By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute will reveal in November the 450 successful applicants in the online mathematics and science teacher training program.

In an interview, DOST-SEI Director Ester Ogena said they received a little over 500 applications to the training program, which was more than what they expected since they only introduced the program two years ago.

Under the program, public elementary teachers in mathematics and science would be provided with additional information and techniques in teaching the two subjects to students. One unique feature of this training is that it will be delivered online, theoretically reducing the hassles teachers face in attending a classroom-type environment.

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By Agence France-Presse

SAN FRANCISCO, California–The most far-reaching search for extra-terrestrial life ever undertaken began Thursday as an array of radio telescopes that will trawl deepest space were activated in northern California.

A total of 42 radio dishes started collecting scientific data from the furthest reaches of the universe, part of the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in Hat Creek, around 270 miles (432 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

The dishes will be part of an eventual army of telescopes numbering around 350 that are being deployed to help advance radio astronomy, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute and the University of California, Berkeley said in a statement.

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By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

FOR the next seven days, Team Sinag will be doing final checks and testing on the country’s first solar-powered vehicle that will be an entry to the upcoming World Solar Challenge from October 21 to 28.

The 15-man team composed of students from the De La Salle University flew last Friday night to Australia to compete in the biennial event. Being their first time to compete in such a prestigious international contest, they feel the pressure of performing well. However, they remain confident and relaxed and are hopeful that their car, aptly christened “Sinag” (Filipino for “sunlight”), will be able to survive the trip from Darwin to Adelaide, a grueling 3,000-kilometer run under Australia’s hot sun.

In an interview, Sinag team leader Robert Obiles said the team will immediately make final preparations upon reaching Australia. It will include more tweaks on the car as well as a test run to ensure that the car will be running smoothly all throughout the trip.

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By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

WHILE THE DE La Salle University’s “Sinag” (Filipino for “sunlight”) solar car project may be celebrating its entry into the prestigious 2007 World Solar Challenge in Australia, it may not be alone in this endeavor.

Apparently, another group of Filipinos is also quietly preparing for its participation in the competition, as part of a 15-man collaborative effort between Don Bosco Technical College in Mandaluyong City and the Salesian Polytechnic Ikuei Kosen, an affiliate school under the Salesian universities and colleges.

According to the information indicated in the official World Solar Challenge, the Don Bosco/Salesian Polytechnic team’s project is called the “Salesio Solar Car Project” that has a car number 97 and its country of origin is under Japan/Philippines.

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By Agence France-Presse

COPENHAGEN–The ice cap in the northern hemisphere is melting a lot more rapidly that scientists thought, according to new research published Thursday by the Danish National Space Center.

“Until 2004, the glacier mass in the southeastern part of the island lost about 50 to 100 cubic kilometers (12 to 24 cubic miles) per year. After this date, the melting rate accelerated to 300 cubic kilometers per year. It’s a jump of 400 percent, which is very worrying,” National Space Center head researcher and project chief Abbas Khan told AFP.

The ice cap, located in Greenland, is currently melting four times more rapidly than at the beginning of the decade according to the study. Glaciers in southeastern Greenland release icebergs into the sea, corresponding to a giant ice cube measuring 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) per side.

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