DLSU Society of Young Engineers Towards Achieving Excellence (SYNTAX) hosted its flagship event AGSIKAP: Tagisan ng Talino at the St. Joseph Hall last November 18, returning to a face-to-face mode after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To test the academic aptitude of engineering students in their field of specialization, AGSIKAP was designed to be a two-part competition composed of “Tumbasan,” the elimination round, and “Awanggan,” the final round. With cash prizes for the top three winners, future engineers nationwide came to participate in the battle of wits, bringing pride to their alma mater.
Setting the stage
The event officially kicked off with a message by SYNTAX President Mariama Celestial that highlighted the objectives of the event. “Joining AGSIKAP is a step toward victory and excellence. This event will not only show your abilities but also your capacity to work well with others,” she said.
This was followed by the competition’s first round. During the individual examination, the contestants answered a questionnaire consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions, 10 problem-solving questions, and 10 identification questions. Only the top 15 scorers from this round would proceed to “Awanggan,” where the time taken to finish the examination was taken into consideration in case of tied scores.
Questions for both rounds covered the areas of laboratory concepts, Stoichiometry, Analytical Geometry, Differential Calculus, Integral Calculus, Engineering Physics, Engineering Chemistry, and Statistics and Probability for Engineers.
Among the 15 qualifiers, Hanz Baga of Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) – Manila came in third place, Nathaniel Crisaldo (II, BS-ECE) clinched second place, and Jan Vincent Simbol (V, BS-CE) emerged as the top scorer.
The final blow
The top 15 scorers were grouped into five teams with three members each, testing their skills of critical thinking in solving numerous problems and collaboration. Their performance was judged by Sarah Jane Fabito, a part-time faculty of the Department of Industrial Engineering, and Joseph Aldrin Chua, a faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Over the course of the final round, the teams faced each other in a competition patterned after the mechanics of game shows like Deal or No Deal and Jeopardy. Each group had to pick a briefcase containing a question, which ranged in difficulty from easy to extreme. Every correct answer merited double points, while every mistake gave other teams a chance to steal that question and its corresponding points.
Team 4RCE bagged third place. The group was composed of Carl Joseph Nacua of TUP – Manila, Ross David Tan (I, BSCS-ST), and John Rollic Conducto of Ateneo de Manila University. Meanwhile, Baga, Eugine Ceazar Reyes of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, and Owen Reinger Bunyl of TUP – Manila, forming Team Ang, ranked second place. Lastly, Aaron Philip Saclolo (II, BS-ECE), Patrick Miles Cheong (II, BS-ECE), and Simbol, Team Board Erasers, all of which are from De La Salle University, took home first place.
Connecting the circuits
To wrap up the event, AGSIKAP Project Head Joshua De Castro delivered the closing remarks, highlighting the importance of teamwork and communication in keeping the passion for engineering ablaze.
In an interview with The LaSallian, SYNTAX External Officer Celdrich Joaquin Tangonan shared that the organization considered multiple factors to make the event possible. “There are different limitations and different benefits that it (AGSIKAP) has compared to before. Let’s say when it’s online…for the participants, they don’t really have to travel, [but] now we have to deal with the travel,” he explained.
Despite the extensive preparations involved, Tangonan believed that a face-to-face competition was more engaging than an online one. He also hoped that the event would have more publicity and unite more students from other schools.
He conveyed, “At the end of the day, this competition is not to gauge who’s the best or who’s good or who’s better. It’s more like, ‘Oh, we need to, as engineers [and] as students, is it not fun to test your knowledge? Is it not fun to meet new people and to engage with them?’”.
