University of the Philippines, Los Baños

Infobox University
name =
native_name = Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Los Baños


motto = Honor and Excellence
established = June 18, 1908 (system)
March 6, 1909 (campus)
type = National university
president = Emerlinda R. Roman
chancellor = Luis Rey I. Velasco
city = flagicon|Philippines Los Baños
state = Laguna
country = Philippines
(main campus)
undergrad = 8, 638
postgrad = 1, 500
campus = 14,665 hectares (147 km²)
university town, land grant university
free_label = Hymn
free = "U.P. Naming Mahal"
colors = Maroon and Forest Green
website = http://www.uplb.edu.ph
affiliations = Association of Pacific Rim Universities (via UP System)
The University of the Philippines, Los Baños (U.P. Los Baños, U.P.L.B. or colloquially elbi) is an autonomous constituent university of the University of the Philippines System situated at the foot of Mount Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna. It was founded by American botanist and agriculturist Edwin Copeland on March 6, 1909 as the College of Agriculture, one of the first two units of the University of the Philippines.cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/about/uplb-history | title = UPLB History | publisher = University of the Philippines Los Baños| accessdate = 2006-10-19]

The University has one of the largest campuses in the Philippines and is the largest constituent university of the University of the Philippines System with a total land area of 147 km² or four times the size of the city of Manila. Ninety-two percent (92%) of UPLB's land is dedicated to research and is made up of a forest reserve, field laboratories and greenhouses spread out across Laguna and Negros Occidental.cite web | url = http://uplb.edu.ph/book/export/html/221 | title = About UPLB Research, Development and Extension | publisher = University of the Philippines Los Baños| accessdate = 2008-05-27]

Its nine colleges and two schools offer over a hundred degree programs ranging from communication arts to genetics. [cite web | url = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPLB_Degree_Programs | title = UPLB Degree Programs | publisher = Wikipedia | accessdate = 2008-06-06] The Philippines' Commission on Higher Education has accredited nine programs as Centers of Excellence and two as Centers of Development. [cite web | url = http://www.ics.uplb.edu.ph/ | title = Institute of Computer Science | publisher = UPLB-ICS | accessdate = 2007-03-25] [cite web | url = http://www.ched.gov.ph/statistics/coecods.html | title = CHED’s Centers of Excellence/Development (COEs/CODs) | publisher = Commission on Higher Education | accessdate = 2007-01-11] Six research institutes were also recognized as Centers of Excellence by the President of the Philippines.

UPLB is likewise the only university in the country to receive a Ramon Magsaysay Awardcite web|url = http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Biography/BiographyCA-UPLB.htm|title =Ramon magsaysay award | publisher = Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation | accessdate = 2008-05-26] as well as a KBP Golden Dove Award-Philippine media's most prestigious trophy.cite web | url = http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:JSGiiPNl5AAJ:www.upou.org/books/2005FAOCOL.pdf+dzlb+golden+dove&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a | title = ODG for agricultural development and rural poverty reduction | publisher = UP Open University| accessdate = 2008-05-28]

Alumni from UPLB include 16 of 31 national scientistscite web | url = http://www.nast.dost.gov.ph/national3.htm | title = DOST-NAST National Scientists | publisher = DOST-NAST | accessdate = 2006-12-18] cite web | url = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_the_Philippines_people#National_Scientists_from_U.P. | title = National Scientists from U.P. | publisher = Wikipedia | accessdate = 2008-06-10] , four Nobel Prize co-winnerscite web | url = http://www.searca.org/web/news/2008/sep/web/23.html | title = Nobel Peace Prize 2007 goes to IPCC with 6 Filipino Scientist Members | publisher = SEARCA | accessdate = 2008-10-04] , all of the five Filipino fellows of the Third World Academy of Sciences [cite web | url = http://users.ictp.it/~twas/mbrs/mbrs.html | title = TWAS Members | publisher = TWAS | accessdate = 2008-06-12] , at least 30 of 87 academicians of the National Academy of Science and Technology [cite web | url = http://www.nast.dost.gov.ph/membership.htm | title = DOST-National Academy of Science and Technology Membership | publisher = Department of Science and Technology | accessdate = 2008-07-05] and five Palanca Award winners. [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/dhum/1117 | title = DHUM's Palanca Awardees | publisher = UPLB | accessdate = 2006-11-17] It has also produced leaders in industry, government and the academe.

