As part of the University of the Philippines Open University’s (UPOU) commitment to global engagement and community-centered research, the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) conducted an initial orientation-meeting led by Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) professors last Saturday, 24 May 2025, at Barangay San Antonio, Los Banos Laguna. The meeting marks the beginning of a collaborative project on bees and mosquitoes under the International University Social Responsibility (IUSR) Program that will take place in and involve community members from Barangay San Antonio.
Set to commence in the first quarter of 2026, the project will explore ecological and public health dimensions tied to pollinators and disease vectors. Dr. Yong-Chao Su (Executive Director of Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association Kaohsiung & Associate Professor of the KMU College Life of Sciences), together with Professor Wei Yu Chen (KMU Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology), discussed the details of the project with members of the community who joined the IUSR Forum at Kaohsiung, Taiwan last September 2024. FMDS Faculty and Staff (Assistant Professor Lorena Jean Saludadez, Ms. Noreen Dianne Alazada, Ms. Vanessa Autor, Ms. Dina Mae Rejano & Ms. Mary Grace Campollo) were also present during the meeting.
This initiative demonstrates FMDS-UPOU’s proactive role in building international partnerships in response to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) that also addresses sustainability, biodiversity, and community resilience through science and social responsibility.
Written by Noreen Dianne S. Alazada • Edited by Larry N. Cruz
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