“Expressing our Faith through Excellence in Scienceâ€
The College of Science of the University of Santo Tomas is in a unique position compared to its fellow higher education academic units devoted to the sciences, as it is the only one housed in the lone Pontifical University in Asia, whose mission embraces a commitment to serve the Church, the nation and the global community. As such, the college has dedicated itself “to the integral formation of ethical, morally upright, competent and compassionate scientists who are committed to the pursuit of truth, and whose service to God and community is manifested in its responsiveness to national and global concerns†(UST College of Science Mission).
Hence, the theme of its centennial celebrations highlight the strong link between Faith and Science in the mission, academic programs, and advocacies of the UST College of Science. For many years, the UST College of Science has instilled the “GálingÌýScience,ÌýGalÃngÌýScience†(Excellence in Science) mantra among its academic staff, students and alumni. It is but fitting that as we celebrate the centenary of the college, we anchor this push to strive for excellence in science to be founded in the basic tenets of the Catholic and Christian identity of the University of Santo Tomas.
The College of Science has laid out a ten-year plan to prepare for its centenary which aims to 1) acknowledge our heritage, 2) celebrate excellence and 3) establish an enduring legacy. The celebrations began last A.Y. 2016-2017 with the launching of “The Outstanding Alumni of Science Tribute Awards†or TOAST Awards 2017 which aimed to recognize ten Science alumni annually until the centennial celebrations of 2026. Furthermore, the year 2017 saw the relaunching of Agham, a fund-raising project which was first initiated during the deanship of Prof. Carmen Kanapi, Ph.D. and relaunched through the efforts of Prof. John Donnie Ramos, Ph.D. Project Agham, as it is now called, aims to advance the academic and research capability of the College of Science through infrastructure development, student scholarships, professorial chairs as well as faculty and student internationalization activities. One of its more visible achievements was the construction of the Science Online Learning Environment (SOLE) Room named in honor of Engr. Recaredo A. Dela Rosa and Prof. Lourdes C. Dela Rosa. It has likewise supported students with financial difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic through its Pande-Scholars initiative.
By A.Y. 2020-2021, incumbent dean Prof. Rey Donne S. Papa, Ph.D. formed the CS Centennial Committee whose main function was to conceptualize and help organize programs and activities which will form part of the 5-year countdown to the centennial celebrations. The committee included Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, OP, EHL (Regent), former deans Prof. Emeritus Fortunato B. Sevilla III, Ph.D., Prof. Maribel G. Nonato, Ph.D., Prof. John Donnie A. Ramos, Ph.D., and former college secretaries Prof. Carlos P. Garcia, Ph.D. and Prof. Cecilia B. Moran, Dr.rer.nat.ÌýÌý
The following activities have so far been conducted as part of the ten-year countdown:
- CS Grand Alumni ²ÝÁñÊÓƵcoming (March 2, 2019)
- TOAST Awards 2019 (March 2, 2019)
- TOAST Awards 2020 (July 19, 2020)
- Inaugural Albertus Magnus Faith and Science Lecture by Prof. Jonathan Lunine, Ph.D. of Cornell University (March 8, 2021)
- CS Centennial Logo and Theme making contest
- 2nd Albertus Magnus Faith and Science Lecture (Round-table discussion on the theme “Solidarity, Equity and the Global Challenge for Universal Access to Vaccination†featuring Rev. Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP and Dr. Anthony Leachon, and representatives of major religious denominations and Church leaders) (October 8, 2021)
- Conferment of a posthumous Doctor of Science degree to Mr. Ricardo S. Po Sr., Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Century Pacific Foods, Inc. (March 19, 2022)
- Launch of the Philippine celebrations of the International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development 2022 (IYBSSD) in collaboration with the National Research Council of the Philippines (October 7, 2022)
- TOAST Awards for 2021, 2022, and 2023 (April 1, 2023)
- Unveiling of the CS Centennial (March 27, 2023)
Upcoming activities include:
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- Conferment of the second Professor Emeritus of the UST College of Science
- 3rd Albertus Magnus Faith and Science Lecture
- Launching of the Exhibit and Commemorative Book on the history of the UST College of Science
- Faith and Science Painting Exhibit in collaboration with the College of Fine Arts and Design