Word of the Day: Festschrift

A celebration!
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by PAM


This morning, I joined a 'celebration'... a celebration of the life and achievements of an educator, a brilliant scientist and a formidable scholar who is beloved and respected by a multitude of current and former students, colleagues, and friends.

A celebration of a Scholar's life and achievements... 

...a celebration of the joy of being an educator.

  
Indeed, if you commit to pursuing excellence in what you love most in this life, enjoying the journey, spreading love as you travel... appreciating the people you meet, offering them your sincere friendship, and appreciating the 'scenic views' along the way, keeping a snapshot of each in your mind, and in your heart... indeed, life would reward you with the same appreciation and love you spread as you go through life.  I consider myself to be truly fortunate to have worked with the one person whom I have always admired from afar.  I thought I will never be worthy to be a part of his circle, and yet, somehow, fate put me within his circle of influence... and it changed my life and the way I view things forever - for the better.

This morning, as part of the 75th Year celebration of the Graduate School of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), a Festschrift, in honor of the most accomplished scientist and educator in UST, Prof. Fortunato B. Sevilla III, Ph. D., was launched. The 'Festschrift' launched was a volume of Acta Manilana, the official publication of UST in Science and Technology, containing 71 papers, 40 of which are contributed by Prof. Sevilla's colleagues and collaborators abroad.  The Festschrift was a tribute to Prof. Sevilla's work as a scientist and his contributions to the advancement of Chemistry education and S&T research in UST... and in the Philippines.

Congratulations, Sir Fortune!  We love you!

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One Voice...

...singing their hearts out!
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by PAM

Engineering music? Music Engineering?  Whatever it is, it sounds awesome!

They work hard at school... they have no choice, they are Engineering or Information and Computer Studies students!  Their courses are tough, tough... tough!  And yet, they find time to pursue their other passion:  music.  And, everytime, they get together, they sing their hearts out - and they sound so great, it kills me!  :)  Yep, they are the "One Voice", the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering Chorale.

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Saturday photo

Contributing to national growth...
...through the advancement of high-quality education in the country.

It's been a looooong week, physically and mentally (emotionally, too) taxing... but it ended on a high note - exhilarating!  

This evening, the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School held its culminating event related to the celebration of its 75th Foundation Anniversary.  Watching the recipients of awards, specifically, the "Distinguished Professor" award, it made me appreciate once again how beautiful it really is to be investing time and committing one's life to educating the youth, and guiding those with scholarly minds who wish to pursue advanced studies.  None of it is about money or fame... it's all about knowing in the twilight of your life that, yes, you have spent your 'borrowed time' very well.  And when you go, to return your 'borrowed time' to the Greatest Teacher who ever walked the earth, you bring with it, many happy memories, wonderful thoughts, and the confidence that the fruits of The Teacher's investments, through you, will continue to flourish on earth... as you watch from afar.

Yes, I do love this profession.

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About the Image:  A collage of photos taken from the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School at the Centennial Hall of the historical Manila Hotel.  The attire is Filipiniana - the traditional national costume in its many variants, depending on period.

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QOTD

QOTD #21: It's 'mathematically correct'!
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by PAM

"Mathematical knowledge is unlike any other knowledge. Its truths are objective, necessary and timeless."

         - Prof. Edward Frenkel (UC Berkeley)
           In the article, "Is the universe a simulation?"
           The NY Times Sunday Review

What an interesting article. I still subscribe to Brian May's personal rule as a Scientist though, that we can only hope to understand what is in front of us. Beyond it, is a Truth that our abilities and logic as human beings and the capacity of the highly sophisticated tools that we have developed to enhance our abilities, such as Science and Technology, can never match for absolute understanding. Therefore, scientists must stop at a certain boundary, and dare not cross it. And yet, as Christians, we embrace that Truth with all our being, that Truth that is God, that is of God.

