Science and She is
an online campaign of the International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and its network of Biotechnology Information
Centers which aims to empower women in science. Scientists and science
communicators tell their stories and aspirations for science and society
with the hope that the stories will help bridge the gap between science and the
public.
For one week, a female scientist or science communicator serves
as the curator of the Science and She social media pages on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram. One of the previous curators
was Dr. Maria Monina Cecilia Q. Arcelo-Villena, former Special Projects
Coordinator & Network Administrator of the Southeast Asian Regional Center
for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture Biotechnology Information Center
or SEARCA BIC (February 2014 to June 2018). While still
working on the objectives of the BIC, Dr. Villena eventually took a bigger
role as head of SEARCA's Knowledge Management Department. As Head, she leads
the implementation of KMD's projects geared towards the promotion of a learning
culture, knowledge creation, and knowledge sharing and use among key actors in
agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia.
A graduate of BS Development Communication from the College of
Development Communication, University of the Philippines Los Baños, she also
completed MA in Communication Research, and PhD in Communication from
the College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines, Diliman.
According to Dr. Villena, doing development communication work has always been
her dream because it allows people to construct reality using different lenses.
“Destiny is not by chance. It is a choice. I chose to study communication
because I want to tell stories and influence people. Communicating science
enables me to change the existing narrative and touch people's lives,” Dr.
Villena shares.
She has 26 years of work experience in editorial and market research
from the private sector and specializes in public relations, public advocacy,
and knowledge management. She’s also an expert in the fields of science
communication (biotechnology, climate change, and food security and nutrition),
message framing, message priming, and information and communications
technology. She said that science communication is difficult when done in an
environment where there is a low appreciation for science. But when people
begin to listen that's when all efforts are made worthwhile.
Dr. Villena's work on biotech communication began at ISAAA as a
Communication Specialist when she joined the team of Dr. Mariechel Navarro and
Dr. Napoleon Juanillo who conducted stakeholder perception studies on
understanding and attitude towards biotechnology in five countries in Southeast
Asia. Later on, Dr. Villena joined Dr. Navarro as one of the science writers
for the Crop Biotech Update.
From 2004 to 2012, she held several positions in the private sector,
particularly at Global Sources (Ediserve Advertising & Exhibitions). Global
Sources is one of the leading business-to-business media companies worldwide
and primarily facilitates trade with Greater China. As a senior member of the
editorial department, Dr. Villena developed and implemented editorial strategies
that facilitated global trade through multimedia platforms.
The call for science communication came in again in March 2014 when
Dr. Villena started to lead the SEARCA BIC. Through her leadership, the BIC has
penetrated the legislative and judicial branches of government and initiated
engagements with key personalities to bring forward the biotech dialogue in the
country. The BIC was also able to reach out to farmers, consumers, and other
key stakeholders to inform them through public briefings on the new biotech and
biosafety regulations in the Philippines. This was mainly through Dr. Villena’s initiative,
with the hope to lead the Filipinos to make informed choices involving
biotechnology. Dr. Villena also led the introduction of biotech in social media
with SEARCA BIC's Know The Science project. Know The Science uses
multi-platform campaigns to educate the Filipino public about biotech crops and technology by understanding the science behind them. Through this project,
Dr. Villena promoted the creation of biotech champions from different
stakeholders.
On June 29, 2019, Dr. Villena passed away at the age of 48, but her
contributions to science communication live on, inspiring more women in
science to press on to make science and communication a powerful combination
towards the upliftment of lives and sustainable national development.
