See CPU

On July 31, we sidetripped to one of the famous universities (ISO certified) in Iloilo City. An AROPAD member watched over the boob tube a show featuring a stove ran by rice hull and we were asked if we could possibly check the product. It was awarded the Grand Prize winner in the Panibagong Paraan National Competition for innovative ideas. CPU CARES (College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies) is the one manufacturing the product. The College has also availed of P1M grant from PEF for the product marketing. Seen above is Dr. Randy Pabulayan, the University Research Director and the three rice hull models which evolved through research and development. Below, is a picture of the team with the Dean of the Graduate Studies, Dr. Fely P. David (the university's research diva). It was Dr. David who comforted me when my Master's Thesis Proposal was turned down, and insulted by my panel. She is one of my inspirations why I like research. I bought her book where she wrote a personal dedication:"Dear Ed, I hope you will enjoy research the way I do."
One of the interesting things about the rice hull stove is that it has reached such breakthrough of producing a luminous blue flame much like our LPGs. The science behind it was very simple. They were able to produce superheated steam from the red fire caused by burning of rice hull. When the steam escapes, hydrogen atoms reacted with the fire thus, producing the blue flame. The reaction also produces pressure causing the stove to produce a hissing sound much like a gas burner does.

Dr. David served as our tourist guide particularly when we visited the laboratories of the College of Engineering. RSC, our school, is aiming for universityhood. But with what I saw, I was dwarfed our school is yet miles and miles away from that status. Anyway Dr. David told us that having been ISO certified has its own drawback: "It's very difficult to maintain it. We are living with excellence at all times."