CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A PHP10-million optoelectronics laboratory inside the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City is now operational.
"This research project was a dream come true because I said I would set up a research laboratory. We are making our dream slowly unfold in this institution," said Rodrigo Baid, vice president for planning and development of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).
In a statement Friday, DOST-PCIEERD said the laboratory launched on Feb. 28 can be beneficial for research works by MSU graduate and undergraduate students of physics and other science-related programs.
Also expected to benefit from the facility are other academic institutions in the Bangsamoro and Northern Mindanao regions, including business entities here and in Iligan City.
Optoelectronics is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics, which refers to the study and application of the physical science of light.
To have an optoelectronics laboratory means the potential production of solar cells, semiconductors, diodes, lasers, and transistors while producing films and coatings that are heat-resistant, anti-rust, anti-wear, and stronger than normal materials.
DOST in communities
Meanwhile, DOST said it has engaged in several community-based interventions in the Northern Mindanao region, one of which is the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) for a machine shop based in Iligan City.
In 2018, shop owner Rosalina Surban availed of assistance to answer much-needed science and technology (S&T)-based interventions for the acquisition of universal milling and shaper machines.
This enabled the firm to fabricate parts in their production line and minimize low-quality outputs.
The shop boosted production by 23 percent from 130 work orders in 2018 to 159 work orders in 2022.
The firm fully refunded its financial obligations to DOST in January this year and plans on taking on another cycle of S&T Interventions through DOST-SETUP. (PNA)
