DO YOU know what a penroscope is?
It’s a pen-sized compact digital microscope invented by Ceejay Faala, a third-year Bachelor of Education student at Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
What makes it remarkable? It’s crafted entirely from recycled materials — discarded electronics and an empty highlighter pen — essentially, scrap. Despite its simplicity, its output is comparable to that of a scientific microscope.
Ceejay came up with the idea in April last year, driven by a personal struggle: since elementary school, he has had limited access to a real microscope due to financial constraints.
His family isn’t well-off. His father leads a security group, while his mother is a full-time homemaker. Yet, instead of letting hardship hold him back, Ceejay turned his lack of resources into inspiration.
Determined to create something that could benefit students like himself — those from underprivileged backgrounds — he poured his passion and ingenuity into building the penroscope. His vision? That one day, this “creation from the heart” would gain recognition and help future generations in their pursuit of learning.
The Awards
Ten months later, Ceejay’s passion and perseverance in developing the penroscope have paid off.
Hooray! He has been named one of the finalists in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2025.
See?
Established in 2005, the THE Awards series is often dubbed the “Oscars of Education” in Asia, recognizing exceptional student works that showcase innovative learning, groundbreaking inventions, and academic breakthroughs.
And here’s something even more remarkable: CHMSU-Binalbagan Campus is the only school in the Philippines to make it to this year’s list of finalists in the Research Project of the Year: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) category — thanks to Ceejay’s masterpiece.
How did it happen?
CHMSU-Binalbagan submitted Ceejay’s penroscope as an official entry for the international competition, under the study titled “Learning with Innovated Microscope: Addressing Instrument Gap in Biology Class.”
The result? It made it to the finals of the THE Awards 2025.
Impressive, right?
Ceejay’s project now stands alongside entries from eight other finalists, representing top universities from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Türkiye.
The winners will be announced at a prestigious awarding ceremony in Macau on April 22.
Fingers crossed for Ceejay and CHMSU!
Living Testament
I spoke with Ceejay, and he candidly admitted, “I was really shocked. I still can’t believe it.”
The news about his penroscope being named a finalist in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia was relayed to him by his Science professor, Alberto de la Cruz, on January 22.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it. Then, I felt overwhelming joy that an international award body like THE Awards recognized my invention,” he shared.
The penroscope, measuring 9×3 centimeters, is a portmanteau of an empty highlighter pen and a microscope.
Ceejay confessed that his drive to create this recyclable microscope from scrap materials stemmed from both his ingenuity and personal experience — having had limited access to a real microscope from elementary school up to college due to financial constraints.
A native of Barangay Bagroy, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, Ceejay grew up in a humble household, where poverty made scientific resources scarce.
Determined to bridge this gap, he struggled to conceptualize his invention, taking a week to assemble and another two months to refine before finally bringing his penroscope to life.
Now that his work will be showcased on an international stage, Ceejay’s simple wish is for his invention to become accessible and affordable to students like him across the world.
“I am deeply grateful to my mentors, research collaborators, and everyone who believed in me and the vision behind the penroscope,” he expressed.
Negros Occidental 5th District Representative Dino Yulo, who currently supports Ceejay as an academic scholar, hailed him as a living testament that poverty is not a barrier to success, nor to innovation that benefits society.
“Ceejay is proof that hardship, combined with determination, leads to success,” Yulo remarked.
In a show of support, Yulo also vowed to cover Ceejay’s expenses for his trip to the awarding ceremony in Macau.
Recycling
To many, scraps are nothing more than waste.
But when repurposed through recycling, they gain value and meaning — just as Ceejay did in creating his penroscope.
It’s a simple truth: when we throw something away, it doesn’t just disappear — it ends up somewhere.
But when we step back and see the bigger picture, we realize that recycling is the right thing to do.
For this, Ceejay deserves credit — not just for his determination to have the penroscope recognized but for staying true to his passion and vision.
Yet beyond accolades, his invention serves a greater purpose: to give underprivileged students the ability to see the “invisible” — microscopic wonders that could shape their promising, and possibly even groundbreaking, futures.
And for that, Ceejay deserves our gratitude.
To close, let me borrow three simple yet powerful lines — words that, perhaps, encapsulate what truly inspired Ceejay to pursue his dream:
1. “Waste isn’t waste until we waste it.”
2. “Recycle your trash, or trash your Earth.”
3. “Think before you trash.”
In the end, never underestimate the might of scraps./PN