History

Early history

Seeing the need to set up an institution dedicated to research and education in agriculture and related disciplines to serve the new colony, the Board of Regents of the American University of the Philippines on 6 March 1909 established the College of Agriculture (UPCA). Authorities chose Los Baños, a town convert|60|km|mi|0 south of Manila, as the site of the new College. Edwin Copeland, a botany professor and Thomasite from the Philippine Normal College in Manila was chosen as its first dean; Harold Cuzner, Edgar Ledyard, Carrie Ledyard and Sam Durham were Copeland’s first academic staff. Classes were first held in June 1909 with faculty houses and tents as classrooms. Less than a year later, structures for the College were finally completed in a 73-hectare abandoned farmland at the foot of Mt. Makiling. A formal four-year curriculum was instituted in 1910.

By 1917, the UPCA campus had grown to 127 hectares with 7 buildings. It had 500 students with its own student council, as well as an alumni association with about 100 members. The following year Charles Baker took over the deanship from Copeland and oversaw the construction of a 300-hectare Agricultural Experiment Station. By 1927 Baker died and Bienvinido Gonzales became the third dean of UPCA, the first Filipino appointed to the post.

Under Gonzales' term, the College successfully conducted one of the first ethanol fuel road tests outside the United States mainland when UPCA engineers ran a 1929 De Soto Luxe sedan on 10% ethanol for 50,000 kilometers. [cite web | url = http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/37741 | title = The De Sotto Lesson. Bernardo’s PowerPoint History of UP Los Baños | publisher = American Chronicle | accessdate = 2008-05-26] The country’s first woman plant pathologist, Victoria Mendiola, likewise graduated from UPCA in the same period.

World War II

The UPCA campus was chosen as an internment camp for Allied nationals as well as a recuperative camp for Filipino war prisoners during the Japanese occupation, with Baker Hall as main internment building.

The campus became home to 8,146 POWs: 7,000 Filipinos, 1,527 Americans, 329 British, 133 Australians, 89 Dutch, 30 Norwegians, 22 Poles, 16 Italians, and 1 Nicaraguan during the occupation. Aside from twelve U.S. Navy nurses and a few servicemen, most of the internees were civilian businessmen, teachers, bankers, and missionaries caught by the Japanese during the course of the war and incarcerated in various POW camps in the country.

In 1945 the Americans saw the need to rescue the prisoners in Los Baños. Along with Filipino guerrillas and escaped prisoners, they immediately developed a plan, which was carried out from 21 to 23 February 1945. 2,147 Allied civilian and military internees were successfully liberated with minimal casualties.

A few days after the rescue, the Japanese in full force, led by the escaped Sadaaki Konishi, returned to Los Baños. Upon seeing that there were no prisoners in sight, the Japanese turned their wrath on the remaining civilians who had failed to heed the warning from the guerrillas to leave. With the help of pro-Japanese Filipino traitors known as Makapili (Makabayan Katipunan Ñg Mga Pilipino or Alliance of Philippine Patriots), the Japanese soldiers massacred some 1,500 men, women and children, and burned their houses as well as those in the adjacent towns suspected of collaborating with the liberators. Konishi was tried for his war crimes after the war and hanged.

Despite the thousands of innocent civilians killed when the Japanese returned to Los Baños after the raid, it is nonetheless celebrated as one of the most successful rescue operations in modern military history.

Post-war reconstruction and Cornell University partnership

UPCA became the first unit of the University of the Philippines to open after the war when it resumed classes on 25 July 1945. In five years, with the help of war damage funds from the U.S., 80% of the physical plant had been restored.

In 1946, the American Agricultural Mission to the Philippines urged the U.S. to support the College’s experiment station. By 1950 the U.S. Economic Survey Mission to the Philippines reechoed that recommendation, and a program headed by Cornell University was set up. Ten to fourteen (10-14) professors from different American universities would come and live on campus annually, bringing with them fresh ideas and knowledge of gains made in many fields. A number of younger Filipino faculty also went to Cornell and other U.S. universities for graduate study. The program became so successful that the College began to receive major grants from prominent international organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Council on Economic and Cultural Affairs, Committee for Free Asia and the Colombo Plan.

