Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU CAS sustains student summit for 6th year; includes project pitching

By Ian Paul Villanueva

The Mariano Marcos State University - College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) held its annual Student Research Summit for the sixth year last May 11 at the CAS Audiovisual Room. Project pitching was included in the poster presentations as a new addition to the summit.

Gathering 25 select students from the college’s eight departments, the summit featured oral and poster presentations across three Streams: Natural Sciences; Arts Communication, Education, and Social Sciences; and Mathematical Sciences. 

This year, project pitching was integrated into the poster presentations under the Natural Sciences Stream, an addition that was intended to reflect norms in reputable research conferences. 

Just as notable is the participation of the university’s pioneer batch of BS in Psychology students in the summit, marking the first time that psychology students could present their theses in the annual event.
 

In her opening remarks, CAS Dean Marlina Lino highlighted the advantage provided to the student presenters, pointing out that such platforms were rare in the past. She urged the students to view the event not merely as an academic requirement but as a testament to their critical thinking and passion for their respective disciplines.

“This one is not just a presentation of research outputs, but it's actually a celebration of your success,” Dean Lino said.

Meanwhile, Research Director Dionisio Bucao’s inspirational message reminded the student researchers to focus on the integrity of their work over accolades. He stressed that true excellence in research is found in the rigorous process and honest results.

"Excellence is not defined only by recognition. It is defined by the integrity of your purpose, of your process, the honesty of your results, [and] the efforts you invested when no one was watching," Dr. Bucao remarked.

Throughout the day, student researchers presented their findings through oral and poster formats before a panel of evaluators in each of the three research areas. The three best abstracts and presenters were awarded in each area.