MARIANO Marcos State University President Dr. Shirley Agrupis was conferred the Philippine Resilience Awards for Women for her impactful contributions and transformative leadership, particularly “in the realms of climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and resilience building.”

The university said Agrupis has championed PRA-aligned causes.

One of the initiatives is the National Bioenergy Research and Extension Program for Sustainable Development, which involves women in creating innovative technologies for bioethanol production using climate-resilient nipa feedstock.

Currently, 36 women researchers participated in NBioREPSD projects.

She also facilitated partnerships with women’s organizations to bolster training and capacity development related to nipa-based ethanol product development.

“One of her crowning achievements is the inception of the MMSU-based National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center (NBERIC) in 2020, which materialized after over a decade of dedicated research,” the school said.

Agrupis was also behind the establishment of academic programs such as the Professional Science Masters in Geoinformatics for Sustainability, a collaborative program with the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand.

“Dr. Agrupis has spearheaded the creation of the Center for Climate Change Studies, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Coastal Engineering Research Center,” MMSU said.

“She has also championed educational initiatives such as Agriculture 101 and Renewable Energy that aim to empower farmers and local governments in the pursuits of food security and sustainable green technologies,” it added.