But going back to Math... just a few days back, I sat to listen to a lecture by one of our Math professors in the UST Faculty of Engineering, one of the activities in the celebration of our "Engineering Week". He lectured about Quaternions, which are a number system that extends complex numbers so they can be analyzed the same way we do matrices in linear algebra. Even when our colleague tried to make the lecture sound "light" and not too "stressful" for the applied science audience (myself included), somehow the questions that he extracted were leaning towards application rather than the theoretical aspects of Quaternions. And, we gathered that Quaternions have vast applications in animation and game development... to the delight of our Computer Science comrades, quite naturally! :)

Apparently, the application of Quaternions is in 3D computer images, and make possible the quick transition of a thousand frames, one after another, that makes animation, specifically in computer games, more realistic in simulating real movement. I know, very cool. And yet, that is still a very small thing compared with simulating the Universe... at least, from the context of limited human understanding. At the end of the series of a variety of lectures was a lecture on Liturgy by our Regent... the best way, I think, to put all our wonderful S&T stuff in their right places.

Yeah, it was a great (geeky) day - the Catholic University way!

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Saturday photo

Priceless!

Today, as per tradition, my Batchmates and I, being the Silver Jubilarians, were the host in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Engineering's Grand Alumni Homecoming, "EngGAHling 2014".  It was a truly memorable occasion... exhilarating, fun, and heart-warming.

Here's something apt for the occasion, I think, one of the most popular songs when we were still students in the Faculty...

"Every breath you take, every move you make...

...every bond you break, every step you take... I'll be watching you."

Ours is the last of the '80s batches... the last of the "peaceful revolution" kids, the last of the "European Music Invasion 2" generation.  And so, for old time's sake, we rocked UST on our Homecoming!  "Revolution" again... this time, it's "Engineering Revolution", starting great trend... setting the bar high for the rest of the younger Batches! 

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Photo credit:  Connie Yuson Fabros - thanks.

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S & T is the coolest thing...

...without a doubt!
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by PAM

I love writing and reading, listening to music and appreciating art immensely... but there's nothing like seeing a useful idea brought to life and made to work in an innovative way through the Science and Technology platform.  This is why I love Engineering... the problem analysis, the design of the most appropriate solution... troubleshooting... breaking things down to their smallest elements, and then putting the elements back together again, this time with added elements (or fewer elements), in order for the thing to function more efficiently, and more appropriately for a given purpose.  It's always exhilarating to be taking a deep breath and putting the switch on, and experiencing a mix of nerve-wracking emotions in that split of a second before the switch does its job, and putting the thing to work... or not!  Aw, priceless!  

A mix of everything, 'cooked' in the pot of S&T = fun time!

This is the reason why I look forward to "Engineering Week" in my University... a week-long exhibition of the best stuff that the Faculty of Engineering came up with in a span of one year... and celebrating the foundation of the FIRST Engineering School in the Philippines.  There's an array of electronic innovative gadgets that are useful for biomedical applications, manufacturing automation, risk and disaster control, and smart vehicle operations, just to name a few.  There's an array of new products, from personal care products to food, from household products to 'smart materials', you name it, they've got it all!  And then, you have a variety of commercial cars with modified features... modifications that were done by the students themselves.  Then you have a variety of impressive structural designs - innovative, climate change-resilient, and aesthetically deserving of appreciation.  There are incredible array of computer and smart phone apps... digital solution to management problems. Too many to mention... all guaranteeing a week-long fascination!  And, in all of the wonderful exhibits, the Thomasian three C's are all on display:  Competence, Commitment, and Compassion.

The added benefit is I work in that Faculty! :)  Therefore, it's doubly special.   

Ah, I love my job!  :)

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V-day... Google it!

And geek it out! :)
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by PAM

Red Day?  Pink Day?  Whatever day... I think it's all about love.  And love should be celebrated!  therefore, here's to love... cheers!  :)

And, I'm lovin' today's doodle... the Google Valentine's greetings.  It's very cute! :)

Geeks, unite... and celebrate Googly Valentine's Day!

