Dr. Jillian Aira Gabo-Ratio, Mr. John Kenneth Badillo, and Mr. Glenn Y. Vallespin participated in the 2026 Networked Exchange, United Strength for Stronger Partnerships between Japan and ASEAN (NEXUS) Program from June 2 to 15, 2026, hosted by Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan.
Supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the program aimed to foster scientific collaboration and address key challenges in securing critical mineral resources vital for green technologies and sustainable development. RWG researchers joined fellow participants from institutions across Cambodia, Thailand, and Japan.
Over the course of the two-week initiative, Mr. Badillo and Mr. Vallespin engaged in intensive laboratory work. At Kyushu University’s Department of Earth Resources Engineering laboratories, the delegation conducted sample preparation and performed advanced analytical techniques, including X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis.
Part of the program required student participants to present their research initiatives. Mr. Vallespin shared his undergraduate work on the crustal framework of Samar Island deduced from gravity and magnetic data. Mr. Badillo explained his ongoing doctoral research on the pressure-temperature-deformation of Philippine metamorphic rocks.
Their active participation highlights RWG's continued commitment to advancing fundamental geoscience research, expanding professional networks, and fostering meaningful international academic collaboration across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond for future generations of young Filipino geoscientists and researchers in the field.