With the core message “Let’s innovate together!”, iTalk (short for Innovation Talk) is hosting a series of interactive sessions or 'learning labs' where current iBoP Asia grantees and partners will have the chance to present their innovations to and get feedback from students and faculty members of the School of Science and Engineering (SoSE) of the Ateneo de Manila. These sessions are co-organized by iBoP Asia and the Ateneo Innovation Center (AIC).

Dr. Biona, director of the Center for Research & Training of DBTC, presented their study on the processing and promotion of waste cooking oil as an alternative fuel for the jeepney, the most popular public utility vehicle in the Philippines.

The students, when asked what they think of such projects where technologies are developed to address particular social needs, responded enthusiastically and said they welcome the idea of developing their thesis and research papers with this in mind, and that they are willing to work on these projects with students from the School of Social Sciences. Based on this positive response, Dr. Fabian Dayrit, dean of the School of Science and Engineering, and Dr. Greg Tangonan, director of AIC, opened the possibility of infusing S&T for social development in the current Science & Society (Sci10) course or offering a new elective on innovations for development, with iBoP Asia as an active contributor.

Apart from sharing this study with our students, Dr. Biona is now also working with Mr. James Esguerra of AIC and Ms. Carmel Abao of the Political Science department on a policy study regarding the adoption of waste cooking oil as an alternative fuel.

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