Besting the other finalists for the Sibol Award College Category, “Eye-Read: Bionic Reading Chrome Extension” – a capstone project of BS InfoTech students in DMMMSU-MLUC received the Sibol Award (2nd place) in the 2023 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits held at J&V Hotel and Resort, Brgy. Sevilla, City of San Fernando, La Union on September 27-28.

Eye-Read by Jovit Angelo Obaldo, Nicole Catoltol, Juanette Catalene Lictaoa, and Rachel Ann Romero, and under the mentorship of Dr. Sheena Sapuay-Guillen, is a reading assistance tool that leverages innovative bionic reading techniques and capitalizes contemporary methods of digital reading and learning to eliminate literacy disparities and pave the way toward a more enlightened and literate global society. The capstone project was qualified as an entry for ClusteRICE’s Student Creative Research Category.

The ClusteRICE in Northern Luzon is a cluster-wide activity conducted by the Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI) covering Region I, II, III, and CAR to recognize the indispensability of the Filipino inventors in the Philippine society and in the landscape of national economic development.

Two hundred eighteen (218) entries from the four regions of Northern Luzon underwent thorough scrutiny and evaluation by the screening committee of DOST – Technology Application and Promotion Institute. Ten (10) emerged as Top 10 finalists for the final round. They competed for awards: Outstanding Invention Category (Tuklas), Outstanding Utility Model (Unlad), Outstanding Industrial Design Category (Banghay), Creative Research Category (Likha) – Government and Private Funded, Student Creative Research Category (Sibol)- High School and College Category.

In the final round, Sibol Award contenders were judged based on novelty (30%), commercial viability (30%), methodology (10%), test results (10%) and presentation (20%).

Eye-Read emerged 2nd placer of the Sibol Award, and the researchers, together with their adviser, received the award and monetary incentive of ten thousand pesos during the closing program of the said event. 

by Robin Justin Catbagan