FEU Tech Senior Director for Engineering Dr. Manuel Belino visited Harvard University in early May 2017 to attend the Bicentennial Alumni Reunion of the Harvard Divinity School (HDS). HDS, one of the schools of Harvard, is where Dr. Belino earned his master's degree in theological studies with a concentration in ethics on top of his graduate degrees in engineering. He spent two semesters at the Mechanical Engineering Department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to take courses in engineering ethics.
While visiting his alma mater, Dr. Belino took the opportunity to visit MIT. He spent moments to talk with the Executive Dean to explore engineering initiatives that he can adapt as he returns home to FEU Tech.
Through his visit, Dr. Belino hopes to implement some initiatives inspired by these prestigious schools. He points out some of the significant developments that can greatly contribute in the upgrading of the educational system in the country, including:
Enhancement of the Technopreneurship Program
According to Dr. Belino, FEU Tech�s Innovation Center is a great venue to further hone the entrepreneurial skills of its students. The technopreneurship program and innovation center that hosts technopreneurial lectures show that FEU Tech benchmarks with international initiatives in engineering education.
Emphasis of Arts in Engineering
"Engineering is liberal arts. It is humanities because all that we do here is for people. However, we tend to lose the element of art and focus too much on the technical aspects of engineering." says Dr. Belino
Dr. Belino gives emphasis on the arts in engineering. He shares that he hopes to push initiatives that will create a more holistic education that will cater also to the artistic side of the engineering students. After all, FEU is known for its cultural heritage and the arts.
Integration of Bioengineering
Today, engineering plays an important role in medicine. Dr. Belino sees the need to follow this trend at FEU Tech by integrating bioengineering course in all engineering programs which is the intersection of medicine, biological science and engineering. This will further advance engineering education in the Philippines.
"When I went to Harvard and MIT, and saw that they were talking about technopreneurship, emphasis on the arts and integration of bioengineering, I thought that FEU Tech is heading in the right direction. I realized that these three are the thrusts of progressive engineering schools of the 21st century", says Dr. Belino.