Pinoy Scientists

Hello, it’s Erwin (Ervin Racasa ) again, na at Maligayang Araw ng Kasarinlan para sa ating mga Pilipino! Sana ay masarap ang ulam niyo, maliban doon sa mga ka-halfies na mababa ang tingin sa atin! Joke no joke!

Noong nakatira ako sa Germany, tuwing summer ang aming madalas gawin pagkatapos ng trabaho ay mag-bbq sa Warnemuende beach o di kaya ay uminom ng malamig na beer at wine sa port sa tabing-ilog ng Warnow. Napakaganda ng sunset sa mga lugar na ito lalo na tuwing summer solstice. Pasado alas diyes na ang dapit hapon at talaga namang buhay na buhay ang kahel na kalangitan.

Tuwing taglamig naman, para kami ay mainitan, malimit kaming mag-hotpot at karaoke sa bahay. Minsan, magbabake ako ng pandesal o di kaya ay lechon. Etong mga sandali na ito ang nagpatibay sa aming mga samahan, may tawanan at iyakan habang magkakasamang naghahapunan, lalo pa’t pare-pareho kami ng mga dinaranas – malayo sa pamilya at hirap na dulot ng pag-PhD.

Noon namang lumipat ako sa Canada, kahit magkakalayo, ay pilit pa rin kaming nagkikita ng mga kaibigang pinoy. Kaya nga naman tatlong beses akong nakapunta sa Niagara Falls – winter, spring, at summer. Minsan naman ay nagmaneho ako ng 450 km para dumalo sa konsiyerto ni Avril Lavigne. At bago ko lisanin ang Canada ay nagroad trip kami mula Ontario hanggang sa dulo ng Quebec, mga 3000+ km na balikang pagmamaneho.

Kung ikaw ay nag-ma-masters o PhD, importante ang magpahinga at makahanap ng matibay na suporta. Maaring pagluluto, sports, o di kaya naman ay simpleng katahimikan at pagmuni-muni.

Kung ano man ang nagpapasaya sayo, nawa’y makahanap ka ng kapayapaan at kalayaan.
Muli, maligayang araw ng kasarinlan!

Sometimes, the most enduring scientific tools aren’t the high-tech ones, but the simplest methods that stand the test of time.

Magandang gabi! This is Erwin (Ervin Racasa ) again for . Today let me share two classic techniques that shaped my work on submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and peat soils.
To study SGD, researchers often rely on multiple methods, but only one method directly measures SGD in the field: the seepage meter. It’s nothing more than the cut off end of a drum fitted with a collection bag. You submerge it, push it into the sand, and let the bag fill with groundwater over time. Sounds simple, right? Invented in the 1970s, and still the only direct way to quantify SGD. In 2021, we hauled several of these across a 3 km beach — exhausting, messy, but absolutely worth it. That effort eventually led to our recent publication.

For describing peat soils, the simplest tool is the von Post humification scale, developed in the 1920s. This technique simply involves squeezing the saturated peat soils with your hand and then describing the water and peat that comes out between your fingers. A century later, this remains the standard for assessing peat decomposition in the field!

I’ve included some of our field photos here — including the mud and the sweat! 😊

Do you have a similar field method that stood the test of time?

Hallo! Guten Abend! This is Erwin ( ) again for .

Tonight I will be talking about my journey of how I ended up pursuing a PhD at the University of Rostock in Germany. I am re-posting part of a revised version of my original post from two years ago.

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As I look back on my academic career, I may have not known it from the beginning but all the little things that happened in my life pointed me to this direction. I did not dream of becoming a scientist, more so pursuing a PhD. I don’t ever remember a single person from my high school class who wanted to be a scientist. When I took the UPCAT, I chose BSBAA. In a society that values lawyers, accountants, engineers and money as a measure of success, sino ba namang gustong maging scientist lalo pa’t mahirap lang kami. Fortunately, I passed the UPCAT pero DPWS (Degree Program With Available Slots). Eto yung unang redirection sa career ko, pero if not for this I would not have considered a career in science. Chem was really hard - kalahati halos ng class eh bagsak or mostly passing. May one point pa during the registration period that I was told to do a BS GE kasi sa GE courses lang mataas kong grades. During my masters, I did thrive pero sobrang lala ng undergrad trauma that I did not attend a University Scholar recognition kasi feeling ko hindi ko deserve. 😂 When I got accepted as a research assistant at UP Marine Science Institute, I was trained paano magfieldwork, magbasa ng scientific papers, at magtanong. My research on submarine groundwater discharge opened doors for me - I presented my work in Wellington , Sapporo, Busan, and many other local conferences. This was also my ticket and the reason why I was accepted into the PhD program in Rostock (I did apply for PhD positions in Japan and Asia but I was not accepted into these programs, another redirection). I was accepted into the Soil Physics group with zero knowledge of soil physics and modeling. Still, baon ang lakas ng loob and years of research experience in the Philippines, inilaban natin itong PhD. I had to drop my Physics class in UPD and retake it later. And yet here we are, I have a PhD in Soil Physics.

