Asteroid to be named after DOST scholar

MANILA, Philippines -  An asteroid will be named after a former scholar of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) who took home a prize in a science competition held in the United States last week.

Arnold Reyes, 16, a former student of the Philippine Science High School, won the second grand prize in the 2011 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in Los Angeles, California.

He also received a cash prize of $1,500 from the Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his research entitled “Synthesis and Characterization of Composite Plastics from Thermoplastic Starch and Nano-sized Calcium Phosphate for Film Packaging.”

It is a study on producing biodegradable plastic for film packaging from a composite of thermoplastics from cornstarch and nano-sized phosphate particles.

Reyes will be joining the ranks of Filipinos who have an asteroid named after them, including former Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration administrator Dr. Roman Kintanar, Edwin Aguirre, Imelda Joson, PSHS Western Visayas campus director Josette Biyo, Allan Noriel Estrella, Jeric Valles Macalintal, Prem Vilas Fortran Rara, and Father Victor Badillo.

Reyes said he plans to take up computer engineering at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City this June. Another young scientist, Angeli Joyce Dy of the Capiz National High School, won the 4th Grand Award in the 2011 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for her research on “Milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskal) Serum as an Alternative Media Supplement for Culture of A549 (Human Lung) and HCT 116 (Colon) Carcinomas.”

She won a cash prize of $500.

Dy’s research explores the use of alternative media supplement to the expensive fetal bovine serum (FBS) used in the culture of lung and colon cancer cells. Her study showed that the milkfish serum – which is rich in mannose-binding proteins and albumin – is a potential replacement of FBS.

The fair is an annual science competition organized by the Society for Science and the Public which provides a venue for high school students all over the world to showcase their independent research.

The Intel ISEF is the premiere science competition in the world exclusively for students in grades nine to 12.