By Daniel Tapaoan, STRATCOM Correspondent

A team of junior students from the College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development (CAFSD) secured third place in the Innovation Olympics 3.0 held on September 2-3 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna. 

Nikki Althea Pambid (BS Agribusiness), Justine Cholo Dalusen, and Rhay Stephen Pugal (both BS Agriculture) developed the Advance Salt-solution for Yield and Nurturing (ASYN) with the guidance of Asst. Prof. Ethel Reynda Calivoso and Mr. Michael Vincent Vea. The team received a plaque of recognition and ₱100,000 cash prize. 

A solar-powered salt-drying system, ASYN is designed to empower coastal farmers by improving salt quality and reducing post-harvest losses by 30 to 40 percent. 

In the competition, the top 10 finalists underwent a 24-hour mentorship program, which involved refinement of prototypes into functional demos or 3D models, before pitching them to a panel of judges. The finalists were selected from among 66 entries nationwide. 

CAFSD Dean Charlie Batin lauded the team’s success, saying it underscores the college’s commitment to promoting innovation among students in pursuit of community empowerment, food security, and climate resilience. 

With the theme “SmartAgri: Building a Climate-Secure Environment with IoT,” the national competition gathered the country’s top student innovators to co-create climate-smart solutions powered by the Internet of Things. 

Organized by UPLB, the triennial event was supported by the Asian Development Bank through the Korea e-Asia Fund, East-West Seeds, Inc., Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), and ADA Manufacturing Corporation (ADAMCO).

📸Michael VIncent Vea