SMU Research Center

16/09/2026

WELCOME TO IBERC 2027, SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY!

The University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao, through the Center for Basic Education Research (CBER), is honored to welcome Saint Mary’s University as a valued Partner of the International Basic Education Research Congress (IBERC) 2027.

This partnership reflects our shared commitment to advancing research, innovation, collaboration, and evidence-informed practice in basic education. By bringing together educators, researchers, school leaders, and academic institutions, IBERC 2027 seeks to create a meaningful platform for exchanging knowledge, strengthening research networks, and translating evidence into practice.

As we gather beyond institutional boundaries, we look forward to building stronger academic connections and contributing to a more collaborative and internationally engaged basic education research community.

We are grateful to have Saint Mary’s University journey with us in this endeavor.

Together, let us connect research, people, and possibilities.

See you at IBERC 2027!
📍 University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao
📅 February 26–27, 2027

10/09/2026

Big congratulations to our incredible URC Awardees! 🏆
Engr. Gerene-Leigh Almazan, SEAIT Research coordinator AY 2025-2026
Ma'am Angie Garra , SAB Research Coordinator AY 2025-2026
Dr. Monaloufel Monette Jazmin , SAB Research Coordinator AY 2026-2027
Ma'am Ge Yuzon , SHANS-Nursing Research Coordinator
Dr. Melanie Gurat Sarmiento, URC director

09/09/2026

URC Memorandum No. 2 AY 2026-2027.
PRESENTATION OF FINISHED RESEARCH (PROJECT INSPIRE) & MANDATORY LOCK-IN WRITESHOP (PROJECT WEALTH) ON OCTOBER 7, 2026

09/09/2026

URC Memo 1, AY 2026-2027
COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH ORIENTATIONS AND DATA ANALYSIS CERTIFICATION EXAM (SEPTEMBER 16, 2026)

08/09/2026

07/09/2026

𝐒𝐀𝐁 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 📊🔍

The School of Accountancy and Business (SAB) successfully held a Seminar on Qualitative and Quantitative Research Designs on August 29, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Aula Maria Hall, Fr. Joseph van den Daelen, CICM Building, SMU Main Campus.

The four-hour afternoon session brought together student-researchers across accounting, business, hospitality, and tourism programs (Course Codes: 3077, 3080, 3100, 3529, 3572, 3663, and 3702). The initiative aimed to deepen their understanding of fundamental methodologies, data analysis tools, and systematic research design formulation.

Department Head Mr. Mark Ian J. Soriano, MS opened the event by stressing the value of solid research methodologies in academic growth and professional practice. Following the introduction by SAB Research Coordinator Dr. Monaloufel Rosario F. Jasmin, LPT, two expert speakers delivered detailed lectures:

📈 Quantitative Methods & Analysis: Dr. Melanie G. Sarmiento, Director of the University Research Center, guided students through numerical data collection, statistical tools, and systematic quantitative frameworks.

🧠 Qualitative Methods & Analysis: Dr. Christopher Allen S. Marquez, Director of the Community Engagement and Indigenous Peoples Studies Center, explored non-numerical methodologies, focusing on capturing lived experiences, perspectives, and thematic analysis.

The seminar wrapped up with the awarding of Certificates of Appreciation, led by Ms. Sheryl A. Adducul-Baria, MBA (Department Head, Business Administration) alongside Mr. Soriano. In her closing remarks, Ms. Adducul-Baria encouraged student-researchers to carefully align their chosen research designs with their specific study objectives to ensure credible, high-impact results.

Here’s to mastering methodologies and driving meaningful academic discovery! 💡 research

07/09/2026

𝐒𝐀𝐁 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 📚🔬

The School of Accountancy and Business (SAB) successfully gathered student-researchers from across business, accountancy, and tourism programs at the Fr. Tonus Gymnasium on August 15, 2026, for a comprehensive Orientation on Research Ethics.

The four-hour afternoon seminar provided students with a clear roadmap for conducting responsible, participant-centered academic inquiry. The program opened with inspiring remarks from SAB Dean, Dr. Regina D. Ramel, CPA, who urged students to view ethical compliance not as a formal hurdle, but as a core responsibility toward academic excellence and professional integrity.

