10 Filipino Students With Awesome STEM Achievements

by Mikael Angelo Francisco / November 18, 2019

You don’t have to be a hardcore scientist by profession in order to make waves in STEM.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, science is omnipresent in our daily lives. As a matter of fact, it’s precisely what allows us to do some pretty amazing things, many of which have become a normal part of our everyday existence. 

Here’s the thing, though: You don’t have to be a hardcore scientist by profession in order to make waves in STEM. Want proof? Get to know these ten students who, through their incredible achievements, have demonstrated that—to quote a dearly missed local TV quiz show—it is so cool to be smart.

Jay Patrick Nieles

Jay, a student under the University of Santo Tomas’ BS Electronics Engineering program, looked into how he could use technology to help patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS). Also known as pseudocoma, LIS is a condition in which a patient is rendered almost completely paralyzed and unable to speak, and can only move their eyes vertically and blink. 

Jay came up with an interesting solution in the form of a brain-computer typing interface for LIS patients using visual imagery. He dedicated his research, which won him the Project of the Year Award at the 30th BPI-DOST Science Awards, to his late grandmother and aunt.

Alyssa Marie Rivera

Alyssa is a Filipina taking up biochemistry at the California State University, Fresno: College of Science and Math. This science enthusiast from Leyte is one of the recipients of this year’s Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, a highly coveted national research award. Alyssa is aiming for a dual M.D. and Ph.D. degree in pharmacology, and is particularly interested in the discovery of new drugs. According to her mother, she seeks to someday find a cure for cancer.

Carl Vincent Camilon Cuyos

Another Filipino making waves in STEM abroad is Carl, who recently represented Oxnard High School-University of California Santa Barbara at the 2019 State Championship in Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement-National Engineering Design Challenge (Mesa-NEDC). 

Carl and three other students worked together to create Re-LAQS (Respiratory Local Air-Quality Sensor), a Bluetooth-compatible air quality sensor for indoor and outdoor use. Carl designed the air sensor, which was intended to raise public awareness on the importance of monitoring air quality changes.

Eugene Rivera, Joscel Kent Manzanero, and Keith Russel Cadores

Eugene, Joscel, and Keith can count themselves among the small pool of Filipino students who can truly say that their names are written in the stars. Indeed, winning an award in a prestigious international science fair—and having the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory name minor planets after you and your teammates—is certainly nothing to scoff at. 

Hailing from Camarines Sur National High School, the trio worked on a project called Solar-Tracking Arduino-Rooted PV Panels, which placed second in the “Energy: Physical” category of the 2018 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). 

Eugene, Joscel, and Keith aren’t the first Pinoy students to be honored in this manner, but they certainly won’t be the last.

E’van Relle Tongol,  Shaira Gozun, and Neil David Cayanan 

These young people participated in the 2019 edition of ISEF in Arizona, and were feted for a creative invention that managed to kill two birds with one stone. 

E’van, Shaira, and Neil wanted to address the issue of high noise levels in public schools. At the same time, they wanted to do something about the floods they’d experience every year in Pampanga, a problem largely due to an invasive species, the water hyacinth, clogging up waterways. 

The three students from Angeles City Science High School came up with “Hibla,” a sound-absorbing material made out of the aforementioned plant, as well as bamboo and abaca fibers. 

Hillary Diane Andales

A graduate of Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus, Hillary made local and international headlines after winning the 2017 Breakthrough Junior Challenge. This science-loving student from Tacloban City bagged the top prize in the yearly science video competition, triumphing over 11,000 other contestants with her entertaining explainer video on relativity. 

Hillary’s passion for science started at a young age—a passion that grew even stronger after she survived the devastation that Super Typhoon Yolanda brought to her home province. 

Hillary, who aims to become a master at both scientific research and science communication, is currently taking up Physics at MIT. Her advice to people who think that science is too difficult or boring? “Even if science is not your thing, I hope you can still appreciate the beauty of science. Science is everything… and it matters to everyone.”

Learn more about STEM programs in the Philippines and abroad at the First Integrated STEM Summit in Asia, happening this month in Cebu!