Unilab Foundation leads implementation of $10.6M USAID-funded workforce development program
Unilab Foundation, Inc. (ULF), in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), formally launched the...
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Featured Stories
The ULF Team
- Jan 3
Unilab Foundation convenes PGCA, PAP to ‘RACE Against Suicide’
The Unilab Foundation (ULF) convened members of psychologists and guidance counselor communities on a two-day training that further...
The ULF Team
- Jan 3
National Play Advocacy Week calls on individuals, brands, & organizations to work together...
According to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), COVID-19 may have long-lasting impacts on children and young people's mental health...
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Sam Cayona
- Jan 20, 2022
Shaping a sustainable future with Sam Cayona
Sam’s journey and fascination with the sciences started in high school when she enrolled in the Science Curriculum of Kidapawan City National High School. In Grade 10, she and her team utilized waste materials to make ethyl alcohol, and invested in making wastepaper and corn cob Sam’s journey and fascination with the sciences started in high school when she enrolled in the Science Curriculum of Kidapawan City National High School. In Grade 10, she and her team utilized waste
Recca Lujan
- Sep 23, 2021
Bridging the gap between STEM and Filipinos with Recca Lujan
Even at a young age, Recca was already given the opportunity to explore the field of science through class experiments, and by enrolling in a Science High School and volunteering for the “Tulong Dunong” program, where she is greatly remembered and recognized by young students. Let’s hear more about what sparked her interest in STEM as well as her advocacies in the field! My STEM Journey I can say I owe most of my STEM journey to Pisay as I was surrounded with opportunities in
The ULF Team
- Jul 16, 2021
It Really Hertz! The Amps and Downs of Electrical Engineering with Elgelyn Bardelosa
It is said that one opportunity can open a lot of other doors, yet sometimes, exploring them can be quite a maze! For our featured Pinay of the Month, her journey began as an aspiring high school student, hoping for a place in the sciences. Coming from a science high school, Elgelyn Bardelosa took the admission test to enter into a Civil Engineering course, yet finances were short and she almost lost hope. “Sadly, even if I begged my mother for money, my family’s resources we
The ULF Team
- Jul 8, 2021
The boss, not bossy: 9 STEM Women taking the lead
As a continuation of our Girl Gang blog back in October for International Day of the Girl, we’re rounding up another group of special STEM boss babes for your summer club consideration. Further proving that STEM doesn’t just exist within the labs, these women are also making their way up the ladder with their own brand of leadership, driven by purpose and passion. Hard sciences not for you? Check out the different branches where fellow great women are in charge! I.T.-SPO Ben
The ULF Team
- Jun 23, 2021
Building your blocks: What does it take to be an engineer?
According to the Youth in STEM report, 59% of females are inclined to taking STEM in university, with engineering being the top course uptake (16%). There is a lot more work that needs to be done, but showcasing role models in engineering is a great start, especially for our young girls. We must continue to celebrate those making great strides towards creating a more diverse and gender equal industry.
This International Day of Women in Engineering, it is important for girl
The ULF Team
- Jun 21, 2021
Love the Way You Outlie-r: Beating the Odds with Erika Legara
“My journey in Science started as a fortunate stroke of serendipity.” Although our Pinay of the Month wanted to be a scientist when she was little, her run of luck began when she was offered a scholarship by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). A recipient of the DOST-merit scholarship, Erika Legara originally wanted to take on a different career growing up. “I had always wanted to be an engineer because both my parents are civil engineers,” she recalls, but due t
The ULF Team
- Jun 9, 2021
Fascinating and wonderful: STEM jobs you probably didn’t know about
In case you didn’t know: STEM is pretty much everywhere! Anywhere we turn, some facet of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math have made our lives the way it is now. But in fact, there’s more to the field than the usual jobs that come to mind. In case being a scientist or a doctor isn’t for you, we’re here to list down some of not-so-common STEM careers that may just be your unsung calling. Cosmetics Scientist/Chemist Ever wonder who gave the green light to your fave make
The ULF Team
- May 27, 2021
Stand With Us, Not For Us: How men can be better allies
It’s not just girls needing each other’s support! Here’s 5 ways men can stand in solidarity with women – because gender equality extends to STEM and beyond. It’s not just girls that need each other’s support! Men need to have a stand with us in the fight for women empowerment too. While equality and equal representation being the goal, this can’t happen while we live in a patriarchal society that gives men more access than their women counterparts – and men need to realize th
The ULF Team
- May 18, 2021
Biology and Theatre!? The Crossover We Need with Gracetine Magpantay
Crossing over doesn’t only happen in our chromosomes. Lecturer of Genetics Gracetine Magpantay recounts her journey in the sciences–from selecting a course in university because of a Taiwanovela to her teaching career today, with a few detours into the arts along the way! One thing she was certain of was that she was good at math. The rest, although riddled with uncertainty, led her to her career today. Like some commitments in life, people may join for the wrong reasons but
The ULF Team
- Apr 23, 2021
Chemis-trying to Find Your Element with Herdeline Ann Ardoña
