UP Marine Science Institute

04/06/2026

The UP Marine Science Institute stands on the shoulders of giants. This International Seaweed Day, we honor the torchbearers who shaped Philippine seaweed research within the Institute and beyond.

Seaweed has been an unshakeable pillar of the Institute's research thrust since its early days as the Marine Sciences Center. Shortly after the center's founding, National Scientist Dr. Gavino Trono Jr. established the Gregorio T. Velasquez Phycological Herbarium (MSI) in honor of his mentor National Scientist Gregorio T. Velasquez, who himself was a lauded taxonomist known as the Father of Philippine Phycology. By this time in the 1970s, Dr. Trono's pioneering work on seaweed farming had already revolutionized the industry by focusing efforts on the cultivation of 𝘒𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘤𝘶𝘴 and 𝘌𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘶𝘮𝘢, collectively known as eucheumatoids. The Philippines was fast emerging as a major competitor in the international seaweed trade, and the soon-to-be UP Marine Science Institute saw this as a great opportunity to prove itself.

Studies on the reproductive biology of eucheumatoids, the main commercially farmed seaweeds, were conducted by Dr. Rhodora Azanza to address limitations in seaweed propagation. At the Seaweed Chemistry Building and Pilot Plant, Dr. Marco Nemesio Montaño standardized protocols for the post-harvest processing and extraction of carrageenan from raw dried seaweeds. During the 1980s, Dr. Edna Ganzon-Fortes took over management of the MSI Herbarium and established its digital database, the Seaweed Information Center (SICEN), while spearheading studies on seaweed ecophysiology. Further advancements in seaweed studies were led by our current director, Dr. Arturo Lluisma, who initiated genetic, genomic, and transcriptomic studies of various strains of commercial seaweeds during the 1990s.

Built on the foundations set by its predecessors, the seaweed researchers of the UP Marine Science Institute today continue to support the Philippine seaweed industry and expand the field of Philippine phycology.

To Dr. Trono, Dr. Azanza, Dr. Montaño, Dr. Ganzon-Fortes, and Dr. Lluisma, we dedicate this International Seaweed Day to you. 🌿

03/06/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT: MSI Resumes 5-day In-Person Work Arrangement

UP Marine Science Institute shall resume in-person operating hours every Monday beginning June 8, 2026.

🕛 MONDAY to FRIDAY – Regular operations from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

In accordance with UP Diliman College of Science Memorandum No. CS-CPS-2026-11 and UP OVPAA-OVPA Joint Memorandum No. 2026-02.

03/06/2026

What do 🏃‍♂️, 🥰, and 🤨 have in common? Watch UP MSI PhD and MS students try to describe their graduate studies journey using only THREE emojis! 😱😮‍💨👀 See the emojis they chose and hear the stories behind them.

UP MSI's MS Marine Science and PhD Marine Science programs are accepting applications through UP Diliman College of Science Graduate School until July 8, 2026. Learn more about the application process here: https://science.upd.edu.ph/application-to-graduate-programs-for-2nd-semester-ay-2025-2026/

30/05/2026

The fight against plastic pollution starts with YOU 🌊🫵

From our streets to our seas, plastic pollution continues to affect our daily lives and harm marine ecosystems. 😷 That’s why the Microbial Oceanography Laboratory is working to streamline marine plastics research across the Philippines, and now they’re inviting YOU to help participate through PlastiZen! 📲

📹 Watch this video to learn more about their initiatives, which were recently awarded the Gawad Tsanselor sa Natatanging Programang Pang-Ekstensiyon. 🏆

Read more: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/up-msi-awarded-2026-gawad-tsanselor-for-plastics-research-capacity-building-initiatives

📁Photos and Videos from Microbial Oceanography Laboratory

27/05/2026

LAST 5 DAYS TO APPLY! The Kalalawdan Fellowship is open for the second batch of applicants. This fellowship is an all-expense-paid training program designed to bridge the gap between marine science research and policy, targeted towards Filipino researchers and policy reform advocates based in the Philippines. The first cohort of Lawod Fellows completed the program in 2024. Check the original post for full application details.

Be a champion of the Philippine Seas and apply now: https://forms.gle/8f75SVYFjAKdHEfr9

Read more about the Kalalawdan Fellowship: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/kalalawdan-fellowship-program/

The Kalalawdan Fellowship Program 2 is implemented under Project NEXUS 2.0, led by Dr. Deo Florence Onda of the UP MSI Microbial Oceanography Laboratory and the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation, funded by The Asia Foundation, and with support from the Austalian Government through the WAYPOINTS Project.

26/05/2026

The Plastics Research Capacity Building Initiatives of the Microbial Oceanography Laboratory earned the UP Marine Science Institute its fourth Gawad Tsanselor para sa Natatanging Programang Pang-ekstensiyon. Read more: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/up-msi-awarded-2026-gawad-tsanselor-for-plastics-research-capacity-building-initiatives/

22/05/2026

What is it like to conduct science in the country's westernmost inhabited island? In celebration of the International Day of Biological Diversity and Philippine Month of the Ocean, UP Marine Science Institute is launching "Pag-asa Island: A Hidden Pearl of Biodiversity" — a new webpage featuring the marine life and research done in the Kalayaan Island Group over the years.

Visit the webpage: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/research/pag-asa-island/

Read the official press release: https://msi.upd.edu.ph/up-msi-launches-webpage-on-wps-biodiversity/

This webpage and UP MSI's current research in Pag-asa Island are supported by the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

19/05/2026

Today, we celebrate the woman who showed the world what Philippine marine pharmacology could achieve. Happy birthday, National Scientist Dr. Lourdes Cruz!

Her groundbreaking research began with a simple question: What was a project that could take the most advantage of Philippine resources? In a time when biotechnology was still a young field, Dr. Cruz chose to look at our unique marine biodiversity in a way that few have done before. Her studies on cone snails led to the discovery of conopeptides, their uses in medicine and neuroscience, and the development of an internationally recognized drug to treat chronic pain. It is her success that opened doors for further studies on marine pharmacology, whether by investigating more cone snail species or casting the net wider for other forms of marine life.

Dr. Cruz is as generous as she is accomplished. After building the field of Philippine marine toxinology, she went on to establish livelihood initiatives with Aeta communities. She is the founder of Rural Livelihood Incubator and the current chair of Future Earth Philippines. Dr. Cruz is actively committed to her vision for a sustainable and inclusive country, where science is used to alleviate poverty and recognize the value of knowledge found outside the laboratory.

Undoubtedly, Dr. Cruz is an inspiration for the whole nation. At UP MSI, she is affectionately known as Ma'am Luly: a dedicated mentor, a helpful colleague, and a generous friend.

Happy birthday, Ma'am Luly! 🎉

16/05/2026

Three days left to register! Meet Ysabel Wang, the next speaker in the MSI Lecture Series, who will discuss recent changes in warm core ring-driven shelf water export and examine how transient interactions between rings and Gulf Stream features influence their ability to entrain streamers.

“The impact of Gulf Stream warm core rings on shelf-slope variability” will be held on May 19, 2026, 10:00 AM at the MSI AVR and Zoom. Register now: https://bit.ly/MSITalk_Wang

14/05/2026

“[El Nido and Metro Manila] are experiencing sea level rise at 3-4 times the global average… We live the reality that sea level change is here and increasing as time goes by.”

🎙️ UP MSI Assistant Professor Dr. Charina Lyn Amedo-Repollo talks with BBC about the science behind sea level rise in the Philippines. Listen to the full episode:

Sea levels are rising due to climate change, but why are some places noticing it more?