in10s GROUP PROJECT

Research Objective

            The group aims to investigate the waste management and segregation policy of different units of the University.  Furthermore, the group intends to execute comprehensive investigation on the waste management and segregation policy to grasp comparative analysis on the content and procedure of management and policy of different University units.  Lastly, the group seeks to provide awareness to the people in UP about the current waste management scheme through publishing adequate information on the facts about the issue.

Significance of the Study

            The malfunction of waste management and segregation policy commences the upheaval of campus disturbance that might establish direct correlation to affect students’ health, campus units’ reputation, and also the University as a whole.  As a University that upholds honor and excellence, the importance of proper management and policy execution on waste and segregation has to be observed by both students and the administration.

            In line with this, the major contribution of this particular research study is (1) the assessment of the feasibility of both students and administration on waste management and segregation policy, and (2) the publication of current and factual situation on the waste management scheme of different U.P.D. units.

Overall Research Design and Methodology

            In order to measure the indicators of assessing the variables of the research study, the group highlighted two major research methods, the case study, and expert interview.

            On case study, observation and investigation of group members on different units of the University had been performed.  Three major indicators were measured: one is the inflow of waste and segregation schemes, second is the observance and compliance, and third is the outflow of wastes and waste management.  The units of observation covered fifteen areas, which were selected based on the crowding and frequency of people.

            On expert interview, interviewees include Instructor Ma. Brida Lea Diola of ICE, and Ms. Rosie D. Dones of the UPD Task Force Solid Management.

Research Findings

            After investigation and observation, the group found out that the management and policy of waste and segregation of the corresponding University units in the campus trailed different schemes and feasibility on managing and regulating waste and segregation processes. 

            On the following units, there are no segregation: (1) Vanguard, (2) National Center for Transportation Studies, (3) Virata School of Business, (4) Main Library, and (5) Faculty Center (Bulwagang Rizal).  On the other hand, on the following units, there are schemes of biodegradable, recyclables, and residuals: (6) College of Science Library, (7)Institute of Biology, (8) College of Home Economics (9)Palma Hall (AS Building) and (10) National Institute of Physics.  Furthermore, categories of non-biodegradable were specified which enclosed as “plastic, bottle, cans” and also biodegradable: (11) Palma Hall Annex, and (12) College of Education.  Meanwhile, (13) Palma Hall, (14) Kalayaan Residence Hall and (15) Institute of Chemistry have biodegradable and non-biodegradable schemes.  Lastly, (16) College of Engineering Library II has the scheme of wet wastes and dry wastes and (17) College of Home Economics has the eco-bin; both are special segregation scheme.

            According to Instructor Diola of ICE, there is already an on going waste management and segregation research program namely “Solid and Hazardous Waste Management of UPD.”  The objective of this program is to come up with a uniform waste segregation management all over the UPD campus. The said program will be finalized by September this year.

            On survey responses of the said program, mostly agreed that they were aware of the waste segregation scheme.  On the other hand, respondents diverged to agree upon the adequacy of the scheme.  For instance, dormers mostly agreed the adequacy of schemes.  Lastly, they mostly denied on their participation on the schemes in different units of the campus.

            In terms of volume, the most collected wastes were paper (non-biodegradable) in academic buildings, and paper and food (biodegradable) in dorms.

            The program is expected to end on the 14^th of September 2014.

            On an interview with Ms. Rosie D. Dones of Task Force Solid Management UPD, the MRF Material Recovery Facility is by the virtue of RA 9003.  The kinds of waste covered are (1) solid waste which is hazardous, (2) biodegradable, specifically yard waste, falling leaves, coconut, and whatnot, and (3) non-biodegradable which is mostly plastic.

On the treatment of the biodegradable and its process, the facility has shredding machine as an equipment to easily gather all biodegradable wastes.  These processed wastes will be added amount of enzymes to be easily decomposed.  These will become fertilizers.  The excess will be sold for 25 pesos for 2 kg.  But still problems emerged as there is no equipment to process coconut wastes to make it more refined to easily decompose. 

On the plastics and other non-biodegradable wastes, the proposed is that these wastes should be collected in by the DPWMD in order to become materials for creating bricks but the problem is that there is no machinery for processing.  It is indeed an administrative problem.  Though collections are in regular basis, lack of machinery remains the basic and major problem of the facility.