In 1958, UPCA developed an extension training program for nationals of other Southeast Asian states. The following year the Rockefeller Foundation provided funds to build an International House to serve as living quarters for the growing number of foreign students.

A rice school for Asia

In 1959, renowned plant breeder Dioscoro L. Umali took the helm at UPCA. A year later he agreed to help the Rockefeller and Ford foundations establish the International Rice Research Institute. IRRI has since brought together scientists from all over the world to work on developing heavier, more nutritious and pest-disease-and-weather-resistant strains of rice in order to feed the increasing populations of Asia.

In 1963 Cornell was asked to help develop a graduate school for UPCA. The Rockefeller Foundation agreed to provide housing for the Cornell resident staff and to continue fellowships for UPCA faculty and for Asian students; the Ford Foundation offered to provide funds to upgrade the library, finance the Cornell contract, provide graduate scholarships, and pay for the service of a firm of campus planners.

The number of foreigners studying at UPCA continued to grow steadily, and by the end of 1976 the College had graduated 440 foreign students: 204 from Thailand, 40 from South Vietnam, 37 each from Taiwan and Indonesia, and 25 from Pakistan; the rest came from some 15 to 20 other countries worldwide. Many of these graduates are now leaders in their own countries.

In fact, Thailand benefited so much from UPCA that the Thai Ministry of Agriculture became known as the “Los Baños Ministry”.

UPLB formally established

On 20 November 1972, Presidential Decree No. 58 was signed, giving UPCA full autonomy and transforming it into a full fledged university - the University of the Philippines at Los Baños.

Three Colleges were added to UPLB after it gained autonomy - College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, College of Human Ecology and College of Veterinary Medicine. The Institute of Biological Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics and the Institute of Computer Science were likewise created. Government also funded the construction of an Agriculture and Life Sciences Complex, home to the headquarters of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) as well as experimental farms and other smaller laboratories and training centers.

UPLB then signed partnerships with foreign universities such as Cornellcite web | url = http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/05/2.10.05/Henry_Philippines.html | title = Susan Henry continues tour; signs agreement with Los Baños | publisher = Cornell University | accessdate = 2006-10-19] , Purduecite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/cpaf/ispps/partners.html | title = ISPPS Partnrs | publisher = University of the Philippines Los Baños| accessdate = 2008-05-29] , University of Wisconsin and the Australian National University, among others. The Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program also chose the University (in tandem with IRRI) as a partner institution.cite web | url = http://www.adb.org/JSP/adb-jsp-jan21.asp | title = Gathering of ADB-Japan Scholarship Program Scholars | publisher = Asian Development Bank | accessdate = 2006-10-19]

UPLB also continued its research and development, with scientists creating more elite, high-yielding, drought/flood/pest resistant food crops such as the Los Baños White Gold corn, Lakan 1 cassava, Biyaya-14 and Pn 10 peanuts, and Sinta, the country's first hybrid papaya.cite web | url = http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2006/jun/phi/11c.html | title = SEARCA News | publisher = SEARCA| accessdate = 2008-05-27]

As the University gained autonomy, programs unrelated to agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine also gained international recognition, notably development communication, computer science and human ecology.

"See also: University of the Philippines System#History"

Academics

The University awards Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), Master, Master of Arts (MA), Master of Professional Studies (MPS), Master of Science (MS), Regular PhD and PhD by Research degrees. [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/gs | title = GS | publisher = UPLB | accessdate = 2008-06-03]

* College of Agriculture

Recipient of a Ramon Magsaysay Award [cite web | url = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Magsaysay_awardees#Peace_and_International_Understanding | title = List of Magsaysay Awardees | publisher = Wikipedia | accessdate = 2006-10-19] and a Center of Excellence in Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering, the College administers more than half of the country's total agricultural research and has trained scientists, professors and government officials from all over Asia.cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/academics/schools-colleges | title = UPLB Schools and Colleges | publisher = University of the Philippines Los Baños| accessdate = 2008-05-30]

* College of Arts and Sciences

A Center of Excellence in Biology, Chemistry, Information Technology and Mathematics as well as a Center of Development in Physics and Statistics, CAS is the largest college in the University. It is the center of education in basic and social sciences, humanities, liberal arts and foundation courses for all UPLB students.

