In a stunning display of innovation and technical prowess, the junior Computer Science team from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) was declared the winner of the Health and Wellbeing Track at the Huddle, Analyze, Build, Innovate (HABI) Workshop, held as part of the 2025 National Innovation Day (NID) celebration.
The event, organized by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), formerly known as the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), took place on April 28, 2025, at Novotel Manila Araneta City. Team STAC, composed of Wilmargherix M. Castañeda, Jasmine Aubrey U. De Guia, Jam Meisy F. Tan, and Josh Kenn A. Viray, secured their victory under the guidance of their coach, Prof. Michael Francis D. Benjamin, Ph.D. Assistant Manager of the TOMASInno Center.
With over 60 teams participating from across the country, STAC advanced through a rigorous selection process, emerging as one of the top two teams among the 12 finalists in the Health and Wellbeing Track, and winning with “SeeBlue: Detect Microplastics in every Hue for You”. Their achievement highlights a strong commitment to addressing critical societal challenges through creative and practical technological solutions in the health sector, specifically, a system designed to detect microplastics in water.
The event underscored the importance of a systematic design-thinking process, summarized by the acronym HABI. This approach guided participants through understanding user needs, defining problems, ideating, prototyping, and testing, while symbolizing the weaving together of diverse ideas and expertise to create impactful innovations in health and wellbeing.
The UST-STAC team’s victory is a testament to the power of collaboration and mentorship, reflecting a broader national effort to harness the passion of young innovators in pushing the boundaries of technology and design thinking.
As NID continues to engage the youth through hands-on workshops and networking opportunities, successes like this inspire the next generation of Filipino innovators to make meaningful contributions to society.