Elinor May K. Cruz, 2016 Gawad Chanselor sa Natatanging Research, Extension, and Professional Staff

The Third World Studies Center (TWSC)  is extremely proud of one of its university research associates, Elinor May K. Cruz, for being a recipient of the 2016 Gawad Chanselor sa Natatanging Research, Extension, and Professional Staff. In his nomination for May to the said award, TWSC Director, Dr. Ricardo T. Jose wrote:

Pioneering accurately describes much of May’s research work throughout her young academic career, tackling sensitive issues such as cybersex and toxic cosmetics regulation, marketing, and use without compromising standards of ethical scholarship. May can also be credited with spearheading efforts to ensure the continued viability of the Center’s in-house journal, Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies, as an internationally respected publication, while at the same time providing a venue for early career researchers to publish their research outputs. Furthermore, May’s work in TWSC has helped keep the Center in touch with a global community of scholars. All this she accomplished with the diligence and dedication that, in our university community, one finds only in those whose career advancement can be attributed, by and large, to merit.

. . . . .

May’s achievements go above and beyond what is expected of a university research associate in our university. The consistent “Outstanding” performance rating that she has received for every semester since 2013 does not capture in full her dedication and professionalism that elevated the quality of academic work here at the TWSC and, in turn, in the university. These she has achieved through untiring engagement with the ethical, theoretical, and methodological intricacies of the social sciences as she has also applied her keen mind to systematize executions of research programs and to heighten the effectiveness of our Center’s international network and training and advocacy activities.

When May started at the TWSC, research colleagues immediately noticed her knack for asking probing questions, always wanting to know how things are done in the Center, on how she can make it better, or to surface unexamined assumptions being made to inform research initiatives. This mix of curiosity and candor, diligence and dedication, and a firm grasp for the innovative give us all the reasons to proudly nominate Elinor May K. Cruz for the 2016 Gawad Tsanselor sa Natatanging REPS.

May received her award last 20 May 2016 at the Institute of Biology Auditorium, College of Sciences, UP Diliman: