CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, PHILIPPINES — From August 15 to 19, 2022, the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) celebrated its 6th Charter Day. Various activities were held at USTP Cagayan de Oro Campus, including the Innovation Exhibit held on the 2nd day of celebrations at the Dr. Ricardo E. Rotoras (DRER) Memorial Hall.
The exhibit showcased the initiatives, studies, and projects of different innovation offices in USTP. Some of these offices include the following:
- Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (CET),
- Cagayan de Oro Business Incubation Technology Entrepreneurship and Startups (CDObites),
- Extension and Community Relations Division (ECRD) of USTP CDO,
- Northern Mindanao Metals and Engineering Innovation Center (NorMMEIC),
- Northern Mindanao Food Innovation Center (NMFIC), and
- Technology Promotions and Commercialization Office (TPCO)
Industry partners such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company, Inc. (CEPALCO), the First Community Cooperative (FICCO), and Best Friend Goodies were also at the event.
Student Innovators
Other than the innovation offices, some exhibitors were also students showcasing their solutions to visitors.
One example is the Adaptive Traffic Light & Autonomous System (ATLAS), which gained the attention of RTA and LTO representatives who were roaming around the exhibit, accompanied by the USTP System President Dr. Ambrosio B. Cultura II.
Created by Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering students and guided by the Center of Entrepreneurship and Technology (CET), ATLAS is “an adaptive traffic system that autonomously directs itself to determine the most efficient traffic cycle.”
The system uses Artificial Intelligence technology, making it “capable of providing real-time vehicle classification through the use of cameras that feed data into the ATLAS care algorithm for better traffic flow management.”
The idea is to create a better traffic system that uses AI to make the traffic flow faster and not congested.
As student incubatees of CET, the startup founders have been able to connect with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in CDO to showcase their system. While still in development, the system proves to have a future as experts in the field give their input in making their technology better and usable in real-time scenarios.
WhatALife! also interviewed two other student startups in the exhibit: EnYOUmerate and AIWoofYou. The former is a solution for businesses to “accurately measure and track the number of people to identify foot traffic trends, view the heatmap of motion, and classify the demographic” of the establishment’s customers. Meanwhile, AIWoofYou is a “pet care mobile application that detects pet physical infection and recommends preventative and customized care measures by the veterinarian.” The application uses AI technology in detection.
LGU Exhibitor
The Local Government Unit (LGU) also showcase some of its innovations at the event. For instance, the East-Westbound Terminals & Public Market (EWTPM) Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Biowaste Management project.
The innovation answers the problem of waste management at the Bulua Terminal and the high prices of fertilizers and feed supplements experienced by farmers. The project is headed by Mr. Rick Anthony Jaramillo, who graciously explained the project that uses Black Soldier fly — a unique insect with high nutritional content.
In terms of Waste Conversion Efficiency, BSF proves to be effective in different parts of its life cycle. In fact, 48g grams of BSF eggs can convert 1,920 kilos of waste, and 192 kilos of BSF larvae can convert the same amount of waste. Meanwhile, 192 tons of larvae can convert 1,920 tons of waste, the same as 192 tons of frass.
So, what happens with the converted biowaste? It turns into BSF products such as fertilizers and feed supplements that farmers can use. Mr. Jaramillo also shared how the waste in Bulua Terminal is simply sent to the second floor of the building for biowaste conversion, instead of adding more waste to the city’s sanitary landfill. For more information, you may visit EWTPM at Bulua, CDO.
USTP-Claveria Innovation
The event has invited different innovation offices from different branches of the USTP System, one of which is the USTP Claveria campus – the branch that specializes mainly in agriculture.
WhatALife! interviewed a few innovators of USTP Claveria’s Research Office about one of their studies — a cultivation guide of dragon fruit.
The guide consists of land preparation, planting, fertilization, and harvesting dragon fruit in the most efficient way possible. The economic efficiency of the three-year study showed a 52.94% Return on Investment (ROI). Additionally, the study also mentioned the growing popularity of Dragon Fruit, and how several farmers in Claveria are currently engaging in its commercial production and sale due to its high demand.
Since USTP’s amalgamation in 2016, the university system has established several goals and achieved many of them, including the development of an “innovation culture” not only among its students but the administration.
In the words of Atty. Dionel O. Albina, Chancellor of USTP Cagayan de Oro, during his Innovation Exhibit welcome address, “We have come a long way. We started really slow… We stand in the direction of developing a University under a framework of innovation.”
Kudos to USTP for its continued drive to develop innovations and innovators in Nothern Mindanao! — WhatALife!
Also read: JOBS 2022 job fair by DOLE NorthMin commences in USTP-CDO
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