* College of Development Communication

CDC is a Center of Excellence in Communication and recipient of the KBP Golden Dove Award for best AM station. It is recognized as one of the pioneers in development communication in the world and bears the name of a major school of thought (The Los Baños School of Development Communication). Aside from teaching and research, the College also administers the campus AM and FM radio stations (DZLB).

* College of Economics and Management

CEM offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Agricultural and Resource Economics, Development Economics, Mathematical Economics and Agribusiness Management. It also administers the APEC Center for Technology Exchange and Training for Small and Medium Enterprises.

* College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology

CEAT is a Center of Excellence in Agricultural Engineering. It also offers degrees in Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Industrial Engineering.

* School of Environmental Science and Management

The School offers degree programs in environmental science and undertakes research and extension focusing on agro-industrial ecology, biodiversity conservation, policy studies and environmental impact assessment, among others.

* College of Forestry and Natural Resources

Home to three Nobel Prize co-winners and a Center of Excellence in Forestry, the College is the second-oldest in the University and has trained foresters, faculty and scientists from the Philippines and abroad. It is a partner institution of the World Agroforestry Center and conducts research on forest degradation and climate change, among others.

* Graduate School

The UPLB Graduate School coordinates with other UPLB units to offer graduate programs ranging from Chemistry and Mathematics to more specialized fields such as Molecular Biology and Entomology.

* College of Human Ecology

CHE offers degree programs in Human Ecology and Nutrition and administers the Regional Training Program on Food and Nutrition Planning.

* College of Public Affairs

The CPA offers graduate programs in Development Management, Public Affairs, Extension Education, Agricultural Education and Community Development. Its research focuses on communities in transition, access to resources, governance, policy and education, and political economy, among others.

* College of Veterinary Medicine

The College is the first in the Philippines to offer degree programs in Veterinary Medicine and is the sole Center of Excellence in the field. Its research focuses on biomedicine, animal production and veterinary public health.

Recognition from regulatory agencies

Data from the Professional Regulation Commission show that UPLB is a top performing school in all the board exams it participates in, [cite web | url = http://www.prc.gov.ph/ | title = PRC Official Website | publisher = Professional Regulation Commission | accessdate = 2007-07-09] namely Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Education, Electrical Engineering, Forestry, Nutrition and Veterinary Medicine.

CHED has also designated the University as Zonal Research Center for Regions 4 (Calabarzon and Mimaropa) and 5 (Bicol). [cite web | url = http://www.geocities.com/uplb_chedzrc/prog.html | title = UPLB-CHED Zonal Research Center for Regions IV and V | publisher = UPLB/CHED | accessdate = 2006-10-19]

Research and Development

Facilities

Housed in the various research units in the campus are analytical laboratories, specialized laboratories for tissue culture, plant and animal biotechnology, nurseries, and greenhouses for plant breeding and plant collection.

UPLB has two electron microscopes-a Hitachi Model H-300 transmission electron microscope and a Hitachi Model S-510 scanning electron microscope, [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/biotech/emsl | title = Electron Microscopy Service Laboratory | publisher = UPLB | accessdate = 2008-06-03] as well as a meteorological station, agricultural machinery development and testing center, geographical information system and remote sensing laboratory, broadcasting facilities for AM and FM, pets and animal clinics, experimental animal farms, and other complementary facilities.

Partnerships

and the [http://www.pcc.da.gov.ph/ Philippine Carabao Center] also have offices at the University.

UPLB has research partnerships and student/faculty exchange programs with the Asian Development Bank, Cornell University, Yale University, Purdue University and Michigan State University, [cite web | url = http://studyabroad.msu.edu/programs/philipmulti.html | title = MSU Study Abroad Program | publisher = Michigan State University | accessdate = 2006-10-19] among others.

