Mariano Marcos
State University

Indonesian professor engages MMSU students on math modeling

By Rogelyn Charity Madrid and Crisdeniele Clemente

Junior and senior Mathematics students listened intently as Prof. Moch Abdillah Nafis, a faculty member of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), delivered his lecture on Neural Networks as a Framework for Mathematical Modeling on February 11 at MMSU College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). 
 

Prof. Nafis earlier met with Vice President for Academic Affairs Aris Reynold Cajigal, CAS Dean Marlina Lino, International Mobility Chief Quincy Savellano, and faculty members of the CAS Mathematics Department to discuss possible partnerships of the two universities. 
 

The lecture centered on neural networks' functions and optimization techniques. Neural networks are machine learning models that mimic the complex functions of the human brain. These models consist of interconnected neurons that process data, learn patterns, and enable tasks such as pattern recognition and decision-making.  
 

Roldan Jed Pugal, who attended the lecture, shared that he was able to recall topics in their Mathematics class and even gain new learnings that will benefit his thesis paper. 
 

“Since we took our Mathematical Modeling class in our third year, I expected the topic to be familiar. However, neural networks were not something I was fully acquainted with, so this lecture became an opportunity to gain new knowledge. The topics are connected to our Modeling class, and we will also need them for our thesis,” Pugal shared. 
 

The Indonesian professor was accompanied by Mr. Edbert Fernando, an Applied Statistics professional. Mr. Fernando joined Prof. Michelle Reynera of the CAS Mathematics Department in her Algebra class.
 

They are also set to participate in cooking classes with hospitality management students, and take part in seminar workshops and cultural immersion activities in Ilocos Norte. 
 

This visit continues MMSU and ITS’s history of academic collaboration, especially through international student mobility programs.