Prof. Ameurfina Dumlao-Santos was honored by distinguished guests and officials of the University in a testimonial dinner on June 1 at the Executive House, UP Diliman (UPD).

Prof. Santos served as director of the UP Office of Admissions from March 2006 to May 2010. She is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the UPD College of Science. Santos made the Office of Admissions more efficient. Her term oversaw the creation and continued improvement of audio-visual material ensuring that administrators were properly briefed on admissions protocols, safety, and standardization. Under her directorship, the UPCAT Online appli-cation was instituted and the processing of UPCAT applications streamlined. As a result, test results were released earlier.

Tributes took the form of a photo collage presentation prepared by the Office of Admission staff; a poem on the life of Santos by Prof. Viginia D. Monje, a long-time friend at the College of Science; and a message from Vice President for Academic Affairs Amelia Guevara thanking Santos for her valuable service to the University.

Prof. Santos receives a certificate and a token of appreciation from
President Roman and Vice President Guevara. Assistant Vice
President for Academic Affairs Florinda Mateo was master of
ceremonies.

After a toast led by Prof. Gemino H. Abad, those in attendance were treated to musical numbers performed by Mia Ariana Tanchiongco from the College of Music, accompanied by Nita A. Quintos on the piano. UPD Chancellor Sergio S. Cao rendered two songs in a surprise number.

As the evening came to a close, President Emerlinda R. Roman and Vice President Guevara presented Prof. Santos with a Certificate of Recognition. In response, Santos said that it was in UP that she learned “the values of generosity of heart and optimism of spirit”. She also thanked the University for fostering her intellectual and material growth as well as for the chance to “interact with students with the best minds”. She cited continuous learning, the discarding of irrelevant things, and the company of cheerful friends as the keys to staying young in mind and spirit.

Santos, who hails from Surigao, earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from UPD in 1994. She has been the recipient of numerous academic awards including the Gawad Chancellor Natatanging Guro Award in 2006, the Concepcion D. Dadufalza Award for Distinguished Achievement in 2008, and multiple International Publi-cation Awards. In addition, she was given the Eusebio Y. Garcia Recognition Award (National) for work on Molecular Biology by the National Research Council of the Philippines (NCRP) in 2000. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Sigma International Honor Societies.