ISAAA Inc. Joins UPLB Devcom's 5th Science Communication Roundtable Discussion

ISAAA Inc., together with academic, government, and non-government professionals, participated in the 5th Science Communication Roundtable Discussion (RTD) organized by the Department of Science Communication, College of Development Communication.

With the theme "Paving pathways towards future-ready science communication program and practice," the 5th Scicom RTD aimed to gather insights on the necessary skills and areas of interest for the proposed institution of the Master of Science Communication at University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

According to Assistant Professor Garry Jay S. Montemayor, "We have to have a robust pool of science communicators in the Philippines across generations." To achieve this, there is a need for teaching programs that address learning goals specifically for science communicators, which until now is considerably low in the country. Asst. Prof. Montemayor said, "There is a call for scientists and subject matter experts to be science communicators themselves."

Through the 5th Scicom RTD, UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose V. Camacho anticipates a curricular program that will make science communicators future-ready. Dr. Camacho urged scicom practitioners to push boundaries in communicating science and go beyond merely narrating facts to foster scientific trust and make science more accessible to the general public.

The event also featured Dr. Aimee Lynn A. Barrion-Dupo, President of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP); Ms. Lyn Resurreccion, Secretary of SciCommPH; and Asst. Prof. Hermilea Marie C. Castillo, a PhD candidate at the Australian National University who shared their experiences as scicom practitioners in their respective fields. The results of the demand survey on the potential offering of Masters in Science Communication were also presented by Dr. Elaine DC. Llarena.

For more information, visit the Facebook page of UPLB Devcom.