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Written by: EEA Cartoon by: Obat Tomasinos have already spoken — with the election period marking its end on April 8, 2022. It is that time of the year when we are given a chance to choose our student leaders — people who would amplify their calls and ensure that their voices are heard throughout the academic year. Perhaps it is safe to say that it is one of the most important events that reminds and allows us to celebrate our democracy even within our own university. Battles of the wittiest, credentials, and platforms — these pretty much describe the campaign spirit that Tomasinos indeed look forward to every year. It is one of the most anticipated events, with almost everyone excited, radiating a bright spirit among students. However, the season appeared to be gloomy for Engineering students, with a low voter turnout. According to the UST Engineering Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the voter turnout for the said faculty was 39.49 percent, which means that only 1,558 out of 3,935 students cast their votes for the CSC Elections. Newsflash, though, this is not something new for Philippine universities. Many studies in the past have seen historical trends concerning how students, particularly the youth, are becoming more reluctant to participate in voting. It has been a common dilemma for academic institutions to encounter cases where students often neglect the political aspect of being a student. Similarly, a study titled “Right to Vote: Students’ Involvement in Student Government Elections’” concerning the participation of students in a state university in the Philippines revealed that they are gradually losing their interest in becoming affiliated with political platforms. These occurrences only suggest that it has long been an issue for students to further separate themselves from the world of politics, even at this level. While it may seem to be a minor inconvenience — some might not even see the issue in this case — there is no doubt that this has negative implications on the political participation of the FoE students. It is, in fact, quite ironic to see that as more youth are becoming more active in the national elections, the more that they become distant in making themselves actually involved at a campus level, highlighting the rise of the political apathy among students. There are only two possible reasons behind this: either no student has an interest in anything student council-related, or there is an evident drawback in the system that pulls them away from becoming part of it. While some students may argue and defend themselves using the latter, it is no question that practicing their right to vote for change is one of the many ways to end this cyclical dilemma, if that is really the case. One harsh truth may be that students have always whined about not being seen or heard, when in fact, there are many ways on how they can change this reality, including casting their votes online. If only we use our right to choose who represents the student body, then it is very much likely for us not to have such problems. Nonetheless, the bigger problem is that this reflects a particular sentiment against our political involvement. Political involvement among students must not be an “added burden,” but rather a part of the holistic development that we go through within the university. To add, university-level elections are just small versions of the national elections we have always looked forward to. So, it is only reasonable that students must participate in this, too. True enough, most students have ignored what happens within the student council and elections, only to feel ignored when they voice out the change they have always desired. It is as if students have forgotten their role in shaping the student experience that they want for themselves and how ignoring the student elections could have consequences in the future. Central elections, like national ones, happen not so often. This is only one of the many reasons why it is important; yet, there is truth to the claim that it is already enough to convince us about its importance and the impact it will have on the rest of our stay at the university. While others may think that this is a mere act of voting for the people whom we or we already or might now know, this does not wash away the essence of elections, which is key to ensuring that we get the best out of our journey in the academe. It is never just about the mere participation that we do, but also about its importance in celebrating the democracy that we have always taken for granted, if not fully appreciated. The more that we think about it, the more that the 39.49 percent becomes more problematic, making it reek of poor political involvement, or as others call it, political apathy. Imagine not even half of the Engineering student population cares enough about the policies that will rule the university and their representation in the student body. Besides, if we already find participating in the CSC elections by simply checking boxes a burden, which only takes a few minutes of our lives, then what could this possibly imply for our participation in larger-scale elections? Be it because of the lack of engagement given the online means or the political apathy that manifests in some of us; this does not change the fact that we must understand how our involvement in university-level elections gives us the right to be seen and heard — the essence of political involvement that we fail to see.

Written and Photo by Caster John Tabora In efforts to shatter the stigma and discrimination on gender identity, the UST Cisco Networking Academy Gateway Engineering (UST-CNAG) spearheaded the webinar entitled Breaking the Stigma: A Webinar on Gender Identity and Gender Expression, last April 23, 2022, via Zoom Meeting. Asst. Prof. Amante R. Garcia, MS, the UST-CNAG adviser, gave his opening remarks as the event commenced. This was followed by the introduction of the event’s first speaker, Cindy Cruz-Cabrera, the Gender and Development Officer of the University of the Philippines Diliman Gender Office. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and human rights,” Ms. Cabrera uttered as she expressed that human rights are an important perspective in tackling gender. She then proceeded in defining the common terms and discussing what gender means in people’s lifestyles. Cindy Cruz-Cabrera also tackled stigma and discrimination in depth. To end her talk, she reminded everyone that “Gender equality and women empowerment [are] good for everyone so we should champion this, and we should live it in our everyday actions and everyday lives.” Afterward, Justin Castro Bionat, the Executive Director of the Youth Voices Count, Inc. and a board member of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOT) Committee, stressed the importance of intersectionality in our society. “The solution to [a] social problem is not just your issue but [the] issue of the whole community, the whole society, together,” Bionat said. He believes that if institutions transition to an inclusive environment, they could be instrumental in creating safe spaces for LGBTIQ people. The last speaker of the event, Latrell Felix, the Co-Convenor of UP Kalipunan Para sa Kasarian (UP KASARIAN), Gender Councilor of the UP Diliman University Student Council, and the Chairperson of Bahaghari UP Diliman, talked about how patriarchy and sexism are prevalent in today’s society. Latrell also emphasized how critical voting for the right candidates is, to hear the call of the women and LGBTQIA+ of protecting them. She also stressed that “While we break the stigma, we should also collectively struggle in breaking the system, that is the root cause of the oppression of women, LGBTQIA+ and other gender minorities.” An open forum was conducted after the guest speakers shared their thoughts and advocacies. This was followed by the awarding of certificates for the guest speakers and was formally concluded through the closing remarks of Alyssa Ragodon, the project head of the event and the Internal Vice President of UST-CNAG.

