Ateneo de Davao University - through its Ateneo Internationalization for Mindanao Office - has successfully conducted its first series of international in-person visits to its existing and potential partners in Indonesia. These visits aim to pursue global opportunities for networking and collaboration with ADDU’s partners from Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Semarang.
In the respective meetings, AIM Program Officers - Ms. Lyd Ducusin and Ms. Jona Desierto - met with representatives of the Indonesian schools to discuss potential areas of collaboration such as Student and Faculty Mobility, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), and Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Programs. GEL Programs include International Learning Sessions, Remote Internship Program, International Electronic Service-Learning Program, Mindanao Study Visits, and Global Faculty Lounge.
The activity, which was conducted from May 30 to June 05, 2022, also served as a benchmarking activity to learn more about the Indonesian education system and their best practices particularly in the field of internationalization.
During the week-long networking initiative, the educational institutions visited were Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia; Universitas Sanata Dharma; Universitas Gadjah Mada; Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta; Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta; SMA Kolese De Britto (Senior Secondary School); Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang; SMA Kolese Loyola (Senior Secondary School); and Soegijapranata Catholic University.
Further engagements between ADDU and said educational institutions are expected in the near future. This networking initiative is in line with the mission of the university to “promote cultural understanding and friendship with its Asian neighbors.”
ADDU Mindanao Renewable Energy Center Designs and Develops
a Micro-Scale Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Technology
The utilization of solar energy technology has been growing at a very fast pace all over the world. Aside from being a pollution-free source of abundant power, solar technology generates power near the load centers, eliminating the need to run high voltage transmission lines through rural and urban landscapes. However, concentrating solar power (CSP) technology has not yet been fully utilized for power generation purposes, especially in developing countries, compared to the photovoltaic system. With this, the Mindanao Renewable Energy Center (MREC) of AdDU sought funding support from DOST-PCIEERD to develop a first-ever CSP system utilizing parabolic dish concentrators in the country. The project aims to design, develop, and investigate a working CSP system for electricity generation and heating purposes.
The MREC implements the project for a period of 24 months at the AdDU, Bangkal Campus, Davao City. The prototype will demonstrate how optimum energy conversion efficiency of each component installed can be achieved. Resource assessment in the study area and direct normal irradiance (DNI) validation are also included.
CSP system is a solar-thermal technology that converts energy from the sun into thermal energy through solar collectors. The photons generate atomic vibrations (phonons), producing thermal energy collected using heat transfer fluids. In short, it directly converts solar energy to thermal energy for electric generation and other process heating purposes. The solar energy collected by a solar field-collector serves as the fuel to generate steam in the boiler. The thermal energy of the steam will be converted to mechanical energy as it strikes the turbine blades. This steam turbine is directly coupled to an electric generator to produce electricity.
More so, the thermal power plant's instrumentation and control system play a critical role in achieving the plant's efficient, economical, and safe operation. The system utilizes steam condition monitoring applications that directly calculate, store, and display the steam's performance parameters. These parameters will then be used to indicate each component of the steam power plants' operating efficiency.
Brief Technical Description The concentrated solar power (CSP) facility utilizes a parabolic dish solar (PDS) concentrator system that consists of more or less a thousand hexagonal-shaped facets made of thin-film silver reflectors. Each facet is constructed using a swivel and ball joint mechanism to adjust the concentration ratio. To address the availability locally, the team decided to use an adjustable swivel joint of shower heads made of plastic materials. Since the system is installed outdoors, the base structure is made of structural steel materials to withstand the weather conditions on-site. For the automatic tracking mechanism, an electric motor drives the ring-roller mechanism at the base, which serves as a pivot. Also, to control the titling actions of the dish, the design utilizes a power screw mechanism. The reflected solar radiation is concentrated into and collected by the cavity-type receiver. The solar energy collected will then be converted into thermal energy for heating and generating electricity. As the heat transfer fluid, thermic oil transports the thermal energy into the oil-to-steam heat exchanger (O/W H.E.). The heat exchanger serves as the boiler of the 7.5 kVA steam turbine-generator unit. The system also utilizes an oil-to-salt heat exchanger (O/S H.E.) for the thermal energy storage (TES) system.
Mindanao Renewable Energy Center (MREC), Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City A Brief Description of the MREC CSP Project by Engr. Renyl B. Barroca, Ph.D. (Assistant Dean, Ateneo de Davao University - School of Engineering and Architecture)
OPAPRU Recognizes ADDU President - Fr. Joel Tabora - as Peace Partner
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) held its Peace Partners Recognition Day last May 16, 2022 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). Among the recognized peace advocates was Ateneo de Davao University President - Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. - under the category of Policy, Governance, and Strategic Planning Service (PGSPS).
The awardees who were recognized under six (6) categories are officials of line government agencies, local chief executives, peace builders and advocates.
Fr. Tabora is a member of the OPAPRU’s (formerly OPAPP) Multi-Sector Governance Council (MSGC) established and formally launched on August 11, 2021. The MSGC is composed of eminent persons in the fields of peace and conflict resolution who are key stakeholders in the peace process from national line agencies, local government units, academe, civil society, women and the youth sectors. It provides substantive advice and targeted contributions to the organization for the movement of its strategic priorities.
The university’s Executive Vice President, Mr. Jeremy S. Eliab, received the award on behalf of Fr. Tabora and the ADDU community.
ADDU - AIM Office attends the
CHED International Grants Conference and Networking Session (ICoNS)
The Ateneo de Davao University, through the Ateneo Internationalization for Mindanao (AIM) Office, attended the International Grants Conference and Networking Session (ICoNS) hosted by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in Saint Louis University, Baguio City, last 10-12 May 2022.
CHED ICoNS is a hybrid, three-day conference that showcases the internationalization efforts of the Commission on Higher Education, features the milestones and achievements of the grantees of various international scholarships and grants funded by CHED, and provides an avenue for international partners and Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) to collaborate and network.
The Conference was a great success with at least a hundred delegates from higher education institutions from all over the country. It was able to discuss the sector’s strides with regards to Transnational Higher Education (TNE), scholarship opportunities for Graduate Studies Abroad (SGSA), projects coinciding with iLab or the Innovative Laboratory for Global Education and Digital Citizenship, Asian International Mobility for Students or AIMS Programs, and the projects under Study in the Philippines or the Study PH Program.
