Tricia Janylle B. Sta. Maria from the Institute of Statistics Class of 2022 bagged First Place in the Best Student Paper Competition at the 2022 Philippine Statistical Association, Inc. (PSAI) Annual Conference; while the University of the Philippines – Los Baños Statistical Society (UPLB STATS) was honored with the Circle of Excellence Plaque of Recognition during the 32nd National Statistics Months Awards. Moreso, 26th Philippine Statistics Quiz (PSQ) Regional elimination contestants Dylan Ross L. Espino and Mark M. Tangalin placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively, while Asst. Professor Leonard Allan F. Almero won 2nd place in the National Level of the PSA Quiz Bee after reigning as champion in the regionals.
Sta. Maria’s special problem entitled “Spatiotemporal Patterns and Influencing Factors of COVID-19 cases in Quezon City, Philippines”, which is also this year’s recipient of the Dr. Mariano B. De Ramos Statistical Excellence Award, topped the other student participants from all over the country. The Magna Cum Laude graduate of INSTAT received a plaque with a cash prize of Php 30,000, during the 15th National Convention on Statistics held at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Ortigas Center, Quezon City last October 4, 2022..The said award is granted to students in higher education institutions within three years prior to presentation (A.Y. 2019-2020, A.Y. 2020-2021, A.Y. 2021-2022), who have submitted papers that are of excellent quality showcasing the broad field of statistics and /or especially relevant to the this year’s theme; “Boosting the Country’s Recovery with Informed Decisions, Better Policies”. Other selected finalists include Fong-Xiang G. Chen & Alyssa Gutierrez of the De La Salle University and Richelle C. Navarra of the University of the Philippines – Cebu, who won the Second and Third Prizes, respectively.
Meanwhile, the UPLB Statistical Society (UPLB STATS) received the Circle of Excellence Award for winning the Best Youth Group Advocate for Statistics for three consecutive years, 2015-2017. This recognition is given to youth organizations in both private and public academic institutions that have exerted outstanding efforts and dedication in promoting statistics over the years through various activities inside and outside the university. Along with other categories, this is the first batch of Circle of Excellence recognitions the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has ever granted.
Among the advocacy venues of UPLB STATS are the ESTADISTIKA – an invitational statistics quiz, poster making, and essay writing contests for high school students, Career Orientations on Statistics, annual Job Fair for statistics and related fields, tutorial sessions for Statistics courses, and STATSKI Says Survey game. The NSM Awarding Ceremony was conducted virtually through Zoom and Facebook Livestream last 4 November 2022.
Continuing the institute’s winning streak, delegates Espino (BS Computer Science) and Tangalin (BS Applied Mathematics) posted 2nd and 3rd places, respectively in the recently concluded 26th Philippine Statistics Quiz Regional Championship (CALABARZON) last 14 November 2022 in Lipa City, Batangas.
These UPLB delegates have been the province’s representatives after topping the Provincial Eliminations last 27 October 2022 at Laguna State Polytechnic University – Sta. Cruz Campus. Espino then bagged the championship and Tangalin placed third. They were both coached by the INSTAT’s very own Asst. Professor John Lorenzo A. Yambot.
Lastly, Asst. Prof. Almero ranked 2nd at the 2nd PSA Quiz Bee – National Finals held at Century Park Hotel, Malate, Manila last 7 December 2022. The INSTAT faculty member was previously hailed as the champion in the Regional Eliminations of the same event held at Lipa City, Batangas last 28 October 2022.
This quiz contest has taken place since 2021 and is participated by member agencies of the Regional Statistics Committee (RSCs) among the 17 regions of the country. The said event was also live-streamed via the PSA’s Facebook page.
~ Jemuel Dave B. Dorado
