Did You Know? There's a Minor Planet Named After a Filipina Science Teacher

Filipino achievements have reached many corners of the world—and, in one case, the asteroid belt. Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter is 13241 Biyo, a minor planet named after award-winning Filipina science teacher Dr. Josette Biyo. 

The minor planet’s naming traced back to a recognition that introduced the Filipina educator's work to an international audience, which eventually earned her a place on the astronomical map.

Born in Janiuay, Iloilo, Dr. Josette Biyo earned a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. She had originally planned to pursue medicine, according to the De La Salle Alumni Association, but instead took a teaching post that would shape the rest of her career. She later earned both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Biology from De La Salle University, where her doctoral research focused on seagrass communities in Guimaras.

Dr. Biyo spent the first eight years of her teaching career in a rural high school in Iloilo. According to The Manila Times, limited facilities encouraged her to develop creative, research-driven ways of teaching science, which she continued to refine after joining the Philippine Science High School–Western Visayas Campus in 1995.

Outside the classroom, she organized training programs for fellow science teachers across Panay and later shared her teaching philosophy with educators in countries including Laos and Cambodia, according to the De La Salle Alumni Association.

Her work gained international attention in 2002, when she won the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Excellence in Teaching Award. According to The Philippine Star, she became the first Asian recipient of the distinction, selected from thousands of educators around the world. The award recognized teachers who encourage inquiry and inspire students to pursue scientific research.

The recognition came with a teaching grant, a cash prize, a high-performance computer, and a trip to the international science fair. It also set in motion the events that would eventually give 13241 Biyo its name. 

Following her Intel ISEF win, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory named a newly cataloged minor planet in her honor as part of its educational initiative recognizing outstanding teachers. Previously known by its numerical designation, 13241 Biyo officially became the celestial namesake of the Filipina educator.

In a letter quoted by The Philippine Star, Dr. Grant Stokes, manager of the laboratory's Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program at that time, invited Dr. Biyo to “enjoy the distinct honor of having a minor planet named after you.”

Despite its nickname, Planet Biyo is technically a main-belt asteroid, located between Mars and Jupiter. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it completes one orbit around the Sun approximately every 3.4 years and measures an estimated 3.5 to 7.9 kilometers in diameter. NASA also classifies it as neither a near-Earth object nor a potentially hazardous asteroid because its orbit remains well away from Earth.

For Dr. Biyo, the recognition was also an opportunity to shine a light on Filipino educators. “Filipino teachers can be world-class teachers. It all starts with the passion and commitment we dedicate to teaching,” she said, as quoted by The Philippine Star.