UP Lecture Series features marine science stalwart
Prof. Edgardo Gomez, a Philippine marine science pioneer and one of the most esteemed faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP), will give the third “View from the Inside” lecture under the UP Centennial Lecture Series.
His lecture titled “Changing Attitudes as a Key to Success for UP’s Second Century” today, 2 to 4 p.m., at the UP Nismed Auditorium is open to the public, beamed live to all UP constituent universities, and viewable at http://dilc.upd.edu.ph/streaming/.
At 69, Gomez holds the rank of University Professor Emeritus and is in the best position to suggest directions for UP’s future.
Gomez was the principal force in initiating, pioneering, and developing the then Marine Sciences Center in UP Diliman to the Marine Science Institute (MSI) today.
It is well-known in academic circles that MSI started out with only a piece of paper as “asset” and an office borrowed from the former Natural Sciences Research Center in the mid-1970s.
“Dr. Gomez went on to recruit and entice staff and build an institution — an institution where the values of honesty, openness, and collegiality prevail because Ed Gomez lived these values and expected no less of his staff,” Dr. Gil Jacinto, a colleague, says.
Today, the MSI is one of the most internationally recognized units of UP due to its major involvements in global research and international publications. Because of its expertise, the MSI experiences sponsorship from international organizations.
Gomez earned his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
He has been a recipient of the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honor, a Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardee, a Pew Marine Conservation Fellow, and recipient of UP’s Concepcion D. Dadufalza Award for Distinguished Achievement.
He is the author of more than 130 technical publications and is an academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology.
The UP Centennial Lecture Series is a milestone UP activity and a vital component of the celebration of the university’s 100th year of academic excellence and service to the nation.
The series is divided into four categories. The first consists of the views of insiders, i.e. distinguished UP scholars reflecting on and re-examining UP’s role and relevance in the next 100 years.
The first of these lectures was from former UP president and political scientist Francisco Nemenzo, who gave a lecture last Feb. 15 on UP’s role in rebuilding a “damaged nation.”
The second lecture was delivered on Feb. 29 by poet and literary scholar Dr. Gemino Abad, who underscored the importance of language in nation-building.
The Centennial Lecture Series also features distinguished citizens who discuss public perceptions about UP and their own evaluations of the role it has played over the years.
World-renowned figures such as Nobel Laureates talk about their fields of expertise. Nobel Laureates Dr. David Jonathan Gross for Physics and Dr. Douglass North for Economics delivered their lectures last Jan. 9 and March 15.
The series also includes discussions of pressing national and international issues by leading experts.
The schedule of the lectures is posted at centennial.up.edu.ph.
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