Emely Amoloza lost her daughter to cancer seven years ago. But it was gratitude, not grief, that pushed the then administrative officer at the UP Open University (UPOU) to launch a public service initiative that has become an anticipated annual event: the UPOU Blood Donation Drive.
We’re not just colleagues. We treat each other like family.” This is how Dr. Jean Saludadez, UP Open University (UPOU) Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, describes how UPOU employees relate to each other.
No, she’s not a snake charmer. Nor is she some kind of snake whisperer. She is herpetologist Dr. Leticia “Letty” Afuang of UP Los Baños (UPLB). And while she specializes in all things reptilian and amphibian, she has become quite known as the “snake lady.”
When Typhoon Glenda tore through Southern Luzon in July 2014, some of UP Los Baños’ treasured trees—old and huge acacia and mahogany—didn’t escape the tropical cyclone’s wrath. But they’ve been given new life, so to speak, as furniture in all ten UPLB dormitories.
UP’s relationship with archery is a story of hits and misses. And while that relationship ended for UP Diliman (UPD) eight years ago, no one has so far said it can’t be rekindled.
There’s some kind of food revolution going on at UP Los Baños (UPLB) and it’s begun to take root in student dormitories. Edible gardening is gaining ground as a way of providing students not only more nutritious options in their diet but also food in dorms when students can’t go out to eat. It seems only right, since UPLB is the country’s leading institution in agriculture. The effort also ties in neatly with the University’s initiative on edible landscapes.
UP Open University (UPOU) Networks is the first of its kind in the country, perhaps even in Southeast Asia. It’s certainly the first among member institutions in the Asian Association of Open Universities.
It was a yearning she just couldn’t shake off. As a high school senior back in 1963, Virgie Garcia wanted to study painting and pursue a Fine Arts degree in UP Diliman. Fifty years later, she finally enrolled in the program.
What started as a capacity-building program to help public elementary and high school teachers through training programs and scholarship grants has grown to include other sectors integral to the development of the municipality.
“They’re always surprised that a Filipino is doing plasma research, especially in relation to materials. ”This is a common reaction to Magdaleno “Jong” Vasquez Jr. when he meets foreign scientists. They’re even more surprised, he says, when he tells them that he works on ion sources. “And I’m working on low-energy ion sources when most are working on high-energy.”
