Student bags science award

ALAMINOS CITY, Philippines  – A student of the Alaminos City National High School won in an international science research project competition held in Malaysia, besting 36 entries from different nations in the region.

Shairaine Nieves Catabay and her coach Adolfo Medrano bagged the “Outstanding Award for Presentation of Exhibit” in the search for SEAMEO Young Scientists organized by the Southeast Asian Ministries of Education Organization Regional Center for Education in Science and Mathematics (SEAMEO RECSAM) held in Penang, Malaysia on March 5.

Their investigatory project entitled “Preliminary Analysis of Water Quality Parameters and Population Density of Chironomous sp as Pollution Bio-indicator” analyzed the water of three rivers in Alaminos City, particularly in Tococ, Sabangan and Bogtong, which were found to be contaminated.

The project, the work of Catabay with Elvie Ngayawon and Paolo Alcantara who are both already in college, had been conferred an International Corporate Award by the American Meteorological Society in February 2009 in Subic, Zambales during the 2009 National INTEL Philippines Science Fair. — Eva Visperas