Pinakabago sa listahan ng National Scientist ang dating presidente ng Uniberidad ng Pilipinas (UP) na si Dr. Emil Javier.
Iginawad ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte kay Javier ang Order of National Scientist sa bisa ng Proclamation No. 781, Huwebes, Agosto 8.
Nakasaad sa proklamasyon ang pagkilala sa mga naging ambag ni Javier sa larangan ng agrikultura.
“The works of Emil Q. Javier, Ph.D., in the field of agriculture, through spearheading the Institute of Plant Breeding which popularized high-yielding crops and disease-resistant varieties in the country and in Asia, evinces his outstanding contributions to the progress of science and technology in the Philippines and the world,” anang proklamasyon.
Binaggit din ang pangunguna ni Javier sa mga kapaki-pakinabang na mga polisiya at programang pang-agrikultura, na nakapagpapabuti ng kabuhayan ng mga Pilipinong magsasaka at mangingisda.
“In the pursuit of his lifelong mission to look after the need of the poor by capitalizing on the resources of modern science, [Javier] played an active role in the efforts to inform the public about the nature of science and its potential to improve people’s access to food and health, and to emphasize the need for high safety standards in both research and production of biotechnological innovations,” saad din ng proklamasyon.
Nanungkulan bilang ika-17 presidente ng UP si Javier mula 1993 hanggang 1999.
Nakapagtapos si Javier ng kanyang bachelor’s degree sa UP Los Baños, master’s degree sa University of Illinois, at doctorate sa Cornell University.
Nagsilbi rin siyang chair ng National Science Development Board, at vice president ng National Academy of Science and Technology.
