Dr. Minda J. Formacion: A Profile

by

Melchor F. Cichon


The third lady UP Visayas Chancellor is a zoologist, and an administrator of the highest order.

The UP Board of Regents approved her appointment during its 123th meeting on September 29, 2008. She will serve as UPV Chancellor effective November 1, 2008 until October 31, 2011.

Born in 1946, in Sta Cruz, Ilocos Sur, Dr. Minda J.Formacion is married and has two children.

Although her background is zoology (BS (Zoology, UP Diliman, 1966; M.A. in teching (Biology), U.P. Diliman, 1975; MS (Zoology), U.P. Diliman, 1983, and Ph.D (Zoology), National University of Singapore, 1992), her recent researches focus mostly on fisheries.

So far her researches include microalgae as sources of bioactive compounds for fish health and nutirion; reproductive biology of the mudclam, Imbaw, the farming of sea cucumber and sea urchin.

Before this, she worked on the overripening of ovulated eggs of goldfish,the focus of her dissertation.

Dr. Formacion co-authored two textbooks entitled Basic Concept in Biology, 2003, and Introduction to Biological Sciences, 2000. Her creative work, a learning object is "Sex Cells in the Making," considered as the first Learning Object to be uploaded in the UP Visayas website.

Dr. Formacion has been invited to present scientific papers in international conferences. In 1989, she was in Malaga, Spain during the 11th International Symposium on comparative Endocrinology. In 1992, she attended the 3rd Asian Fisheries Forum held in Singapore. This was followed in 1995 when she attended the 4th Asian Fisheries Forum in Beijing, China. In 2002, she attended the World Aquaculture 2002 Conference, also in Beijing, China.

Dr. Formacion had undergone research trainings in Japan on various occasions. She was an exchange researcher in Kagoshima University in 2006 in JSPS-DOST Core University Program in Fisheries Sciences. In 1982, she attended the 2nd International Training Course on Cell Biology of Early Development,sponsored by UNESCO, in Shimoda Marine Research Station and Sugashima Marine biological Station, Japan.

Her awards , grants and scholarships are many. Here are some:

Research Grants, Creative and Research Program, UP system (2004-2005)
Best Adviser Award, Natural Sciences Cluster, 1st UPV graduate research conference, UPV, 2005.
UPV Chancellor's Awrd for Outstanding Published research (1995)
RP/IBRD Scholarship award, National University of Singapore, 1985-1989.
Monbusho Research Scholarship, Nagoya University, Japan, 1981-1983.

Because of her outstanding contributions to Philippine sciences, she has been elected member of both local and international professional organizations. She is a member, among others, of Women Association of Scientists of the Philippines (WASP), International Society for Molecular and Cell Biology Protocols and Researches (ISMCBPR), and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Aside from being a scientist, Dr. Formacion is an administrator. For two decades, Dr. Formacion has held several administrative positions which very few people had the opportunity to hold on. Before she became the third lady UPV Chancellor, she was the Chair of the Division of Biological Sciences, UPV College of Arts and Sciences (UV-CAS) from 1979-1981; 1983-1985. In 1994, she became a Faculty Regent, Board of Regents, UP System. From 1996 to 2002, she was the Dean of the UPV CAS. In 2005, she was the Chair of the Search Committee for Chancellor,UP Mindanao, and consequently, became Chair of the Search Committee for Chancellor, UP Visayas.

Here is one philosophy that she holds on: "Once I arrived at a certain decision, that's it." That is how methodological and firm she is in her decision making.

These academic, administrative and other qualities of a lady made her the best choice for the UPV Chancellor.