UPLB also receives funding support for its research initiatives from foreign organizations. These include, among others, the International Crops Research Center for the Semi-Arid Tropics, U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, International Foundation for Science and Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research. [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/rde/resources/fundingagencies | title = UPLB funding agencies | publisher = UPLB | accessdate = 2008-05-29]

Budget

In 2006 and 2007, the University received PhP371 million (about US$8.5 million) in research grants from local and foreign sources. [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/announce/1298 | title = UPLB - an 'armed garrison' to the malicious | publisher = UPLB | accessdate = 2008-08-29]

Research Institutes

* National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH)
* National Crop Protection Center
* Farming Systems and Soil Resources Institute
* Post-harvest Horticulture Training and Research Center
* Institute of Plant Breeding
* Institute of Animal Science
* Dairy Training and Research Institute
* Institute of Food Science and Technology
* La Granja Research and Training Station
* UPLB Limnological Station
* Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems
* Training Center for Tropical Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability
* Forest Development Center
* College of Development Communication and its departments
* College of Economics and Management and its departments
* Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center
* Agricultural Modernization and Development Program

Centers of Excellence in Research

Six UPLB research institutes were recognized as Centers of Excellence by virtue of Presidential Decree: [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/academics | title = UPLB Academics | publisher = University of the Philippines Los Baños| accessdate = 2006-10-19]

* Institute of Plant Breeding
* Institute of Food Science and Technology
* National Crop Protection Center
* National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
* Institute of Animal Science
* Farming Systems and Soil Resources Institute

ISI/Thomson-accredited research journals

UPLB has the most number of scientific journals listed at Thomson Scientific/Institute for Scientific Information in the country:
* [http://www.pas-uplbca.com The Philippine Agricultural Scientist] (ISSN: 0031-7454), College of Agriculture [cite web | url = http://www.isinet.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&Full=Philippine%20Agricultural%20Scientist | title = Journal Search: Philippine Agricultural Scientist | publisher = Thomson Reuters | accessdate = 2008-05-30]
* The Philippine Entomologist (ISSN: 0048-3753), Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture [cite web | url = http://www.isinet.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&Full=Philippine%20Entomologist | title = Journal Search: Philippine Entomologist | publisher = Thomson Reuters | accessdate = 2008-05-30]
* Philippine Journal of Crop Science (ISSN: 0115-463X), UPLB-Crop Science Society of the Philippines [cite web | url = http://www.isinet.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&Full=Philippine%20Journal%20of%20Crop%20Science | title = Journal Search: Philippine Journal of Crop Science | publisher = Thomson Reuters | accessdate = 2008-05-30]
* Asia Life Sciences (ISSN: 0117-3375), Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences [cite web | url = http://www.isinet.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&Full=Asia%20Life%20Sciences | title = Journal Search: Asia Life Sciences | publisher = Thomson Reuters | accessdate = 2008-05-30]
* Philippine Journal of Veterinary Medicine (ISSN: 0031-7705), College of Veterinary Medicine. [cite web | url = http://www.isinet.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&Full=Philippine%20Journal%20of%20Veterinary%20Medicine | title = Journal Search: Philippine Journal of Veterinary Medicine | publisher = Thomson Reuters | accessdate = 2008-05-30]

ervice Laboratories

* Animal Nutrition Analytical Service Laboratory
* Biotechnology Central Analytical Service Laboratory
* Chemical Analytical Service Laboratory
* Chemical Control and Pesticide Toxicology Service Laboratory
* Crop and Soils Analytical Service Laboratory
* Electron Microscopy Service Laboratory
* Environmental Remote Sensing and Geo-information Laboratory
* Instrumentation Service Laboratory

econdary Education

The University offers secondary education through the UP Rural High School.

Campus life

The University is home to hundreds of organizations, ranging from Greek-letter societies to religious groups. These organizations sponsor several activities, including plays, musical performances, quiz bees, high school camps and outreach programs, among others.

DL Umali Hall, which serves as the main auditorium, usually hosts stage plays and musical performances. Smaller theaters such as the NCAS Auditorium at the Humanities and Social Sciences Building and SEARCA Auditorium are also favored venues. Baker Hall usually hosts rock artists and dance parties, while the Seniors Social Garden is a preferred venue for weddings and other intimate events.

The Student Union building houses the office of the campus paper, UPLB Perspective, as well as a cafeteria, a manual duck pin bowling lane, internet stations, a table tennis center, school supplies stores, and counseling offices. Dance parties have also been held at the Student Union.