Written by: Mary Dalogdog, Szarina dela Paz, Eunice Abayon, Laurence Arellano, Yitzhak Bumanlag, Carlo Castilo, Niña Eblamo, Erwin Foronda, Doroteo Prudenciano II, and Patricia Valdecañas Photos by: Jeremy Edera, Bea Galvez, MJ Monforte, Khristel Penoliar, and Sophia Sonthithai “Daybreak: The ChE Week Opening Ceremony,” spearheaded by the UST Chemical Engineering Society (UST ChES), kicked off the week-long celebration with the theme “A Myriad of Dreams: Unflattering Aspirations and Limitless Imaginations,” last April 5, 2022, via Zoom. Engr. Nathaniel R. Orillos. ASEAN ENG, FPICHE, from the UST Chemical Engineering Alumni Batch ‘81, gave his keynote speech on college years and work experiences, career pathways, personal traits, attitudes, and skills essential for chemical engineers in the workplace. Daybreak guests, Engr. Rose Mardie Pacia, M.Sc. and Asst. Prof. Edsel B. Calica, M.Sc., both faculty members of the ChE Department shared their college experiences, answered why they chose the chemical engineering program, and gave advice and messages to their students. Webinars With the goal of raising awareness of the importance of mental health and the value of peer support, the first webinar, "Homeostasis: A Personal Development Workshop,'' was conducted on the first day of the ChE week via Zoom. Ms. Riechell Enad-Testor, one of UST's guidance counselors and guest speaker, gave a lecture entitled "Gaining Strength through Peer Support: A Guide to Basic Helping Skills," which aimed to boost communication through basic helping skills. Student participants were then divided into breakout sessions to participate in various group activities to achieve the said goals. Also, a two-day webinar entitled "Lucid: ChExploring the Dream Space of Opportunity" was held to help students explore the endless possibilities and shed light on different opportunities for future chemical engineers last April 6 and 7 via Zoom. The first day tackled waste management and nuclear technology with guest speakers Engr. Kim Geo P. Bernal, RChE, a former intern of the “Hazardous Waste Management Section” of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Engr. Ronald Edic Piquero, M.Sc., Senior Science Research Specialist at the DOST-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). With the theme “ChEW IT! A Food and Medicine Webinar,” the second day focused on food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals with guest speakers Engr. Rose Lynn Anne Besa, Senior Operations Analyst of the South Luzon Region Supply Chain at San Miguel Foods, Inc., and Engr. Arnel Cabungcal, Assistant Vice President of Manufacturing Operations Services and Technology at Unilab, Incorporated. ChEno ‘To Season 2 Following the success of the first season last ChE Week 2021, ChEno ‘To Season 2: Odd Man Out was back with another season last April 5 via Zoom and Facebook Live. The game was composed of three rounds with a twist called the “Pi-pol” segment where the audience could help the guest players by answering the poll provided in the Livestream. For each round, the following guest players judged the participants based on their appearance: Engr. Noel Sabarillo, and Asst. Prof. Cristina Tiangco, Ph.D., head of the ChE department. Participants consist of Kimberly Wong (1-20), Sophia Sonthithai (4CHE-A), Solomon Shekatkar (4CHE-B), Mykah Tan (1-20), Sethe Sim (4CHE-B), and Miyami Tamaki (4CHE-A). During the game, a starting pocket prize of Php 2,400 and Php 400 will be deducted for every wrong answer. After the third round, the guest players won Php 1,600 which leaves Php 800 for the student participants. However, the former decided to split the prize among the participants. Kemikalan Cup 2022 A quiz competition entitled Kemikalan Cup 2022: The Annual Chemical Engineering Quiz Contest was held to test the knowledge and skills of the chemical engineering students last April 6 via Mentimeter and Zoom. The questions revolved around mathematics, chemistry, and chemical engineering which were formulated by the event’s project heads and reviewed by the faculty and alumni of the ChE department. After three rounds, team ChEmpion, was hailed champion with Darrenatics and Laab's Law awarded as the 1st and 2nd runner up, respectively. The winning team was composed of Aaron Acebedo, John Robert Yu, and Kenzo Cirujano. Mayumi Calpotura, Darren Cerado, Paul Matthew Gomez, and Vincent Guellen for Darrenatics while Jejomar Laab, Sebastian Andrei David, and Fraulien Quianah Delos Reyes for Laab's Law. The easy round consisted of 15 questions each with 10 seconds to answer, average round consisted of 15 questions each with 30 seconds to answer, and the difficult round consisted of 10 questions each with 1 minute to answer. The three finalists with the highest scores proceeded to the last round. For clarifications and concerns, Engr. Basil James Santos, M. Sc., Engr. Allan Paolo Almajose, M. Sc., and Engr. Joshua Aldave served as judges for the quiz competition. Chemical Engineering E-Sports Students and faculty members participated in four e-games in a tournament entitled Utopia: Into the World of E-Sports last April 7 and 8 via Zoom, Discord, and Facebook Live. After four intense single-elimination matches, the final round of Mobile Legends (ML) tournament opened the two-day E-Sports event with a fight of 3rd year's Mga NaChEktan against 2nd year' R-18. The latter team dominated the battlefield with the crowd control skills of Yve (mage), Belerick (tank), and Baxia (core) during the first game. Earl Guzman's substitution provided a big boost for Mga NaChEktan to turn the waves around in the last two matches to take the victory, 2-1. Despite R-18’s loss, their unique strategy of Johnson (tank) as the team’s “hybrid core” in the last match was also recognized. This was followed by the Valorant tournament with Truepa ni Ivan and Yumi’s Baby competing in the finals match in a best of three series. During the early phases of each round, both teams had a narrow gap up until the mid-game. However, Truepa ni Ivan widened the gap due to their coordinated attacks, good defenses, and outplays that allowed them to take the winning spot. Having 13-10 in the first round and 13-8 for the second, a clean sweep of 2-0 by Truepa ni Ivan earned their place as champions. Simultaneously, the Tetris tournament was held only via Zoom with a total of five rounds, including the semi-finals and final round. Players were divided into groups of six where each had a designated breakout room for the first round. The twenty leading players were then split into two breakout rooms for round two, where three winners in each room were selected for the semi-finals. The six semi-finalists competed and went head-on with each other for the podium in the last two rounds where Ron Catuirin was crowned champion, Jio Balingit settled for the second place, and Darren Cerado completed the podium. The Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) tournament capped off the Utopia E-Sports as Marco and Friends battled it out in the final round against MP Light. Marco and Friends won a landslide victory of 6-0 in the first march while a close fight of 6-2 in the second match. The team's "Char” flanked his way through the enemy ranks to secure a “Fury” or quadruple kill to stop the bleeding before taking the next two games in the said match. Moreover, in an unexpected turn in the losers' bracket, MP Light booked a ticket to the finals as Omicrew was disqualified due to their usage of a tournament-banned CODM utility. Chemical Engineering Film Fest To cap off the week-long event, UST ChES hosted the Under the Stars: The ChE Film Festival 2022 with the theme “What is your definition of DREAM?” last April 8, via Facebook Live. The judges for the film festival were Mr. Fran Omampo, Professional Adviser of Teatro Tomasino, Asst. Prof. Lorico Lapitan Jr. Ph.D., faculty member of the ChE department and member of the Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences of the university, and Mr. Lloyd Evagelista, Associate Member of the Society of Filipino Archivists for Film. First year's Pahimakas was the first to perform, followed by the third year's CLASS of 2023 and second year's Kandila, respectively. CLASS of 2023 won the Popularity Award and the Best Poster while Kandila won Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Sofia Nicole Andres), Best Actor (Irvin Runes), and Best Directors (Jeremy Edera and Marjorie Reyes) making them the Overall Champion for this event. Special award winners were also announced: Best Facebook Profile Picture Change of ChES. Winners were Kyle Erimae Lopez (Minor) and Mark Kenneth Paruli (Major) for the 1st Year, Kristina Recato Dy (Minor) and Loie Alfredrich Ducusin (Major) for the 2nd Year, Annbernadeth Nicerio (Minor) and Steven Mathew Solis (Major) for the 3rd Year, and Carlo Castillo (Minor), Uraina Uriah Tabago (Major) for the 4th Year. In between movie presentations were song performances by Angelo Sugue and Quianah Delos Reyes, Robert Sanchez, Music Buensuceso, D-Dynamics, and CSTRs.

