Dr. Arthur L. Fajardo, the Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC) Director, attended two events in Mindanao that aimed to inspire both practicing and aspiring Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers (ABE) to pursue graduate studies and careers that would support the country’s agricultural mechanization programs this November 2024. 

Specifically, he is part of an esteemed team with his fellow professors and staff from the UPLB Institute of Agricultural Biosystems Engineering (IABE) for the DOST-Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) scholarship program’s roadshow at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) in Tagum City, Davao del Norte last November 18, 2024. The activity was conducted to campaign for more aspirants to enroll in engineering graduate programs at UPLB through the DOST-ERDT scholarship program.

Apart from their main event in USEP, they spent a side visit at the AMTEC’s Mindanao satellite office which is also temporarily housed in the said university. Engr. Glory Yster M. Reginio, the station’s test engineer, welcomed the UPLB guests to the facility. At present, the station occupies a shared building with USEP’s testing center, one of the country’s AMTEC-assisted SUCs to establish more testing centers across the archipelago.

Meanwhile, they also attended Day 2 of the 27th PSABE PPG Mindanao Island Convention held at the Mindanao State University- General Santos City Campus (MSU-Gensan) last November 19, 2024. Dr. Fajardo delivered a speech to the participating ABE students of the region where he featured the modern technologies that AMTEC is utilizing in its operations. He also emphasized the importance of AMTEC and how integral the ABE profession is in the path to modernizing Philippine agriculture. 

The event was an opportunity for the students to learn from the leaders in government and private sectors of the professional field. It includes AMTEC as the premiere testing center for agricultural and fisheries machinery in the country. At the venue, Dr. Fajardo had the opportunity to meet some of the recent midyear student interns from the MSU- Marawi City. 

AMTEC remains one of the vital ABE institutions in the country to both the academe and the government. The Center pledged to not only fulfill its mandates but also sustain its support for the AB engineering professionals, especially those in the power and machinery engineering field, for the years to come.