Right outside campus are numerous restaurants, bars, cafés and fastfood chains where students and faculty hang out. Since many students leave campus for their home cities and towns on Fridays, Thursday nights are usually the busiest and most vibrant. Vega Center and LB Square are among the favorite stomping grounds.

UPLB also hosts the popular Oblation run, where applicants of a certain fraternity run around major campus buildings naked. Other fraternities also host popular dance parties and concerts during the school year.

The University holds a major campus fair known as Feb Fair during Valentine’s Day week. The fair was initially held to symbolize opposition to Martial Law under former president Marcos, but has since evolved into the biggest social event on campus. Popular bands and other artists converge at the Freedom Park to perform before hundreds of students and visitors. Most organizations also put up tents around the Park to serve as temporary hang-outs.

Most degree-granting units have Student Councils that hold activities similar to other organizations, but are largely geared to benefit their constituent Colleges. Each College is represented in the University Student Council, the highest student policymaking body on campus.

Since most students at UPLB are non-residents of Los Baños and nearby towns, several dormitories and apartments were put up by both government and businessmen to meet the demand. The University also has an area dedicated to faculty housing.

Emergency Services

The University maintains its own police force but is dependent on the municipal government and IRRI during fires and other emergencies. UPLB has a small hospital that serves the needs of faculty and students. Privately-run Los Baños Doctors Hospital is also less than a kilometer away from campus.

Notable Alumni

"Please see the before editing; See also: List of University of the Philippines people"

cience and Technology

National Scientists from UPLB

UPLB has produced 16 of 31 National Scientists of the Philippines.

* Eduardo Quisumbing published the first ever book on medicinal plants in the Philippines and authored more than 129 scientific articles published here and abroad. While director of the National Museum, Quisumbing undertook restoration of the Herbarium which was completely destroyed during World War II.

* Dioscoro Umali specialized in rice, corn, abaca and mussaenda breeding. His research paved the way for the launching of programs of rainfed and upland agriculture, social forestry, environment conservation and rural poverty. He was appointed dean of the College of Agriculture in 1959.
* Francisco Fronda helped develop Asia's poultry industry, devoting over six decades of his life to teaching, research and extension. In recognition of his pioneering contributions, he was cited as the "Father of Poultry Science in the Philippines" by the Philippine Association of Animal Science in 1980 and "Father of Thai Poultry Industry" by the Crown Princess of Thailand in 1982.

* Julian Banzon was among the first to do research on coconut as a renewable source of fuel and chemicals. He also devised novel processes, noteworthy among these is the extraction of residual coconut oil by chemical, rather than by physical processes.

* Clare Baltazar discovered eight types and one subgenus of Hymenoptera. She also published the first authoritative book on Philippine insects which laid the groundwork for future biological control in the country.

* Benito Vergara is a rice scientist and author of "Farmer's Primer on Growing Rice" which has been translated in over 40 languages. He also developed IRRI’s Rice World Museum during his term as director for Administration.

* Bienvenido Juliano authored or co-authored over 370 scientific papers on rice chemistry and quality and edited and contributed to several chapters of the 2nd edition of the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) monograph "Rice Chemistry and Technology" in 1985, wrote "Rice Chemistry and Quality" for PhilRice in 2003, "Rice in Human Nutrition" for FAO in 1993, and compiled IRRI quality data on world rice. He is the only Filipino on Thomson/ISI's list of highly cited researchers. [cite web | url = http://hcr3.isiknowledge.com/author.cgi?&link1=Browse&link2=Results&id=4639 | title = ISI Highly Cited Researchers | publisher = ISI Web of Knowledge | accessdate = 2008-06-02]

* Carmen Velasquez discovered thirty-two new species and one new genus of digenetic trematodes from Philippine food fishes, two from birds and five from mammals; nine life cycles of trematodes of the family Transversotrematidae, Echinostromatidae, Notocotylidae (2), Plagiorchidae, Heterophyidae (2), Microphallidae and Philophtalmidae. She also discovered two new species of nematodes from Philippine fishes and a new species of Capillaria from the intestine of man, as well as a new species of parasitic copepod in Glossogobius giurus (Goby). Her works are archived at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

* Gelia Castillo is an expert on rural sociology. Her book "All in a Grain of Rice" is the first book written by a Filipino about the Filipino farmer's response to new technology. Another book, "Beyond Manila", has been cited as one of the best studies on the actual problems and needs of rural areas in relation to countryside development.

