitment... while staying as humble as always - all for His greater glory!
Ah, it was a truly joyful occasion! Once again, we thank Him who is the Giver of the greatest gift of all, from whose charism we drew strength, courage and inspiration to keep going! :)
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