Neuroscience master's student and Biology graduate with experience in cellular and molecular techniques; data science and analytics; communication and publishing. Research interests include signal transduction, neurophysiology (synapses and circuits), and cancer (tumor plasticity).
Education
MSc/PhD Neuroscience (2022 – Present)
University of Göttingen (DE)
- Supported by a stipend from the International Max Planck Research School
Bachelor of Science in Biology (2017 – 2021)
De La Salle University - Manila (PH)
- Top 10% of graduating class with cumulative GPA of 3.787/4.0
- First Dean's List (GPA >3.6) for eight terms
Senior High School Diploma (2012 – 2017)
St. Stephen's High School (PH)
- Batch Salutatorian (2nd out of 140 students) with final year average of 96.53
- Graduated with High Honors for STEM (grades of science subjects >95)
Work and Extracurricular Experience
GradMAP Philippines
Director for Partnerships, (Apr. 2023 – Present)
Volunteer Mentor, (Aug. 2022 – Present)
- Establishes collaborations with academic institutions and professional organizations to increase Filipinos' access to STEM and graduate school opportunties
- Provides one-on-one mentorship and delivers talks about graduate school to support Filipino students aspiring to pursue STEM careers
DLSU Advanced Research Institute for Informatics, Computing and Networking
Project Assistant, (Jul. 2021 – Sep. 2022)
- Built and maintains website for DOST-funded project on ‘Diachronic representation and linguistic study of Filipino word senses across social and digital media contexts’
- Produces multimedia content—including features, social media posts, and videos—on natural language processing and network science techniques, and their applications in analyzing social media trends and linguistics
Wildtype Media Group
Freelance Writer, (Apr. 2022 – Present)
Staff Writer, (Apr. 2021 – Apr. 2022)
- Contributes, edits and steers content direction for client projects and flagship publication Asian Scientist Magazine, from research briefs to infographics to topical deep-dives
- Covers advances in research and innovation across Asia, spanning diverse fields including cancer biology, precision medicine, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, sustainability
National Medical Admission Test Review
Instructor/Tutor (Self-employed), (Dec. 2020 – May 2021)
- Delivered online lectures on biology (physiology, genetics, cell biology, ecology), biochemistry, psychology, sociology, and verbal reasoning
- Built a virtual platform with over 100 sample questions to assess students' learning
Project Insight
Content Manager, (Jul. 2020 – Oct. 2020)
- Coordinated with global experts and created discussion points for webinars on science, social science, business, and humanities topics
- Grew social media presence through publicity materials and partnerships with local and overseas organizations, reaching 23,000+ total engagements
The LaSallian
Editor in Chief/Associate Editor, (Sep. 2019 – Oct. 2020)
Menagerie Staffer, (Jun. 2018 – Aug. 2019)
- Edited over 300 articles for release in 10 monthly print issues and online publication, covering science, sports, society and culture
- Streamlined workflows by introducing consolidated trackers for event coverage schedules and article development timelines
- Led human resource training through hosting workshops and consultation sessions, establishing feedback channels, and developing manuals
- Represented the publication for external relations with school organizations and administrators, mainstream Philippine media, and public offices
Research
- Labortatory internships during master's program
- Characterized short-term plasticity and vesicular release properties of barrel cortex synapses (Carter Lab / Synaptic Physiology and Plasticity Group / European Neuroscience Institute)
- Investigated tau pathology and behavioral impairments in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model (Nave Lab / Neurogenetics Department / Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences)
- [Conference Poster] Sasmita AO, Ong EC, Nazarenko T, Depp C, Nave K-A. Transgenic inheritance pattern modulates plaque burden in the 5xFAD model of Alzheimer's disease. Encephalon; 2023 Dec 7; Göttingen, DE.
- [Conference Poster] Sasmita AO, Nazarenko T, Sun T, Yu X, Siems S, Ong EC, …, Depp C, Nave K-A. Oligodendrocytes contribute to Aβ plaque burden primarily derived from excitatory neurons in vivo. European Meeting on Glial Cells in Health and Disease; 2023 Jul 8-11; Berlin, DE.
- [In revision] Sasmita AO, Depp C, Nazarenko T, Sun T, Siems S, Yu X, Boehler C, Ong EC, …, Nave K-A. Oligodendrocytes and neurons contribute to amyloid-β deposition in Alzheimer's disease. bioRxiv; 2023.
- Ong EC, Co CJ, Mulingbayan IM. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Citrus microcarpa (Calamansi) juice and essential oil on small cell lung carcinoma, acute monocytic leukemia and colon adenocarcinoma cell lines [bachelor's thesis]. 2020.
- Presented and won second place (out of six finalists) at the Metro Manila Health Research and Development Consortium International Symposium and Annual Scientific Conference – Oral Paper Competition (September 25, 2021)
- Ong EC, Cabansag HB, Sacolles HS. Formative assessments as scaffolds in increasing Mathematics achievement of Grade 11 students. In: Proceedings of the DLSU Research Congress, vol 4; 2016 Mar 7-9; Manila. Manila (PH): De La Salle University.ONG et al (2016)_Formative assessments.pdf
Skills
Scientific Techniques
- Cell culture revival and maintenance
- Cell viability assays
- Genotoxicity assays
- Patch clamp electrophysiology
- Fluorescence microscopy
- PCR
- Immunostaining
Media & Communication
- Academic writing
- Journalistic writing (human interest, science, sports)
- Editing and proofreading
- Digital and print publishing
- Social media management
- Video editing
Languages
English
Bilingual Fluency (TOEFL iBT: 118)
Filipino
Bilingual Fluency
Mandarin Chinese
Intermediate Proficiency
Further Training
Fundamentals of Neuroscience: Neurons and Networks (2021)
Harvard University (edX)
Cell Biology: Signaling (2021)
Audited Course
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (edX)
Data Science — COVID Edition (2020)
Prof. Jennifer Widom’s Instructional Odyssey (Stanford)
Primary Health Care, Universal Health Care, and a Pandemic (2020)
Philippine Council for Health Research and Development
Speaking Engagements
Sci Com for Science Literacy and Social Change
Tik Talks: Communication and Citizenship through Science, DLSU Societas Vitae (April 29, 2022)
- Highlighted the importance of science communication in bridging researchers with the broader community, advancing the local R&D ecosystem, and contributing to social change
Science Communication: From Research to Reaching Out
SkillsQuest: Communicating Your Research, SIDHI Mentorship (May 22, 2022)
- Discussed the fundamentals of communicating research beyond the scientific sphere, the state of science communication in the Philippines, and my career experiences as a science writer