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Before inventing something, take a look at what is currently available. Note both the positive and negative aspects. Then spot whatever is interesting about these inventions and improve on it.
This was the message of Dr. George M. Colorado, invention development division manager of the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) during the technical forum on “Creativity in Invention Development” last August 1, 2013 at the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) in Quezon City.
Held as one of the activities during the DOST- National Capital Region 2013 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits, the forum raised the awareness of students and professional researchers and inventors alike on the importance of creativity in the invention process. It also gave them pointers on how to be more creative while driving home the idea that “the purpose of technology or innovation is to solve a problem.”
“The natural process of thinking can be influenced to see what the problem is, and what the solution to that problem is,” Dr. Colorado revealed to the audience inside the full-packed Seminar Room of TIP’s Building 1.
Reminding the audience that a mere change of material is not inventive, the speaker, who pleased the crowd with his humorous, witty remarks and examples, explained that as far as inventing new technology is concerned, there is a natural evolution of development which takes place during actual usage of the technology.
Citing the chair as an example, Dr. Colorado narrated how it started as a mere bench and then improved into a soft chair. Later, it was built with armrests because people realized they needed something on which to place their arms. It further evolved into one with a backrest because people realized it had to have something for their backs to lean on.
If the inventor is able to create technology that skips through these evolutionary stages or jumps through several of these phases, said Dr. Colorado, that would be an inventive invention. “But you will be able to do this if you think in a creative manner,” he declared.
Citing perceptive thinking as one of the many qualities of creativity, he said that the inventor should constantly ask himself what will happen next if he develops something in particular. “Consequences and sequels should be considered,” he stressed.
The TAPI official also reminded the budding inventors to get other people’s opinions. “Ask your target clients what they want. And then you have a set of priorities that you can now integrate into the product,” he said.
The other qualities of creativity mentioned in the lecture were sensitivity, originality, flexibility or the capability to adjust to a new development, ability to combine ideas, analytical thinking, ability to simplify, being energetic, having broad knowledge and interests, and being open to new experiences, among others.
Dr. Colorado however emphasized that the human mind must be trained to assimilate these qualities, since some of these factors may actually be influenced. “There are environments which are not friendly to creativity,” he explained.
Lastly, Dr. Colorado advised the newbie and professional inventors to continue gaining knowledge. “The fastest way to learn is to go to an expert and learn from him,” he remarked to the crowd which was mostly made up of students whose attention was glued to the very engaging talk.
During the Technical Forum on “Creativity in Invention Development,” Dr. George M. Colorado, division manager for invention development of the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute, urged neophyte and professional inventors to create solutions to problems by improving on existing technologies. The forum was one of the activities during the 2013 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits for the National Capital Region held at the Technological Institute of the Philippines in Quezon City. Photos above show some of the entries in the competition. Bottom photo shows the winning entry for the SIBOL Creative Research-High School Category by students from Batasan Hills National High School. Titled “Difunctional Shoe,” the invention aims to solve children’s health problems caused by flooding via a protective jacket inserted into the shoe. Made of polyphenol, the jacket is durable, water-resistant, and can cover almost the entire leg of a child. (Text by Angelica A. de Leon/ Photos by Gerry Palad and Henry A. de Leon, S & T Media Service, DOST-STII)
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“Build your own business empire and change the world,” Arup Maity, director of information and research at the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), exhorted the audience in his presentation on the Lean Startup Methodology during the “Startup Forum” held recently in one of the track sessions staged for the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Expo Science 2013 at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
The Lean Startup Methodology is different from traditional business startup plans as it seeks to increase value producing practices during product development phase and shun wasteful ones such as sourcing for outside funding and developing elaborate business plans. Through this methodology, startups can shorten their product development cycles and achieve greater success.
This new methodology is one of the most anticipated business methodologies in Silicon Valley. It was also one of the most transformative topics discussed during the forum which gave an overview of starting a business via online media.
How does it work?
The methodology requires customer feedback during product development which is integral to the lean startup process. This step ensures that the business owner does not invest time designing features or services that consumers do not want.
Likewise, it pushes web-based or tech-related startups away from the ideology of their dot-com era predecessors in order to achieve cost-effective production by building a minimal product and gauging customer feedback.
For example, a startup owner should not engage in a six-month marketing campaign on Facebook and Twitter. Instead, it should dedicate a small budget to two-week experiments in which he will pick possible branding images and develop different ads using these images. Within two weeks, experiment results should be looked into in order to determine which ads send the most traffic to the site and which result to actual sales.
