A GROUP from the University of San Carlos in Cebu City was among the top 10 in the global Nature Awards for the Science in Shorts Filmmaking competition held recently in Mainz, Germany.

The USC contingent’s video, the “Unusually Sustainable-Bioplastics from Shrimp Shells Plus Mango Waste”, bested over 250 researchers from around the world who contributed the one-minute science videos.

“The video highlights a groundbreaking solution to plastic pollution, turning discarded shrimp shells and mango waste into bioplastic, an eco-friendly, low-carbon alternative to conventional plastics, based on the 2022 Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions project, ‘Development of Chitosan-Based Bioplastic from Shrimp Waste as Potential Industrial Packaging Material,’” USC said.

“In one minute, Dr. Francis Dave Siacor and Engr. Kristine Claire Villanueva demonstrated how bioplastics are made from shrimp shells and mango waste. They also highlighted the importance of bioplastics noting that they are more eco-friendly than regular plastic sachets,” it added.

Aside from Dr. Siacor and Engr. Villanueva, the team also included BS Ch.E. students Cindy Arcenal, John Rich Celeres, Jan Daniel Pelayo.

They are affiliated with the USC Department of Chemical Engineering and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture.

Nature Awards aims to showcase videos in which researchers explain a key piece of their research in a way that is easily understandable to anyone.

The Science in Shorts is “a highly competitive global platform that recognizes and rewards scientists and researchers who can effectively communicate their work through short, engaging videos.”