Bring Meaningful Ideas to Life

Archaeology has been practiced manually since the 19th century, making it labor-intensive and prone to human error. Automating the excavation process will ensure that fossils are handled properly and preserved accordingly, while providing an improved and more accurate cataloging of artifacts. The ArchaeoBot team is exploring the use of robotics to automate archaeological surveys and excavations, reducing human error and improving accuracy.

The Japanese concept of "Shinrin-yoku" is an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and a reaffirmation of Japanese culture, rooted in reverence for nature and Zen aesthetics. The team of Ang Gubat ang Guro seeks to craft a similar ecological response that is rooted in the Filipino experience, reflects Filipino anxieties and aspirations, and draws from Filipino resources. Their proposal is about developing modules based on the concept of the forest, drawing from research of history, literature, popular culture, and folk and organized religion as practiced by Filipinos.

Visual and graphic arts have been used to improve communication of scientific findings and increase research awareness, allowing science to have a greater impact and reach. The team behind Baligtarin Mo! explores the development of a card deck that encapsulates the lamentations and aspirations of the youth on the current climate and biodiversity crisis. The group examines the role of experiential learning and art in promoting ecological education, and intends to propose ways to formulating or reframing academic and co-curricular activities that introduce age-appropriate and contextualized inputs on climate change and biodiversity.

Gleaning is an integral part of Filipino coastal communities' way of life, yet its role and value is often overlooked. The practice provides supplemental income and nourishment when catches are declining due to overfishing and unsustainable practices. Gleaning has become increasingly popular, with most studies focused on its economic, social, and ecological aspects. The team of BEKIS in Gleaning aims to reconnect local communities to their knowledge and cultural practices, discuss responses and effects of local biodiversity, and renegotiate climate change adaptations from diverse perspectives.

Research and anecdotes show that 40-70% of hospital medical devices from lower income and lower-middle income countries are broken, unused, or unfit for purpose, leading to severe disruptions and lack of access to essential healthcare services. The project, Conducting a Hospital equipment inventory assessing damage and developing strategies to possibly repair or upgrade: a case series (HIER project) involves evaluating medical devices required by the Department of Health and PhilHealth in order to deliver essential healthcare services in hospitals and various healthcare facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant impact on theater artists, further complicating their vulnerabilities. The team behind Laro, Lingap, Laya seeks to challenge traditional modes of theater production and theatrical knowledge by taking partial inspiration from the behavior and mythological landscapes of games. Their project involves offering co-learning spaces that are more inclusive, playful, open-ended, and collaborative, directed to engage with educational and grassroots communities; charge at a pay-what-you-can price; and integrated with a choose-your-own adventure design.

The 10th anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan in 2023 summons a working-through of trauma that is still in progress despite rehabilitation of the local economy and infrastructure. Exemplified by the Filipino word "Sugat," referring to both “wound” and “encounter,” the project is focused on providing sustainable education in a variety of forms to help Filipinos cope with natural calamities, including podcasts that render sustainability as an integral and indissociable aspect of daily life.