TOP 10 PUBLICATIONS OF UPD COLLEGE OF SCIENCE IN 2023

In 2023, about one in 20 studies produced by the Philippines came from the UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS). With a total of 368 studies across all scientific disciplines, UPD-CS studies accounted for more than half of the total publications produced by UP Diliman. This number comes as no surprise since the college is home to 211 Ph.D faculty members. But beyond the numbers, UPD-CS has published groundbreaking research in many prestigious research journals.

Here are the top 10 studies published by UPD-CS scientists in journals with high Impact Factors. The metric Impact Factor (IF) measures the average number of times research papers are cited. For example, a journal with an IF of nine means that, on average, research papers published in that journal are cited nine times.

1. Shedding Light on Mysterious Superconductors (IF: 41.2).

Dr. Miguel Sulangi of the National Institute of Physics and collaborators from the Netherlands, Japan, China, and the USA showed that for a mysterious type of superconductor called cuprate superconductors, challenging the long-held belief that Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory governs overdoped superconductors. Cuprate superconductors were discovered in 1986 but physicists have yet to uncover all its secrets.

2. Applying Einstein’s Concepts of Relativity to Exotic Particles (IF: 16.6).

Einstein’s Theory of Relativity claims that two events can only influence one another if they are inside each other’s spacetime area called the light cone.

Borrowing this concept, Dr. Gennevieve Macam of the National Institute of Physics worked with an international team of researchers to explain how two exotic particles called Weyl fermions interact.

3. History of Single-celled Predators (IF: 15.9). Single-celled organisms, like the protists Acanthamoeba and Dictyostelium, use metals to kill bacterial prey. Exactly how these organisms evolved is the focus of the study by Dr. Windell Rivera and collaborators from China.

4. Identifying First Bacteria Colonizers on Plastics (IF: 13.6).

Justine Marey Bitalac, Norchel Corcia Gomez, and Dr. Deo Florence Onda of the Marine Science Institute, together with Dr. Nacita Lantican of UP Los Baños, identified primo-colonizers and described how they change the structure of plastics.

5. Simulating the Spread of Monkeypox (IF: 12.7). Drs. Victoria May Mendoza and Renier Mendoza of the Institute of Mathematics, together with South Korean scientists, proved the importance of self-reporting and contract tracing in preventing epidemics.

6. Classifying Seaweeds in the Philippines (IF: 11.5). Bea Crisostomo, Zae-Zae Aguinaldo, Lourie Ann Hinaloc, and Dr. Michael Roleda of the Marine Science Institute established the taxonomy and distribution of different seaweeds in the Philippines using knowledge from local farmers. Their study provides a database of seaweeds that can be used for conservation efforts.

7. Tropical Cyclones and its Threat to Food Security, Health, and Biodiversity (IF: 11.1). In a perspective paper by Dr. Rene Abesamis of the Marine Science Institute and collaborators from Chile, Japan, Switzerland, and Norway, they explained that tropical cyclones can damage roads, agricultural infrastructure, and grazing lands, which affects food production.

8. Tracking Human Settlers in the Holocene Period Using Genetics (IF: 11.1).

By analyzing almost two decades’ worth of genomic data, Jae Joseph Russell Rodriguez of the Natural Sciences Research Institute and international researchers traced how humans migrated around the world and how they facilitated the spread of language and agriculture about ten thousand years ago.

9. Water-Purifying Nanoparticles (IF: 9.9). As water pollution becomes an ever-more pressing issue, we are in dire need of technologies that can purify water. Dr. Michelle Regulacio of the Institute of Chemistry collaborated with scientists from China to create a nanocomposite that can get rid of water contaminants with the help of light.

10. Marine Pollution and Its Effects on Southeast Asian Biodiversity (IF: 9.8).

Southeast Asia is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world while also contributing significantly to marine pollution. Yet the region is underrepresented in studies that focus on the effects of marine pollution on biodiversity. In their review paper, Dr. Lemnuel Aragones of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology and partners in Southeast Asia investigated why this is the case.