Nagoya University welcomes four new transnational doctoral students for Fall 2019

Nagoya University (NU) in Japan, through its Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campus in the Philippines (NUASC-Phil), is pleased to announce the admission of four new students for the October 2019 semester to pursue doctoral studies under Nagoya University’s Transnational Doctoral Programs for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries. The entrance ceremony to welcome the four new students was held on 22 October 2019 at the auditorium of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), based at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

The four students are: Mr. Nelson G. Cainghog, Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD); Ms. Joy B. Banayo, University Researcher 1 of the Institute of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, UPLB; Mr. Anniver Ryan P. Lapuz, Senior Science Research Specialist, Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST); and Ms. Ma. Christina F. Camp ita, Senior Science Research Specialist, Department of Agriculture, Region V.

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Mr. Cainghog expressed his sincere appreciation for being accepted as a doctoral student of the Graduate School of International Development (GSID). He also expressed his thanks to his mother institution, UP Diliman, for supporting his application to NU and for granting him the scholarship under the NU-UP Joint Scholarship for PhD. He said that this transnational program is a very suitable program for him, being a university faculty and at the same time handling higher education projects at the Philippine Commission on Higher Education as he does not need to take a full-time leave from his work. He pledged his commitment to do his best to finish the degree at the designated time under the supervision of his academic adviser, Dr. Wataru Kusaka.

Mr. Cainghog will pursue the Doctorate degree in International Development.


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Ms. Banayo thanked Nagoya University for establishing the Transnational Doctoral Program for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries, thus the opportunity to earn a Doctorate degree from one of Asia’s leading universities without suspending her career and leaving the country on long term. She said that “this slogan of the Transnational Program is truly felt and appreciated” by her and her family. Out of the many options for graduate studies, Ms. Banayo said she chose to pursue a PhD by research with NU because she believed that this is “the perfect opportunity to continue her research works in understanding the potential of Philippine native animals.” For her PhD dissertation, with Prof.Yamagata and local adviser Dr Agapita Salces, she intends “to explore the genetic diversity of the Philippine native pigs that will provide the scientific foundation in the management of genetic resources of the Philippines, and increase global awareness of the existence of such indigenous genetics.” She hoped that the collaboration between Nagoya University and UPLB “will be instrumental in advancing the research in animal genetics in the Philippines; foster stronger ties and continued scholarship assistance to faculty, researchers and professional staff of UP, and pave the way for greater investments in both public and private sectors to the study and utilization of the native animals for food and agriculture.”

Ms. Banayo will pursue the Doctorate degree in Bioagricultural Sciences (Animal Genetics).


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Mr. Lapuz enjoined his fellow new students to work together and encourage each other “to finish the race on time.” He expressed appreciation to all those who helped them take the first step of the long journey. He specifically acknowledged Prof. Satoru Tsuchikawa, his major adviser, Dr. Veronica Migo, local adviser at UPLB for their supervision and guidance, as well as his immediate supervisor at FPRDI-DOST, Dr. Romulo T. Aggangan, the DOST family, and his family for all the support to help him advance his career.

Mr. Lapuz will pursue the Doctorate degree in Bioagricultural Science (Forestry Science).

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For Ms. Campita, this NU Transnational Doctoral Program is a great opportunity for her “to continue developing a rural development model with focus on agricultural marketing and farm management.” She said that the Japanese values of self-discipline, timeliness, selflessness and hard work will always serve as her inspiration in balancing her time and talents among family, work and study.

She pledged her commitment to finish the program “with the goal of helping the marginalized farmers in the rural areas.”

She thanked her adviser Prof. Hiromi Tokuda and local supervisor Dr. Hector M. Sales for the guidance. She said she intends to produce high impact research that will contribute to the overall goal of Nagoya University, SEARCA and her home agency, the Department of Agriculture.

Ms. Campita will pursue the Doctorate degree in Bioagricultural Science.

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Mr. Cainghog’s and Ms. Banayo’s graduate studies are both supported by the Nagoya University- University of the Philippines Joint Scholarship Project for PhD intended for faculty, researchers, and professional staff of the University of the Philippines System. The project was initiated in 2017 by UPLB and is currently under the project leadership of Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., Graduate School Dean. Another joint scholarship project is the NU-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Project for PhD Research intended for middle and top-level officials in government line agencies.

The NU Transnational Doctoral Programs for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries is a unique doctoral program that provides opportunities for individuals to work towards a doctoral degree at Nagoya University without having to take a leave from their work. The program primarily targeted professionals in government agencies but recently expanded its target beneficiaries to highly qualified personnel from universities and research institutions (for more information, visit http://asci.nagoya-u.ac.jp).

Since the start of student admission to the NU Transnational Doctoral Programs at the satellite campus in the Philippines in 2016, a total of 12 students have been granted admission to GSID (3) and GSBS(9). Of this total, two have completed their PhD programs. (contributed by E.Cedicol)