Three new research and instructional laboratories were launched at the Dante de Padua Building (formerly the Electrical Engineering Building) in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 21. The laboratories are housed and managed by the Department of Electrical Engineering (DEE) under the College of Engineering and Agro-industrial Technology (CEAT) and mark a new milestone for the 25-year-old department.

The three inaugurated laboratories are the UPLB PCARI PRIME Collaboratory, the UPLB Electricity Market Research Laboratory, and the DEE Robotics and Automation Research Laboratory.

Dr. Fernando O. Paras, Jr., vice chancellor for planning and development (VCPD), and Annie Liza C. Pintor and John Paolo A. Ramoso, both faculty members at DEE, provided brief descriptions and historical background of the laboratories.

Pintor introduced the UPLB PCARI PRIME Collaboratory, which originated from a collaboration between DEE and the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI) of UP Diliman for the remote offering of their Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering.

The room is designed to mirror a laboratory and lecture room in UPD and will host lectures and remote classes. Pintor added that the new laboratory would be vital in exploring the next phase of collaborative classes and remote learning in UPLB.

It was funded through the Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) Research and Instructional Infrastructure for Mentoring and Collaboration (PRIME) project under the Commission on Higher Education.

VC Paras explained the purpose of the UPLB Electricity Market Research Laboratory. He gave an account of how UPLB increased its savings in power and electricity costs through its direct membership in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), which allowed it to choose its electrical supplier at intervals and buy where it is cheaper. The same practice is now being adopted in UPD and can be potentially implemented in other UP constituent universities.

The “market lab” will now be hosting this process and will enable students to observe how UPLB trades in the electricity spot market.

Ramoso gave the insights into the DEE Robotics and Automation Research Laboratory. He said that the new laboratory and equipment would bring much-needed upgrades to the university’s automation and instrumentation research and expressed his hopes that the new laboratory would enable them to extend their services to more units in the university.

In his message, Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. said that the laboratories would expand the university’s capability in instruction, research, and public service. He also emphasized its potential to produce students who can contribute to national development through their expertise and become catalysts of empowerment and social change in communities.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by current and former university officials and administrators. Among them were vice chancellors Dr. Jean O. Loyola (academic affairs), and Dr. Janette H. Malata-Silva (student affairs), and former VCPD Dr. Marish S. Madlangbayan.

Also in attendance were Dr. Rossana Marie C. Amongo, dean of CEAT; Roderick L. Catriz, chair of DEE; Dr. Edmund G. Centeno, director of the Center for Advancement in Teaching and Learning; John Mervin L. Embate, director of the Learning Resource Center; Dr. Danilo J. Mercado, director of the Information Technology Center; and Dr. Nelio C. Altoveros, chair of the Robotics and Instrumentation Studies Center.

Special guests from CEAT included Professor Emeritus Ernesto P. Lozada, Professor Maximino G. Villanueva, the first chair of DEE, and other members of the DEE faculty and staff.

Joining them from UP Diliman were Dr. Bienvenido Malquisto, Jr., Dr. Ivan Benedict Cruz and Dr. Rowaldo del Mundo. Dr. del Mundo is credited for initiating UPLB’s WESM membership. Dr. Roel M. Ocampo, program leader of PCARI PRIME, joined the event virtually. (Annie Pintor & Jessa Jael Arana)