CASS-DELS partners with PUP in productive 4th ELS ResCon

Report by Ellyza Jane Gutierrez and Lexter Kian Pamintuan | Photos by JM Magday and Joaquin Umali

College of Arts and Social Sciences’ (CASS) Department of English Language Studies (DELS) collaborated with Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ (PUP) College of Arts and Letters to present undergraduate research and incite discussions during the 2025 ELS Research Conference last Thursday, May 8, at the Theater Room, Smith Hall Building.

Accommodating both onsite and online participants convening via Zoom, the morning program featured the presentation of five undergraduate studies by 4th-year ELS students from Tarlac State University. This was preceded by a plenary talk by Dr. Isabel Martin, who tackled the historical foundations, conservative tendencies, distinct attributes, and other conventions that define Legal English.

Lily Quinacman and Trisha Dimarucot’s research, “Language Complexity in Disaster Warnings and Response in Camiling, Tarlac,” emerged as the Best Research Paper, remaining centered on the event’s theme “English for Specific Purposes: Navigating Communication Across Professions”

In an interview with the winning student researchers, Quinacman shared the difficulties they faced in their research journey while conveying her gratitude for successfully presenting their research, which also qualified for the 7th Linguistic Society of the Philippines International Conference held last April.

Dimarucot also advised, “Ang research talaga ay stressful at talagang mafu-frustrate ka, pero syempre, sabi ni Dr. Myrel Santiago sa amin, dapat you will not see it as an accomplishment lang, but rather, you should see it as you would love what you do para maging smooth lang yung flow ng paggawa ng thesis.”

Meanwhile, ten undergraduate research presentations from PUP took center stage during the afternoon session, which was followed by Prof. Ramsey Ferrer’s plenary lecture on Aviation English, where he considered its relevance in research, regulatory frameworks, teaching practices, and operational activities within the Philippine setting.

The event, facilitated by the DELS faculty, is an annual Undergraduate Research Conference on English Language Studies that provides a platform to graduating Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies students to present their research and receive evaluation from an external panel of experts in the field.

“Our hearts are full with pride, gratitude, and great anticipation of what lies ahead. It has been a truly engaging experience to witness our students exchange ideas, share insights, and celebrate research excellence,” Department Head Dr. Myrel Santiago expressed in her closing remarks.

Despite technical difficulties brought by the conference’s hybrid set-up, the event was a fruitful collaboration that engaged both students and faculty in insightful discussions revolving around linguistics and culture.