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| GeneSoc Pride: Dr. Glenn appointed as new SEARCA Director |
Los
Baños, Laguna | On the
28th of October 2019, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and
Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) officially appointed Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, an
alumnus of GeneSoc, Batch Recombinants, as its 11th Director through
a formal investiture ceremony presided by the Department of Education Secretary
Leonor M. Briones at the DL Umali Hall, SEARCA. UPLB Chancellor and representative
of the Philippines to the SEARCA Governing Board, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr.,
delivered the welcoming remarks.
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| Glenn Gregorio along with his family at the awarding ceremony |
The event was attended
by ambassadors from various countries such as France, Laos, and Thailand; and
representatives of the Embassies of Australia, Brunei, Indonesia,
and Vietnam. Local scientists from Los Baños, as well as National Scientists
and academicians from the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) of
the Philippines were also present. Further, in attendance were representatives
of other countries to the SEARCA Governing Board, former SEARCA Directors and
Deputy Directors, and the SEARCA staff and scholars.
Although Dr. Gregorio has
already taken office since last May 2019, it was only recently that he was
formally inducted to the position. He is the 7th UPLB professor
to assume the directorship, ever since the establishment of SEARCA in 1966,
following the footsteps of Dr. Dioscoro L. Umali, and other professors of great
renown.
But
who indeed is Dr. Gregorio, aside from being the new SEARCA Director?
Glenn
Gregorio
was born and educated at Central Mindanao University in Musuan, Bukidnon.
He graduated with a degree in BS Agriculture, an MS in Plant Breeding, and a
PhD in Genetics with a minor in Statistics, all in UPLB. He is an active alumnus
of GeneSoc.
He
is a reputable agricultural scientist and academician, having worked at the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for nearly three decades, during
which he developed over 15 varieties of rice. Later on, he worked at the East-West Seed
Company, Inc. as its global breeding manager for corn. At present, he is a
Professor at the Institute of Crop Science, UPLB College of Agriculture and
Food Science (CAFS).
He is also a recipient
of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) and the Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) awards,
both in 2004, and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh Medal Award in 2012. In 2018, he was
bestowed the Academician title by the National Academy of Science and
Technology of the Philippines.
Dr. Gregorio is a father
of six, all of which were homeschooled by their mother and Glenn’s wife, Myla
Gregorio. He frequently draws inspiration from them and holds them to be his
most valuable achievements among all else.
In
order to get to know Dr. Gregorio better, here are some Q&As that the
GENEWS team excitedly asked him:
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GENEWS
Team: Who is Dr. Glenn
Gregorio, aside from being a scientist and SEARCA Director?
Dr.
Glenn: I’m an ordinary
student before, an ordinary guy. [Now] I’m a happy family man. I mix work and
family; I want to prove that you could have a family, at the same time be a
successful scientist, or whatever career you want, and that you don’t have to be
extra genius to be able to achieve.
GENEWS
Team: Aside from being
the current SEARCA Director, what are your other professional ventures?
Dr.
Glenn: I want to be a
scientist-entrepreneur, actually I’m starting a business now, related to
biotechnology. I want to show that you could be at the academe at the same time
be a businessman by using science and technology. Research should get their way
to the hands of farmers, and the only way for that is through commercial
products.
GENEWS
Team: When you were young,
was being a scientist already your dream?
Dr.
Glenn: My first
publication was at the age of 16. When I was in high school, I had 4 projects.
In my second year, I made jam from pili nut rind. When I was in third year, I
went to the project of developing a solar dryer for agricultural products. I
was 16 years old, from Bukidnon, and I wasn’t smart. But you have to be unique
and take advantage of your skills. I’m just an ordinary guy, but I see to it
that I am the first at the things I do.
GENEWS
Team: Looking back at
who you were then, how does it feel in retrospect from where you are now?
Dr.
Glenn: I feel the same.
Those awards that I received are just bonuses, since the journey is what is
important. Enjoy life, and the bonuses will just come. That is how I see it.
GENEWS
Team: Is this the peak
for Dr. Glenn Gregorio or is there more to be seen?
Dr.
Glenn: I don’t think
so. I could still soar high, it could be as a professor, a
professor-entrepreneur. I could mentor more students, could mentor more of the
next generation’s scientists.
GENEWS
Team: With these
responsibilities that you have, how do you manage to keep them all in check?
Dr.
Glenn: Delegate. Get
people – good people – around you. As the Director, you have the choice to do
it by yourself, or to delegate. Will you stress yourself or just enjoy it and
build the people around you? Give them freedom to do it, and you just check –
encourage them. You’ll achieve more and have a relaxed life at the same time.
GENEWS
Team: What was GeneSoc
like during your time?
Dr.
Glenn: GeneSoc was my
only org during college. I had no frat or whatever. I tried GeneSoc because I
had my friends there, although I was from BS Agriculture. It was intellectually
fulfilling to be there, and at the same time it was cool and gimmicky.
GENEWS
Team: As an alumnus of
GeneSoc, what was the most important lesson you have learned?
Dr.
Glenn: An organization
is not an end, it is a means for you to grow, study, and of course have fun.
You have to use them to help in your education, that’s why it’s an academic
organization. My advice is, just enjoy, while at the same time study.
GENEWS Team: Why did
you choose BS Agriculture as your undergraduate course?
Dr. Glenn: Actually, I entered UP in
an engineering course. My dream course was Genetic Engineering. There was no
Genetic Engineering course here, but during the time genetic engineering was
popular. I had a scholarship, but it was for Agriculture, so I took up Agronomy
and my specialization was in Plant Breeding. Agriculture was not my first
choice, but I had to do good in that.
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| GeneSoc Resident Members strike a pose with Dr. Gregorio |
“Be an agriculturist, be a scientist; you
will see the world, and the world will see you”, these
were the words that Dr. Gregorio has left with us to ponder upon. For aspiring
agriculturists and scientists in the future, may Glenn Gregorio be a prime
example of how pursuing your passion can lead to success. And how science,
research, and technology can be catalysts for change in society and in the
world, not just in the laboratory.
Photos courtesy of UPLB and John Lawrence Dionisio
(Retron), edited by Alexis Gin Malagotnot (Cybrid)
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