Hurrah to my second year of attending the Philippine Chemical Engineers’ National Convention! Hurrah to me for still continuing to practice my profession albeit the promises I had way back in college to just leave and forget the chemical engineering world behind! If it were not for La Salle University’s faculty development, I would not have gone any further. It is too expensive to go to conventions as this, considering my teacher salary compared to other chemical engineers who are earning really big bucks in the chemical industry. So thanks to LSU for this really great privilege and I am always grateful to be part of this institution!
Anyway, this year’s PIChE NatCon was held in SMX Convention Center, Bacolod City last February 19-22, 2020. With the theme ChENext: Chemical Engineering Novelty Towards Excellence and Transformation, Filipino chemical engineers from all over the globe (yes, because those who are working abroad also graced the event) convened to update themselves on the latest industry standards. With that, Industry 4.0 has been introduced which is a new knowledge to me as an instructor of Science, Technology and Society (STS).
Our world has gone through a lot from the ancient period to our current era which is the digital age. Modernization started out with the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. This is characterized by the use of steam engines to make work and life easier. Soon after, with the discovery of electricity in the 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution is characterized by the mass production of consumer goods. Thus, toiletries, cosmetics, ready-to-wear (RTW) clothes, accessories, household appliances, and early electronic devices were easily produced and distributed in the market. With man’s unending quest for convenience, the rise of Scientific Revolution astonished the world with computers in the 20th century. As a result, automation started paving the way to digitization which is now Industry 4.0, the birth of artificial intelligence and the internet of things.
With too much advancement in science and technology, we people have to keep up. Dubbed as the universal engineers, chemical engineers play a very vital role to these shifts of revolutions. We are the ones who invent, produce, and sell. In that matter, we must “keep in mind that this should always have a good impact on improving human life while ensuring environmental protection”, quipped Engr. Maricris C. Vines, ASEAN Engr., PIChE National President. And this is my greatest lesson all throughout the convention.
As a chemical engineer in the academe, I have to bear in mind the young people I am honing. I have to instill to their hearts the value of being scientifically knowledgeable and globally competitive without compromising their good moral and right conduct. Aside from that, I have to be a role model for them because we live by example and not by sermon and instruction. With that in mind, this is my action plan for me to somehow create an impact to society:
- update the STS syllabus in outcomes-based education (OBE) standard
- start drafting a workbook for STS with Lasallian values integration
- incorporate research in all courses in collaboration with local industries to give solutions to existing problems and improve quality of methods of operations
With these little steps, we can go an extra mile if we work together to further our goal with the advancement of science and technology. And in so doing, the society gets benefited at the same time being protected by also taking care of our natural resources. Thank you so much, 81st PIChE NatCon for the new knowledge, lessons, and realizations you’ve given us! See you in our next convention, fellow chemical engineers! Watch the vlog below on how we enjoyed Bacolod! Also see related posts at the end of this post for the links on the must-visits and must-eats in Namit Bacolod!
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