The University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED) marked its 52nd year of service to the country. A number of events marked the celebration on 21 November 2016. These include launching of new publications, a public lecture, and a recognition program to honor UP NISMED staff for their loyalty and commitment. Teachers and students from UP NISMED partner schools as well as former UP NISMED staff joined in the celebration.

 

 

Launching of New Publications

UP NISMED launched its coffee table book titled NISMED: A Journey of Commitment and Service on 21 November 2016. Former UP NISMED Deputy Director Dr. Josefina Ll. Pabellon graced the occasion and gave a commentary on the coffee table book on behalf of the former Director of the Institute, Prof. Porfirio P. Jesuitas. Written to commemorate its 50th anniversary, the book is a five-chapter narrative that recounts how UP NISMED started as a project under the leadership of Dr. Dolores F. Hernandez, the founding Director of the Institute. It also documents UP NISMED’s contribution to the development of science and mathematics education in the country the past 50 years. To quote Dr. Ester B. Ogena’s foreword from the book, “This book is actually a map of UP NISMED’s journey. The purpose of the map is not to look back and see where it all started, but to be able to see a picture of an institution in focused and consistent action. This is a synergistic product of a team of people, without whom this never would have come about.”

Complimentary copies were distributed to the staff, donors, and partner institutions of UP NISMED.
Along with the coffee table book, UP NISMED launched its Lesson Study Guidebook and four science and mathematics short stories namely, Serenaders of the Countryside, The Adventures of Big-Eyed Tarsi, The Hidden Sun, and The Curious Little Chick.

 

Public Lecture

Following the launching of the UP NISMED publications, Dr. Flerida A. Cariño, Director of the UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry and an expert in biosafety and biotechnology, gave a public lecture titled Unfriending the Internet: Food Facts and Fallacies. Dr. Cariño talked about how the internet provides a wealth of information related to food, but the accuracy of the information provided may be tainted by advocacy, politics, religious and cultural biases, or economic gain. She showed some examples of misleading information culled from various websites and provided counterpart information obtained from more reliable internet resources. She also offered some guidance on discerning which internet sources are reliable and how to check the reliability of information gleaned from various websites. After her talk, she accommodated a number of questions from the audience who were very appreciative of her talk.