Once a technopreneur gathers this information, he can move into the third lean-startup stage, which is agile development or the process of gradually improving a product or service in response to customer feedback.
In this stage, the technopreneur will undertake re-testing involving the branding images used in the ads with positive outcomes. By doing this, he can adjust, refocus and find the marketing channels and messages that work best for their brand.
The Lean Startup Methodology was originally developed in 2008 by Eric Ries with high-tech companies in mind. It has since been expanded to apply to any individual, team, or company looking to introduce new products or services into the market. Ries' bestselling book, The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses played a large part in the popularity of the lean start-up concept in Silicon Valley.
“Startup Forum” was part of the activities for Expo Science 2013 or the National Science and Technology Week organized by the Information and Communication Technology Office of DOST. With the theme “Science, Technology and Innovation: The Road to a Smarter Philippines,” Expo Science 2013 ran from July 23-27, 2013 and showcased the different DOST-developed top-flight technologies and projects that provide solutions to pressing national issues including industry competitiveness and employment.
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Kaninyumanggi what? This is actually a coined term for “kanin” (rice) and “kayumanggi” (brown), literally “brown rice.” The “nickname” originated from the Department of Science and Technology that launched a recipe book titled Brown Rice Recipes Para sa Lahing Kayumanggi on July 26 as part of the National Science and Technology Week 2013 celebration.
The cookbook features 23 innovative recipes using brown rice as appetizer, main course and dessert. It is a result of rigorous experimentation and testing by a team of nutritionists who developed and compiled kitchen tested recipes to serve as a menu guide for a healthy eating habit. The nutritionists are based in DOST’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
During the launch, Chefs Luchi Callanta and Timothy Neil Abuela from the renowned Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) conducted a cooking demonstration featuring a nouvelle cuisine called Pahiyas Rice [considered a rice dish], named after the famous fiesta in the town of Lucban, Quezon. As expected, the recipe included the very tasty Lucban longganisa (sausage).
“This dish is very colourful and appeals to the senses…. it is very important to create a healthy relationship with food,” relates Chef Luchi.
The other recipe demonstrated was a dessert called “onde-onde” (onde is a Malaysian word for sticky or “malagkit” in Pilipino) that looks like the common round-shaped “buchi” and cooked like the “palitaw”, a native rice-based delicacy that is boiled or immersed in boiling water.
There to taste the food were DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo, who is a staunch advocate of brown rice and supporter of healthy living; FNRI Director Mario V. Capanzana; and Assistant Secretary Raymund E. Liboro.
Some of the recipes in the book include tinapa (smoked fish) sa brown rice, brown rice vegetable medley, sweet Italian brown rice, brown rice a la spaghetti, kalamay sa gata brown rice, Hawaiian rice balls, Pinoy maki, everlasting turon, kalamay sa salabat brown rice and a number of interesting and intriguing delights.
Also included in the recipe book are instructions on the proper way of preparing and cooking brown rice since it takes a different approach. Because the bran is still intact, brown rice has to be cooked with a ratio of one cup of rice to two cups of water. Further, brown rice has to be soaked first in water for at least 30 minutes before cooking to make it softer and more palatable.
Today, more and more people are turning to healthier food alternatives and doing more exercises and workouts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With the fast-paced life of urban living and the proliferation of fastfood restaurants, it is quite difficult to sustain a healthy eating regimen. But DOST-FNRI’s offer of an alternative diet in “kaninyumanggi” is one good option towards healthy living.
Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (left, holding brown rice bag) checks out the brown rice developed by the DOST- Food and Nutrition Research Institute as Secretary Mario J. Montejo explains its nutritional benefits. With them is DOST-FNRI Information Officer Salvador Serrano. (Rodolfo P. de Guzman, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)
DOST Assistant Secretary and Director of Science and Technology Information Institute Raymund E. Liboro (left) expresses his delight on the on-going cooking demonstration as he is an advocate of healthy living and brown rice. Joining him on stage are (L-R) TV5 host Ice Martinez with chefs Timothy Neil Abuela and Luchi Callanta, both from the Center for Culinary Arts, who prepared the Pahiyas Brown Rice and the unique dessert called “onde-onde.” (Rodolfo P. de Guzman, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)
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Tambubong Elementary School in San Rafael, Bulacan has scaled up its standard of education as the Department of Science and Technology, together with the Department of Education (DepED) and the National Engineering Center of the University of the Philippines, recently led the distribution and installation of computer systems for digitized instructional and learning materials.
