RESEARCH TITLE DEFENSE

STEM ARO GROUP 4

Members:

Pacomio, Maiia
Orian, Cyrene
Pornasdoro, Renz
Solitario, Angel
Title 1

Investigating the Effectivity of Vermicompost in Farming in Barangay Talipan

Through Growing Mung Beans and Lady’s Fingers

Research Objectives

This research aims to analyse vermicomposts’ effect in plant growth in terms of the crops’

height, weight, amount, quality, and speed of growth in order to identify whether or not it can

serve as a better alternative for Urea, the most common fertilizer used by farmers in the

Philippines and is considered an inorganic fertilizer. To achieve this, the researchers made a

set of three objectives:

● Successfully grow Mung Beans and Lady’s Fingers in three different pots; a pot with

vermicompost, another pot with Urea, and the last pot being the control pot;

● Collect and analyse the data the researchers have observed within the plants to

differentiate the outcome from every pot;

● And lastly, have farmers review the quality of the crops and the efficiency of the

fertilizers used.

Research Gap

Despite vermicomposting being a great candidate as one of the best fertilizers to be used in

the Philippines, only a few farmers have chosen to use this because of the insufficient facts

provided. Most of the related research regarding the said fertilizer’s usefulness and

advantages are relatively few and outdated. Lately, the other papers made about

vermicomposting are more focused on the economic benefits it gives rather than the aid it can

provide in growing plants. Not only that, only a handful of provinces have considered

researching and trying out vermicomposting here in the Philippines, that is why the

researchers have concluded to conduct this research.

Differentiating the Quality of Okra Plants Grown in the Rural and Urban Areas

Research Objectives

This research aims to compare the quality of okra plants cultivated in rural and urban areas by

examining various factors such as growth patterns, nutritional content, and environmental

effects. The research sets the following objectives:

● Assess the growth rate, height, and overall health of okra plants grown in rural and

urban settings over a specified period.

● Analyze the yield of okra plants from both rural and urban locations measuring the

number and size of the pods produced.

● Examine the nutritional content of okra from both environments focusing on factors

such as mineral levels, and overall freshness.

● Investigate the environmental conditions such as soil quality, and water supply that

may affect the growth and quality of okra plants in rural and urban areas.

● Collect and compare feedback from farmers and local communities regarding their

perceptions of the quality and marketability of okra grown in rural versus urban

settings.

Research Gap

Upon further investigation, the available research related to the differences of plant growth in

rural and urban areas are very limited here in the Philippines. On the contrary, there have

been many available literature written about it in other countries. Urbanization reduces the

richness of plant species and presents difficulties for plant growth (de Barros Ruas et al.

2022). Despite the presented facts and the current modernization of this country, research

about this issue has been scarce and not a lot of solutions have been presented, that is why the

researchers considered this topic a great and viable to consider.

Discerning the Effectiveness and Quality of Native Fruits as Alternatives for Sugar

Production

Research objectives

This research aims to explore the viability and impact of using alternative fruits for sugar

production. The study sets the following objectives:

● Find alternative fruits for sugar look at fruits like coconut, date palm, and jackfruit, to

see if they can be used to make sugar;

● Compare nutritional value, check the sugar, vitamins, and minerals in these fruits and

compare them to regular sugar to see if they are healthier;

● Check sustainability and cost, study if using these fruits for sugar is better for the

environment and if it can be done cheaply and on a large scale;

● And finally, understand consumer opinions, ask people if they like the taste, price,

and use of fruit-based sugars to understand how they would accept it in the market.

Research Gap

According to Rellosa et al. (2020) it is possible to make sugar out of chico fruits as an

alternative for sugarcanes and sugar beets. Although it was proven that there are alternatives

for these fruits, the research did not focus on its taste, price, and amount compared to the

commonly used crops to make sugar, but rather on the differences of the ripe and over-ripe

chicos. Therefore there is still a lack of information on whether or not we can find an efficient

substitute for the mass produced sugars to be sold in the market.

Looking into the Impact of Having a Vegetarian Diet on Physical Health and Well-being

on Teenagers and Adults

Research Objectives:

This research aims to analyze the effects of adapting a vegetarian diet on teenagers and adults

in terms of their physical performance. In this research, these three key objectives must be

met:

● Implement a vegetarian diet for a group of participants for a given time, monitoring

and recording their health data before, during and after the diet change;

● Collect and analyze data on the participants weight, energy levels, digestion, and

other relevant health indicators to assess the impact of the vegetarian diet compared to

their previous diet;

● Lastly, gather feedback from participants on their perceived improvements in overall

health and well-being after changing to a vegetarian diet.

Research Gap:

With a very small population of Filipinos being vegetarian, research regarding vegetarianism

is insufficient, especially in terms of its effects on teenagers and adults. Papers connected to

the previously said topic are mostly found abroad, specifically from the continents America

and Europe. That being said their research revolved around observing emotional, behavioural,

and health benefits rather than the physical and everyday performance of a person. This

research is made to help provide more information about vegetarianism in the Philippines and

close the gap in knowledge between this country and the western ones.
Title 5

The Impact of Virtual Assistants on Enhancing Independence for Blind Individuals

Research Objectives

This research aims to assist visually impaired or blind individuals through the usage of

modern technologies. And by these, the researchers aim to weed out inefficient technological

methods or to enhance them, while also finding out and developing ideas of efficient methods

to these problems for the sake of accessibility, individualism and independence for the

individuals who suffer from visual impairment and especially blindness. To achieve these, the

researchers made a set of three objectives:

● Developing a flexible app plug-in for screen readers and typing assistants in using the

internet;

● Developing a GPS tracker for visual guidance;

● Developing or modifying an A.I model assistant for basic commodities made to be

more accessible;

● Putting the app to the test by having a few selected visually impaired people test its

functionality;

● Lastly, having the participants express their thoughts on the final output.

Research Gap

The topic of this research across many other studies suffers from a methodological gap,with

many stiff methods such as the focus on sole visual reading methods, screen readers, and

typing assistants; which are not only limiting, but also inefficient to work with. This study

aims to bridge the gap concerning those problems, mainly by introducing various possible

methods that can assist visually impaired individuals through the usage of flourishing

technology advances and digitalization that have arisen in recent years.