MAKATI CITY, Philippines - March 13, 2007 - Three senior students from public and private high schools in Quezon City and Muntinlupa City bested a field of 25 participants from around Metro Manila in the first-ever “Write IT Right” IT journalism competition organized by the IT Journalists Association of the Philippines (ITJAP/Cyberpress) and EMC Philippines, the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology.Avril Bries of the Quezon City Science High School took the top prize, followed by Ma. Vida Frances Cruz of Miriam College and Mary Therese Aprille Paras of Muntinlupa Science High School. They win for themselves and their schools personal computers, office equipment and cash prizes.
Rounding off the top 10 circle of winners are the following:
- Trinity University of Asia High School – Lee Van Jomar D. Villanueva
- Saint Pedro Poveda College – Victoria Isabel Yap
- Mandaluyong High School – Miguel Victor T. Durian
- PAREF Southridge – John Rafael Manalaysay
- V. Mapa High School – Allaine Corpuz
- Assumption College – Joyce Anne C. Raboca
- St. Mary’s Academy (Pasay) – Feliciene Gabrielle Mendoza
ITJAP and EMC Philippines look forward to making the competition an annual event, with the possible participation of students from the collegiate level. By harnessing budding writers in an on-the-spot pitting of talents, the contest aims to get more young Filipinos interested in a career in IT writing, a highly specialized and evolving field of business journalism.
“As a leading steward of digital information in the world , EMC understands the value of proper and compelling communication in leveraging unstructured data,” says EMC Philippines Channels Manager Teddy Sumulong. “Our partnership with Cyberpress and the opportunity to help promising young communicators from Metro Manila high schools get their first break in the area of IT journalism brings our vision closer to the end-users of business information in the Philippines and the world.”
ORGANIZERS
www.CyberPress.org.ph
CYBERPRESS (I.T. JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES)
(http://www.cyberpress.org.ph) CyberPress, also known as the IT Journalists Association of the Philippines, is the pioneering organization of IT writers established in 1996.
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www.EMC.com.ph
EMC PHILIPPINES
43F Philam Tower, Paseo de Roxas Avenue, Makati City, Philippines
Tel. 632. 859.4600 Fax. 855.0146
EMC Corporation is the world's leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions. We help organizations of every size around the world keep their most essential digital information protected, secure, and continuously available. We are among the 10 most valuable IT product companies in the world.
We are driven to perform, to partner, to execute. We go about our jobs with a passion for delivering results that exceed our customers' expectations for quality, service, innovation, and interaction. We pride ourselves on doing what's right and on putting our customers' best interests first. We lead change and change to lead. We are devoted to advancing our people, customers, industry, and community. We say what we mean and do what we say. We are EMC, where information lives.
WHAT WE DO: We help enterprises of all sizes manage their growing volumes of information—from creation to disposal—according to its changing value to the business through information lifecycle management (ILM) strategies. We combine our best-of-breed platforms, software, and services into high-value, low-risk information infrastructure solutions that help organizations maximize the value of their information assets, improve service levels, lower costs, react quickly to change, achieve compliance with regulations, protect information from loss and unauthorized access, and manage and automate more of their overall infrastructure. These solutions integrate networked storage technologies, storage systems, software, and services.
OUR MISSION: EMC's mission is to help organizations of all sizes get the most value from their information and their relationships with our company.
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www.STI.edu
25 Years of Real-Life Education
Four visionaries saw the increasing demand for computer professionals as an inspiration to set up a training center that will help strengthen the foundation of the then booming industry of information technology (IT).
On August 21, 1983, well-respected entrepreneurs and friends, Augusto C. Lagman, Herman T. Gamboa, Benjamin A. Santos and Edgar H. Sarte, came together to set up Systems Technology Institute – a training center that delivers basic programming education to professionals and students.
Starting with just three IT schools in the early 1980’s, STI now provides ICT-enhanced education to more than 100 campuses here and abroad. Its programs include courses in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Engineering, Healthcare, Business & Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Education.
STI has expanded its network to provide education at the basic, secondary, and tertiary levels. And with 19 schools offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, STI is one of the largest networks of nursing colleges in the Philippines.
For twenty-five years since its establishment, STI has transcended beyond ICT, beyond education, and beyond the Philippines.
Vision: To be the leader in innovative and relevant education that nurtures individuals to become competent and responsible members of society.
Mission: We are an institution committed to provide knowledge through the development and delivery of superior learning systems.
We strive to provide optimum value to all our stakeholders – our students, our faculty members, our employees, our partners, our share holders, and our community.
We will pursue this mission with utmost integrity, dedication, transparency, and creativity.
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Impact of Greener Technology on the Future of the IT Industryby Avril Bries, Quezon City Science High School
In today’s rapidly globalizing and industrializing world, the application of the field of information technology is no longer merely a dispensable convenience for businesses and institutions but rather an essential and integral part of everyday life. With accessibility to the latest technological advancements and information systems, people are getting more and more connected to the global network. Multi-national companies rely on powerful data management and storage systems to operate and keep track of their vast activities and huge workforces. The advent of the internet has also empowered the common man by giving him access to a ubiquitous and easily accessible avenue for distributing information. Anybody with access to the internet can now reach millions of people across the globe and let them hear what they have to say with the simple click of a button. The world economy, indeed everyday life in the modern age itself, is now reliant on the once-unknown and relatively low-profile industry of information technology.
With that said, there are now increasing concerns over the development and industrialization of nations looking to take advantage of information technology systems and become part of the digital age. This produces tremendous amounts of potentially hazardous technological waste which contributes to the growing problem of waste disposal as most of the materials used in the construction of technological hardware are non-biodegradable and take literally thousands of years to completely decompose.
This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the information technology industry itself is continuously changing and moving forward which means that products and advancements which were on the bleeding edge of development a year ago are now virtually outdated, replaced by something faster, more efficient or more convenient. This gives rise to tremendous turnovers as people and companies buy new products and hardware each year to keep up with the latest trends or to remain competitive and profitable.
The developing global IT industry is also demanding more and more energy each year, straining national power grids and forcing countries and states to invest in expanding their power production capabilities, which in turn produces massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and hastens the depletion of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels and coal.
The situation is not entirely lost however, as growing awareness of social and corporate responsibility, fueled by the rise of free speech helped by the advancement of the IT industry itself, is driving people and businesses to start looking for greener alternatives. For individuals, it is usually borne out of a sense of responsibility to become true stewards of the planet we all share. For companies, it is a way of revolutionizing their images to become more saleable by appealing to the so-called ethical consumer and sometimes also as a way of investing in the long-term and maybe even cutting down on costs in the short-term as going green means becoming more efficient which means less cost and better operation.
Major businesses such as Google and Microsoft are now on the hunt for ways to incorporate recyclable materials in their products and to include green technologies in their factories to reduce their carbon footprints. Chris Perrine, CEO and vice-president of sales and marketing of Springboard Research, an IT market research firm, notes that “leading companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Dell, Ericsson, Philips and Cisco Systems have joined a United Nations initiative that aims to standardize world policy and legislative approaches to electronic recycling processes.” For example, Dell offers its customers and clients free recycling, whether or not they are buying a new Dell product, in an effort to curb e-waste and reduce the number of its products going ending up taking space in landfills. Dell is currently on track to take back and recycle 275 million pounds of technological waste from customers by 2009. HP also offers recycling but at a cost. This cost however could be taken as credit against the price of new HP products and services. HP aims to reclaim nearly a billion pounds worth of technological waste. Other companies also have their own recycling programs and policies and are also engaging in the sale of used electronics hardware to people who are not looking to invest in the high-end for their needs.
Solar photovoltaic cells and hydrogen fuel cells are also gaining attention within the IT industry due to new incentives and cheaper production costs. Wireless sensor networks monitor conditions and resource usage within offices, manufacturing facilities and data centers further expanding energy efficiency.
The future of the IT industry as a green industry is bright as major IT businesses seek to fashion themselves into leading proponents of clean technology and become the driving force in the use and implementation of better, more environmentally-friendly alternatives. And as they invest in making these developments cheaper and more accessible, other companies will also be able to take pursuit and benefit themselves, even businesses and organizations from other industries. Hopefully, this trend continues and spreads as the IT industry becomes the leading example of environmental corporate social responsibility.
The Call for Greener Technology
by Ma. Vida Frances Cruz, Miriam College
The world we are living in is an ever changing one. Due to the advent of new technology emerging every day, we can never see the full extent of this unending process yet. But with the growth of technology to greater bounds than we haven’t expected it to be, the preservation of nature’s essence seems to be in its greatest detriment. The problem is, technology tends to consume much of the resources it needs from the surroundings and natural habitats. That is why a new field of study in technology is seeking to be brought up to let the two forces work hand-in-hand with each other without harming one another. For that reason, “green technology” is born.
Green technology is defined by green-technology.org as “the application of knowledge for practical purposes”. The site also discusses its goals: sustainability along with innovation, “cradle to cradle” design, source reduction and viability.
The need for green technology is taking much notice nowadays. For example, studies and research are being conducted to create fuels that are less polluting than fossil fuels and oil. The said researches for this material came up with biodiesel, a cleaner burning alternative fuel that comes from 100% renewable resources (definition from biodieselathome.net). This new mix of diesel fuel proves a lot from its meaning: it releases fewer emissions and comes not from fossil fuels, but from natural oils. Its efficiency compared to traditional diesel fuels is quite reliable. The cost of it in recent times is a bit greater than its polluting predecessors, but if the demand for renewable fuel source will increase due to the constant utilization of traditional resources that will lead to its depletion; its cost will go down.
Excessive energy consumption is a great problem in major cities. Tech News World reports that: “According to U.N. Habitat, the world's 20 mega-cities, each with populations exceeding 10 million, are responsible for 75 percent of the world's energy consumption.” This signifies that, in some parts of the world, energy consumption is greatly concentrated. Such examples of these practices are vehicular emissions, industrial and office machineries and personal home consumptions. If present activities will still be practiced in the future, they will all amount to an inevitable energy crisis. Not to mention the probable environmental inconsistencies that the world will suffer from in the future.
Greenhouse gases as we all know, are the culprits that causes global warming. Climal.com explains that even a difference of 1°C in the temperature of the atmosphere could greatly cause changes in the climate and sea levels. The site further explains that there might be the time that the temperature of the atmosphere is so extreme that all life forms in it will cease to exist.
Those disturbing predictions can make one ask: In a time that awareness for the global movement for greener technology, what else could the I.T. industry do to help? In a Canadian journal entitled “How Information Technology can Help Sustainability and Aid in Combating Global Warming”, the writers suggest that through the World Wide Web, the call for action could be easily promoted to every member of the society who has connections to the net. Also, communications between researchers around the world have become more efficient due to the developments of ICT. Thus, information regarding greener technology is quickly disseminated to the public along with the awareness to do something about the problem. In this way, technology and nature can gain many benefits without leaving anything else behind.
It is said that during the beginning of time, everything in nature is tranquil and owns a niche that is specifically for them. When man came to bring up his civilization, the balance is initially disturbed. We, as the major consumer the earth’s resources, are also their major preserver. We can live in this world without tapping everything that nature has. Even if there is a need to do so, we must take into consideration the generation that will inherit our planet. If we find our own place in this environment of ours, everything will be back to tranquility again.
Greener Technology, Greener IT, Greener Earth
by Mary Therese Aprille Paras, Muntinlupa Science High School
“Look again at that dot….That's home….On it everyone you love, everyone you know… lived there-- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam….Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world so far to harbor life… cherish the pale blue dot-- the only home we've ever known.”
Thus said Carl Sagan, astronomer and the author of the book Pale Blue Dot, explaining the connotation of “The Pale Blue Dot,” a photograph of planet Earth viewed 6.4 billion kilometers from the ground taken by the Voyager I.
Mother Earth is severely ill indeed, and the worst part is, we are the ones who caused her great pain.
Many have been hurt, have suffered… have died. Global Warming causes many climatic catastrophes, which will claim thousands of lives. A lot of people have given lectures about its devastating effects. Former US Vice President Al Gore did a documentary about it, The Inconvenient Truth. And of course, our own Senator Miguel Zubiri proposed the Biofuels Law two years ago in an attempt to help eradicate Global Warming.
Global Warming is the increase in the Earth’s temperature due to the so called “greenhouse gases” released during the burning of fossil fuel. Cars and factories release these, since they burn fossil fuel. These gases could be hydroflourocarbons, perflourocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, methane and many others. Their concentration on the Earth’s surface will trap heat on Earth. This phenomenon is called “greenhouse effect.” It is not all that bad, since all life on Earth relies on this phenomenon. Without it, the planet will get cold, by 33°C to be particular. This means that ice will cover Earth from pole to pole.
But the problem is that there is an alarming increase in the concentration of these greenhouse gases and too much of something is bad. Because of this, the Earth absorbs heat really fast. Heat will not be able to escape the Earth’s surface thereby causing Global Warming,
A study by researchers at the Physics Institute at the University of Bern and the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica presented data from Antarctic ice cores that shows that carbon dioxide concentrations was higher than at any time during the past 650,000 years. Furthermore, a record conducted by ecologists since 1880 showed that ten of the hottest years ever measured have all occurred in the last fourteen years. This only goes to show that Global Warming is getting worse every year and people are becoming less conscientious of their environment.
Indeed, the potential damage caused by global warming is so great that many of the world's leading scientists have called for international cooperation and immediate action to counteract the problem.
In the country in fact, many environmental associations have been promoting the use of Alternative Energy. They have attempted to implant in the peoples’ minds, especially the youth, how alternative energy could save Mother Earth by holding essay writing, slogan or poster making contests about alternative energy. I myself have already joined two essay writing contests about Global Warming this year. And surprisingly, the theme for the EMC essay writing contest is “Greener Technology: It’s Impact on the Future of the I.T. Industry.” Again, another contest about environmental issues.
So it is clear that indeed, global warming has become a major headache to humans.
We now live in a highly technology advanced world. And fortunately, we have technology to aid us in our environmental issues, particularly the so-called “Green Technology.” Alternative Energy is a product of Green Technology. It aims to conserve natural resources through the application of environmental sciences.
Green Technology is highly recommended by a lot of environmentalists and environmental organizations. And I must agree that it will help a lot in saving Earth.
With green technology, the negative impacts of human involvement in the destruction of the Earth will be curbed. It will undoubtedly improve the future of the IT Industry.
People will learn IT and at the same time learn how to be friendly with their environment. Scientific inventions that has contributed to causing our unhealthy environment will be fixed. No more will we suffer from Global Warming. Science and Technology shall fix its errors. With Green Technology, IT will be more in demand, because people are desperate to heal mother Earth.
I strongly believe that Green Technology has a great impact not only to the world but also to the IT Industry. And I must agree with the Greenpeace slogan:
“…this fragile earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.”
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