The school received 16 cost-efficient thin clients and a server from said institutions. Thin clients are computers or computer programs relying heavily on another computer, usually a server, for usual functions. Said thin clients make the power-consuming and costly CPUs unnecessary, so with the hard disk storage and many peripherals of traditional desktop computers.
In the partnership, DepEd is tasked to provide the content, covering all subjects in the elementary level, particularly those for Grades 5 to 7. This will guide teachers on the conduct of their lectures and exercises.
This is only one of many activities under the Cloud Top Project which aims to reduce the acquisition costs of computer hardware and software by promoting the use of thin clients for educational purposes and government cloud applications such as GovCloud, as sustainable energy solutions.
GovCloud is a private cloud for government agencies and their employees with basic cloud applications such as GovMail (government email), web hosting, and payment gateway applications. Cloud applications or cloud computing is a system where users can store all their files in different applications of the cloud such as email. Google, Yahoo and Hotmail are examples of cloud computing.
“I believe that students would be encouraged and inspired more to study their lessons; as devices like computers could offer them new approach in learning… their curiosity on how to use it (will help), compared with traditional learning materials like textbooks and workbooks.” said Gerardo Olchondra, principal of Tambubong Elementary School.
Alpha Testing was also conducted in Tambubong Elementary School to test the efficiency of the thin clients and the server live within the classroom settings. The testing phase will also continue in several public schools in Luzon including San Roque Elementary School and Sampaloc Elementary School in Bulacan, which will be the next beneficiaries of the thin clients and server. Kamuning Elementary School in Quezon City will serve as test laboratory, given its proximity to the Cloud Top Project Center at University of the Philippines.
Aside from producing and installing the thin clients and servers, Cloud Top Project is also developing long-range Wi-Fi communication equipment for several schools in target areas.
To strengthen implementation of this project, the team is also coordinating with proponents of other government projects, such as TV White Spaces Technology (TVWST), for stronger internet connectivity. TVWST is an equipment that can deliver wide-range and cost-effective internet connectivity in all parts of the country, particularly in local barrios, through unused TV channels.
Cloud Top at work. Selected Grade 6 pupils of Tambubong Elementary School in San Rafael, Bulacan try using the Cloud Top, a collaborative project between the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Education. Cloud Top consists of thin clients and servers for educational purposes that will minimize the acquisition costs of hardware and software for computers. It will also use government cloud applications for sustainable energy solutions. (Text and Photo by Allan Mauro V. Marfal, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)
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Day 4 of the Expo Science 2013 proved to be a sweat drenching but definitely a healthier day as it kicked off with a couple of aerobic exercise routines called the “Yeba exercises” at seven in the morning on July 26, 2013. This activity is part of the celebration of the National Science and Technology Week of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) entitled, “Science, Technology and Innovation: The Road to a Smarter Philippines.”
Danny Vinculado, dance instructor choreographer Arts in the City in Bonifacio Global City, supervised the “Yeba exercises” and even introduced innovative routines that borrowed the moves of our native Ifugao dance.
Thereafter, Dr. Custer Deocaris, a Balik Scientist specializing in neuroscience gave a pep talk on how to stay healthy by eating the right food and exercising regularly.
In his talk, Dr. Deocaris introduced his 3 B’s of healthy living that stand for brainy, blissful and beautiful. He stressed that exercising for at least 30 minutes a day or equivalent to 10,000 steps can contribute to general well being of a person. “When a person engages in at least 30 minutes of exercise, he or she will eventually have a healthy brain, will find self-fulfillment or bliss and will be more beautiful,” said Dr. Deocaris.
Dr. Deocaris is currently doing research studies on stem cell in Japan and Korea.
The event was sponsored by Nestle Philippines, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Mondeliz Philippines (formerly Kraft Foods), Unilever Phils. and the Center for Culinary Arts or CCA, all advocates for healthy eating and lifestyle, and proper nutrition.
For more information on NSTW events, please log on to www.nstw.dost.gov.ph/nstw2013/.
Participants to the Expo Science 2013 of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) woke up early last July 26, 2013 and joined in the “Yeba Exercises” conducted by dance instructor and fitness expert Danny Vinculado as part of the day’s celebration of Smarter Living, an advocacy being promoted by DOST and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). Thereafter a healthy breakfast was served and later on a cooking demonstration using brown rice was conducted by chefs from the Center forCulinary Arts. (Rodolfo P. de Guzman, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)
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