BAGUIO CITY (Feb. 14) — UP Scientist and Professor Rhodora Azanza, one of the country’s leading researchers working on harmful algal blooms, associated with the phenomenon known as red tide, will grace the second lecture of UP Baguio’s Centennial Lecture Series at 2:30 P.M. on February 21 at the Multi-purpose Hall.

Azanza, who was Dean of UP Diliman’s College of Science, was recognized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in 2005 as among the Outstanding Women in Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for her exemplary performance in research projects on toxic Pyrodinium blooms. She also developed local capability for determining paralytic shellfish poisoning levels and developing models for predicting bloom dynamics.

In her lecture, entitled “An Interdisciplinary Research and Development Program to Address a Major Environmental Concern,” Prof. Azanza will discuss an interdisciplinary research program at the UP Marine Science Institute, to understand the dynamics of toxic algal blooms and to develop detection and mitigation strategies.

In the Philippines about 27 bays/areas have been reportedly affected by toxic algal blooms of Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum (Pbc), which causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) that had plagued the Philippines with public health and economic problems since HABs (harmful algal blooms) had been earliest recorded.

Azanza is currently a professor at the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She is the author of numerous publications including articles in international scholarly journals. # Via NORDIS