NINETEEN Grade 12-STEM students from UP High School in Iloilo presented their research as Global Guests in the poster presentation category of Science Castle Osaka Kansai 2024 at Yamato University in Suita, Osaka, Japan.

Six research studies were featured, including “Cresunscreen: Formulation of the Calabash (Crescentia cujete) Methanolic Extract as a Sunscreen Cream” and “Efficacy of Green Mussel (Perna viridis) Shell Scraps as an Adsorbent in Crude Coconut Oil Refinement.”

Other notable studies included “Raw Kapok Fiber (Ceiba pentandra) and Dried Luffa Sponge (Luffa aegyptiaca) as Composite Materials for Natural Oil Adsorption” and “Fabrication of High Temperature-Resistant Cellulose Aerogel from Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Pod Husk for Efficient Thermal Insulation.”

Additionally, UPHSI representatives Ariette Jezka Villanueva and Peter Andrei Carmen shared their insights from the Science Castle in Asia during a Leave a Nest parallel session.

The students were accompanied by UPHSI faculty members Dr. Jonny B. Pornel, Dr. Reynold Tan, Prof. Joel B. Labos, and High School Principal Prof. Edelia T. Braga.

Science Castle Osaka Kansai is an international conference that fosters a ‘super high school-level research community,’ featuring oral and poster presentations from schools in Japan alongside global participants from Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.