* Dolores Ramirez is known for her work on the genetic systems controlling the makapuno endosperm of coconut, the genetics of chemical resistance factors against Cercospora kex leaf spot and the cytogenetics of the hybrids of rice with related wild species.

* Jose Velasco did research on various areas of plant physiology such as mineral nutrition, photoperiodism, chemical weed control and plant growth in general, which served as the basis of crop production management practices and has set the direction for future research. He is also known for his research on cadang-cadang disease of coconuts.

* Pedro Escuro helped develop, isolate and release nine Seed Board rice varieties: Milpal 4, HBD-2, Azmil 26 and C-22 (upland) and C-18, C4-63, C4-137, C-168 and C-12 (lowland).

* Gregorio Velasquez, known as the "father of Philippine phycology", made the first intensive study of the local Myxophyceae or the bluegreen algae and devoted at least 30 years of productive work in the study of Philippine algae.

* Ricardo Lantican helped develop a new plant architecture in mungbean, combined with resistance to Cercospora leaf spot, which increased yield levels in Asian farming systems. He initiated varietal improvement of legumes in the Philippines in the 1960s, producing more than 20 varieties of mungbean (CES and Pag-asa series), soybean and peanut, some of which are commercially planted and used as parental types in international breeding programs.

* Asuncion Raymundo implemented numerous research projects or studies on microbial genetics and biotechnology in agriculture, including some funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, UNIDO and the Australian Centre for International Agriculture. She has published over a hundred technical articles in refereed journals and proceedings, both local and international. She is currently dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

* Eliezer Albacea discovered optimal parallel algorithms for some problems on graphs and of new basic techniques for programming shared-memory parallel computers. He is currently director of the Institute of Computer Science, College of Arts and Sciences.

Scientists from UPLB also played key roles in the Green Revolution, notably Rodolfo Aquino who helped develop the IR8 rice strain [cite web | url = http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:-PE_-TYq2mIJ:www.irri.org/about/images/Aquino.pdf+rodolfo+aquino+los+ba%C3%B1os+irri&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ph&client=firefox-a | title = IRRI Paper | publisher = IRRI | accessdate = 2008-05-30] and Cecil Salmon who discovered the Norin 10 wheat strain.

4 of 6 Filipinos in the U.N. IPCC that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize are UPLB professors Juan Pulhin, Rodel D. Lasco, Rex Victor Cruz and Felino P. Lansigan.
[
Bayan Muna)] Other notable scientists include Mercedes Umali-Garcia who developed the [http://www.tlrc.gov.ph/bion.html Bio-N] fertilizer [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/news/uplb-news/uplb-link/1037 | title = UPLB News | publisher = UPLB | accessdate = 2008-05-30] ; Bonifacio F. Comandante Jr. who invented the waterless fish transport technology [cite web | url = http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:JSr3wuBFUacJ:www.bic.searca.org/bmarc/biolife_jul_sep05.pdf+bonifacio+comandante+sleeping+fish+los+ba%C3%B1os&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=ph&client=firefox-a | title = Searca forum | publisher = Searca | accessdate = 2008-05-30] ; molecular geneticist Cymbeline Tancongco Culiat who developed a method for regenerating damaged heart muscles that restores both normal tissue mass and function [cite web | url = http://batch78.i.ph/blogs/batch78/?p=29 | title = Pinoy scientist battles world’s top killer disease | publisher = PSHS Batch 78| accessdate = 2008-08-11] ; forester Menandro Acda who invented a composite building board made of chicken feathers [cite web | url = http://www.filipinowriter.com/scientist-says-feathers-are-future-of-asia-construction | title = Scientist says feathers are future of Asia construction | publisher = Filipino writer| accessdate = 2008-08-11] ;

Politics and Governance

Past and present legislators from UPLB include Edgardo Angara, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Sergio Osmeña III, Teddy Casiño [cite web | url = http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:a2tBEZF9BdEJ:www.congress.gov.ph/download/cv/13th/casinocv.pdf+teddy+casi%C3%B1o+los+ba%C3%B1os&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=20&gl=ph&client=firefox-a | title = Profile | publisher = Congress | accessdate = 2008-05-30] ,Salvador Escudero [cite web | url = http://www.up.edu.ph/~oarmain/officials.html | title = UP Officials | publisher = UP System | accessdate = 2008-05-30] and Abigail Binay [cite web | url = http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:kYEAQ1pp1ucJ:www.malaya.com.ph/may10/ente_1.htm+binay+daughter+los+banos&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&ie=UTF-8 | title = Dino, Kim puttheir past behind
publisher = Malaya | accessdate = 2008-07-07] .