Written by: Justine Keith Moises, Mark Rafael Santos, Carl Christian Calderon, Ady Advincula, Carl Tristan Gile, Mary Andrew Dalogdog, Laurence Gabriel Arellano, Mary Angela Aquino, Gerald Araco, Julienne Ramano, and Szarina dela Paz Photo by: Niña Eblamo, Carl Joaquin Campos, Christian Mungcal, Ma. Raphaelle Aldea Mendoza The Industrial Engineering (IE) Department commemorated its 45th founding anniversary in its annual celebration of IE Week with the theme “INVICTUS: 45 Years of Glorious Iennovation and Thomasian Industrial Engineering Excellence'' on April 4, 2022, via Zoom Cloud Meetings. The INVICTUS: Industrial Engineering Week Opening 2022 began with a holy mass led by Rev. Fr. Roberto Luanzon Jr., OP, Faculty of Engineering’s Regent. Associate Professor Joehanna K. Ngo, MSIE, PIE, ASEAN Eng graced the event with her opening remarks highlighting the significance of Invictus in the life of Thomasian industrial engineers. She also conveyed her appreciation to the advisers, professors, and student leaders behind the IE Week. The CineFiesta Film Festival was held afterward, which featured short films made by students from the IE Department. The judges for the film festival are Martin Gabrielle Alcantara, President of UST - Communication Arts Students Association (CASA), and Christopher Joshua Barlaan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Tomasian Cable Television (TOMCAT - UST). The UST Industrial Engineering Circle (IEC) also presented a film entitled 'Papel' directed by Nestor Paul Casipit, featuring some faculty members and alumni from the department. The closing remarks from Engr. Yoshiki B. Kurata, MSIE, CIE, the adviser of IEC, formally concluded the event. Webinars On the first day of the IE week, Industrial Engineering students were able to identify and recognize their rights as individuals, especially with the upcoming elections with the help of an eye-opening webinar entitled “Mulat - Simula ng Pagbabago” via Zoom. The guest speakers were Ms. Abigail Hapal from GoodGovPh, tackling the role of youth in elections and youth for good governance, and Mr. Anthony Rizaldy Rosales ECE, ACMC from Bawa’t Isa Mahalaga Movement (B1M), discussing voter’s discernment. To aid the students in using Tableau 10.x Software and in understanding and maximizing their personal strengths, a webinar entitled “ IECxASKLEX: Data Visualization Workshop and Career Path Counseling” was conducted on April 5 by the UST IEC in partnership with Ask Lex PH and Mapua School of Industrial Engineering Management (IE-EMG) Student Council. Engr. Joshua I.L. Palisoc provided a discussion on the terminologies and components of Tableau 10.x Software and a workshop to help the students practice the application. Moreover, Ask Lex PH Academy Founder and CEO, Dr. Felix C. Veroya, talked about understanding and maximizing one’s personal strengths to succeed in life. The UST-IEC’s series of webinars continued with IEnhance: Enhancing Student’s Public Speaking Skills at Zoom Meetings. Buensuceso Mackay Construction Corporation co-founder and COO Engr. Benedict Co mentioned that one needs to consider content and style or structure when it comes to public speaking. He also mentioned that it takes experience to become a good public speaker, thus inspiring the audience to practice gradually, and consistently. Former UST Engineering Student Council President and Chick-In Counter owner Engr. Sharlene Santiago CIE talked about the meaning, and practical applications of public speaking as a student leader, employee, entrepreneur, and on personal levels. She also shared tips on how to improve public speaking skills, imparting the audience with a quote, “Say what you mean, mean what you say.” Chair and Program Lead of the UST Department of English and UST Graduate School, Prof. Rachelle Ballesteros-Lintao, Ph.D., focused on how the students could improve their digital and academic presentations by making it interactive with the audience. The UST Industrial Engineering Circle, together with Industrial Management Engineering Society-DLSU, launched "IENVEST: A Financial Literacy Webinar" on April 6 via Zoom Cloud Meetings, aiming to improve the participants' financial literacy. Two guest speakers also graced the event—the first is Mr. Miranda Miner, who discussed fundamentals about stocks, mutual funds, the world of cryptocurrency, and NFT before an open forum with the audience happened. The second is Engr. Michael Christian Tee Chan Rosañes who imparted knowledge about real estate and the benefits of investing in it, with a question and answer segment following it that encouraged audience participation. On April 7, a webinar entitled “SCHEME: A Product and Service Design Webinar” was held via Zoom Cloud Meetings. Engr. Mary Kay P. Valenzuela, PIE, proceeded with the event with her presentation regarding product design. She emphasized key concepts such as product design, its whole process, and also the relevance of integrating it to academic studies. She ended her talk with her advice, “Today, we design ourselves, our experiences, our mindset, our products, [and] our services. Then tomorrow, we learn, we improve, [and] we refine. Then repeat.” Engr. Chiqui Rosanna T. Calayag continued the webinar with her presentation regarding product and service design, specifically in the elevator manufacturing industry. She also emphasized the relevance of the participants’ learnings as college students and its application on their future careers by relating it to her own career story. The webinar held via Zoom Cloud Meetings entitled “ORGANIZE: A Productivity Management Webinar”, served as the highlight of the afternoon session of the week-long event’s fourth day, as the webinar aimed to help students in their time management and productivity. The event’s first speaker, Ms. Riechell E. Testor, MA, RGC, one of the guidance counselors in the Faculty of Engineering, discussed the importance of understanding oneself to achieve productivity and organization, and the importance of forming and breaking habits. Mr. Christian Alan Vibar, the founder of Productivity Coach Project Productivity, followed afterward discussing productivity in workplaces. A financial literacy webinar entitled “FinTalk: An Asset to Life,” in collaboration with UST Computer Science Society (CSS) concluded the IE week on April 8 by UST IEC as part of the third phase of “Dunong Sulong,” a month-long community development project that aims to provide teaching supplies and training webinars for the faculty of Ateneo Casa Famiglia Servants of the Poor Inc. of San Jose del Monte Bulacan. Asst. Prof. Charmina Lou C.Bautista, PIE, RFP, CSS led the discussion on the vitality of managing one’s finances and elucidated the investment plans available nowadays.

