CALAUAN, Laguna – Jaime M. Goyena is more than your typical gentleman farmer.

A plant breeder by training, and an expert one at that, Goyena boasts of harvesting the best rambutan fruits this side of the country.

"It is the sweetest rambutan in the Philippines," he told Malaya Business Insight.

And he has the credentials to show for it. In 1983, the Philippine Fruit Association cited Goyena for "the widest dissemination of the highest number of grafted plants to nine regions… contributing to the advancement of the Philippine fruit industry."

In 1995, he was honored with a Distinguished Alumnus Award in Fruit Crops Extension by the University of the Philippines Los Baños for his "significant contribution to the art and science of nursery management" and for his collection and propagation of superior fruit tree varieties.

Last July, 11 remarkable Filipino scientists, all of them not older than 40, were recognized by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), for contributions in the physical, natural, and social sciences.

NAST, the premier advisory body in science and technology in the country, chose the following individuals not only to spur them to do more research and service, but also to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

Those recognized from the University of the Philippines include Von Mark Cruz.

Von Mark Cruz received his Bachelor of Science in Biology degree from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) in 1993 and, in 1998, his Master of Science in Genetics degree also from UPLB.

In 2006, with the help of the Fulbright program and the Department of Agriculture, Cruz got his doctorate in plant breeding from Iowa State University in the United States.

At UPLB, Cruz taught genetics and was active in biotechnology and genetics education and communication. While in the US, he taught plant germination and genomics to Native American students.

The search for the new dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine of UP Los Baños is on.  Nominations will be accepted by the search committee beginning Tuesday, Aug. 24 until Wednesday, Sept. 1,  2010 after Dr. Conrado A. Valdez, the current CVM dean, whose term will expire on Sept. 30,  has presented the plans, programs, problems and priorities for the college and the expectations of the next dean.

The nominee must possess the following minimum qualifications:

1. Commitment to academic freedom and the values and ideals of the University
2. Distinction or outstanding academic credentials in the nominee's chosen field of expertise which should be along the lines of the college's disciplines or fields.
3. Filipino citizen
4. Leadership qualities and administrative or managerial capability
5. Must be willing to serve.
6. Must consider resource generation an important function of the position.

The nominee need not be a faculty member at the time of his/her nomination, however, should he/she be appointed, he/she must have a faculty appointment.

Kindly submit nominations with a duly signed letter containing the justification for the nomination, and 3-page summary of the nominees' curriculum vitae to the Members of the Search Committee, as follows:

Dr. ENRICO P. SUPANGCO
Vice-Chancellor for Research and Extension,
and Chair of the Search Committee

OVCRE
3rd Floor, UPLB Main Library Building
Tel. No. 536-2354

Dr. Cesar C. Sevilla
Member, ADSC-CA
Tel. No. 536-3426

Dr. Arnold R. Elepaño
Member, IAE-CEAT
Tel. No. 536-8745

Dr. Ida F. Dalmacio
Member, UP President's Representative
IBS-CAS
Tel. No. 536-3368