The best and brightest of the department of Mechanical Engineering gather on the highest floor of the tallest building in the University, and make magic happen in DLSU’s very own bio-culturing laboratory. Although math and science are based on logic and reason, Dr. Aristotle Ubando uses these tools to create new life. Many would be familiar with his profession as an Associate Professor of the Mechanical Engineering Department, but that’s only the top of his long list of achievements. Last July 14, he was awarded the Outstanding Young Scientist Award for Engineering Sciences and Technology, one of the most prestigious awards in the Philippines recognizing excellence in different fields.
How awards come
The Outstanding Young Scientist Awards (OYS awards) are given to young Filipino scientists, not going beyond the age of 41, who have made significant contributions to their respective fields. Annually, only 12 scientists receive this prestigious award, and this year, Dr. Ubando stands among those ranks. This is just one among the many recognitions given to him and his works over the years, but Dr. Ubando maintains that “you should not think about the award, or even aim for it. Just keep doing what you’re doing, and the awards will come.”
A scientist has to be nominated to receive the OYS award, and Dr. Ubando in particular was nominated by his mentors and fellow members of the faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Alvin Culaba and Dr. Raymond Tan. He attributes this nomination to the main focus of his studies at the moment: Algae Biorefineries.
Research, a passionate discipline
Dr. Ubando is no stranger to people asking him about his choice of academic research. Why, out of all the focuses he could’ve chosen, would he decide to work with algae? Algae, after all, is a far cry from a Mechanical Engineer’s typical inorganic set-up. He explains that, way back in 2010, one of his mentors, Dr. Culaba, returned from a sabbatical in the US with a problem: “If we were to produce biofuels from algae, 60% of the total cost would go to the drying process. As mechanical engineers, he challenged us to find ways to optimize the drying process.” This, combined with his already existing interest in renewable energy, kindled Dr. Ubando’s interest, bringing to life the Algal Biofuels Laboratory, and allowing it a spot among the projects of DLSU’s centers for research.
Despite algae power plants already being a staple in other countries, Dr. Ubando maintains that the Philippines is one of the best positions to start its own, and maybe exceed the profit of its foreign competitors. Since the country is largely made up of coastlines, the Philippines has more than its fair share of algae, and has the capacity to sustain such biorefineries on a huge scale.
In the simplest of terms, this lab is almost entirely devoted to removing moisture from large quantities of algae, all while minimizing cost and maximizing yield. This may sound simple, but it’s actually a pretty tall order. Dr. Ubando recalls the array of drying processes they’ve tried and tested over the years; with solar drying, infrared, microwave, and molecular dynamics to name a few. Despite having data on all of these under his belt, Dr. Ubando’s passion for academic research drives him to keep on seeking out further knowledge.
Having a total of 24 publications and 4 HI Index citations, Dr. Ubando’s works and research does not stop with algae. He is currently developing plans for polygeneration, which when the word is dissected, means “many” and “producing”. This work was inspired by his earlier dissertations and has now been refined to eventually be a power generating plant that maximizes heat and cooling effects with polymers and biochemicals. Designing this powerplant is the main challenge for him and his background in mechanical engineering because he has to minimize dangerous emissions whilst maximizing profit.
He’s done his fair share of research outside the threshold of DLSU. He went to the University of Arizona to study the process of cultivating algae, and delved into the post-processing of algae in the Texas A&M University. As a result, this little-known Lasallian project hidden in the corner of the Andrew Building has garnered contributors on an international scale.
An educator at heart
Dr. Ubando isn’t the only one from the Lasallian community who gets to travel around the world for the sake of this research, as many of his students have become involved members of his research team. He discloses that he does indeed try to integrate the experimental processes into the classes he teaches, so his students get to really experience it hands-on. For his research, he mostly keeps exclusively to a small group of handpicked students. “Most of my research is funded, so I look for students who can really deliver [with their] work,” he states.
When asked for a general message to all his students, his advice is simple: “Finish your degrees.” He continues, “[After graduating], aspire for higher programs, because those are designed to specialize in specific fields. We need those. The Philippines is lagging in the number of PHD students compared to the rest of the ASEAN.” He ends this statement, however, with a more hopeful note. “There are a lot of opportunities and grants out there, so go and pursue masters and PHDs.” This attitude of his in a way marks him as a true scientist, always striving for greater heights and new levels of information.
Strip away the awards and papers to his name, however, and Dr. Ubando is simply a curious mind with a humble heart. His studies are all geared towards the benefit of the general public, and his passion for academic research finds roots in every scientist’s longing to solve problems. He genuinely deems his cause higher than himself, and now, with the OYS award in hand, continues to shape the ideals of aspiring Lasallian engineers.
