3rd National Conference on Food, Environment, Engineering, and Technology (NCFEET) in conjunction with the International Forum on Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials (IFAMAM) and National Symposium on Marketplaces and 3D Printing Facilities

Bataan Peninsula State University Research and Development Office (RDO) and the University’s Design, Research and Extension in Additive Manufacturing (DR3AM) Center in collaboration with the Philippine Association of Agriculturists (PAA) - Tamarind Chapter spearheaded the conduct of the 3rd National Conference on Food, Environment, Engineering, and Technology (NCFEET) in conjunction with the International Forum on Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials (IFAMAM) and National Symposium on Marketplaces and 3D Printing Facilities (NaSyM-3D on September 15-17 via the online conferencing platform Zoom.

Internationally renowned researchers in the field of Additive Manufacturing shared their knowledge with the participants for the 1st IFAMAM. Anchored in the theme "3D Printing Our Way into the 21st Century", Professor Rigoberto C. Advincula, a Governor’s Chair at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the keynote speaker of the said conference, discussed the topic “Plastics 3D Printing: High Performance and Upcycling'' to the participants during the first day of IFAMAM on September 15, 2021. This was then followed by a series of plenary lectures and oral paper presentations from esteemed researchers and students venturing into the field of 3D Printing.

On the other hand, researchers, agriculturists and policy makers were present during the first day of the 3rd NCFEET to share valuable knowledge in their respective fields about topics in line with the theme of the conference which is “Sustainable Agriculture through Disruptive Smart Farming Innovation and Technology". The President of Meijo University and the Keynote Speaker for the conference, Associate Professor Dr. Weerapon Thongma delivered an inspiring speech and discussion about the Current Innovation and Implementation of Modern Technology in Food and Sustainable Agriculture. It is during his keynote address that he emphasized to the 412 participants the importance of venturing into sustainable agriculture to address the current issues that our society is facing today.

As for the third day of the conference, the National Symposium of Makerspaces and 3D Printing Laboratories (NaSyM-3D) was conducted along with the oral presentations for NCFEET. NaSyM-3D was conducted to provide an avenue for makerspaces, fablabs and 3D printing laboratories/facilities to engage and learn from each other’s experiences. Hence, the said special session facilitated discussions on the programs, strategies, best practices and issues/challenges on operating these facilities, and how these challenges can be addressed.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Arthur D. Dayrit, the Vice President of PAA. - Tamarind Chapter, and the Chief, Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation Division/ Assistant Regional Director for the Regulatory Division Department of Agriculture - RFO3, thank the organizers for the success of the event and the participants for their continuous support to the conduct of the event.