Written by: Doroteo Prudenciano II, Carl Christian Calderon, Laurence Gabriel Arellano, Mary Andrew Dalogdog, Mark Rafael Santos, Jose Miguel Ballecer, and Yitzhak Osei Bumanlag Photo by: Jeremy Edera and Gabby Battung Photo Courtesy of UST Mechanical Engineering Club The Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department held its annual ME Week beginning with a Holy Mass presided by Faculty of Engineering Regent, Rev. Fr. Roberto L. Luanzon, O.P., SThD, DL, last April 4 via Facebook Live. Afterward, the opening ceremony was conducted via Zoom. UST Mechanical Engineering Club (UST-MEC) President Ghen Daniel O. Nepomuceno delivered his opening remarks to officially start the event. It was then followed by the announcements of the different events that the MEC has in store for their members. Webinars “FUELED: Automotive Career Seminar” started the three-day webinar series prepared by the UST-MEC which was held last April 4 via Zoom. The event aimed to introduce automotive as a future career track to the Mechanical Engineering students. The event’s guest speaker, Engr. Allen Raymund A. Rufo, the immediate Vice President of Corporate Planning and Public Relations of Toyota Motor Philippines, discussed the fundamentals of automotive engineering and the need for professionals in the field. On April 5, the webinar entitled "EXCEEDED: Exploring Opportunity in the Mechanical Engineering Field" took place wherein the President and CEO of RENCOR Refrigeration and Equipment Corporation, Engr. Archelle Bea-Baculi, PME, ASEAN Eng. discussed the difference between career and job and skills offered in mechanical engineering. Afterward, Head of Engineering, Operation Solution and Compliance & HSE of Jones Lang Lasalle Philippines, Engr. Christian G. Lacsamana talked about Qualifications Employers Look for in fresh graduates. The last day of the series was capped off through "GEAR UP: Exploring Technological Breakthroughs in the midst of Pandemic," a webinar that highlighted the importance of mechanical engineering in the innovations being made to the technology throughout the pandemic. PSME – Makati Chapter’s Vice President for External Affairs Engr. Chlifford Angcao Gasalao, ME, MBA, AA, ADP, TCP, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer in ESCO Lifesciences Group Engr. Joseph Caesar A. Torres, and Engr. Benedict Wong, were the speakers of the event. ME Talino Team AUTOBOTS composed of Jerwin Alvarez, Jim Patrcik Juico, Rianmar Lacia, Richard Benjamin Lucas, and Vien Fuellas bagged the championship title during the ME Talino last April 7. Team MEy4ever consisting of Kyle Angelo Abucay, Jasmine Daesiree Emmanuel, Mc Anthony Macalino, and Josef Luigi Mijare, secured second place while Lyeon De Guzman, JC Delos Santos, Anne Gabrielle Mendoza, and Josiah Gift Pesco of team Novelty won third place. ME Talino is a quiz bee competition that tests the knowledge and skills of ME students. It was conducted via Kahoot, Discord, and Zoom. Three rounds took place in the competition, arranged according to the questions' difficulty; easy and average consisted of 15 questions each, while difficult only had two. Closing Ceremony To end the week-long celebration, a closing ceremony and social event were held via Zoom wherein ME Week’s events’ winners and ME students and faculty/staff awarded during the Engineering Week were recognized. Kim Limuel S. Dolor was hailed the champion during the photography contest entitled, “What’s Clicking, ME?.” Along with Dolor were Ysabelle Tricia C. Alcazar for second place and Lanz A. Manalaysay for third place. Right after the awarding ceremony, students and faculty members enjoyed the following activities on this year’s ME social night: Guess the Song, Guess who? Mechanical Engineering Professors Edition, and a Kahoot Quiz. Guest band Aster was invited to grace the event for the evening. Meanwhile, the 12th annual Mechanical Engineering Film Festival with the theme "Arising from Adversity, onwards to the Evolution of Innovation" was canceled due to no student/group had submitted their entry for the event.

Written by: Jose Miguel Ballecer and Doroteo Prudenciano II Photo by: Ma. Raphaelle Aldea Mendoza Board by: Yuan Vasilio Flores UST Electronics Engineering (ECE) Department, in collaboration with the UST Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences, and UST College of Rehabilitation Sciences developed iSULAT (Intelligent Stroke Utilization, Learning, Assessment and Testing), a project that received 3.2 million Php funding from the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD). The handwriting tool project was headed by Engr. Edison A. Roxas, the UST ECE department chair. In an interview, Engr. Roxas stated that the project idea was conceptualized even before the pandemic. When asked about what i-SULAT aims to be, he said that “The iSULAT envisions itself as the future standard in handwriting evaluation for the Filipino children.” He also mentioned that the project’s main target is to assess developing school children’s handwriting skills. According to DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” de la Peña in a recorded report, the project aims to solve problems of inter-tool scoring variations, inconsistency, incongruence, and assessment time. He added that the number of handwriting problems in developing children reached an approximated 5 to 25 percent range. “Handwriting is still the most immediate form of graphic communication. [F]ailure to attain handwriting competency during the school-age year results in far-reaching negative effects on both academic success and self-esteem,” de la Peña said. Furthermore, DOST-PCHRD mentioned that the project can be used to examine the handwriting of people suffering from various medical, neurological, and psychological illnesses including stroke, Parkinson's disease, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and even early-onset depression. The project will run from April 1, 2022 through June 31, 2024.

Written by Justine Keith Moises, John Carlo Urbano, Yitzhak Osei Bumanlag, Laurence Gabriel Arellano, Mary Andrew Dalogdog, Carl Christian Calderon, Zein Ady Advincula, Patricia Valdecañas, Aundrea Joy Levanza, Patrick Ryan Sarte, Jamie Franchesca Lopez, and Szarina Julia dela Paz Photo by Christian Mungcal, Kimboy Tacderas, Leighla Sto Tomas, Nina Eblamo, Bea Galvez, and Jan Nacino The UST Electronics Engineering (ECE) Department officially commenced its annual ECE Week with the theme “MARAHUYO: Hiwaga sa likod ng husay ng Pilipinong Inhinyero” on March 7, 2022, via Zoom. "Tanglaw: ECE Week Opening Mass and Keynote Address" decked the first day with a mass presided by Rev. Fr. Roberto L. Luanzon Jr., O.P., Faculty of Engineering’s Regent. The ECE Department’s chairperson, Asst. Prof. Edison A. Roxas, Ph. D., PECE, formally initiated the ECE Week with his opening remarks. It was then followed by the discussion of the guest speaker and a Thomasian alumnus, Dr. Aaron Don Africa, Ph. D, PECE, presenting his study entitled “Development of an Expert System for Diagnosing Information System Communication Networks Using Rough Set Theory and Its Application in Systems in the Philippines”, which mainly focuses on an expert system algorithm. The UST Network of Electronics Engineering Students (NECES) Internal Vice President, Claudelle Fajardo, formally concluded the program with her closing message wherein she mentioned the upcoming events for the entire week. Webinars The first webinar conducted in the week-long celebration was the “ELEVATE: The Fundamentals of Career Readiness” which took place on March 7, via Zoom. The invited guest speakers were Engr. Xiorence J Cai, from STAMIN4SPACE, discussing the diverse ECE careers under Space Science and Technology, and Dr. Aaron Don M. Africa, tackling the development of careers in Artificial Intelligence and Expert Control Systems. On March 8, the UST NECES facilitated a webinar entitled “Sa Likod ng Gadyet” that tackled different topics related to the use of gadgets and the mental health of students. The keynote speakers were Ms. Lovely Ana V. Aguas, MP, RPSY from the Department of Psychology, and Ms. Khristine Lorraine C. Lim, MA, RGC, a guidance counselor in the Faculty of Engineering. To orient the third-year ECE students on the three specializations offered by the UST ECE Department, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - UST Chapter (UST-IEEE) Student Branch hosted a webinar entitled “SpECEalizations: Choose Your Class” on March 9 via Microsoft teams. The specializations discussed were (1) microelectronics, (2) instrumentation and control, and (3) communications. The UST NECES also held a webinar entitled “What’s in my ECE toolkit?” to discuss the equipment utilized by Electronics Engineers on March 10, wherein Engr. Gabriel Rodnei M. Geslani, M.Sc introduced the different equipment utilized by Electronics Engineers such as VOM, breadboard, perfboard, soldering iron, DC adapter, resistors, and potentiometers. An actual demonstration of operating the instruments followed the presentation. Furthermore, The UST Cisco Networking Academy Gateway Engineering partnered with UST - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Student Branch to bring Huawei Roadshow, a webinar about Information and Communication Technology. Engr. Emil Fulleros, an On-site Engineer for Projects and Maintenances for Huawei, bared information on the role of Huawei in the booming ICT industry in the country. On the last day of ECE Week, the UST-IEEE Student Branch, in coordination with the USTCisco Networking Academy Gateway Engineering, conducted a Python workshop entitled “FIGHT-ON!: Gaining Python to Your Arsenal of Programming” via Microsoft Teams. The workshop was led by Engr. Ma. Madecheen Pangaliman, instructor in the UST ECE Department and UST Engineering Student Academic Advising and Services (SAAS) co-coordinator. The workshop consisted of a brief introduction to Python, coding demos and exercises, and its many applications to software development. The workshop also emphasized the vitality of simple programming languages such as Python as it can be used for web development, scientific/numeric computing, data mining, and game development. CARPS? Sa ECE-Sports 2022 The UST NECES organized two exciting games for the ECE students during the “CARPS? ECE-Sports 2022.” The first game of the ECE-Sports 2022, the Valorant Tournament, was held last March 8–9. After several breathtaking matches in the semi-finals, 3D Jang’s Angels and 2C Tussy controlled the battleground and captured the slot for the finals. During the championship battle, both teams displayed dominance in a best-of-three matchup, but in the end, 3D Jang’s Angels were crowned as the Valorant Champions. Inspired by the Korean series "Squid Game," the "Crab Game" from Steam was one of the thrilling and entertaining games that were held last March 9. After a series of challenging games, Joshua Jake "Astaroth.057" Benitez of 2C dominated the first game. In "Hat King," Juan Carlos "The Cheesecake Guy" Castro from 3A was able to make a fair victory, while Martin Praz "pwazi" De Guzman from 1–27 grabbed the "crabstick" in classic bomb tag at the end of the third challenge. PalaECEpan: Pasiklabin ang Talinong Angkin The annual PalaECEpan with the theme “Pasiklabin ang Talinong Angkin” organized by the UST-NECES was held on March 8, via Zoom. The competition had two categories, the Quiz Bee and the Programming Cup, where Team D and Team C won, respectively. The quiz bee was composed of three rounds with 20 participating students separated into five competing teams. The winning team for the event, team D, comprised Danna Karylle Clavio, Julian Canlas, Patrick Emmanuel Andres, and Marc Michael Nitro. They were followed by Team C consisting of Allen Gabriel Estorque, Danielle Marcelino, and Eldywyn Jaiven Sevilla as first-runner up, Team A with Aryzza Antonette Aperocho, John Earl Patrick Sandoval, Aliah Nicole Brillante, and Richie Brillo as second-runner up, and Team B composed of Kurt Louis Marian, Ira Mariamme Santiago, Paolo Nicolas, and Lanz Adrean Yap as third-runner up. Also, a programming competition entitled “Clash of Codes” was conducted wherein Diether Ong and Mikaela Santos from Team C bagged first place while Ken Mercado, Tristan Cueto, and Luke Paner from Team D placed second, and Jonel Umbal, James Patrick Lagmay, and Beaver Abellera from Team E got the third spot. It is a programming competition where participants were divided into five groups with three members each, giving them an allotted time of 3 hours to solve the problems given to them. Magpasikat: The UST-ECE Variety Show 2022 UST-NECES concluded the week-long celebration with a talent competition entitled “Magpasikat: The UST-ECE Variety Show 2022” on March 11 via Zoom and Facebook live. The board of judges was composed of Rossa Jhunilla Bucsit, former Vice President of Communications of UST-NECES in the year 2019-2020, Mernard Ellizer Mendoza, former Executive Secretary of UST NECES year 2019-2020, Andrew John Padua, former Vice President of Audit of UST-NECES in the year 2019-2020, Dither John Nabor, former President of UST-NECES for the academic year 2018-2019, and former UST-NECES Vice President of Communications in 2018-2019, Viel Ellison Tan. All participating sections were given a maximum of 8 minutes to showcase their talents. A short interview with the participants was then conducted after each performance. The victors of Magpasikat: The UST-ECE Variety Show 2022 were the representatives from 1ECE-11, 2ECE-A, 3ECE-D, and 4ECE-B. Moreover, the winners of ECEnema: The ECE Film Fest 2022 were John Corgado, from 1ECE-11, Patrick Andres, Laurence Arellano, Xyra Arquillo, Ghiro Guanlao, Aundrea Levanza, Jose Nicolas, Hannah Quinonez, Alyssa Ragodon, and Tom Yabut, from 3ECE-B, and Rochelle Abalus, Joaquin Montenegro, and Beatriz Bagalay from 4ECE-A. 1ECE-11 was hailed as this year's ECE Week overall champion.

Written by: Julienne Alicon Ramano Art by: Obat The Millennials and Generation Z are becoming more and more thoroughgoing and progressive today, standing up for what they know is right and focusing on being “silent warriors” in such issues they face, may it be as an individual or as a citizen. Some of the global issues we have been facing for decades now are the severity of climate change and the ‘out-of-touch’ response by the concerned authorities to it. Every illegal and exploitative activity we come across contributes to the aggravating effect of climate change. But the majority of the population might be surprised to know that this particular matter directly contributes to this “aggravating effect”, simply because we do not feel it presently. That is, overpopulation. According to the 2021 World Population Data Sheet by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the current world population has reached 7.8 billion. As per the PRB, the world population is expected to reach 9.9 billion people by 2050 if the climate crisis is not to be resolved yet. The optimum world population ranges only from 1.5 billion to 2 billion people, about four times lower than the actual population. Access and knowledge to contraception and sex education For the past years, thousands of people living in European countries have been planning to postpone or even abandon the idea of having their own children – a revolutionary decision out of their concern and care for the planet we are in. But what makes it challenging for other countries to do the same movement is the lack of access and knowledge to contraception and sex education are insufficient and even unavailable in most conservative and developing countries. This issue makes it harder for experts to reach their objective of controlling the population growth until it becomes sustainable again for survival. "In a survey by United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) [on 2020], apparently 2 out of 5 female respondents said that they have no access to family planning.” UNFPA Philippines reproductive health officer Mike Singh said in an interview. Apparently, the fact that sex education is treated as a taboo topic to this date also hinders its development in most countries, including the Philippines. In fact, many stigmas have been ‘labeled’ in this matter. According to Commission on Population and Development - National Capital Region (PopCom - NCR) director Lydio Español (2019), since sex education is considered a taboo at most homes, “adolescents resorting to their own ways of looking for information, like from the internet, from their friends, which, we cannot say, are reliable or accurate information.” According to a report by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) and UNFPA, an estimate of 2.5 million cases of unexpected pregnancy will be reached by the end of 2020. This figure is about 41.5% higher than the total cases pre-pandemic. The purpose of inclusive sex education is to instill knowledge regarding their well-being and develop healthy, responsible, and respectful social and sexual relationships. So its prevalence among Filipino youth does not defeat its purpose, contrary to what society has perceived about it for so long. The good news is that the Philippines is now taking steps to improve its access to sex education. On September 9, 2021, the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom), in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DepEd), launched the Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Adolescent Reproductive Health (CSE-ARH) Convergence. The CSE program aims to integrate appropriate and gender-responsive information regarding the aspects of sexuality in the subjects under the K-12 curriculum. On the other hand, the ARH program focuses on rehabilitation health and other information facilities concerning family planning and other reproductive health issues. According to Español, the Sangguniang Kabataan would be of immense help if they would organize seminars or other materials regarding sexual education for closer access to the teenagers. This would be effective since the council's public servants are of the same range as the target participants, which is an excellent factor in drawing them closer to the advocacy. Higher cost of living nationwide The COVID-19 pandemic is fueling a “baby boom” due to the continuous lockdowns brought by it. However, prices of commodities continue to rise with the population due to inflation, thus, resulting in a higher cost of living. With the scarcity of job opportunities, they can make a “killer combo” in disrupting a child's right to a decent life. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the unemployment rate of Filipinos reached 9% in September 2021. From June to July 2021, 3.4 million jobs were dropped from the labor market, primarily because of sickness due to COVID-19. In the same period, the surge of Typhoon Fabian affected 1.8 million jobs in the agricultural sector within a month since its wave. Controlling population growth is the primary key to having a lower living cost. According to the United Nations, the human population is predicted to surpass 11 billion by 2100, which is about five times greater than the optimal human population. If there is human overpopulation, natural resources drastically decrease, hence a higher cost of living. So, controlling it gives the natural habitats more time and space to become more biodiverse. Exerting efforts to raise awareness and make people feel that they can help the world can be concluded urgent and essential. Along with it, exporting local products and commodities is also essential to stabilize the economy. With this, more opportunities are offered, higher productivity and utilization of man and machines are attained, and more revenue is generated. It is also time to promote occupational mobility in our country, especially in skill-based occupations. Occupational mobility refers to the ability of a worker to leave the current job for another one with ease. This will result in higher productivity and growth in the economy. One way to achieve this is to prioritize checking skills and past experiences rather than the educational background. In line with this, vocational education should be empowered as well in order for people to be more versatile in these skill-based occupations and raise the opportunity to transfer from one job to another with ease and guarantee. Out with the old, in with the new The present generations have redefined the meaning of “living a purposeful life” - that fulfillment in life is not all about creating your own family. As time goes by, the traditional anticipation of “creating your own family” upon adulthood gradually replaces this redefinition. Moreover, the youth have been more accepting of pet parenthood since it entails less responsibility. Some also choose child adoption instead since it will help the children in need to have more healthy and meaningful lives. Indeed, we learned how to kick this “habit.” We now go for sustainability and empathy rather than anything else. Government and public support on causes like these, such as the integration of sexual education into lessons and rehabilitation of health facilities, is a huge step toward the betterment of society and the ecosystem. This pandemic made us realize how hard it is to survive daily. There are numerous responsibilities and abilities that one should consider before having their own family. Children are more dependent and vulnerable than the rest of us; thus, they need more care and attention. Being a parent might indeed be one of the greatest moments of one’s life, but so is choosing to be children-free as it will help society enrich more generations in the future. Given the mental and emotional distress we have experienced this pandemic, perhaps living with less responsibility is a smarter and more selfless move. But remember, parenthood is a life-long commitment. We shall not pass the burden to these little ones simply because they do not deserve it. No one deserves to put pressure on oneself in the first place. Choosing oneself does not equate to self-centeredness. Allow yourself to unfold unexpected moments of joy in your life. Who knows? One of those might be your choice of having a child-free life, for it seeks not only your personal contentment but also the joy of our Mother Nature.

Written by Szarina dela Paz and Luis Raphael Daoang Photo by Sophia Andrea Sonthithai Chemical Engineering students, Cristelle Diane S. Diaz, Miyami B. Tamaki, and Lindsay Odyssey L. Timbre's paper on Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) processing won Best Paper & Best Presenter in the Student Research Colloquium held on March 3, 2022, via Zoom. The winning paper was written with Prof. Lola Domnina B. Pestaño, Ph.D., their thesis adviser. The paper discovers how VCO can be produced efficiently even in a small-medium scale setting and discusses how VCO is mainly produced by small-medium businesses, wherein they need to produce a large quantity of VCO while also ensuring quality in just a short period of time. Another point of focus is the review of VCO production technologies that utilize the combined low-pressure oil extraction and modified kitchen methods. Each department selected one group of students to present their paper at the Student Research Colloquium. Student researchers were allotted eight to ten minutes for their recorded presentation, followed by a five-minute question and answer segment with the panel, namely, Engr. Rhowel M. Dellosa, D.Eng, Asst. Prof. Timothy M. Amado, M.Sc, and Asst. Prof. Eugenia Ramirez Zhuo, DIT. A Faculty Research Colloquium was also held last February 28, 2022, via Zoom and streamed via the UST Faculty of Engineering YouTube channel. All engineering departments took part in the colloquium. One professor per department was in attendance to discuss the contents of their research either live or through a pre-recorded video. The judges were Prof. Michael Francis de Jesus Benjamin, Ph.D., and Assistant Prof. Angelito A. Silverio, Ph.D., to decide for the title of Best Presenter. Winning the Best Presenter award was Engr. Ryan A. Ramirez, MS’ paper entitled, “The Application of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) on Damaged Area Mapping: The Case of the 2020 Taal Volcano.” The InSAR-derived outcome of the paper can be utilized as a damage proxy map for disaster monitoring and assessment. In addition, answering a panel question, Ramirez said that the study “can be used as a near real-time warning tool or can be used to develop early warning systems [for geohazards].” The paper was also presented during the 2021 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) and a follow-up paper in collaboration with Engr. Rajiv Eldon E. Abdullah, MEngg, CE department chair, was penned and submitted to an international journal for review. Industrial Engineering Professor Marilyn C. Mabini placed second with her paper, entitled, “Managing Repairable Inventories of Critical Parts in Mass Transport Systems.” Tied in third place was the paper titled, “2SIR-VD Model to Compare Idealized COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Strategies in the Philippines,” presented by Engr. Allan Paolo Almajose from the ChE department, and paper, entitled, “Imaging Transmission Line Impedance Profiles Using Passband Signals and Adaptive Sequence Design,” by Engr. Jehiel D. Santos from the Electronics Engineering department. The table shown below displays the title of the papers, along with their authors, of those who participated in the Faculty Research Colloquium.