It’s me again, Erwin (), this time for !

The first time that I went out of the country was when I presented my MSc thesis in Japan. A few months later, I found myself speaking about SGD again - this time in New Zealand. It was during this time that I realized that I wasn’t just learning about the environment, my own world was expanding as well. I began to believe that I can do anything if I just put my mind to it.

Then came my PhD, Europe had never really been part of my plan but I was given the incredible opportunity of working and studying in Germany. Traveling across Europe became part of the journey - not because it was cheaper to move around when you’re already living in EU but also because of the excellent transport network there and the fellow Pinoy scientists I meet scattered across different countries.

Moving to Canada was a different kind of transition. Transportation was more challenging, forcing me to learn how to drive and get a car. Yet, there was comfort in the quiet and stillness of snow-covered surroundings.

Pursuing a career in science has its perks and cons but one thing is for certain: this has broadened my perspective of the world but also my hope for a better Philippines (pero mas nauunahan ako ng frustration most of the time 😅)

It’s !

Hi again, this is Erwin ( ). Have you ever felt a sudden rush of cold water while swimming at the beach, or noticed the water turned blurry while snorkeling? Chances are, you’ve already encountered submarine groundwater discharge, or SGD, even without realizing it.

SGD happens when groundwater flows out to the sea and it is far more common than you might think. It can be found in almost any coastline. One common misconception is that SGD needs to be fresh. The “groundwater” in SGD refers to any type of water – fresh, saline, or usually brackish.

As a tropical, highly fractured, and archipelagic country, the Philippines likely has high SGD and this could be playing an important role in supplying nutrients to coastal ecosystems. In some cases, when there’s too much pollution on land, SGD could transport these contaminants and could cause the occurrence of harmful algal blooms (red tides).

There are reports in the Philippines (as featured in KMJS) that local communities use SGD seeps as drinking water sources, often attributing healing or mystical properties to SGD.

O di ba, akala mo lang wala pero meron merong SGD! 😂

If you’ve seen or experienced SGD yourself, share your story in the comments. 😊

1) video from Gia Albano
2-3) KMJS screen grabbed from YT
4) Gabuyo & Siringan, 2022

P.S. check out these amazing SGD mapping work by Tiffy Uy (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-025-02918-y) and MRose Gabuyo (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydroa.2021.100118).

Moin! Moin!

Hello everyone – I’m Erwin ( ), your Pinoy Scientist of the Week. I’m an environmental scientist working across interdisciplinary fields (my background: BSc Chemistry, MSc Environmental Science, PhD Soil Physics, plus postdoctoral work on plants and hydrology). These days, I’m also wearing a new hat as an educator at the School of Environmental Science and Management – UP Los Baños.

For , I want to highlight my current research passions – submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and peatlands. SGD is the flow of groundwater from land to sea, may occur almost anywhere, and is important to multiple coastal ecosystems. Meanwhile, peatlands are carbon-rich wetlands that store more carbon than all the world’s forests combined. Despite their importance, both topics are little known in the Philippines, even within the scientific community.

My journey into SGD began during my MSc thesis under Dr. Fernando Siringan, who also encouraged me to pursue a PhD. I’ve never planned on doing one, but with a strong support system (combined with my natural stubbornness 😅), I went for it. My PhD took me to Germany, where I studied SGD in coastal peatlands – and that’s how I discovered peatlands! 🎉 I continued this work during my postdoc in Canada, diving deeper into peatland hydrology and restoration.

Throughout the week, I’ll be sharing more about these transitional environments – why they matter and why we should care.

Stay tuned!

As this week comes to a close, I'd like to share what I love most about my field: its incredible diversity of applications. 🔬✨

Because of this, I often find myself learning new concepts and techniques. While I am primarily a chemist, applying my research to biological systems has required me to explore molecular biology 🧬 and nanomaterials ⚛️. That constant opportunity to learn and grow is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a scientist.

