Learn from the best: BSU’s Belinda Tad-awan, as an epitome of a peoples' researcher

Dr. Belinda A. Tad-awan is an administrator, professor and researcher of Benguet State University. She is the current Director of BSU-HERRC and Research. Prior to her designation as HERRC Program Director, she was the Dean of the BSU College of Agriculture. She was also designated as the Department Chairman of Agronomy for a decade; Regional Technology Program Coordinator and College Secretary.

As a current Professor VI, she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Agronomy, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Biotechnology, Crop Physiology, Sustainable Agriculture and others. Dr. Tad-awan is also considered as a senior faculty researcher of BSU for having completed 16 projects and currently implementing seven projects on crop improvement, genetic resources conservation and stress physiology.

Dr. Tad-awan scored 50 publications in various forms (scientific papers, abstracts, technology and book chapter) published in indexed and refereed journals, proceedings, copyrighted books, forum and technology primers.

She finished her doctorate degree in BSU with her dissertation conducted at the Ben Gurion University of Negev Israel. Her Master of Science in Plant Breeding degree was obtained at the University of the Philippines – Los Banos. She graduated Magna cum laude in Bachelor of Science and Agriculture in her undergrad degree in BSU.

Dr. Tad-awan is also an active member of several scientific and professional bodies; from our nation’s Organic Agriculture Society of the Philippines, Philippines Society for the Study of Nature, Conservation Farming Movement, Mycological Society of the Philippines, Philipppine Association of Agriculturists, Crop Science Society of the Philippines, Philippine Phytopathological Society, Society for Advancement of Vegetable Industry, University of the Philippines – Los Banos Alumni Association, and Shalom Club Philippines to the International Society for Tropical Root Crops.   

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

Research as a tool to help the farmers

She started as a research assistant for special projects fresh from graduation. She then started with survey projects. She admittedly however, researches was never inside the range of her field. It was only later that she learned the potential in researches. She begun to understand that research work, mostly in agriculture, can extend beyond the walls of the university to deliver services to the needy marginalized sectors of farmers in our locality. From thereon, seeds to serve the people were planted in her head. She saw research as a tool to help aid our less-privileged and marginalized farmers sprout from the rubbles of primitive farming towards development.

Client-researcher two way development

Even when she knew that research works can help elevate her towards promotion, she always kept it secondary to her intentions as she maintained her aspirations in helping her target clients.  

Promotion and development according to her is two way progression coming from both the researcher and the beneficiaries. Development for the researchers in agriculture should emanate from the clients’ liberation from the bondage of undeveloped conventional farming.

Mining for ideas through community immersions

Field works and community immersions brought her closer to the agriculture sector’s plights. There, she developed further her intra-personal skills where she conducted interviews as she witnessed and experienced first-hand different situations our farmers are facing. Aside from data gathering, these community immersions, are also her candy store of inspirations for her future project proposals. Best researches are separated from the pile of good researches through community immersion.  

It was the Sweet Potato plant along with her mind-set to help the local Sweet Potato producers and consumers that served as her plane ticket overseas. Our locality is overflowing with potential to be promising researches, and according to Dr. Tad-awan, we don’t have to go far beyond our borders because ideas are already in front of us. The only thing left for us to do, is to learn how to harvest from this bounty for our researches. The best way of doing this is through community immersions and there is no substitute for that.

Molding new breeds of researchers   

Dr. Tad-awan also holds dearly the lessons and mentoring of her superiors during her grad school studies. Their lessons and techniques bestowed upon her along with the mind-set of helping the farmers, is her framework in molding new breeds of researchers in BSU. Mentor’s job are not merely to teach but mainly to encourage young minds of the vocation that they are shadowing according to her.

Hesitant at first, Dr. Tad-awan persuaded was by her mentors to submit research proposals for the International Foundation for Science (IFS), which she thinks, during that time, was out still of her league. Lacking in confidence, she felt that her proposals will be rejected by the international arena. But due her mentors relentless encouragements and her personal knowledge of the topic, which she owe to the community that hosted her immersions, her research proposals were granted funding by the international research funding instruments.

In her grad school classes, Dr. Tad-awan’s medium of instruction mostly came from her concluded researches. By doing this, you’ll be imparting greater knowledge to the students according to Dr. Tad-awan. Her students were molded to report not for the sake of reporting but to report research results which they were a part of. Though it may seemed hard, its Dr. Tad-awan’s way of training her students for them to be great researchers.

