eLEExir Anniversary: Celebrating a Decade of LEE legacy

Looking back...

LEE first accepted six undergraduate members in the 1st semester A.Y. 2014-2015 with the return of Prof. Julie Anne del Rosario-Paraggua from South Korea. While on his last year of PhD studies, Prof. Joey D. Ocon was already busy preparing research proposal ideas, which would later mature into funded research projects to jumpstart the R&D activities and buy the equipment for LEE. In 2015, LEE welcomed graduate students in the chemical engineering and energy engineering graduate programs. In June 2016, barely a year upon Prof. Ocon’s return to UP from his study-leave, LEE started five projects funded by UP, CHED-PCARI and DOST. In the same year, the laboratory began its apprenticeship program catering to sophomore undergraduate students for fast-tracked development. During the initial outbreak of COVID-19, the laboratory was able to successfully expand its research activities and secure millions of pesos of funding for the CHED-PCARI Project CIPHER and the NICER Advanced Batteries Center Program.

Looking forward...

Today, the laboratory is now home to 3 ongoing research projects, two students with a completed Master’s Degree in just a year, and a network of 40+ strong researchers, students, and staff. LEE has also mentored 30 MS and PhD students, and has published more than 100 ISI and Scopus-indexed publications. Now that we are celebrating our tenth year, the legacy continues as we further our commitment to pioneering research and innovation.

The laboratory will continue to take on the technological challenge of finding efficient and sustainable energy supplies that can meet the growing demands of mankind while preserving the environment.

The alumni and the current members of the lab recently celebrated this milestone at Villa on the RAXX, Antipolo, on June 2-3, 2024, enjoying an evening of exciting games, lively performances, and shared stories. As they reminisced about LEE's humble beginnings and celebrated its growth, they reflected on the collaborative journey and the lasting impact of their work in advancing sustainable energy solutions.

𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞, 𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥.

Article by: Mecaelah S. Palaganas