The University of San Carlos Department of Chemical Engineering and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) landed on the Top 10 spot in the global Nature Awards for the Science in Shorts filmmaking competition on July 10–11, 2024, in Mainz, Germany. 

Researchers from around the world contributed over 250 one-minute science videos. Nature Awards then asked its 2000 delegates to vote for their favorites, and the USC contingent’s video, “Unusually Sustainable-Bioplastics from Shrimp Shells Plus Mango Waste” made it into the prestigious Top 10. 

The video highlights “a groundbreaking solution to plastic pollution, turning discarded shrimp shells and mango waste into bioplastic, an eco-friendly, low-carbon alternative to conventional plastics,” based on the 2022 Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS) project, “Development of Chitosan-Based Bioplastic from Shrimp Waste as Potential Industrial Packaging Material.” 

In one minute, Dr. Francis Dave C. Siacor and Engr. Kristine Claire E. Villanueva demonstrated how bioplastics are made from shrimp shells and mango waste. They also highlighted the importance of bioplastics noting that they are more eco-friendly than regular plastic sachets.  

Aside from Dr. Siacor and Engr. Villanueva, the team also included B.S. Ch.E. students Cindy F. Arcenal, John Rich F. Celeres, Jan Daniel V. Pelayo. 

Nature Awards aims to showcase videos in which researchers explain a key piece of their research in a way that is easily understandable to anyone. The Nature Awards for Science in Shorts is “a highly competitive global platform that recognizes and rewards scientists and researchers who can effectively communicate their work through short, engaging videos.”

Check out SEARCA x USC Cebu’s award-winning video here: https://youtu.be/OYw0Tf7t8Wc. 

With reporting from the Department of Chemical Engineering