SDRC Hosts Its First Brown Bag Session at Research Commons
This was the crucial realization voiced by Communication faculty Dr. Cheryll Ruth Soriano toward the end of the Center’s first brown bag session held on March 20 at the Research Commons in Br. Andrew Hall, with Project Management as the topic of discussion. Seconded by fellow speakers Dr. Maria Caridad Tarroja and Dr. Maria Guadalupe Salanga of the Department of Psychology and Ms. Charisse Tan Llorin, project manager of a number of SDRC studies, the recommendation to establish a program to train future researchers in the skill of managing projects and their teams was viewed to be urgent, in the light of the numerous challenges that were commonly faced.
Emceed by Department of Sociology and Behavioral Sciences faculty Dr. Crisanto Regadio, Jr. who together with SDRC research associate Maria Margareth Geluz moderated the session, the discussion was lively and informative, with each of the research leaders speaking from experience in the projects they had headed in their particular fields. The conversation ranged from how they first joined the Center (generally upon invitation from senior researchers who later also became their mentors), to how they collaborated with research partners (which involved identifying expectations and deliverables, and regular communication—particularly when dealing with collaborators from different cultures), to learning the skill of negotiating (by being confident in one’s level of expertise and using it to one’s advantage, and relying on advisory boards whose experience could determine what actions are appropriate), to dealing with daily tasks and issues (such as navigating one’s way across the University’s myriad offices and policies, or ensuring that team members are paid on time even when project tranches are delayed), and ultimately, to staying motivated all throughout (by recognizing a project’s purpose, and being aware that research is an opportunity to apply learned theories and to imbibe new knowledge).
The speakers were also asked about what their most memorable experiences were, each a revelation of the efforts they had invested in the different projects they were involved in. Ms. Tan-Llorin, after years of struggle with the time required to secure a clearance, shared that she would never forget the day a project’s ethics approval arrived, less than a month after submission for review. Dr. Salanga was thankful when a project fund was increased unexpectedly, enabling the team to hire more members to work on the study. Dr. Soriano found the culmination of each project to be fulfilling when she would see all of the contributors and participants gathered together for a launching. Dr. Tarroja acknowledged her first study on the online sexual exploitation and abuse of children as paving the way for conducting a number of other related projects, and it was also rewarding when the project became the basis for establishing the country’s Anti-OSAEC Law.
SDRC Director Dr. Homer Yabut noted that Project Management was selected as the topic for the Center’s first brown bag session (which coincidentally was part of the month-long celebration of its 45th Anniversary), since it is what enables a team to work toward a project’s goals. Moreover it involves all stages of research, from inception and planning through the drafting of a proposal, through implementation up until the study’s dissemination. As seen in the stories of the sessions speakers, he affirmed that while embarking on research is always a gamble, and might inevitably involve some level of distress, the accomplishment of a project that approximates what one originally envisioned is always a fulfilling one.
