By Shareen Anjali B. Warad | News Writer
Vol. XCI No. 8
Oct. 4, 2019
RENAISSANCE YOUTH Leadership Forum (RYLF), in cooperation with Silliman University (SU) Office of Strategic Partnership (OSP) and Friedrich Naumann Foundation Philippines, hosted the first Falling Walls Lab Conference in the country last Sept. 30 at the Luce Auditorium.
Falling Walls is an international forum for the next generation of outstanding innovators and creative thinkers from the world of science, business, politics, the arts and society. The conference’s aim is to identify trends, opportunities and solutions for global challenges and discover international breakthrough research, and to inspire people to break down walls in science and society.
Twelve innovators and researchers, six of which are Sillimanians, from different universities all over the Philippines were given three minutes each to pitch in their research works, business model or initiative to peers and professionals in each field. These innovators are: Dr. Ryan Corpuz, Chulalongkorn University and Ateneo De Manila; Kimberly Quililan, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman; Ray-Mark Cauchon, UP Los Baños; Alaine Tess Cabije, SU; Gereo Patrimonio, SU and Jose Rizal Memorial State University; Sheryl Joyce Grijaldo, Twenty Thirty Technologies Inc; Michael Russelle Alvarez, UP Los Baños; Alron Kevin Arzaga, SU; Angeli Ramirez, SU; Danielle Louise Villagracia, SU Philippine Institute of Computer Engineering Students (PHICES); John Austin Dalde, SU PHICES; and King Benedict Maraño, SU.
Among the 12, Kimberly Quililan from UP Diliman won the conference with her research “Breaking the Walls of DNA-based diagnostics.” She will represent the Philippines in the Falling Walls Lab Conference in Berlin this November.
Jezeree Jeonne Gajelomo, RYLF president and one of the organizers, shared during a tWS interview that the event is relevant in today’s generation because according to her, innovations presented during the conference takes place at the frontiers of different disciplines. “This event is a way for us to influence the Silliman community to continue breaking the walls and barriers with innovation by stepping up to the challenge and being bold enough to pursue it,” she added.
Gajelomo shared that RYLF and OSP wanted to be part of history and to give a platform for people to learn about the young innovators and for researchers to present their ideas and breakthroughs. On being the organizer of the first Falling Walls Lab Conference, she shared that “being the organizer of Falling Walls … definitely brought such big responsibility, but as an organization driven with passion through servant leadership, this characteristic continues to bind us together in order to make this event a successful one.”
RYLF is a leading socio-civic organization cultivating passion for service for 13 years.
