FEU Institute of Technology’s Electrical & Electronics Engineering (EEE) Department prides itself on another triumph as a group of brilliant ECE students bag the Best Project and Best Presenters Awards for the College of Engineering during the recently held TechnoFest 2021.
The winning team, composed of Carl Justin M. Corre, Kathleen Mae Q. Dumlao, Lyster V. Miramontes, and Jaine Kaira P. Roxas, worked under the guidance of their thesis adviser Engr. Irister M. Javel and course advisers Dr. Romano Q. Neyra and Engr. Antipas T. Teologo. They were also coached by Engr. Melodia D. Pahati and Engr. Daryl D. David.
The team decided to focus on abaca, a native product that is used to produce clothes, bags, and other accessories. This project hopes to provide more knowledge and an accurate way of grading regular hand-stripped abaca fibers.
LOOK: Eight (8) kinds of abaca fibers were tested using the prototype developed by the ECE students. These fibers are used differently depending on their grade.
“Grading of abaca fibers has always been inconsistent because it varies from one expert to another,” Jaine said. “So to be able to address this problem or inconsistency, we managed to create this system that made it possible to grade fibers based on the standards set by the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries.”
To complete this project, the team had to electrify their knowledge from some subjects in the ECE curriculum like MATLAB Programming and Advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP).
“MATLAB Programming was a key subject for us because we used it as the main platform for our system,” Justin said. “Advanced DSP was helpful too when it comes to image processing. It allowed us to learn how to apply image segmentation and extract essential data, particularly RGB, from the image,” Jaine added.
Initially, the team partnered with the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) in Region 5 Bicol to do an actual test of the abaca fibers but the pandemic forced them to think of an alternative solution. The team also said they are open to the idea of venturing their project into the market as soon as they finish their study.
TechnoFest 2021
Guided by the theme “Innovation as the New Frontier of Sustainable Development”, this year’s TechnoFest celebrated the abundance of technology that this generation has to offer. Students and associates from FEU Alabang, FEU Diliman, and FEU Tech were invited to showcase their excellence in innovation with a week-long presentation of unique projects and research.
The different departments selected the best teams to participate in the competition. EEE tapped into six qualified groups, and one of them was able to snatch major awards.
“We have chosen this project because primarily, we know that it is already good and it’s really in line with TechnoFest’s theme. But to make sure that these teams will have a higher chance of winning, we formed a committee or panel to train and coach the students on how they should present in the competition,” Engr. Teologo shared.
The Research Committee Chairperson and ECE professor also explained how their department highly encourages Tamaraws to join academic competitions like TechnoFest because it can provide the needed ‘edge’ to their future careers.
“Honestly, this is a good addition to their CVs and a good way to attract future employers. It gives students a chance to expose their learnings in FEU Tech while at the same time, they’ll get a chance to share how they were able to put these learnings into action,” he said.
“It’s somehow a loss if we let a great opportunity like this pass by, so I’m really grateful these ECE students took on the challenge and even won in the competition. What a huge bonus!”
Overcoming challenges
The taste of victory won’t be as sweet if it is without any challenges or hindrances along the way. Apart from the difficulty in coordinating with the team, Engr. Teologo and the students also talked about almost backing out from the competition.
“Originally, Jaine was the one who was supposed to present their project, but due to some conflicts in her schedule, she decided to step down. The rest of her teammates informed me about this and said they will no longer compete because they aren’t confident enough,” Engr. Teologo recalled.
Fortunately, through a series of encouraging pep talks, he was able to persuade other members to fill in for Jaine.
“I made them realize that this is not just about winning or presenting their project. Rather, this is a way of gaining experience and confidence. The fact that their project was chosen by the department means something,” Engr. Teologo said. “And if they are nervous or having doubts, I told them not to worry because the department and committee are here to help them out.”
Convinced that there are more benefits rather than consequences from joining TechnoFest, the team eventually decided to move forward. Armed with the belief that whatever happens, something great is going to come out from this experience. Kathleen, who stood out as one of the presenters, shared her thoughts on this unexpected win.
“The whole thing is very new to me since I’m a super shy person. I felt a surge of nervous excitement at first, but we gave our best to deliver the presentation well. Other teams did an excellent job too, so we didn’t expect that we would win,” Kathleen exclaimed.
Justin also joined Kathleen as a presenter and expressed gratitude for the support they got from their department.
“Having supportive mentors is indeed a big help in our overall journey. They guided us along the way and persistently assisted in polishing our presentation. I think that’s a big factor in winning this competition,” he said.
Team’s secret to victory
Cliche as it may sound, these aspiring electronics engineers have regarded their “teamwork” as the constant energy source to power up for success. According to them, they wouldn’t have completed an amazing project if not for everybody’s cooperation.
Jaine shared that they made ways to still see each other amidst the pandemic and work on the project together.
ECE students work hand-in-hand to finish building their prototype. Through this device, manufacturers can produce high-quality products and traders can select which fibers to export according to its usage.
“It was all about teamwork. Even if we’re still in a pandemic, my teammates managed to go to our house every Saturday to finish the work. I think that’s why we didn’t feel so burdened while doing our thesis [because] we’re all working together as a solid team,” she said.
Justin, Kathleen, and Lyster added that they are grateful for the team’s ability to communicate freely, be open to suggestions, and learn together.
“We always ask suggestions from the members when we decide on something. If there’s no teamwork, it would be hard for us to communicate,” they shared. “We’re so blessed to be part of a very good and positive learning environment.”
