UPOU hosts 5th Off the Lip Conference

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) hosted the Off the Lip 2020 on 24-25 January 2020 at the Centennial Center for Digital Learning (CCDL) Auditorium, UPOU Headquarters, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines. The Off the Lip 2020 is the 5th research event series organized by research fellows from Cognovo, an interdisciplinary training program. The Off the Lip 2020 was organized by the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS), the University of Plymouth, and the CogNovo Foundation, in partnership with Curiosity, Space Ecologies Art and Design (SEADS), WeDpro, AVANT, and the UP System Office of Institutional Linkages (OIL).

With the theme Cognitive Innovation for Sustainable Development, the two-day Conference aimed to bring together various ideals and fresh thoughts on achieving stable growth, through different branches of research. The range of topics gave the participants different perspectives and avenues for sustainability research.

A preconference workshop was facilitated by Dr. Mona Nasser of the University of Plymouth, who is also the project co-lead of Off the Lip 2020. She tackled methods for evidence synthesis and evidence-based research in interdisciplinary research. During the workshop, the participants clustered into groups, brainstormed, and then shared their outputs with the rest of the delegation.

Featured Speakers

Off the Lip 2020 featured several speakers of diverse backgrounds with the purpose of showcasing the value of interdisciplinary research. On the first day, Dr. Sue Denham gave a talk on Cognitive Innovation and Multidisciplinary Research Training. This was followed by Dr. Alexander G. Flor, who discussed the FICS Manifesto. Dr. Angelo Vermeulen then presented Sustainable Futures and the Horror of Perfection.
For the second and last day of the conference, Lourdes Marina “Lody” Padilla-Espenido shared about Growing Old in the Philippines. Dr. Rogel Mari Sese ended the day with the intriguing topic of Utilizing Space Science and Technology Towards Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Paper and Poster Presentations

In line with cognitive innovation for sustainable development, a number of participants from different sectors – academe, government, industry – had the opportunity to present their research studies. Paper presentations tackled education, sustainability, climate change, self-care, disaster risk communication, and the environment. Meanwhile, poster presentation topics included women’s rights, food consumption, social media, immersive learning, community development, design thinking, aging, professional development, and tourism.

The complete list of paper and poster presentations is available on the Off the Lip 2020 website, which also contains more comprehensive details about the speakers and presenters.

Off the Lip 2020 concluded with an engaging discussion between and among participants and facilitators. Interests piqued and curiosities far from being sated, they shared personal experiences, research interests, avenues for future collaborations, and ideas after cognitive innovation, specifically in connection with sustainable development. All in all, the conference served as a collaborative setting for creativity and interdisciplinarity in research. Off the Lip 2020 is the 5th of the research event series to be organized since its inception in 2015. (GRCerdeña)

Sustainable Development Goals