The deadline for nominations to the 2nd Gawad Leadership and Innovations for Development Relevant to Science Education or Gawad LIDER has been extended to February 26, 2010.

Science Education Institute Director Dr. Ester B. Ogena said the extension was done to accommodate more nominations to come in as higher prizes are at stake.

“We want to entice more people to come out and nominate individuals and institutions who have contributed to the betterment of science education in the country,” she said.

A project that removes chromium from the wastewater of leather tanneries in Meycauayan won this year's Department of Science and Technology – Bank of the Philippine Islands (DOST-BPI) Best Project of the Year.

Winning a P50,000 cash prize, a P200,000 research grant and a trophy is Maria Ivy dela Cruz, a fifth year chemical engineering student of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB), for her project “Removal of Chromium from a local Chrome-tannery wastewater by Sodium Sulfite reduction coupled with Sodium Hydroxide Precipitation.”

A veteran in international mathematics competitions topped this year’s Philippine Mathematical Olympiad held over the weekend in Diliman, Quezon City.

John Russel Virata of Gideon Academy took home the grand prize with a cash incentive of P18,000, a medal and a trophy for his school and a chance to join the 51st International Mathematical Olympiad to be held in July at Kazakhstan.

Coming in second and third places are Zheng Rong Wu of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School and Aldric Cristoval Reyes of Chiang Kai Shek College, respectively.

Three high school students from Tacloban will be battling out before the end of the month with other students in the Asia-Pacific region in designing, building and launching the best water-boosted rocket.

Edmund Edward Chua, Julius Peter Dacoycoy and Jhon Jezar Calumag, third year students from the Asia Development Foundation College (ADFC) based in Tacloban will be flying on January 22 to Thailand to join the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) Water-Boosted Rocket Competition.

The competition would be held on January 23-24 at the National Science Museum, Technopolis, Khlong 5, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand.

Still fear mathematics? Fear not, as mathematics is well part of the Filipino culture, an international paper said.

In a paper presented before the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) Forum on Best Practices on Human Resource Capacity Building in Science and Mathematics Teacher Education held recently and spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute, Dr. Catherine Vistro-Yu of Ateneo de Manila University and former President of the Philippine Council of Mathematics Educators (MATHTED) said there are lots of mathematics that can be found in the various cultural groups in the country that needs to be explored and integrated in the teaching of mathematics.

Science educators in the Asia Pacific Economic Conference region have avowed to engage in collaborative work to further improve science and mathematics teacher education in the region.

In a manifesto signed by science educators from Australia, United States, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, South Korea who are all participants of the APEC Forum on Best Practices on Human Resource Capacity Building in Science and Mathematics Teachers Education held in Manila recently, they indicated their strong support for collaborative activities in research, linkages and exchanges and policy development aimed at enhancing science and mathematics teacher education in the region.

The science educators said priority areas for collaborative work should include teacher's knowledge, delivery to diverse groups of learners, professional development models, ICT integration, social and cultural dimensions and role of science and mathematics education for civic participation by all.

Filipino students harvesting awards in international competitions in science and mathematics increased by almost 50 percent this year as the Department of Science and Technology confers its annual Youth Excellence in Science (YES) Award.

Recipients of the YES Award increased to 303 this year from 2008's 215 students with most of the awardees coming from private schools.

Student awardees coming from private schools gobbled up 75 percent with 226 pupils netting international awards abroad while 77 came from public schools.