Large Projects of the One Small Step Forward Foundation
World-Class Multimedia Library for Bagumbayan Elementary School
In July 2002, Bing del Rosario started discussions with the principal of Bagumbayan Elementary School in Bagumbayan, Quezon City, Ms. Nitz Pangilinan, to draw up plans for a new library. She found a sizeable percentage of schoolchildren who did not meet the minimum requirements for reading literacy at their grade level and believed that a modest reading room, stocked with sufficient storybooks, would be an effective vehicle to launch her “100% reading literacy” program. As Bing del Rosario worked with Architect Joy Dominguez on the design, the concept evolved, from a modest reading room to a multi-room multi-media fully-fitted-out center that would be a showcase and a model for future library projects in the public elementary school system.
Originally planned to take over the area equivalent to three classrooms, which consisted of 125 square meters, the plans were quickly redrafted to include the corridor space, which added another 32.5 square meters, for a total of 157.5 square meters. The library has a maximum capacity of 125-130 people at any one time. That includes the 52 seats in the main reading room, the 20 seats in the educational game area, the six seats in the computer-audio room, and the 45-55 floor-seating positions possible in the video-story-telling section. The new library, redubbed “Learning Center” was formally inaugurated in July 2003. In its first five years alone, BES’ library facility had been visited by representatives from nearly 40 Quezon City public elementary schools. Through the years, several district and regional level meetings had also been held there.
The Multimedia Learning Center was designed to support eight different “functions”:
General student reading area, with enough tables and chairs to accommodate a large number of simultaneous reader-users, with book shelves in easy reach;
Video screening area, where videos are selected based on grade level and are to be scheduled based on teacher requests;
Computer station room, where all PC programs to be installed would have research (for example, Encarta, Kids Encyclopedia) or reading (for example, Living Books or Walt Disney interactive story books) or skill-building content (for example, keyboard typing speed and accuracy);
Audio section, where well-loved stories are narrated on U.S.-produced audio tapes and audio CDs;
Story-telling section, where volunteer storytellers are invited on regularly-scheduled basis to read Pilipino and English stories to the children;
“Game” area, where a select number of word games (Scrabble) thinking games (for example, Chess, dominoes, Connect Four, Game of the Generals, etc.) and manipulative materials (building blocks, etc.) are permanently assigned;
Crafts and activities area, to be used for crafts see-and-do sessions, such as origami, drawing, sculpture, card tricks, magic, optical illusions, etc.;
Faculty lounge area, with magazines and periodicals where teachers can gather or work, meet or just casually lounge.
Human Factors & Ergonomics Laboratory, UP College of Engineering
In 2006, Bing (IE’76) and Elise (IE’77) sponsored the creation of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Laboratory on the 4th floor of Melchor Hall.
They dedicated this in memory of Bing’s father, Pastor S. del Rosario. In his speech, Bing conveyed to the guests that through this endowment, they are able to show their heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for their UP education. They expressed hope that the laboratory will help the College’s IE students in their pursuit of academic and career excellence. The laboratory is equipped to measure environmental stress in the workplace such as noise, lighting, and vibration levels. It is also equipped with a variety of testing instruments to measure physical work capacities for manual dexterity, strength, range of motion, and reaction time. It has an isolation chamber for experiments on human-computer interaction, usability, and mental workload. Incidentally, this laboratory was designed by another UP alumna, Ms. Anna Ferreria-Guevara (Archi’76). The ergo lab was inaugurated on June 20, 2006, by UP President Emerlinda Roman, Chancellor Sergio Cao, COE Dean Rowena Guevara, and IE&OR Department Chair Dr. Aura Matias.
More recently, the del Rosarios have been helping IE&OR Department Chair Raymond Lagria build a whole new Human Factors and Ergonomics cognitive lab, a counterpart to the physical lab, this time in the new IE-ME Building along Magsaysay Avenue. The equipment purchases, starting 2023 up to 2025, included air-conditioning units, air purifiers, white boards, assorted laptops and tablets, various cabinets, assorted sensors and meters (for light, sound, air quality, temperature, color, heat stress), one-way mirrors, workstations, electric drills, window blinds, soundproofing, and various assembly toy kits. Part of the aid package was to fix up and modernize the 20-year old Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory physical lab as well.
Smart Learning Lab at the Asian Institute of Technology
In November 2019, on its 60th anniversary, AIT launched the Del Rosario Smart Learning Lab, a joint project of One Small Step Forward Foundation, AITAA Philippines Chapter, and AIT Solutions. The project was conceptualized and designed by former AIT President Worsak, President Eden Woo, Dr. Naveed Anwar of AIT Solutions, and ICT Director Prof. Matthew Dailey since 2017. Named after its donors, Mr. Jaime del Rosario (ME CS&IM 80) and Mrs. Elisa Acio-del Rosario (ME IE 79) of AITAA Philippines Chapter and Chairman of One Small Step Forward Foundation, this Smart Learning Lab is a multi-purpose convertible room that can be used for classrooms, training, meetings, and workshops and is open to all users in AIT. It includes valuable equipment for new learning experiences using smart learning technologies. It is also equipped with latest technologies supporting a full wifi-equipped and flexible workspace, multi-user video conferencing, and live pitch with a high quality sound system. The Smart Lab was conceived to interconnect with other learning communities in the different academic centers around the world, especially in China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines. Elise, together with the Philippine Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary to Thailand Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon, cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the facility, attended by a huge crowd that included Filipino alumni.
Then in April 2022, the del Rosarios, again through One Small Step Forward Foundation, donated three million baht (B3,000,0000) or roughly US$100,000 towards the renovation of four Student Village buildings located at Student Village Area 2 and one Full Masters scholarship to any nationality and any programs in the School of Engineering and Technology (SET) for the August 2022 intake.
In his response, President Woon stated that “AIT is upgrading the living facilities for our students so that those who will be using these accommodation facilities will be provided with comfortable living standards which can also attribute towards their academic success. I addition, providing scholarship to academically bright needy students will provide an opportunity for their future careers.” As reported in the April 2022 AIT Newsletter, the AIT President “expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. Jaime and Mrs. Elisa del Rosario for their generosity and continued support to the Institute.”
