Center of Aerogel Technology for Energy and Environment - CATEE

Benchmarking best practices and strengthening research collaboration 💡⚙️

CATEE Coordinator, Dr. Mary Ann T. Pandan, together with Engr. Rendell C. Barcimo, AeroStarch Project Team Leader, and Engr. Christer John M. Uy, USLS Chemical Engineering Department Chairperson, conducted a benchmarking visit and research coordination meeting with the UP Diliman College of Engineering and the Research and Development Center, Support Command, Philippine Army on February 23-25, 2026.

Advancing innovation through partnership, shared expertise, and a commitment to impactful engineering research.

𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙀 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙢𝙮 – 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙩. 𝙇𝙖 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝘼𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩.

𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉 𝗋𝖾𝖿𝗅𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗌 𝖺 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗁 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾, 𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖺𝗅𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗎𝗋𝗌𝗎𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝗈𝗅𝗎𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝖽𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗉𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖴𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝖲𝗍. 𝖫𝖺 𝖲𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾, 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝖼𝗁 𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖤𝖤 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗎𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗁.

𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖴𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗋 𝖬𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝖮. 𝖢𝗁𝗎𝖺; 𝖴𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝖯𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖡𝗋. 𝖩𝗈𝖺𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗇 𝖲𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗈 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗓; 𝖬𝖺𝗃𝗈𝗋 𝖬𝖺. 𝖫𝖺𝖽𝗒 𝖥𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖺 𝖫. 𝖢𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗈𝗇, 𝖢𝗁𝗂𝖾𝖿 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖯𝗁𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝖠𝗋𝗆𝗒 – 𝖬𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝖣𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗉𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖣𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇; 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖣𝗋. 𝖱𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈 𝖦. 𝖳𝖾𝗋𝗎𝖾𝗅, 𝖵𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖱𝖾𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗁 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖤𝗇𝗀𝖺𝗀𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍.

𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖤𝖤 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾𝗐𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗒𝗌 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝖢𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖫𝗂𝗇𝗄𝖺𝗀𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝖠𝖿𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗌, 𝖢𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖱𝖾𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗁 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖤𝗇𝗀𝖺𝗀𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖢𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗀𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖤𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗏𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝗋𝗈𝗅𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗋 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾. 𝖶𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗈𝗎𝗍𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗎𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽.

Congratulations to the brilliant BS Materials Engineering students and mentors of the University of St. La Salle on the successful registration of their utility model, “Method for Producing Zeolite–Chitosan Aerogel Beads Derived from Sugarcane Leaves.”

We are honored that CATEE was able to support portions of this meaningful work—particularly in providing facilities for the synthesis of aerogels. This achievement is truly well-deserved, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the researchers and to everyone behind this success whose dedication and collaboration made this milestone possible.

At CATEE, we remain committed to helping researchers materialize their ideas, especially in studies involving aerogel synthesis and related materials development.For those interested in utilizing available facilities or exploring potential collaboration, feel free to send us a message for inquiries.

Photo credits: University of St. La Salle

Congratulations to the CATEE Team on the successful Technical Panel Review of the project “Establishment of the Center of Aerogel Technology for Energy and Environment (CATEE) at the University of St. La Salle (USLS).”

We commend the strong leadership of Project Leader Dr. Mary Ann Pandan, today’s presenter, together with the dedicated project members Dr. Maria J-len Mesias, Engr. Rendell Cepeda Barcimo and Engr. Arvee Galor Olvido.

Special recognition is given to Project Technical Aide II Engr. Iza Loise Ramos, with sincere gratitude to former PTA II Engr. Messy Muñoz and BSP Fellow Dr. Khino Parohinog for their valuable contributions throughout the project’s journey.

This milestone was made possible through the strong institutional support of the University of St. La Salle, particularly the Center for Research and Engagement, whose guidance and commitment to research excellence have been instrumental in the successful implementation of the project.

Notably, primary acknowledgment is accorded to the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) for its invaluable funding support, which enabled the successful implementation of the project. This support underscores the Council’s mandate to advance science, technology, and innovation in industry, energy, and emerging technologies, and was instrumental in the attainment of the project’s goals and outcomes.

CATEE’s journey has been marked by meaningful achievements and challenges that strengthened the team and sharpened its vision. As it moves forward, CATEE remains committed to advancing aerogel technologies that contribute to sustainable energy solutions, environmental protection, and impactful, innovation-driven research for the future.

Onward to greater innovations and collaborations!

From biomass to brilliance! 🌱✨ Congratulations, Engr. Rendell C. Barcimo, for successfully presenting your study on biomass-derived aerogels for environmental remediation at the 1st Regional SEEP-NIR Conference last January 23, 2026, at Sugarland Hotel, Bacolod City.

Winning the Best Presenter Award? Icing on the aerogel! 🏆 Your CATEE Team is beyond proud!