The facility also conducts educational discussions on segregation and waste management.

#

SOURCES/ REFERENCES:

Diola, M.B.L. (2014). Interviewed by Meryl Mae Tan, STS THY, 14 March.

Dones, R. (2014). Interviewed by Meryl Mae Tan & Anna Veronica Cortes, STS THY, 17 March.

Environmental Management Bureau- DENR. (2014). Managing our Solid Waste: An Overview of the              Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, brochure, The Environmental Education and
       Information Division, Environmental Management Bureau- DENR.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Image of Oblation from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnI4W2p904fKVJXM0peSrUYLwDWTQ6A8GPXo2y00hGAMvJ-pRKBeI51eVF3NBPCp58jJqkRwQ1Fh0ndYUZMr5u4Owt1yOt0FgxcHUZr15Kn_vJkzUMDqI47UrTYLLeJjD8OgPjbYVO/s1600/UP+Diliman+Quezon+City+%25281%2529.jpg

Image of UPD Map from: http://unibersidadngpilipinas.tumblr.com/post/452295072/markeee-up-diliman-map-kalayaan-residence

APPLICATION USED FOR INFOGRAPHIC: piktochart.com/

                  

Frankly

2013-14820
Reaction Paper (The Bride of Frankenstein)

          The film and novel show how high the regard for science was that morality was out of the question. They stressed this enough with the creation of a monstrosity that would have caused so much deaths in their community. Another thing is the way they defied the laws of nature and the respect for human life by trying to create life from a corpse. In a way this is somewhat the main dilemma science is facing; is it better to undermine morality for the advancement of science? The film and novel show how the lowest of scientists, in terms of morality, can actually create some thing that is a scientific breakthrough at the same time cause a downfall in humanity. In our day and age morality is still of top priority, the film and novel just depicts the possible outcomes if it were the other way around to provide us with insights and entertainment.

          The idea of making the monster dumb in the film was to show the incompleteness of the experiment. That life cannot be perfectly recreated by man. This also shows the feral nature of creatures suggesting that Frankenstein's monster is not completely a human being, but a humanoid creature made from reanimated flesh. It also emphasizes the hysterical nature of the movie and gives it color. This tactic actually worked as we actually find the film comedic and with regards with the depiction of an incomplete human being we could easily see that the Frankenstein's monster is far from being human.

Hit all the High Notes

2013-14820

Reaction Paper (Science of Music)

          No one would have ever expected that music can come hand-in-hand with science. Although it is naturally wired in us that art and science are co-existing in our brains, the right hemisphere being the creative half and the left hemisphere being the logical one, people always see contrasts of things as opposing instead of being complimentary with one another. Through years, music and science evolved and flourished together. Still people did not see the connection that the two aspects can make. 

          It was not until the rise of two musicians William Herschel and Gustav Holt that science was expressed through music. The mostly used concept and inspiration for their works were the heavenly bodies. The vastness and endless beauty of the unknown universe provided the perfect subject for their expression of science in music. They paved the way for other scientists to express their love for their work through music as well. Nowadays, science has shown up in all of the different genres of music we know.

         Science in art in our generation now has taken big steps and has been incorporated in different kinds of media. From television series to video games to paintings, science now can be seen almost everywhere. Nonetheless, the example Herschel and Holt displayed was the perfect show of the harmonious union of the two contrasts.

The Dawn of Dusk

2013-14820
Reaction Paper (Isaac Asimov's Nightfall)

          Science fiction has always been one of the broadest genres of novels. To me, it is a genre that spouts limitless creativity as well as plausible ideas and concepts in science and technology. It gives readers an possible future that we may or may not really undergo in our lifetime. The thing about sci-fi that attracts so much attention is how they, more often than not, use a constant that is human nature. The only thing they alter are the laws of science surrounding man-kind. Such is the case for the radio play adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Nightfall

          The story focuses on the onset of an eclipse, one that rarely happens in a world of continuous illumination (every 2000 years or so), that the scientists predict the chaos that would ensue once it actually happens. This explains why the scientists made a conclusion that civilization collapses every 2000 years, because of the eclipse that induces mania, insanity, and a fear of the unknown in the masses. At the end of the story it implies that what the scientists fear for has come upon fruition, darkness falls down upon the planet and the people burning society down literally in a fear induced riot.

