​The Annual International Research Colloquium between Ehime University (EU) and De La Salle University (DLSU) with the theme “Usable Science Resulting in Impact” was held last 07 March 2023 at the Media Hall, Ehime University. It was organized by the EU-DLSU International Collaborative Research Laboratory (ICRL) and sponsored by the Leading Academia in Marine and Environment Pollution Research (LaMer). The symposium aims to convene professors, researchers and PhD students of the two universities.

​To formally start the program, Prof. Kozo Watanabe gave an opening remarks. He talked about how the collaboration between EU and DLSU started, and how he wants it to continue and prosper in the coming years.
 

​The symposium had two parts: Keynote and Poster Sessions. Prof. Jonathan Dungca, the Vice President of DLSU Laguna Campus and Dean of the DLSU School for Innovation and Sustainability, introduced the campuses, research centers and facilities of DLSU, and emphasized the importance of the EU-DLSU ICRL at the Laguna Campus in his Keynote Speech. On the other hand, Dr. Ma. Luisa Enriquez, a Professorial Lecturer at DLSU and Associate Professor at EU, discussed cytogenomics of insects for evolutionary trends and agricultural applications.
 

​Fifteen scientific posters on medical and health, agriculture, and biodiversity were presented during the symposium. Eight scientific posters were from EU delegates and seven from DLSU. The poster session served as a good avenue for sharing ideas and opened up new possible collaborations between EU and DLSU. Marynold Purificacion (EU-DLSU ICRL), Kenneth Bongulto (EU) and Kris Lord Santos (DLSU) won the Best Poster awards.
 
 

Prof. Divina Amalin, Director of the Center for Natural Science and Environmental Research at DLSU, ended the program by thanking all the participants and sponsors. To capped off that very productive day,  DLSU guests and some MECoH Lab members had a dinner party at Okaido. 

Faculty and research staff of the De La Salle University Laguna Campus visited the Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University with the goal of strengthening their collaboration. DLSU guests were warmly welcomed at Prof. Kozo Watanabe’s residence on their first night in Matsuyama, Ehime. 

The next day, they visited the Molecular Ecology and Health Laboratory (MEcoH Lab) and had a tour of its facilities. Kenneth Bongulto (Research student), Ngure Kagia (Research student) and Dr. Anwar Hossain (JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow) showed them around the Molecular Laboratory and shared their on-going projects on antimicrobial resistance. The MEcoH Lab’s Insectary was shown by Assoc. Prof. Yasutsugu Suzuki and Irish Coleen Asin (Research student). Jerica Reyes (PhD student) and Dan Joseph Logronio (Research student) demonstrated cell culture and environmental DNA (eDNA) extraction techniques, respectively. 

​DLSU delegates also had a meeting with the four (4) CMES full professors, wherein they discussed how each research center can contribute mutually. Prof. Hisato Iwata and Prof. Tatsuya Kunisue (Division of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology) and Prof. Xinyu Guo (Division of Environmental Dynamics) also gave short tours on their facilities after the collaboration meeting.