Have you ever wondered how many research projects in UPLB are on coconuts? Have you ever thought how many projects have been produced as publications or implemented as extension activities?

Modern jargons like ‘robotics,’ ‘drones,’ ‘bioinformatics,’ or ‘computational research’ are normally associated with floor-to-ceiling computers, advanced optical wirings, boards of complicated mathematical equations, and vast containers of servers. When hearing these, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) hardly comes to mind.

We live in an interesting era wherein we are on the cusp of the third and fourth industrial revolution. This revolution, dubbed as Industry 4.0, is characterized by the confluence of physical systems and information systems through sensors and actuators that enable the creation of smart products, and smart machines that can learn and improve their processes on their own. Also, current developments are influencing the shift of industrial economies to knowledge economies driven by technologies that are based on the production and dissemination of information and knowledge (Powell and Snellman, 2004)¹.

When we were kids, we all learned about the scientific method. Our grade school science teachers did not rest until we have memorized the steps in order: make an observation, ask a question, formulate a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, analyze the results, and finally, accept or reject the hypothesis.

Resilience. It is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or challenges. It’s another moniker for toughness, and Filipinos are known all over the world for that trait.