The Philippine Association of Chemistry Students, Inc., more commonly known as PACS, Inc., has kicked off the National Chemistry Students’ Congress (NCSC) 2024 last May 4th. PACS, Inc. is a student-led umbrella organization of university chemical societies intent on serving the nation through the field of Chemistry. A testament to this objective is the holding of NCSC which is an intercollegiate flagship event aimed to gather Filipino chemistry undergraduates nationwide to display their knowledge about the chemical sciences, and likewise impart knowledge to further expedite the promotion of advancement and application of Chemistry in the country.
NCSC 2024, with the theme “EUREKA!: Discovering Limitless Potentials Through Chemistry Innovations” has four (4) subevents, namely: PACSiklaban, an intercollegiate chemistry quiz bee; PACSymposium, which involves a series of talks about chemical innovations; SRC x NCSC 2024 Mock Boards, a simulation of Chemistry and Chemical Technician Licensure examinations; and lastly Meet the Boards, a forum with the members of the Board of Chemistry and board passers/topnotchers. The event ran for two full weekends, opening on May 4th with PACSymposium and Meet the Boards, and closing on May 12th with PACS Mock Boards.
This year, PACSiklaban was held in a face-to-face setup for the first time in over four (4) years in the University of the Philippines Manila on May 5th. Co-presented by Sison Review Center and in partnership with UP Biochemistry Society, NCSC has managed to gather over nine (9) of participating schools nationwide.
The competition has two (2) major stages: the eliminations and the finals, each having easy, average, and difficult rounds with questions involving the several branches of chemistry. After an entire day of college students defying the odds in the chemical sciences, UP Diliman Team 1 emerged victorious, securing the 1st place while UP Los Baños Team 1 and UP Manila Team 1 brought home the first and second runner-up titles, respectively.
PACSiklaban is heralded as the country’s premiere intercollegiate Chemistry quizbee. Its prestige prompts the participants to undergo training for months as preparation for the big event. It has always been a space for Chemistry students and enthusiasts alike all across the Philippines to showcase their knowledge about the field in the course of demonstrating sportsmanship and genial competition.
This event was made possible by PACS, Inc.