          The story displays all the aspects of human nature that we ourselves would display when we are put into their situation. This together with the sci-fi aspect of a planet with six suns and the occurrence of an eclipse, something unknown to them at that time, that causes the chaos of society makes for an excellent sci-fi story. It pulls us in as we can relate to what is happening due to the emotions and reactions the people in the story display as well as the creative and completely new point of view of a new world with new laws of physics and technology promises.

24/7

2013-14820
Reaction Paper (All the Time in the World)

          The episode shows the ambivalence of having all the time and wants you have in a solitary world. During the start of the episode we can see the protagonist not having enough time for himself, rather he get's interrupted every time he tries to make time for his books. Much like how us scholars fantasize of having enough time to do everything, this episode gives us a view on what it would look like if someone had all the time in the world.

          Yes, the idea might sound like it's the best thing that could happen to someone, especially in this day and age of having a very busy and stressful lifestyle, but it does carry certain consequences that most people cannot face. The episode shows that the protagonist is the only person left in a world of desolation but in this world he had everything he ever wanted, all the books that he always wanted to read. In this situation the protagonist first displays a positive attitude that screams "Hey, I can finally have all the time in the world to do what I want" but not soon after he changes his mind. Upon breaking his glasses and knowing that help is nowhere to be found, the helpless protagonist lays down in desperation to accept his inevitable faith without the comfort of neither time nor pleasure.

          It makes us think on how we should assess our current situation with the extremes that we look for in our lives. It teaches us to not take everything for granted and just deal with our problems with whatever little time we have left. It is actually impossible for a normal human being to be able to survive psychologically the state of isolation. According to Aristotle "Man by nature is a social animal" meaning that social contact with others is just as important to us humans as having food or shelter. Again, I stress how the ambivalence of the episode showing the two extremes that a human can undergo will always end up in a paradox in which one will just be stuck in the middle without any idea as to what to do.

Eureka! Scientopia!

2013-04986

Reaction Paper

Isaac Asimov's Nightfall

If someone becomes deeply immersed in reading written works of fantasy and adventure and also fond of the future and advancement of technology, most probably he/she would also like going to the library to check out fictional novels and short stories about science. Lying around next to books, tracing each words and visualizing it in the head may make someone a geek. But with these whole different societies with each unique character playing different roles, it helps us escape, even for just a moment, reality and look forward to a world we technically own.

One of these works is the Nightfall by Isaac Asimov. In this story, Lagash, a planet on a different stellar system becomes exposed to something they never been confronted, darkness bringing forth chaos and destruction through fire. This popular work of fiction does not only tell a story of a civilization instead it also opens questions and applying the possibilities of what Science can achieve through time. That science fiction is not just a book that is sold in stores but a statement that brings forth discussions.

Some people may not treat this seemingly impossible written work seriously but no one should forget that science fiction triggers the readers to think, "Is such thing really possible?" That may be through these works we can actually make a stubborn man pick up a science textbook to search for the truth. And through this fictional worlds of science, we can achieve Eureka.

When Rhythm meets Science

2013-72538

Music like any other aspects of entertainment, had gone through a lot of ages and changes. People even in earlier times enjoyed music so much enough for it to evolve and be passed from generation to generation. Maybe the style and genre are very different comapred to what we have nowadays but still, music is still music. Its influence into our lives is so great that even the vast world of science was also conquered. Yes, music conquered science.

Through the years, music not only affect people's lives and emotions but also science and technology. It started when Frederick William Herschel expressed his passion for science using music. Another remarkable person was Gustav Holt. Because of his love for astrology, he was able to create “The Planets”. These two were only few of the many people who incorporated music and science that led to the versatile music industry we have right now.

In the present times, music-and-science tandem is still evident. Probably the most appropriate example of this is the soundtrack of the series “The Big Bang Theory”. There evolution and other scientific concepts were incorporated as seen during the start of the show. This became very popular because of the series' very intellectual sense of humor.

Maybe if we look at it individually, science and music are two different aspects of life. But thanks to those people, they made a connection to these two that seems a bit impossible to think. We always think that science is purely academic, but with music, we can see that science is a world exploring for after all.