College of Science faculty member and UST Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences researcher Prof. Mary Beth B. Maningas, Ph.D., was chosen by the Department of Agriculture’s Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) as one of the 2020 Filipino Faces of Biotechnology. Her inclusion was formally announced in a video released by the DA-BPO on November 26, 2020, during the 16th National Biotechnology Week.
Maningas was chosen for being “one of the outstanding Filipino individuals who have greatly contributed and played a significant role in the advancement of biotechnology in [the Philippines],” stated a letter from the Biotechnology Program Director-Coordinator Annalyn Lopez, dated November 9, 2020.
Having authored pioneering international and local research studies in aquatic biotechnology, included among Maningas’s contributions is the creation of the “The JAmp Alert Kit” that can diagnose White Spot Syndrome Virus in shrimps. The kit is simple, affordable, time-efficient, and can be implemented onsite.
“I think I was able to start my record as a researcher and scientist in the country when I first got [DOST’s initial grant for shrimp biotechnology research]. It also opened the eyes of the University that a young scientist, a young Ph.D. graduate, can also obtain grants,” shared Maningas.
In-person awarding ceremonies will take place once health regulations permit.
Prof. Mary Beth B. Maningas, Ph.D., received the 2018 Tuklas Invention award from the Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (TAPI-DOST) and Best Invention Medal from the International Federation of Inventors’ Association (IFIA). In 2016, she received the Newton Fund for Leaders in Innovation Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. In 2015, she received the Outstanding Research and Development Award and the Outstanding Scientific Paper Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Marine Biosciences degree from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.
