The threat of the “BIG ONE” (a cataclysmic event that may reach up to magnitude 8.5) prompted a PNU research team to forge collaboration with Technological University of the Philippines and De La Salle University engineers to develop a product to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable in schools—the Kindergarten students. This product, known as LAMESA (Life-Saving Automated Mesa to Endure Seismic Activity), landed in an article titled, ‘Coupling School Risk Reduction Strategies with LAMESA (Life-Saving Automated “Mesa” to Endure Seismic Activity) for Kindergarten,’ in the March 2019 issue of an ISI-indexed journal (Philippine Journal of Science [PJS]). The Lead and Corresponding author, Dr. Marie Paz E. Morales (one among the PNU research team members), through an interview, emphasized that LAMESA instills both active (using LAMESA as a teaching and survival tool) and passive (earthquake preparation in the curriculum or lesson) disaster preparedness. Aiming at wide (national and international) dissemination of the benefit of the product due to the recent occurrences of earth shakes all over the country, news on the PJS article was first published in the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) website (Read more: http://www.dost.gov.ph/knowledge-resources/news/62-2019-news/1628-local-experts-develop-quake-proof-desks-for-preschoolers-2019-04-25.html). Other journalists found the information from the original news article very timely due to the occurrence of earthquakes all over the Pacific Ring of Fire and featured LAMESA in other news articles as well:
- https://www.untvweb.com/news/filipino-experts-develop-quake-proof-desks-for-kindergarten-students/
- https://ph.news.yahoo.com/filipino-experts-develop-quake-proof-101509548.html
- https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/04/26/1912789/filipino-experts-develop-quake-resistant-desk-pre-schoolers
Kudos to the Research Team members and their schools!