Three professors from the SU Institute of Environmental & Marine Sciences were recently in Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom to discuss the Joint Development of Niche Programmes of the Commission on Higher Education, in partnership with the British Council.
Under the program, Silliman’s IEMS will partner with Newcastle University’s School of Marine Science & Technology for a joint research and curricular offering in Tropical Biological Oceanography.
Dr. Nicholas Polunin, professor of Marine Environmental Science, and Dr. Hilconida Calumpong, IEMS director, are the focal persons for the program.
With Dr. Calumpong at Newcastle University were Silliman marine scientists Dr. Janet Estacion and Dr. Aileen Maypa. While in Newcastle, the Silliman team talked with faculty, staff, and students, and visited the Dove Marine Laboratory.
Silliman is one of the 10 Philippine universities which qualified under the JDNP because of its international TNE partnerships, the number of recognized Centers of Excellence and Development, and its autonomous status.
Silliman had faculty student exchanges sponsored by the British Council in the 1990s with the research-based Newcastle University, specifically with the Centre for Tropical Coastal Management.
JDNP is an initiative for higher education partnerships between UK and the Philippines, providing opportunities for Philippine higher education institutions to connect with people and institutions in the UK. (Mark Garcia)
