In celebration of the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through its Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI), organized the NSTW 2012 Exhibition with the theme “Science, Technology and Innovation: Working Together for Growth and Development”.
The NSTW 2012 Exhibition was held simultaneously with the National Invention Contest and Exhibits (NICE) on July 10 -14, 2012 at the SMX Convention Center, Hall 1 and 2 located at SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.
The NSTW 2012 Exhibition is an exposition showcasing DOST’s latest R & D results and developed technologies, innovations and winning inventions from different regions. Different academic institutions, business sectors and other government institutions participated in this event. The developed technologies presented in the Exhibition include areas of food, agriculture and aquaculture, biotechnology, alternative energy, environment, health pharmaceuticals, manufacturing engineering, nanotechnology and information communication.
Four government agencies under the Department of Agriculture (DA) participated in this event. These include; Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA).
FIDA’s Exhibit/Booth featured the researches undertaken by its two techical divisions namely; “The Potential of Musa Fibers as Reinforcing Material in Polyester Composites” (Fiber Technology and Utilization Division [FTUD]) and “Antiserum Production for the Detection of Abaca Viral Diseases Using Recombinant Proteins as Antigens” (Crops Research Division [CRD]).
The FIDA-DA Exhibit during the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW)
The visitors to the Exhibit came from different regional schools and universities, government agencies, businessmen, research institutions, inventors & innovators and private individual including famers. The number of visitors to FIDA’s booth exceeded the expected number in attendance, and so, others were not able to register. There were more than 63 visitors on July 11, 2012 and more than 105 visitors on July 13, 2012. Most of the visitor’s concerns are;
- the use of abaca fiber as filter
- the uses of banana stalks
- the method and the right time to extract banana fiber
- the strength of abaca reinforced sheets
- request for training on abaca scrunch making
- possibility that matted abaca fibers (scrunch) be attacked by molds
- market price for raw abaca fiber
- use of abaca fiber as reinforcement to plastic materials for furniture (chair)
- commercial availability of abaca reinforced roofing
- utilization of abaca trimmings to produce abaca pots
- cost of banana reinforced composites
- cause of drying of abaca leaves
- signs of diseases in abaca plant
- treatment for abaca diseases
- where to find place in the country where abaca is disease free
- where to buy abaca planting materials
