MEIDAI Alumni - Cynthia Saloma & Roel Suralta honored by DOST

Nagoya University alumni, Dr. Cynthia Saloma of UP Philippine Genome Center and current President of the Nagoya University Alumni Association - Philippines and and Dr. Roel Suralta of the Philippine Rice Research Institute were honored in the first virtual National Science and Technology Week Science & Technology Awards hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST Philippines) on November 23, 2020.

Dr. Saloma, received the Dioscoro L. Umali Medal, "for her contributions as Executive Director of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) of the University of the Philippines (UP) System and for her proactive management approach and extensive experience, coupled with her unwavering mentorship of young scientists, has paved the way for the creation of PGC’s Satellite Facilities in UP Visayas and UP Mindanao as well as the generation of many research grants and projects, which capitalized on building the capacity and capability of researchers to undertake genomics research in health, agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity, forensics, and ethnicity."

Dr. Suralta and his team received the Eduardo A. Quisumbing Medal, for their outstanding scientific research on “Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Root Elongation Ability of Rice under Nitrogen-deficient Condition. Their research identified putative quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with root elongation, which can be used for further validation and/or development of marker systems useful in breeding cultivars with improved adaptation to rice-growing environments with limited Nitrogen (N)."

 Dr. Suralta's team includes co-researchers: Jennifer M. Manangkil, Jonathan M. Niones, Jerwin R. Undan, Mitsuhiro Obara, Teodora E. Mananghaya, Rachelle P. Mallari, Maybell DM. Banting, Sherilyn B. Estrada, and Mark Philip B. Castillo

 Congratulations! Omedetou Gozaimasu!