Always a Carolinian

PLDT and Smart President and CEO Napoleon Nazareno listens to Eric Lobrigas of the University of San Carlos (USC) as he explains the school’s entry, “Preventive Illegal Logging Monitoring Endeavor” (PRIME), to the 7th SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards.  Nazareno, one of USC’s distinguished alumni, led PLDT and Smart officials in congratulating the finalists on their wireless innovations during the exhibit and awards ceremony recently conducted by Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart). USC’s PRIME made it to the finals of the SWEEP Awards, Smart’s annual search for the most innovative wireless solutions designed by partner schools under the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP).  The system seeks to protect and secure trees in the harvestable areas of Binahaan Watershed in Albuera, Leyte via a camouflaged device that sends an SMS to forest guards upon chainsaw sound detection.  USC was the first Cebu school to sign a partnership with Smart via SWEEP, an industry-academe partnership launched in 2003 which aims to help raise the level of technology and engineering education in the country, particularly in the field of Electronics and Communications Engineering. Photo also shows other members of the USC team (from right) Sergie Domingo Adlawan,  Neldon Verzosa and Dexter Paalisbo