SCIENCE KITS. Hopeful young scientists in three Batangas high schools receive their Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research (VISSER) kits in this May 10, 2024 photo. They were joined by officials of the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Education during turnover ceremonies at the Malaruhatan Country Club in Lian, Batangas. (Photo courtesy of DOST-Batangas)
BATANGAS CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has stepped up efforts to provide public and private school students in this province with advanced study resources for stimulating their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
In an interview on Tuesday, John Maico Hernandez, a senior research specialist and spokesperson at DOST-Batangas, said De La Salle Lipa in Batangas has become the 111th school in the region to receive the Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly-Operated Kiosks (STARBOOKS) digital information source.
He said STARBOOKS was developed by the DOST Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) as a repository of thousands of digitized science and technology (S&T) resources that can supplement classroom learning and enhance research capabilities.
The program was originally designed to provide S&T content in various formats to students and other constituents in geographically-isolated and economically-challenged schools and communities throughout the country.
However, because De La Salle is not a school for those struggling financially, it provided the required computer set-up while DOST simply installed the STARBOOKS system and gave the necessary orientation to the personnel of the school.
“While DOST offered STARBOOKS for free, including the computer set-up especially to the marginalized schools, in De La Salle Lipa, we provided the STARBOOKS system into the computers they provided,” he said.
For her part, De La Salle Lipa librarian Chona Chavez said “the use of STARBOOKS will further enrich the learning experience of their students and promote a culture of research and innovation within the institution.”
Meanwhile, Hernandez revealed that high schools in Calatagan, Lian, and Nasugbu are the first in the region to receive Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research (VISSER) kits from the DOST.
These kits are designed to ignite students' interest in inventing within various STEM fields like biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and robotics.
He said the VISSER kit is an advanced platform that encourages students to explore, experiment, and discover using interactive handheld devices equipped with sensors for data collection and analysis.
The kit allows students to over 50 science experiments and operates independently, requiring only a battery or power bank for power, the DOST said.
Director Emelita Bagsit, who heads DOST-Calabarzon, said the “introduction of VISSER kits in these schools would inspire a new generation of innovators and problem-solvers, contributing to the advancement of science and technology in the country.”
Each VISSER kit costs around PHP80,000 and was funded by DOST-Calabarzon. (PNA)
