Mariano Marcos
State University

Dr. Imelda Forteza wraps up Balik Scientist stint at MMSU with data literacy series

By Ian Paul Villanueva
 

Delivering on her commitment to promote reproducible research, Dr. Imelda Forteza successfully concluded her stint as a Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Balik Scientist fellow at Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) with the final installment of the “Beyond What We See” seminar-workshop series on August 10.
 

Drawing 200 students, faculty members, and researchers from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering over three days, the capacity-building initiative combined seminars on microbial ecology, climate-resilient agriculture and food systems, trustworthy molecular evidence, and scientific interpretation. It also included hands-on workshops using “R”, a free and open-source data analysis and visualization platform. 
 

Consistent with Dr. Forteza’s advocacy for building systems that promote reproducible research, the series focused on developing MMSU participants’ skills in critically evaluating, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating scientific evidence.
 

It can be recalled that Dr. Forteza first engaged with MMSU officially in May 2026, when she began her stint as a Balik Scientist fellow. Her engagement with the university stemmed from coordination with MMSU Biological Sciences Prof. Rowena Antemano, her former labmate at the University of the Philippines Diliman. 
 

During her welcome program, Dr. Forteza emphasized the importance for researchers “to know the basics of conducting studies, from proposal writing to testing ideas and concepts. More than anything, we should be willing not only to teach ideas but also to learn new ones.”
 

The BSP is an institutionalized program by the DOST that gives incentives and benefits to Filipino experts, scientists, inventors, and engineers from abroad to return to the country and share their expertise. 
 

Dr. Forteza, an expert in microbiome research, bioinformatics, and applied molecular ecology, is based in Australia and affiliated with The Australian National University, one of the country's leading universities.