And, because sappy is happy, in the spirit of true V-day sappiness, we sing...

"I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes...

Love is all around me, and so the feeling grows."

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Image credit:  Thanks, Google, for the image.
Video Credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

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Saturday photo

Investing talent and time... 
...to ensure mother earth's sustainability is so much fun!

It's been an exciting week for our students, especially for our Mechanical Engineering students.  Five of them joined the Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM), comprising the UST Eco-Tigers 1 Team, while hundreds went to support the Team at the Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines.  The Eco-Tigers 1 is one of 109 Teams from 15 countries that participated in this year's SEM-Asia, which is being held for the first time in the Philippines.  And, driving the Tigers' T400H prototype vehicle... is a pretty girl - a senior Mechanical Engineering student.  Very cool.  

The staging of SEM-Asia in the Philippines is part of Pilipinas Shell's centennial celebration.  It was great to be a part of it... and I'm proud that our students responded to the challenge of designing vehicles for a sustainable tomorrow.  I hope that this campaign for Engineering innovation aimed at sustainability would echo around the world... and that more people would take responsibility for our planet's future in the process.  

As for our experience, it's both informative and fun... and I did enjoy seeing our students taking charge, being creative, being competitive... and being such wonderful teamworkers. :)  You really learn a thing or two from these young people whenever you spend time with them and let them show you the way - their way! :)  

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Trembling....

...in my pajamas!
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by PAM

One of the things that make me feel like I have butterflies in my stomach as I prepare to go to work in the morning is getting reminded of this scene from the arguably best James Bond film ever made, "Skyfall"...

Q: "Every  now and then, a trigger has to be pulled...."

Bond:  "...or not pulled.  It's hard to know which in your pajamas."

...such powerful scene.  

OK, of course, it's hard to concentrate on the awesome 'pajama dialogue' if the two brilliant actors in the scene are that beautiful, especially if one is that hot... even in his most haggard state. Daniel Craig. Oy.

But, yeah, what this scene may imply - as far as my own job is concerned - makes me feel so insecure as I toil in my workplace.  It makes me ask myself every single day... are we producing young experts who are so dang good that they could actually cause great "damage" with their laptops sitting in their pajamas before they even take their first glass of Milo in the morning?  With how they are performing, yeah... we might just be producing them, brilliant kids!  But the more important question, I think, is... are we training them to be wise enough to know when, and when not, to pull the "trigger" (make crucial decisions at critical moments)?  Are we training them to be persevering and obedient enough to "work the field" to gain the wisdom to know when and when not to pull it, dang "trigger"?

At the end of the day, as I walk out of the building, the way they'd pause on their hurried tracks just to goof, "good evening, Ma'am", and the way they'd pause for a second to tilt their heads in inconspicuous bow as they pass the little Chapel in our building's lobby... hmmm, these little acts give spring in my steps, quite confident that, maybe they won't be contented just causing "damage" with their laptops.  Maybe, they would work hard and continuously persevere to know for sure when is it wise to pull, or not to pull, the "trigger".

For me, everyday is a cycle of doubt and insecurity in the morning, hopefulness that we're headed to the right direction throughout the day, and at the end of the day, confidence and faith that we, most probably, are doing a good job in our efforts to nurture these kids to the brilliant but conscientious professionals, happy individuals, that we'd love to see them become in the future.  So help us God.

Ah... to be a teacher... never for one with a faint heart!

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Video Credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

Saturday photo

Big, small... near, far
important, unimportant... negative, positive
it's a matter of perspective.

How we appreciate things depends on where we are viewing them from. How we feel about what we see depends on our state of mind... and heart.  What we choose to see, and not see, determines our contentment... and happiness.  There's always a choice... and the choice is ours to make.

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Location:  Taal Lake in Talisay, Batangas, Philippines.