Department of Science and Technology Region I strengthen partnership in delivering extension services through the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST).
Dr. Armando Q. Ganal, the DOST Regional Director said during the Orientation Meeting held last March 10, 2021, that CEST is one of the Departmentโs initiatives to alleviate poverty by providing appropriate science and technology (S&T) interventions to the less-privileged communities in the region focusing on the livelihood or economic enterprise development, health and nutrition, human resource development, disaster risk reduction, and management, climate change adaptation and environmental protection and conservation.
Together with the team of the DOST Provincial Office headed by the Provincial Director Engr. Arnold Santos and Dr. Paulo V. Cenas, the University Vice President for Research, Extension, and Innovation (REI), the face-to-face orientation meeting held at the Dr. Telesforo N. Boquiren Convention Hall in PSU Lingayen, Pangasinan was participated by the REI Directors, and Center Heads.
Cenas named the ten Research and Extension Centers which can potentially assist the DOST in implementing rapid rural appraisals, project implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The ten centers are: 1) Integrated Agriculture Research and Development Center (IARDC); 2) Center for Hydrology, Aquamarine, Natural and Ocean Sciences (CHANOS); 3) Food Innovation Center (FIC); 4) Health, Disaster, Risk-Reduction, and Environmental Management (CHDRREM); 5) Center for Business, Economics, and Tourism (CBET); 6) Machine Automation and Technology Innovation Center (MATIC); 7) Data Analytics Center (DAC); 8) Center for Statistics and Computing Sciences (CSCS); 9) Center for Human Welfare, Policy, Governance and Community Development (CHWPGCD); and (10) Centerโฆfor History, Culture, Arts, Languages and Innovative Education Center (CHCALIE).
Some faculty of the PSU School of Advanced Studies (SAS) and Lingayen Campus shall take lead role in the CEST program as they head the division and some REI centers. Dr. Cenas, as the VP, Dr. Raquel C. Pambid as the Head of FIC, Dr. Potenciano D. Conte, Jr. as the Head of CBET, Dr. Irene A. de Vera as the Head of CHDRREM, Mr. Bobby F. Roaring as the Head of CSCS, and Dr. Cheryl Mendoza as the Head of CHCALIE. Dr. Honeylle Cascolan heads the Research Ethics Board of the REI Division.
For this year, the municipalities of Mapandan and Umingan were considered to be the project sites in the province based on the guidelines of the CEST program.
