Women researchers at DOSTI-ASTI spoke about their experiences within the field of ITC
The Phillipines’ Department of Science and Technology – Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOSTI-ASTI) is known for its contributions to the growth of Space Technology, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Microelectronics in the country.
Early in April 2020, DOSTI-ASTI, with the help of writer Kristelle Nicole Chavez, spoke to women researchers in its department about their experiences of being women in the male-dominated IT field.
Subhead: Staying on top of an ever-changing field
Jeanette Carlos, science research specialist II at DOST-ASTI’s Solutions and Services Engineering Division (SSED) said one fact about the field of science and technology is that it is ever-changing.
“When I graduated, I only have knowledge on Visual Basic and MySQL. But Visual Basic became outdated, and I had to learn other programming languages to cope up with the changes. One must continuously learn and evolve to survive in this industry,” she says.
In December 2017, Carlos was part of the award-winning team that wrote the published paper entitled, “HydroMet: Deployment of a large scale nationwide hydrometeorological sensor network for flood warning and monitoring.” Focused on DOST-ASTI’s Automated Weather Stations, the research was presented in the 2017 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference.
“Since our outputs already have target users, I just hope that they continue using it and hope that this will contribute to the betterment of our country,” Carlos says. “Having projects that aim to benefit the whole nation, we can expect that there will be people who will not be satisfied. But when your target users appreciate your work and recognize that it helped them, I think, that is already a success story.”
When asked about what inspired her to take the career path she is currently in, she shared how her father and grandfather inspired her, instilling in her the importance of kaizen and innovation.
For Carlos, women were already as empowered as men, and are already given equal footing when it comes to their rights and chosen career fields.
“It is still a male-dominated field,” she says. “We just need to let them see what we are capable of doing, and we should do what we do best. Eventually, they will realise that we have so much to offer in this industry.”
Subhead: Adapting to a fast-paced environment
For an institute that utilises its outputs for disaster management, among a few others, change is not a new concept for the people at DOST-ASTI.
“Things move quickly in our project, DATOS – especially when there are disaster events you must adapt to quickly. I have also learned a lot from being surrounded by researchers in various fields,” shares Marion Gelido, science research specialist I at DOST-ASTI’s Research and Development Division.
But for them, the fast-paced nature of their job is only one of its many charms.
“I have always wanted to work in the remote sensing and geographic information system field because I see a lot of potential with this technology even if it isn’t as widespread.
Working in a project where we actually get the word out about these technologies and its many applications is very fulfilling,” she shares. “I’d like to believe that we would all benefit from R&D. Science, when properly applied, can always help us move forward and progress.”
Gelido was part of DOST-ASTI’s DATOS Project, which produces and communicates relevant disaster information to agencies and key end-users. In March 2020, DATOS was announced as a nominee in the IDC Smart City Asia Pacific Awards 2020, being the only project from the Philippines nominated this year.
“Having women take the lead in more areas can help other women feel empowered. It can even make for a more comfortable workplace for other women and encourage them to be more open to share their ideas and thoughts,” she says.
“Promoting the talent that women have to offer can be done by women by simply doing their best in their work and being confident in their ideas.”
Subhead: Empowering women in S&T
When asked about their thoughts about female empowerment in the workplace, our interviewees differed in views, but one thing remained the same – they take pride in the excellence they bring in the playing field. For Roxanne Aviñante, senior science research specialist at DOST-ASTI’s Computer Software Division, today’s generation of women excel even in a male-dominated workplace.
“However, one of the places where gender disparity is most pronounced is in STEM. Seeing women leaders excel globally in this area makes me dignified as a woman,” she says. “In terms of suitability and competence for the positions relative to S&T, ICT, and microelectronics in DOST-ASTI, there is almost a 50-50 ratio in the management and operations team.”
In June 2018, Roxanne was part of the award-winning team that wrote the published paper entitled, “Predicting Decisions of the Philippine Supreme Court Using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning.”
The study aimed to use Natural Language Processing to provide a solution to alleviate these problems by predicting the outcome of court cases. The research was presented in the 2018 IEEE 42nd Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference (COMPSAC).
Currently, the DOST-ASTI researchers and TLO officers are actively participating in the Honing Innovations, Research, Agreements, and Negotiations of Government-funded Technologies Internship Program.
The program is under DOST 500 which aims to strengthen Intellectual Property and technology portfolios of DOST for higher commercialisation success. The Technology Licensing Office is also supported by the strong female leadership executed within the DOST community.
