Spearheaded by the OVCSA EMPOWER Committee and the UPLB Office of Scholarships and Grants, a workshop entitled EMPOWER Workshop: Seeding Strategies towards STEM Education was conducted last 13 February 2023 at the Makiling Ballroom Hall, SU Building as part of the initial planning for the implementation of “EMPOWER (Establishing a Meyerhoff SP-like Program through Organized Workplan and Effective Relations): Replicating inclusive STEM excellence in UPLB Scholarship Program.”

Present in the event are the members of the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE) headed by their President Dr. Mario Sto Domingo, who also served as the event speaker, Dr. Gladys Completo  (PAASE Vice-President), Dr. Felino Lansigan (PAASE BOD Chair), Dr. Casiana Vera Cruz (PAASE REC 4 Co-chair), and the members of the EMPOWER Committee, OSG Director and EMPOWER Committee Chair Dr. Ariel L. Babierra, LRC Director and EMPOWER Committee Co-Chair Asst. Prof. John Mervin L. Embate, EMPOWER Committee members OCG Director Asst. Prof. Jea Agnes T. Buera, RECOMMIT Coordinator Marcelina C. Miranda, LRC University Research Associate II Joshua Michael G. Jonas, PGS-OSG coordinator Ivy Mary U. Selarde, OVCSA staff Pauline Kate L. Santiago, and OSG staff Louise Joymee D. Esteban. Additionally, the event was attended by several representatives from various OVCSA offices.

Through this workshop, the committee was able to seed the initial planning stages for recruitment, implementation, and evaluation of the said scholarship program.