Resource speakers from the University Research Ethics Board (UREB)—Chairman Mrs. Lorna C. Aban and Vice Chairman Mrs. Gloria Vicky A. Antonio—guided participants through the essential functions of UREB and the step-by-step Ethics Review Process. Their detailed sessions emphasized critical practices, including:

🛡️ Safeguarding research participants' rights, dignity, and safety
📄 Securing proper informed consent and maintaining strict confidentiality
🔍 Ensuring transparency and honesty in data collection and reporting

The event concluded with an interactive Q&A, formal awarding of appreciation certificates, and closing thoughts from Department Head Mr. Mark Ian J. Soriano, MS, reminding student-researchers to carry these ethical standards into their upcoming research projects.

Here’s to conducting research that is safe, accountable, and truly impactful for our communities! 💡✨

04/09/2026

𝐒𝐌𝐔 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝟏–𝟑 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲

Saint Mary’s University (SMU) participated in Sessions 1–3 of Project QUEST (Quality Enhancement and Scholarly Transformation) of CHED Regional Office II, strengthening its engagement in regional research capacity-building initiatives.

Session 1 – June 25, 2026: Dr. Monaloufel Rosario Jasmin, Mrs. Geraldine Y. Ferreras, and Miss Ivonny Adducul represented SMU in the session on publishing in Scopus-indexed journals, gaining practical insights on journal selection, manuscript preparation, submission, and peer review.

Session 2 – July 23, 2026: Dr. Melanie G. Sarmiento, Dr. Monaloufel Rosario Jasmin, Mrs. Geraldine Y. Ferreras, and Miss Ivonny Adducul participated in the session on mixed methods research, focusing on the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Session 3 – August 20, 2026: Dr. Melanie G. Sarmiento, Mrs. Geraldine Y. Ferreras, Miss Jones Liwan, and Dr. Monaloufel Rosario Jasmin joined the session on policy research, highlighting the use of research evidence in developing relevant recommendations and informing decision-making.

Through the active participation of its URC Director and Research Coordinators, SMU continues to strengthen research competencies, promote scholarly publication, and build linkages with the regional research community under Project GIGIAMMUAN.

01/09/2026

27/08/2026

𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗿. 𝗣𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘂𝘀-𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗘𝗘𝗘 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀

Saint Mary’s University (SMU) proudly congratulates Engr. Angelino A. Pimentel, PECE, an electronics faculty researcher in the School of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, for presenting his research at the 2025 IEEE 14th International Conference on Consumer Electronics – Berlin (ICCE-Berlin), with the conference proceedings indexed in Scopus.

Engr. Pimentel co-authored the paper entitled “Integration of a photoplethysmogram sensor to a single-board computer with cBP-Tnet edge AI for continuous blood pressure estimation,” together with Dr. Ji-Jer Huang and Dr. Aaron Raymond A. See. The paper was included in the official conference proceedings, pages 175–180, and is identified by DOI 10.1109/ICCE-Berlin67488.2025.11277860.

The study explores the integration of photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensing, single-board computing, and edge AI for continuous blood pressure estimation. Using deep learning and a multi-task Transformer network, the research demonstrates the potential of AI-enabled sensor technologies for non-invasive biomedical monitoring.

Engr. Pimentel’s participation in this international IEEE conference highlights SMU’s growing engagement in artificial intelligence, biomedical technology, and innovative research. The inclusion of the paper in Scopus-indexed proceedings further contributes to the University’s international research visibility.

The University Research Center congratulates Engr. Pimentel and his co-authors for this significant achievement and their contribution to advancing AI-driven healthcare technologies.

Citation
Pimentel, A. A., Huang, J.-J., & See, A. R. A. (2025). Integration of a photoplethysmogram sensor to a single-board computer with cBP-Tnet edge AI for continuous blood pressure estimation. 2025 IEEE 14th International Conference on Consumer Electronics – Berlin (ICCE-Berlin), 175–180. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCE-Berlin67488.2025.11277860

Written by: University Research Center