Several UPLB alumni have also been appointed as cabinet secretaries, notably Cielito Habito (Economic Planning) [cite web | url = http://www.fao.org/WAIRDOCS/LEAD/X6115E/x6115e02.htm | title = Profile | publisher = FAO| accessdate = 2008-05-30] , Patricia Santo Tomas (Labor), Domingo Panganiban (Anti-poverty), William D. Dar (Agriculture) [cite web | url = http://www.icrisat.org/dgbiography.htm | title = Profile | publisher = ICRISAT | accessdate = 2008-05-30] , William Padolina (Science and Technology) [cite web | url = http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/p/Padolina.htm | title = Profile | publisher = About.com| accessdate = 2008-05-30] and Ricardo Gloria (Education).

Other notable alumni include San Miguel Corporation chairman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, Jr [cite web | url = http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/be/be002837.htm | title = ENRIQUE ZOBEL: ENTREPRENEUR, SPORTSMAN, DREAMER | publisher = Philippine Star/Newsflash| accessdate = 2008-06-02] , Agusan del Sur governor Maria Valentina Plaza Cornelio and president and chief academic officer of Centro Escolar University Cristina Padolina. Presidents of the University of the Philippines from UPLB are Bienvenido Gonzales and Emil Javier, as well as the current president, Emerlinda Roman.

ocial Sciences

Nora C. Quebral pioneered development communication as an academic disciple and practice, Vivian A. Gonzales pioneered Values Integration and Promotion-Civic Welfare Service (VIP-CWS) as a component of National Service Training Program (Philippine version of ROTC) [cite web | url = http://www.stetvip.org/aboutus.html | title = About Us| publisher = STETVIP | accessdate = 2008-05-30] , Arsenio M. Balisacan is an expert on agricultural and development economics and director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) [cite web | url = http://www.bar.gov.ph/barchronicle/2003/jul03_1-30_balisacan.asp | title = BAR Chronicle | publisher = BAR| accessdate = 2008-05-30] and Felix Librero is an expert on development communication and former chancellor of UP Open University. [cite web | url = http://www.uplb.edu.ph/news/uplb-news/uplb-link/906 | title = UPLB News | publisher = UPLB | accessdate = 2008-05-30]

Arts and Entertainment

Some notable alumni include art critic and author Paul Blanco Zafaralla [cite web | url = http://www.mananquil.com/ | title = Mananquil | publisher = Mananquil | accessdate = 2008-05-31] , stage and TV director Antonio Mabesa and 1976 Binibining Pilipinas Universe (Miss Philippines Universe) Lizbeth S. De Padua. In the field of television news, alumni include Jiggy Manicad and Oscar Oida of GMA-7 as well as Sol Aragones and Mario Dumaual of ABS-CBN. Veterinarian Ferdinand Recio also co-hosts the GMA-7 public affairs program Born to be Wild. [cite web | url = http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view_article.php?article_id=110648 | title = The Wild Ones| publisher = Philippine Daily Inquirer| accessdate = 2008-05-31]

ee also

*UPLB Campus Sights and Media Production Locations
*University of the Philippines System history
*List of University of the Philippines people
*UP College Admission Test

Notes

External links

"Links to organizations should be inserted in the UPLB Student Organizations page"
* [http://www.uplb.edu.ph University of the Philippines Los Baños]
* [http://www.up.edu.ph University of the Philippines System]
* [http://whatsuplosbanos.com/ What's UP, Los Baños? A blog for UPLB alumni]
* [http://www.yupielbi.org Yupielbi: The UPLB Online Community]
* [http://golb.yupielbi.org Go LB! Group blog of the UPLB Online Community]
* [http://www.peyups.com Peyups: The UP Online Community]