UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry - Academics Information Page

from Chemistry World

Chemistry department woes, Trump, Gen AI and pollution capture headlines in 2025 The stories that dominated the news this year

2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: MOFs dudes :) Finally, Inorganic Chemistry! After years of awarding it mostly to to biology and medicine-research based scientists.

"Chemistry is more homogenised – blueprint – than I like. We all learn certain ways of doing things following some blueprint, and too few of us diverge from that.

We should teach our students, mentor them, to go beyond what they have learned, by taking chances, and taking bold steps forward. I think not enough of us do that.

We should encourage creative research cultures to grow around unusual areas of inquiry.

It’s easy to fall in a pattern that everybody else follows and forget that the excitement lies off the track."
--Omar Yaghi--

Omar Yaghi: 'MOFs are the most beautiful compounds ever made' Omar Yaghi on why chemistry is his hobby

🌟 100 Years of National Scientist Clara Lim-Sylianco: Woman, Scientist, Trailblazer 🌟

Join us as we honor the centennial birth anniversary of National Scientist Clara Lim-Sylianco, a pioneering woman in chemistry whose work continues to inspire generations.

📅 18 August 2025 (Monday)
🕘 9:00 AM – 12:00 NN
📍 ChemRez Room, Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines Diliman
🔗 Hybrid Seminar | Facebook Live Available

Let’s celebrate her enduring legacy in science and education.

📲 Register here: https://www.kkp.org.ph/updates/events/100-years-of-national-scientist-clara-lim-sylianco-woman-scientist-trailblazer/

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When I entered UP, I was initially undecided on what career I should choose for myself. I knew that I wanted to study chemistry, but at that moment, it was still unclear to me what I wanted to do after finishing my studies.

Fortunately, I took an elective course in marine science under Dr. Malou San Diego-McGlone where my intrigue for the oceans sparked for the first time. I also had the chance to participate in immersion programs with the fisherfolk community in Cabangan, Zambales. These encounters deeply inspired me to use my knowledge in chemistry as a tool to better understand our oceans and harness our resources for the benefit of the Filipino people. I eventually took the leap of faith and decided to pursue research in marine science.

As a graduate student at UP MSI, I gained a deeper understanding of the complexity of the ocean and the incredible diversity of the many critters that call the seas their home. It made me appreciate how everything in the ocean is profoundly interconnected – from the ebb and flood tides influencing the reproductive cycle of fishes, to how the slightest changes in temperature and pH can devastate coral growth; from the seemingly unassuming phytoplankton playing a crucial role in the carbon cycle and affecting weather patterns, to how ecological relationships between marine organisms, forged over millions of years of evolution, give rise to chemical compounds that may become one day be used to treat humanity’s most debilitating diseases.

Doing research is indeed challenging. Sometimes, experiments fail, such as when peaks magically disappeared in your chromatogram or when the assay that you worked overtime yielded inconclusive results. But I learned that embracing uncertainties and setbacks will always be part of science.

In MSI, I am blessed to have labmates who supported me with their encouragement and good company. I am also grateful to Dr. Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes for her excellent mentorship and for inspiring me to pursue my scientific passion, along with the rest of the MSI faculty for nurturing us to grow holistically as marine scientists.

Beyond offering a descriptive view of nature, pursuing research in marine science has allowed me to marvel at the ocean and its intricate workings. As my understanding of the ocean and everything beneath it grows, so too does my love for it.

—

Ernest Guiller Pineda is an MSc graduate of the Marine Pharmacognosy Laboratory led by Dr. Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes. He is now a graduate fellow of DOST-SEI’s Career Incentive Program, and has returned to UP MSI to continue studying shipworms and shipworm symbionts as a source of novel therapeutics. Ernest began his fellowship this July 16, shortly after his graduation.

Humans of MSI is an initiative featuring the stories and people of the UP Marine Science Institute. Interested in becoming a Mandaragat? Browse through our academic offerings at https://msi.upd.edu.ph/academics/

The UP College Admissions Test or UPCAT 2026 will be administered on 02 and 03 August 2025, Saturday and Sunday, across 117 Testing Centers nationwide.

Over 140,000 applicants are expected to take the exam across the country on these dates.

Specific venue per testing center will be posted separately later on.



Image by Mar Lopez, UP MPRO

UPCAT 2026 Test Permit

UPCAT 2026 applicants who have successfully submitted their online application and who have been confirmed by their school may already download the test permit from the application portal.

Read the email and follow all instructions stated in the permit.

Access the online application portal at https://upcat2026online.up.edu.ph/

: How to grow a "Chemical Garden"

🧪🪴 Growing these plant-like chemical structures involves a key ingredient you might not expect: Gravity. Scientists have been studying chemical gardens for nearly 400 years, but they are still discovering new insights into how they form. At the University of São Paulo, chemists have calculated the minimum gravitational force needed for the garden’s distinctive, tree-like appearance. Read the full paper here: https://brnw.ch/21wUkIK DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c10551 Research videos from Martina Costa, Ph.D.

Are you being exposed to Arsenic when reading very old books?

Portable device detects poisonous pigment in books St Andrews librarians and physicists partner to create sensor that can detect the spectrum of toxic green colourant

Very interesting article from RSC . Talks about some historical aspects in the discovery and confirmation of stellar composition ---the sun is composed mostly of hydrogen. It's funny to think that a 100 years ago they have not fully understand this. Indeed, physics and chemistry have gone a long way in the last 150 years! discoveries and contributions from scientists and minorities should not be ignored nor forgotten.

The young female astronomer who worked out what the sun is made of 100 years ago, Cecilia Payne deduced that the sun is mainly made of hydrogen - but was encouraged to downplay her findings by her PhD supervisor. Mike Sutton takes up the story

UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry Alumna: Dr. Herdeline Ardona.

As a biomaterials engineer at the University of California, Irvine, Herdeline Ardoña creates materials that might one day solve the organ donor shortage or help scientists grow tissues that could be used to screen drugs or study diseases. Read more: https://cen.acs.org/materials/biomaterials/2025-Talented-12-Herdeline-Ardona/103/web/2025/05?sc=250524_sc_eng_fb_cen

https://www.facebook.com/share/15puF3NxzY/

[PRE-ADVISING FOR CHEMISTRY MAJORS]

Pre-Advising will be via Zoom on January 13, 2025 (Monday). The schedule is as follows:

SN 2024: 2:00 PM
SN 2023: 2:30 PM
SN 2022: 3:00 PM
SN 2021 and below: 3:30 PM
Zoom Credentials:

Topic: IChem Pre-Advising
Time: Jan 13, 2025, 2:00 PM

https://up-edu.zoom.us/j/93611343234
Meeting ID: 936 1134 3234
Passcode: ichempread

Blocks will be dissolved on January 10. Please wait until then to enlist/cancel subjects which arecurrently in blocks.

To cancel a lecture or lab without cancelling the partner section, please request for special cancellation using this link: tinyurl.com/ICSpecialCancellation2425B