TIP Cubao, Pisay Eastern Visayas, New Era, St. John-Roxas S&T projects bag top prizes in imake.wemake contest

imake.wemake finalists and judges with officials and representatives of DOST-SEI and Acer Philippines

Senior high school teams from the Technological Institute of the Philippines-Cubao Campus, Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas Campus, and New Era University won the coveted Youth Innovation Prize and P50,000 cash while College of St. John-Roxas nabbed the Acer IOT Award in the recently concluded imake.wemake: create. innovate. collaborate competition of the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) and Acer Philippines.

The projects of the four school teams bested twelve other projects in the Final Presentation and Awarding Ceremony held on December 3-4, 2018 at the Crimson Hotel in Alabang.

DOST-SEI Director Josette Biyo and Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong presented the awards in the event which also featured a gallery of the finalists’ innovative projects.

“DOST-SEI exists to ensure a steady supply of highly-trained S&T professionals in the country,” says Biyo. “In imake.wemake, we do not only get a glimpse of our future engineers and inventors, but more importantly we see their sensitivity to the needs of Filipinos and their passion to help through science and technology,” she adds.

**Youth Innovation Prize Awardee – Technological Institute of the Philippines-Cubao Campus.** (L-R) imake.wemake judges Engr. Percival Magpantay and Engr. Carlos Matti Oppus, DOST-SEI Division Chief Ruby Cristobal, Coach Regina Sindayen, TIP Cubao students Ayeesha Mhae Amburan, Jeremy Reuel Cesista and Dominique Tolin, with Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong and Acer Philippines Business Development Manager Alexis de Guzman.

The panel of judges, composed of UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute professors Dr. Nestor Tiglao and Engr. Percival Magpantay, and Ateneo de Manila University professor Engr. Carlos Matti Oppus, chose Technological Institute of the Philippines-Cubao Campus’ weather advisory system – “Project Anitun Tabu”; Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas Campus’ “Smart Automated Aquaponics System”; and New Era University’s “Automated Irrigation and Electro Culture” as the top projects for this year’s competition for their viability and potential to address important societal and community issues.

**Youth Innovation Prize Awardee – Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas Campus.** (L-R) imake.wemake judges Engr. Percival Magpantay and Engr. Carlos Matti Oppus, DOST-SEI Division Chief Ruby Cristobal, PSHS-EVC students Joshua Kempis, Hans Gonzaga and Jhoe Leil Adel, Coach Xavier Francis de los Reyes, with Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong and Acer Philippines Business Development Manager Alexis de Guzman.

They also picked College of St. John Roxas’ “VIBRAVA Smart Watch: Your Ear to Disaster” project as recipient of the very first Acer IOT Award in imake.wemake.

The competition, which is now on its second run, received a total of 64 proposals. Only 16 proposals made it to the next round, a five-day project pitching and technical training workshop under Think Lab and Acer Taiwan’s Kevin Chuang held last September. Each team, composed of three senior high school students and one teacher-coach, received free sensor expansion pack, microcontroller unit, and the Acer Cloudprofessor kit.

**Youth Innovation Prize Awardee – New Era University.** (L-R) imake.wemake judges Engr. Percival Magpantay and Engr. Carlos Matti Oppus, DOST-SEI Division Chief Ruby Cristobal, New Era student John Kenneth Asuncion, Coaches Joemar Silao and Leoville Villaluz,students Rand Joubert Reyes,and F.M. Raven Dalayap, with Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong and Acer Philippines Business Development Manager Alexis de Guzman.

After the workshop, they were given three months to develop, test, and validate their projects. All 16 team finalists were able to present their finished projects, using the Acer Cloudprofessor as platform.

Aside from the winning school-teams, Centro Escolar University-Manila, De La Salle University Integrated School – Laguna, Dr. Yanga’s Colleges, Grace Christian College, Masbate National Comprehensive High School, Philippine Science High School – Cagayan Valley Campus, Philippine Science High School – CAR Campus, Philippine Science High School – Central Luzon Campus, Philippine Science High School – Central Visayas Campus, Rizal National Science High School, Santa Rosa Science and Technology High School, and Taguig Science High School also participated in the Final Presentation.