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Academician Edgardo D. Gomez : 50 Men and Women of Science |
Brief Biography of Academician Edgardo D. Gomez Ed Gomez started in U.P. in 1974 as the founding Director of the Marine Science Institute which has been become the leading marine science department in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Graduating summa cum laude in 1962 with two degrees, B.Sc.Ed. and B.A., from De La Salle University in Manila, he then obtained a Master’s degree in Biology from St. Mary’s University, Minnesota in 1967, followed by his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego in 1973. Today Ed is well-known internationally, having been a member of a number of associations and committees such as the International Society for Reef Studies and the Executive Committee of the International Union of Biological Sciences. He served as Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, the Scientific Committee on Coral Reefs of the Pacific Science Association, and the Inter-agency U.N. Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), among others. He has been honored repeatedly, the most recent national distinction being the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award in 2000. Prior to this, he had been named an Academician in the National Academy of Science and Technology in 1993, the year after he became a University Professor. His notable international award was being named a laureate in UNEP’s Global 500 Roll of Honour for his efforts in the protection of the oceans as early as 1989. In 2001, he was awarded a fellowship in the Pew Marine Conservation Program and was elected as an Honorary Member of the Asian Fisheries Society. 2003 saw him receiving the C.D. Dadulfaza Distinguished Achievement Award. Upon his retirement in 2005, he was given the title of University Professor Emeritus. Today, he serves as the Coordinator of the Center of Excellence for the Philippines and Southeast Asia under the Global Environment Facility/World Bank Coral Reef Targeted Research Program, where he also serves as a Co-Chair of the Restoration and Remediation Working Group. He has 140 technical publications to his credit and continues to publish actively. |
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UPMSI: Recipient of Outstanding Research Award (2008) |
“Marine Biodiversity, Biotechnology, and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Bioresources in the Philippines” Since its establishment in 1974 (initially as the Marine Science Center), the UP Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) has made exemplary achievements in biodiversity, biotechnology and sustainable utilization of marine bioresources. In the late 1970’s, UPMSI became the trailblazer in undertaking national coral reef surveys in the world. In its 34 years of existence, the Institute has used an interdisciplinary approach to rapidly progress from surveys that provided the baseline for assessing the status of marine biodiversity in the Philippines and the ASEAN region to researches that elucidated the biology, ecology, population genetics and biogeography of corals, marine invertebrates, seagrasses, seaweeds, and phytoplankton. Marine biotechnology at UPMSI has evolved from the culturing of marine species to the biochemical characterization, isolation and structural determination of bioactive compounds, and the current attempt to use genetic engineering to improve the resistance of seaweeds to “ice-ice” disease. Discoveries of MSI researchers have provided molecular tools in neuroscience and lead compounds for drug development from cone snails, sponges, and tunicates. The internationally recognized team of UPMSI researchers has provided technical assistance to industry and coastal communities for the sustainable utilization of the country’s marine bioresources and the strengthening of the Philippine marine sector as a participant of the global economy. |
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