As the saying goes, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate! Learn how to make STEM a better place for women from materials chemist and professor, Herdeline Ann Ardoña. “Developing biomaterials with optical and electronic functionalities that are compatible with excitable cells such as cardiomyocytes”–does this sound like a mouthful? For materials chemist Herdeline Ann Ardoña, there’s more to science than the textbooks and the big, highfalutin words
The ULF Team
- Mar 25, 2021
Arti-facts Only! Digging Deep into Archaeology with Dawn Satumbaga
Listen to Dawn Satumbaga as she unearths her stories as an archaeologist, wiping the dust off of myths about women in STEM! Dawn holding her shovel during her fieldwork in Catanauan (2018). Doctors, scientists, environmentalists. It seems that everyone in the sciences has it all figured out. For our featured Pinay of the Month, however, her career has admittedly had somewhat of a late start. “Some people already know what they want early in life and plan it out carefully unti
The ULF Team
- Feb 19, 2021
A Deep Dive into Marine Biology with Jean Utzurrum
Writing, doing field work, and sometimes teaching people how to swim—marine biologists do it all. Hear from Jean, one of our most passionate Filipina marine biologists. Jean at the Visayas SEA camp talking about sharks and showing their published field guide. Although already well-accomplished in the field of marine biology, Jean would describe her journey in STEM as never-ending. Having completed her bachelor’s and currently undergoing graduate studies, she initially never c
The ULF Team
- Feb 10, 2021
STEM on Site: What it takes to be a woman on the field
STEM doesn’t just happen in the confines of your room or inside a lab! We peek through the Field Notes of these STEM women on the field —and find out what happens right where the action is! Through these past few months, we’ve gathered notable Pinays, (friendly) girl gangs, and SHS ates that can help us pave the way for our STEM journey. This time around, we’re sharing the spotlight with the women working right where the action is. These longtime scientists, researchers, and
The ULF Team
- Jan 22, 2021
Healing Together: Erika Modina’s Journey with Public Health
A young public health professional, Erika Modina offers insight into her one-of-a-kind STEM journey! National Health Research Forum for Action last 2018. “I want to shatter the notion that you have to fit a certain criterion to pursue a career here, that you can wear head-to-toe pink and still be taken seriously. These are the words of Erika Modina, a public health professional from the Philippines. Growing up, she initially wanted to become a doctor because of her proficienc
The ULF Team
- Jan 13, 2021
Our Sheroes: The First Pinays of STEM
Throughout history, women have long been cast in the shadows of their male counterparts—and the same can be said for our Filipina STEM pioneers. Even though we might not know them by name (yet), they’ve undoubtedly paved the way in introducing women in spaces that were once taken up by the men. Like any worthy superhero, we’re here to get to know their awe-inspiring origin stories—and what we can learn from our STEM founding mothers. Fe del Mundo, PhD You might have heard of
The ULF Team
- Dec 11, 2020
Defying Deviations: Exceeding the Norm with Angelina Aquino
A Pinay in the field of electronics engineering, Angelina talks about her ups and downs as a woman in STEM. Angelina Aquino has had an admiration for math and the sciences since her childhood. As a young girl, Angelina would join math competitions, and it helped that her parents were both engineering graduates who were supportive of this passion of hers. “[My parents] fostered my curiosity about the world, explained new concepts well, and encouraged me to read books and watch
The ULF Team
- Dec 3, 2020
Miss Represented: KickSTARTing gender equality in schools
With the holidays fast approaching, the “new year, new me” mentality is getting stronger each day. Though this Christmas season being a clear change from the past, the goals we’ve kept throughout the year still remain. One of the most vital ongoing objectives for STEM girls comes from the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve gender equality and women empowerment—a long-time plan that has yet to come to fruition for worldwide girls in academia. Despite gender gap
The ULF Team
- Nov 27, 2020
Overcoming Uncertainties: Quantum Physics with Dr. Jacqui Romero
Making waves in quantum physics, Dr. Jacqui Romero shares her journey, from her youth to her vision of the future of women in STEM. Ever since her childhood, Dr. Jacqui Romero’s interest in STEM was nurtured by an ever-supporting family. “They have nurtured my interest in mathematics and science from a very young age. I remember my father driving me to weekend MTAP lessons!” Eventually, she took a particular interest in physics. Her passion for the discipline started during h
The ULF Team
- Nov 5, 2020
Best in class: Preparing SHS students for STEM
Let’s face it, school is hard enough right now. As the pandemic adds more pressure to students, it can be extra challenging to pursue one’s dream course and path. With boys still outnumbering girls in STEM courses, this doubles the legitimate threat of a lack of female representation in the future of STEM. We paired up with some study buddies from non-profit org Kababaihan Para Sa Siyénsiyá (@siyensiya.ph) to take us through their personal STEM syllabus—and their testimonies
The ULF Team
- Oct 30, 2020
Let Me Count the Ways: Math in Action with Dr. Ninette De Las Peñas
Math is the language of the universe. From education to mat weaving, it is also how Dr. De Las Peñas came to understand the world. Most people see math as daunting and complex, a universe of its own irrelevant to the everyday and familiar. However, for Dr. Ninette De Las Peñas, numbers are sometimes the best portals to other worlds, especially from our own selves to the greater world around us. Growing up, Dr. De Las Peñas has always been fond of math. “I [have] loved math si
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