First Day at Work!

Let me tell you a little bit about the agency I will be assigned to work with throughout the assignment, and then will get into a recap of the first day on the job! Over the course of the next 4 weeks, the 14 IBMers in the group will be working with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). DOST is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the coordination of science and technology-related projects in the Philippines and to formulate projects and policies in the fields of science and technology in support of national development. There are several agencies within DOST, and my small sub-group (consisting of me, Malwina from Poland and Dmitry from Russia) is responsible for working with the Science and Technology Information Institute.

DOST: http://dost.gov.ph

DOST STII: http://www.stii.dost.gov.ph

The project which we have been assigned has to do with a system in place called STARBOOKS which disseminates science and technology information to students across the country…either online or offline via stand alone kiosks which are being deployed in schools and institutes across the country. About 75% of the Philippine population is without internet connection, so it is important to be able to provide these resources to remote areas in an offline capacity. Our job is to determine how to scale this to allow for more kiosks and more users in the future. We have a lot of work cut out for us, but it is definitely an exciting project and something which is providing a great deal of value to students (and teachers) across the country. I can’t wait to get started! We had a very warm welcome in the office today and had an extensive tour of the building as well. And it was a very nice surprise to sit and have a delicious lunch with the Director, consisting of local fruits and a buco pie (baby coconut) which was out of this world. I have a feeling we won’t be eating like this every day at the office, but it was a nice treat! Back to the DOST office tomorrow morning and then we are visiting the local IBM office in the afternoon. It’s been another long day today, so I’m off to bed now so I can wake up and get some face time with the kids in the morning (who I miss very much!).

first day on the jobScience and Technology Information Institute (STII) core values STII Library and mascot “Smarty”Digitizing books (700 pages scanned per day)Office canteenMy team in front of the STARBOOKS kiosksLunch with Director Richard Finished the day with some ramen 😀