Countless research assistants were also mentored by Dr. Tad-awan, however most of them moved on to other government institutions because of the lacking positions here in BSU. Though unfortunate, Dr. Tad-awan saw this still as an achievement on her part for being able to influence army of researchers whom she have nursed with the mind-set to serve the people, and now are sprouting as good researchers at different government offices.

To her research assistants, Dr. Tad-awan annoys them with daily check-ups and updates to their each assigned task. Dr. Tad-awan recognizes how distinct the youth today, which emanates from her her research assistants. According to her, some of her research assistants practices initiative while others don’t. Instead of looking down at them, she motivates them while she help guide in seeing their true potential.

“I let my research assistant do the draft for our presentation then I do the finishing touches” said Dr. Tad-awan when asked of her technique of being frequently awarded the best paper.

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

Re-echoing your locality to the world

In her conferences and overseas visits, Dr Tad-awan is conscious in establishing linkages and friendship outside our boarders. She would always seek the advices during her trips from fellow researchers mostly scientists. According to Dr. Tad-awan, you’re not only gaining wisdom from the international delegates, but also voicing the plights of the farmers through your research to the international arena.

In the international arena you act like the ambassador for not only the University but for your clients as well. 

During her trips, Dr. Tad-awan saw how diverse the international researcher’s community is. She saw that there are no age barriers for a researcher to do his research. Differences in the levels of academic attainment in the scientific world also has no bearing in conducting researches even after retirement, as witnessed by Dr. Tad-awan overseas.

Looking forward with hindsight of going back

But in her countless travels acquiring knowledge while echoing our farmers’ concerns, Dr. Tad-awan always finds herself returning back to Philippines, most especially to the rural areas where our farmers dwell.

Never had she thought of settling down overseas despite the opportunities being presented to her. It is her passion to serve the needy local farmers, her roots. A testament of this is seen in all of her researches which are with local concerns.   

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

 Researchers should always read and write

“Researchers should read”, emphasized Dr. Tad-awan. Researchers should explore all various information mediums like journals and not to limit themselves to the materials from the social media. To teachers, this would helped greatly in updating your syllabus, and what better way to update your syllabus than to enshrine your current research in its words. “You’re an effective teacher, if you have research and you’re an effective researcher if you’re a teacher”, said Dr Tad-awan.

Dr. Tad-awan always carry with her a notebook for her to take down in her travels, conference and simple trip to the market. Notes taken according to her will then be reviewed, and if it has merits, it will serve as a foundation for future research proposals.

Serving the people through research is a social responsibility

Dr. Tad-awan underscored, ‘Sino ngay ti ag-reseach noh haan nga datayo?’ (If not us, who will conduct research for us?). She added that, don’t expect people from Laguna to come here and conduct researches for the local needy farmers. If there are any, it is always best that our local researchers are the ones to conduct the researches. Locals who are the direct witness to the conditions of the farmers. Local researchers should embrace this endeavour as their social responsibility to their locality.

Dr. Tad-awan recalled when her teaching units, notwithstanding whether if it is full, did not curtail her in writing research proposals. Even if these written research proposals have no funding. As her gesture of helping and enlightening her students to their social responsibilities, Dr. Tad-awan will offer these written proposal to her students for their thesis. Most proposal were crafted by Dr. Tad-awan intentionally to be conducted in the hometowns, mostly in the rural areas, of the students.

Said research proposal to be conducted by her students does not stop there. Dr. Tad-awan sees through it that all her proposals will be put into trial in different parts Benguet or Cordillera.
     

“Never stop doing proposals”, stressed Dr. Tad-awan. According to her, proposal writing should be inherent to every researcher. Researchers should be ready at any time if they were asked for their proposals. Researchers should have no reason as to why they can’t write proposals, because our communities, here in Benguet alone, are overflowing of ideas.

Photo grabbed from Dr. Belle Tad-Awan social media account

BSU is now the big brother in research among the rest of the SUCs in CAR. And as a big brother to his smaller sibling, BSU is now required to adopt and guide fellow SUC in conducting research. This is one way of uplifting also the research functions of other SUCs in their faculty departments which will eventually develop their instruction function.

Even now after having secured the Professor VI position, Dr. Tad-awan still conducts research while at the same time mentors young researchers. To her, her position is just an appellation of her good work. According to her, serving the people whether through research or any forms, is a social responsibility which each and every one of us must hold.