Last October 1-3, 2017, Prof. Joey Ocon attended this year’s Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum held at the Kyoto International Conference Center. The forum “aims to provide a new mechanism for open discussions on an informal basis, and to build a human network that would, in time, provide long-term solutions to problems stemming from the application of science and technology.”
The forum was attended by at least 1,000 science and technology leaders all around the world including Nobel Laureates, ministers of science and technology, university representatives, and executives of multinational enterprises. This year, together with Prof. Ocon were other Filipino delegates, including the big names of Prof. Mae Joanne Aguila from UPLB, UPD Vice Chancellor for R&D Fidel Nemenzo, DOST Sec. Boy de la Peña, Phil. Chamber of Commerce & Industry Pres. George Barcelon, STS Coordinator Prof. Ben Vallejo Jr., and DOST Usec. for R&D Rowena Guevara.
Hopefully, through the STS Forum and the cooperation among the researchers, policy makers, business leaders, and media leaders, science and technology can be used to solve the longstanding problems of mankind.