Staff News

Posters presented in Prague

Dr. Teresita R. Mañalac and Dr. Aida I. Yap of the Mathematics group presented posters in the 2011 International Symposium on Elementary Mathematics Teaching (SEMT 11) held on 21 to 26 August 2011 at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. With the theme The Mathematical Knowledge Needed for Teaching in Elementary Schools, the symposium focused on the teaching of Mathematics to 6 to 12 year old children.

Dr. Mañalac presented a poster entitled Assessing Pupils’ Skills in Reading and Interpreting Graphs. It showed how pupils read and interpret situations that are presented in line graphs.Dr. Yap’s poster, entitled Assessing Pupils’ Ability in Estimating Linear Measure, is based on her study on Filipino elementary school pupils’ ability to give reasonable estimate of length, strategies employed in getting estimates, and ability to give other estimation strategies aside from the one first used.

Research Made Easy

Thirteen NISMED staff attended the In-House lecture on Research Made Easy: NISMED Edition. The lecture was conducted by Ms. Marian Ramos, head of the reference section of the UP Main Library. This is a Library Instruction Program (LIP) of the University Library that serves as a venue for providing information literacy experience in order to build expertise in mining the wealth of resources available to all the students, faculty, and staff. Specific sessions are being held in every UP Unit or College upon the request of the College Librarian.

The half-day session was held at the Information Science Laboratory on 22 November 2011. 

Retirees

Ms. Eve: Life after NISMED

Retirement came to Evelyn Josue on 24 April 2011after 36 years of service at UP NISMED. Guests, including her family, friends, and former colleagues graced the simple program held in her honor on 26 April 2011. In recognition of her contribution to the field of science education and her dedicated service to the Institute, she was given a plaque of appreciation. A Facebook account in her name created by the Socials Committee was also launched. Ms Eve’s expertise in science curriculum development and teacher training will be missed by the Institute.

TinaB: “Hindi MaisasantaB”

Nagtrabaho ng 47 taon bago nag-retiro. Sariling sikap ang kanyang pagtatapos ng kolehiyo. Ito ang mga kahanga-hangang karanasan ni Agustina C. Bautista.

Taong 1964, 18 pa lamang siya nang pumasok sa pribadong kumpanya at 20 taong gulang naman naging sales clerk sa University Book Center. Makalipas ang 10 taon, naging accounting clerk sa UPSEC (dating pangalan ng UP NISMED). Sa simula pa lamang ay kinakitaan na siya ng kanyang angking kasipagan, pagmamalasakit, at tiyaga sa kanyang mga gawain. Ni minsa’y ‘di siya naringgan ng anumang reklamo sa trabaho kahit na ang opisina niya’y nasa mainit at mababang silong ng hagdanan ng Vidal A. Tan Hall. Kinakailangan siyang yumuko upang hindi mauntog kung mayroong kliyenteng kakausapin. Lahat ay kanyang kakayanin at agad tatapusin nang may tuwa ng paglilingkod. Sa kanya, ang oras ay ginto. Walang sinasayang na panahon sa mga tungkuling iniatang sa kanya.

Ito ang mga naging sangkap ng kanyang tagumpay. Binigyan siya ng maseselang tungkulin dahil siya’y taong mapagkakatiwalaan—bookkeeper, collecting officer, at printing quality control officer II. May kakayanan, masipag, matiyaga, laging maaasahan, at hindi naghihintay ng anumang kapalit.

Inilaan niya ang 2/3 ng kanyang buhay sa pagtupad ng mga gawaing opisina. Sa likod nito, nanatili siyang mabuting anak, kapatid, at ina. Sa kanyang pagpupunyagi, siya ay nangangalap ng mga outside jobs para sa printing—hindi lamang sa ibang UP units kundi pati na rin sa labas ng unibersidad. Ito’y “dagdag yaman sa kaban ng NISMED.” Dito sa aming institusyon, ang tawag sa kanya ay “TinaB”: masinop, matipid, mahigpit, makulit, at makuwento.

Hindi matatawaran ang kanyang pagiging mabuting kawani kaya nga siya’y ginawaran ng isa sa mga prestihiyosong karangalan ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas—Gawad Chanselor sa Natatanging Kawani noong 27 Pebrero 2009.

Ngayong retirado na siya nag-iwan siya ng magandang halimbawa na kailanma’y ‘di malilimutan ng karamihan. Siya si TinaB—ang kaibigan natin at kaibigan ng bayan.

In Memoriam

Goodbye Ms. Kathy

Dr. Kathy A. Josue, a science education specialist of the Mathematics Group, passed away on 17 August 2011 at 53 years old. Before her employment in the University, she was a mathematics teacher for 17 years at the Quezon City Science High School, Sergio Osmeña Sr. High School, and National College of Business Administration. A BSE major in mathematics graduate of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, she finished her master’s in science teaching and doctoral course in mathematics education as a DOST-SEI scholar from De La Salle University.

Committed to the demands of the teaching profession, she coached students for mathematics competitions wherein students and the schools won top awards. Because of her exemplary work, she was a recipient of various awards, such as Parangal ’92 by DECS-NCR, Outstanding Public Mathematics Teacher of Quezon City sponsored by the Quezon City Jayceerettes Foundation, Inc., and Exemplary Secondary Mathematics Teacher of Metro Manila (Public and Private) sponsored by the Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines.

Kathy had been with the Institute for 16 years. As a trainee of the Philippine-Australia Science and Mathematics Project (PASMEP), her NISMED trainers considered her as the best participant of her batch in terms of mathematical content and problem solving ability. Her close associates describe her as a very organized person, extremely dependable, and a non-talker in big groups. But she also had a sense of humor. With a dead-pan face, she donned on a bikini swimwear over a t-shirt and pants during a Christmas celebration. Colleagues remember her as “game” and gave out hearty laughter during the Institute’s yearly team building activity. She retired from the service on 18 July 2011.

Kathy, indeed you were an asset in mathematics education and we will truly miss you!