Clay reefs for coral, ink for art: a Mindanao university puts its inventions on show

At the 2026 Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Week in Davao City, one university's stand told two stories about making things from what's at hand. Davao Oriental State University in the Philippines showcased its Artificial Clay Reef project, developed with rrreefs: modular structures made of clay, designed to give coral a foothold and rebuild damaged reef — researchers Rheacin Polestico, Lorjie Bation and Ross Vincent Loguinsa explained the technology and ran 'Reef Missions', an interactive game teaching visitors how coral ecosystems work. Alongside it, the university's D-Dagta project presented natural art dyes made from squid ink, annatto, turmeric and other renewable local materials, with framed artworks by Eliza Dave U. Bakiao, Mykha B. Pandalili and Dr Wilanfranco C. Tayone. The expo, organised by the Department of Science and Technology's regional office, centred on sustainable development and climate resilience. Neither invention is a world-first headline — and that is rather the point: a regional university, solving regional problems with regional materials, in public.

SDG 14 · Life below water — Mechanism: tech innovation