Written by Mark Rafael Santos and Doroteo Prudenciano II Photo by Sophia Andrea Sonthithai Engineering Week's defending overall champion Chemical Engineering (ChE) department secured their title for the second consecutive year with a total score of 77.51% after beating the Electronics Engineering (EE) department and Industrial Engineering (IE) department that placed 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, during the week-long 115th Celebration of the Faculty of Engineering Founding Anniversary. The criteria set to determine the overall winners for this year's Engineering Week was 10% for webinar attendance, Vlog Fest, Photo Contest, and E-Race, 15% for the Student Research Colloquium and E-Games, and 30% for the Faculty Showdown—the biggest percentage in the whole criteria. With a score of 86.39%, ChE department grabbed the championship, winning a cash prize worth 15,000 Php for their performance entitled "Sa Wakas," which featured songs by Sugarfree and Ebe Dancel in this year's Faculty Showdown at PAGHIMAYA: The Engineering Jukebox 2022 last March 5 via Facebook Live. Other winners for the event are the Electronics Engineering department (ECE) placing first runner-up with their piece "Tama na 'yan, Tugtugan na!: The Musical" featuring songs from Parokya ni Edgar, and the Industrial Engineering department placing second runner-up for their performance named "IE Musikal nAPO" containing songs by APO Hiking Society. Different performers also graced the event: Illumina from the CE department, Young Cocoa, UST Engineering Dance Troupe, and OPM artist Syd Hartha who also held a meet-and-greet for some of her chosen Thomasian fans. Silver Gear Awards 2022 Students, engineering organizations, and professors were acknowledged in the Silver Gear Awards 2022. Lindsay Odyssey L. Timbre received the Fr. Roque Ruaño Leadership Award for her exceptional leadership. She was the speaker for the Central Board of Student Auxiliary UST Faculty of Engineering and Executive Coordinator to the Secretary UST Chemical Engineering Society. The second award, the St. Albertus Magnus Award, was presented to Samuel Francsico A. Tiongson of the CE department for earning the “Best Presenter” award in the second International Conference on Civil and Environmental Engineering. His paper was entitled “Mapping of Ground Surface Deformations and Its Associated damage using SAR Interferometry: A Case Study of the 2020 Masbate Earthquake.” Moreover, UST Chemical Engineering Society (UST ChES) received the St. Martin de Porres Community Development Award for their active involvement in the community through their projects that applied basic engineering concepts; one of these is the Project Sapling. The Operations Research Society of the Philippines-UST Chapter (ORSP-UST) also secured the St. Aloysius Gonzaga Award for the fourth consecutive year. They were recognized for the seven events they held this year, their presentation at the Bartolome De Las Casas Conference 2022, and for having the most recruits during the Engineering Recruitment Week 2021. For this year's Most Outstanding Professor, the recipients were Asst. Prof. Maria Victoria C. Viray, MME, MA (CE), Engr. John Carl Joel S. Marquez, MS (ECE), Engr. Aldrin Lorrenz A. Chan, MSc, MES (ChE), Engr. Don O. Maltu, MBA (ME), Asst. Prof. Manolo P. Binuya, MEngg (EE), Assoc. Prof. Maria Theresa L. Roque, PhD (IE), and Engr. Ma. Madecheen S. Pangaliman, MS (Engineering Pre-Major Year Collaborative Program). The winners for such award were determined through a series of online surveys conducted by the Engineering Student Council (ESC). Other Recognitions Participants who won from different activities in the 115th Engineering Week were also given recognition during the event. The winners for the Vlog Fest 2022: A Course Back in TIme were the following arranged from first to third place, respectively: Why I Wake Up Late by Kyle Chua and Kyla Salonga (ECE Department), A Day in my Life by Sophia Ann Lacson and Angelo Gonzales (IE Department), and Engg Galing! by Sebastian Andre David (ChE Department) which also won the People’s Choice Award. For the photo contest entitled Kaibuturan: Buhay ng Isang Nag-iiging Tomasinong Inhinyero, Sa Mata ng Isang munting Inhinyero by Jeremy Edera (ChE Department) won the People’s Choice Award and was also declared the winner. Seeking Solace by Marvin John Uy (CE Department) placed first runner-up while pandemINHINYERO by Frankie Jr. Alviar (ChE Department) ranked second runner-up. The ChE Department, composed of Lindsay Odyssey Timbre, Cristelle Dianne Diaz, and Miyami Tamaki, was the Best Paper and Best Presenter recipient during the Student Research Colloquium. Prof. Lola Domnina Pestaño, PhD was their research adviser.

Written by: Laurence Gabriel Arellano, Yitzhak Osei Bumanlag, Mary Andrew Dalogdog, and John Carlo Urbano Photos taken by: Christian Mungcal Image Courtesy of Engineering E-Games 2022 Facebook Page Numerous teams from different Engineering departments dominated the battlefield in the Engsports Engineering E-Games 2022, presented and organized by the UST Engineering Student Council (UST-ESC) last March 3–4. The skies were revealed and spread out for the best in the world of Call of Duty Mobile, DOTA 2, Mobile Legends, and VALORANT as the agents, heroes, and champions clashed and brought the party to the battleground. Call Of Duty Mobile: Mission Complete After grueling and thrilling matches with ten teams from different Engineering departments, Civil Engineering (CE) Rich Titos and Titas pulled down the Industrial Engineering (IE) Headshot sa Ulo with a 2-0 record at the recently concluded Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) tournament. It took more than an hour for the Rich Titos and Titas to knock off the Headshot sa Ulo in an exciting best of three series. In the final match, the best of three series consists of hardpoint mode with a best of three bases, search and destroy mode, and the domination mode for a do or die battle. The IE Headshot sa Ulo led the points in the first half of the first round of the hardpoint mode, but the CE Rich Titos and Titas came out with a solid performance to beat their opponents, 170-200. A lethal combination of Joaqin "CP KuroRG" Castillo and Ralph Emmanuel "Tito HPLAR" Luzon of the Rich Titos and Titas tallied 37 and 36 kills to stop the unstoppable Lloyd "CP Skrrrt" Atienza of the IE Headshot sa Ulo secured 59 kills and 6 assists. It was a close bale in the first half of the second round, giving CE the slightest of leads against IE. With great precision play, the Rich Titos and Titas closed the series, 158-200, in hardpoint mode to complete a 2-0 run as CP KuroRG tallied 56 kills and 6 assists. The IE representatives tried to make a comeback, but the CE team closed the doors and took the victory with an exciting 4-6 record and sealed the game in the search and destroy mode. CP KuroRG scored 16,304 with a total of 109 kills and 20 assists at the end of the finals and was hailed as the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Ten teams from different departments battled out in the qualifying round to become the official representatives of their respective departments. Following a round-robin format, CE Rich Titos and Titas, IE Headshot sa Ulo, ECE Madrigals, and ChE ChEniper automatically advanced to the semi-finals. After the crucial battle for the bronze, ChE ChEniper dominated the field and turned the tables on the ECE Madrigals. DOTA 2: Victorious Among the six teams that competed against each other, the Techies from the Chemical Engineering department reigned as champions after facing off against Atabs ni Nelson from the Mechanical Engineering department in the DOTA 2 Engineering E-games 2022, with a 2-0 record in a best of three series. The final match lasted for an hour and took at least 30 minutes in each round, with a narrow difference between the scores of the two teams. The first match of the finals started with Techies as the Radiant and Atabs ni Nelson as the Dire. It ended in favor of the radiant due to their aggressive split push, and the quick item build and harass of Lone Druid (Only Pudge), which resulted in the destruction of the dire's three lanes (Atabs ni Nelson), giving the radiant mega creeps and destroying the dire's ancient, 20-17. With sides switched, the radiant (Atabs ni Nelson) controlled the early phases of the second match until midgame. However, the dire (Techies) were able to steal Roshan and kill half of the opposing team, allowing them to push the radiant's top lane and ancient, ending the match with a score of 13-16. At the end of the final match, the Techies’ Rainiel Mark "Only Pudge" Natividad Cawat showed an impeccable performance and was lauded as the Most Valuable Player. The competition was done in a round-robin format where each team clashed against each other. It ended with ECE DOTA of the Electronics Department placing third, Atabs ni Nelson of the Mechanical Engineering Department placing second and Techies of the Chemical Engineering Department placing first. Welcome to Mobile Legends, SAVAGE! Emerging from a series of double eliminations and best-of-three matches, Emelejens from the Industrial Engineering (IE) department won with a comeback victory, 2-0, against Sputnik from the Civil Engineering (CE) department in the Mobile Legends Engineering E-Games 2022. The IE team fell short to the CE team in the play-off matches with a double-elimination format. Working their way through the losers’ bracket, they were able to secure their spot in the final rounds. The first match went in favor of the Emelejens as they defeated the opposing team in 11 minutes and 55 seconds, 17-5. Their core hero, Paquito, took advantage of the playing field as he killed both the turtles and Lord in the early game. Garnering enough gold, Clint was also able to wipe out the heroes of the Sputnik team towards the end of the match. As for the second and last match, the same team won in less than 15 minutes, 10-8. In contrast to the first match, the early game was in favor of the opposing team as Lancelot, Sputnik’s core hero, defeated the turtle. 13 minutes into the game, Emelejens defeated the Enhanced Lord and pushed hard on the turrets to level the playing field. VALORANT: Headshot Amidst 40 teams from the different Engineering departments, Patikim Boys of Civil Engineering emerged victorious as they pulled off a revenge win against the Laciaderas of the Mechanical Engineering department, 2-1, at the Valorant Tournament. Patikim Boys had a grueling first day as they played four games in order to take the spot of being the representative of their department. The CE boys continued their streak through the first half of the second day as they breezed through IE’s WBG and ECE’s Jobless-JBL. Laciaderas ended Patikim Boys’ hot streak by defeating them in the semifinals of the winner’s bracket placing them in the loser’s bracket. The CE representatives had a repeat win against the Jobless-JBL to set up a final meeting against their former tormentors. Laciaderas spurted a six-round streak to take a commanding lead with eight rounds to two before the Patikim Boys took the last two rounds of the half to trim the lead to 8-4. The ME students had another streak of five rounds to close the game at 13-4. Patikim Boys started strongly, having their own six-round streak to start the match, 7-1, before the ME reps closed the gap at the half, 8-4. The two teams traded rounds until the Patikim Boys had a back-to-back round win, securing the match 13-7. The two teams again traded rounds early in the match before the Patikim Boys dominated the succeeding seven rounds for a 9-3 lead at the half. The CE representatives debunked the "9-3 curse" as they remained in control, completing their comeback with a 13-4 victory.

Written By: Aldous Dale G. Caballero and Jose Miguel C. Ballecer Photo by: Jeremy Edera Chemical Engineering Team hailed as the champion in the return of the long-awaited annual General Information Quiz Contest (GIQC), hosted by the Thomasian Engineer, garnering a total score of 76 points. The coverage for the quiz competition include history of the university, history of the faculty of engineering, philippine history, current events, and topics in mathematics including algebra, calculus, plane trigonometry, plane geometry, solid geometry, analytic geometry, and physics. Questions used in the quiz competition were formulated by professors from different departments within the university. For its 41st installment, the questions were put together by Prof. Marily C. Mabini, Ph.D., PIE, ASEAN Eng, former dean of the Faculty of Engineering and currently an Industrial Engineering Faculty member, Asst. Prof. Manolo P. Binuya, Electrical Engineering Faculty member, and Prof. Isabel S. Abao, Ph. D., Faculty member from the Department of History. The contest proper featured three rounds in varying difficulty. The easy round merits three points for each correct answer with a 30-second time allotment for each question. Participants were given one minute in the average round, and five points if the question is answered correctly. Finally, the difficult round merits nine points per correct answer with a three-minute time allotment per question. Chemical Engineering (ChE) Department and the Electronics Engineering (ECE) Department were tied for the top spot with 15 points each during the easy round. While at the conclusion of the average round, the ChE Department passed their competitor and took over the leaderboards gaining a total of 25 points. The Electronics Engineering team garnered a finale-worthy 45 points in the difficult level, the highest number of points in the round. All of the teams used their lifeline in this last round of the competition, wherein they were given the chance to seek help from their faculty coach via Discord. Afterward, the faculty representative from each department went head-to-head in the quiz competition, wherein the same mechanics, stages, and points awarded were used. The easy round ended with Engr. Paul Marion Demapelis of the Civil Engineering Department and Engr. Raymond Serafica of the Electronics Engineering Department in the lead, both scoring six points. With a total of 10 points, Engr. Demapelis took the top spot in the average round. In the difficult round, Engr. John Carlo Perion of Electrical Engineering scored 18 points, taking the lead for the round alone. The awarding of the top three winners of this year’s GIQC followed right after the student and faculty rounds. For the student category, the Chemical Engineering team composed of Paolo de Castro, Franc Lorenz Cacal, Gian Miranda, Kyle Eunice Anisco, and their coach Asst. Prof. Basil James S. Santos, took first place with 76 points. The Electrical Engineering team comprised of Ken Isaac P. Calomot, Gilbert Andre D. Pascual, Justine Kylie Zaguirre, Paul Joshua Delos Santos, and their coach Engr. John Carlo Perion came in 2nd with a total of 72 points. They were followed closely by Kiel Ethan Lanzanas, John Earl Patrick Sandoval, Aliah Nicole Brillante, Marc Michael Nitro, and their coach Engr. Raymond Serafica of the Electronics Engineering team finished 3rd with a total of 71 points. Engr. Paul Marion J. Demapelis, a Civil Engineering faculty member, earned the top spot in the faculty category with an overall score of 25 points. He was followed closely by Electrical Engineering faculty, Engr. John Carlo Perion, with an overall score of 24 points, finishing 2nd. Chemical Engineering faculty, Asst. Prof. Basil James S. Santos, MS, with a total score of 14 points, came in 3rd place. Winners will also be recognized in the PAGHIMAYA: The Engineering Jukebox 2022, which is set to happen on March 5. The infamous General Information Quiz Contest (GIQC), after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, has finally returned virtually to hold its 41st installment. GIQC is an annual quiz bee hosted by the Thomasian Engineer, the Faculty of Engineering official student publication, and was sponsored this year by the UST Engineering Alumni Association Incorporated (UST-EAAI) Batch ‘97.