Another highlight is being part of a collaborative team focused on translating research into real-world industrial applications that create meaningful societal impact.

An important part of the pinoy scientist experience is the people you meet along the way. Being exposed to people from different backgrounds and cultures is both enriching and fulfilling. It broadens your perspective, strengthens your professional network, and reminds you that science works best when it is collaborative.

Perhaps one of the most underrated experiences is meeting fellow Filipinos abroad who are navigating similar journeys. 🇵🇭 There is something comforting about finding a sense of community and shared experience, no matter where you are in the world.

Thank you Pinoy Scientists for this opportunity and see you all next time! 👋

- Jaro (.vg)

Hi everyone, it's ( .vg ) again for !

One of my favorite things outside the lab 👨‍🔬 is traveling ✈️ to historical sites. I've always been a history buff, but there's a big difference between reading about the past and standing in the places where it actually unfolded. My family and friends know I've got quite a collection of history books over the years, so it's no exaggeration to say that this is a hobby I absolutely love.

One of the unexpected perks of life as a scientist is the opportunity to travel the world 🌏. Beyond allowing me to pursue the research I'm passionate about, it has also given me the chance to visit places that once existed only as words on a page 📜. I feel incredibly fortunate to experience history firsthand.

If you'll allow me to indulge my inner Romaboo and medievalist 🤓, here's some context to the pics:

1️⃣ Edinburgh Castle - once a royal stronghold and key site in Scotland's wars and uprisings.
2️⃣ Westminster Abbey, London - the traditional coronation church of British monarchs and the resting place of kings, queens, and even scientists like Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
3️⃣ & 4️⃣ Segedunum Fort, Newcastle - once part of the frontier of the Roman Empire and located at the edge of Hadrian's Wall.
5️⃣ The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia - an incredible 1st-century structure that still stands today.
6️⃣ Toledo - The city that served as the capital of Visigothic Hispania, a major Taifa kingdom, and later the Kingdom of Castile (the precursor to Spain).
7️⃣ Gravensteen, Ghent - the 12th-century castle of the powerful Counts of Flanders.
8️⃣ Aachen Cathedral - consecrated in 805, built by Charlemagne, and one of the most important sites in the history of the Holy Roman Empire.

Around 12 years ago, my parents brought mini-me ( .vg ) to the Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo since they knew I've always been interested in science (thank you Mythbusters).

Looking back, I wouldn't say this trip was the moment that made me want to become a scientist. There were many roads I could have taken. But it was one of many experiences that quietly nudged me toward that path.

I think that's true for a lot of people in STEM. We don't wake up one day with a sudden revelation that we want to dedicate our lives to research. It's rarely one moment but more a collection of them.

Not every kid who visits a science museum will become a scientist, and that's okay. But giving young people meaningful and exciting experiences with science can become an important building block for the future.

So if we want more people in STEM, giving someone a good experience with science is a simple yet crucial step in the right direction.

Science is often presented as objective and neutral. The scientific method is a tool for understanding the world, but scientific institutions have histories shaped by power, access, and exclusion. We can't fully separate scientific practice from the systems that influenced who gets to participate, who is recognized, and whose knowledge is valued.

Many of us were trained in environments that center on Western frameworks, yet the history of STEM spans the entire world [Image 2]. For too long, academic institutions have overlooked Indigenous knowledge systems, local innovation, ancestral practices, and the contributions of scientists from historically marginalized communities.

But there are signs of change. Data [Image 3] shows knowledge production is becoming more geographically distributed with growing research output beyond Europe and North America. Still, scientific prestige remains concentrated: institutions in the US, UK, and EU continue to dominate citation metrics and influence [Image 4]. Even these metrics deserve scrutiny, as they emerged from academic systems that are themselves products of particular historical and cultural contexts.

Decolonizing science isn't about rejecting the scientific method or claiming all knowledge is equally valid. It's about building an academic culture grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and the genuine pursuit of knowledge rather than prestige, consumerism, or political agendas.

This work begins in everyday spaces: maintaining research ties with institutions in our home countries, sharing knowledge openly, citing beyond the usual academic centers, and practicing equitable collaboration. For Pinoy scientists abroad, this is both an opportunity and a responsibility to use our positions strategically to strengthen scientific communities across borders and widen access to knowledge.
- Jaro ( .vg )
Note: these views are my own and do not express the views of the Pinoy Scientists team.

Primary Reference:
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb202333/publication-output-by-region-country-or-economy-and-by-scientific-field