Josette Talamera Biyo (born March 19, 1958) is a Filipina biologist and academic administrator who served as executive director of the

Philippine Science High School System The Philippine Science High School System () is a research-oriented and specialized public high school system in the Philippines that operates as an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology. PSHS is considered as ...

from 2011 to 2014. She has received international recognition for her contributions to science and education.

Early life and academics

Josette Biyo was born on March 19, 1958, in Januiay,

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

. She earned her bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the

University of the Philippines Visayas The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV or UP Visayas) is a public university, public research university in Iloilo, Philippines. A constituent university of the University of the Philippines system, it teaches management, accountancy, ...

Miagao Miagao (also written Miag-ao), officially the Municipality of Miagao (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,115 people. Miagao is considered as the "Onion Capital ...

, intending to continue to medical school. Instead, she took a teaching post and afterward earned a Ph.D. in biology from

De La Salle University De La Salle University (), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private, Catholic coeducational research university run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with main campus in Taft Avenue, Malate, Man ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Her dissertation examined

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...

community dynamics on Guimaras Island. In 2004, Biyo was conferred with an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

in humanities by the

Manila Central University Manila Central University (MCU), formerly known as the Escuela de Farmacia del Liceo de Manila, is a Private university, private, Nonsectarian, non-sectarian, stock corporation, stock basic and higher Types of educational institutions#Higher Ed ...

Career

After her research concluded, Biyo spent eight years teaching in a rural community in her home province, Iloilo. She used her knowledge of biology to educate the residents in primary health care using local plants and ingredients. In 1995, Biyo accepted a science teaching position at the Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus. In her three years there, she developed an educational philosophy that fosters a "culture of science". She also organized teaching trips for educators on the island of

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...

, was invited to

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

and

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

to speak on her teaching ideology, and developed a formal method of science teaching and research. Biyo served as the Executive Director of the

from October 17, 2011 to March 31, 2014. Afterwards, she became the director of the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute.

Biyo science research teaching method

Biyo's methodology encourages students to adopt several learning and life behaviors, in order to maximize their career potential. * Build a physical library of science books * Conduct field studies that ask interesting and difficult questions * Establish personal connections with research institutions and laboratories * Hold science forums in and after school * Teach students field and lab techniques to aid in research work. Biyo's mentorship and teaching methods have cultivated noteworthy scientists in diverse fields of research, including oceanography, marine life, physics, and robotics.

Awards and honors

* Outstanding Teacher of the Philippines, 1997 * Ten Outstanding Young Filipinos, 1998 (Philippine Jaycees and Gerry Roxas Foundation) *

International Excellence in Teaching Award The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Each May, more ...

during the ISEF in 2002 * Award for Continuing Excellence and Service (ACES), 2004 * Distinguished Lasallian Award, 2004 * "Women of Distinction Award", 2004 (Soroptimist International) * Fil-Up Award, 2004 (Global Doors Foundation) * Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa), 2004 (Manila Central University) * Philippine American Foundation Friendship Award, 2004 (National Press Club) * Presidential Award, 2007 (Philippine College of Physicians) * Lingkod Bayan Award, 2007 (Civil Service Commission) * Special Award, 2007 (Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) * 50 Great Men and Women in Science, 2008 (Department of Science and Technology) * National Award for Community Service, 2008 (Rotary Club of Makati) * Honorary Fellow, 2009 (Philippine College of Physicians) The Florian main-belt asteroid

13241 Biyo 13241 Biyo, provisional designation , is a background asteroid from the Flora region of the inner asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 22 May 1998, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research team (LINEAR) at the U.S ...

, discovered by

LINEAR In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a '' polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x) ...

at Lincoln Lab's ETS in 1998, was named in her honor. The naming was part of the

she received during the

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Each May, more ...

in 2002. The official naming citation was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...

on 24 July 2002 ().

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biyo, Josette 1958 births Filipino educators Filipino women educators Living people People from Iloilo De La Salle University alumni University of the Philippines Visayas alumni Visayan people Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines)