Prepared by: Shazirawati Mohd Puzi, Nur Arina Bazilah Aziz & Arifah Bahar
The International Seminar on Mathematics in Industry 2021 (ISMI2021) was organized between 17 and 19 August 2021 by the UTM Center for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (UTM-CIAM) and the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science, UTM in collaboration with MyHIMS Solutions PLT. ISMI2021 was held in conjunction with MYHIMS-C 2021 Virtual Conference and Forum, and colocated with The 5th ISM International Statistical Conference (ISM-V2021). Together with MYHIMS-C 2021, the conference has been upgraded to have better engagement with industry partners.
This three-day event, themed “Mathematical Thinking in Industrial Innovation,” which was hosted via Microsoft Teams platform had brought together more than 100 local and international participants from academia, government agencies, industry, and community to share knowledge, experiences, and research on all aspects of industrial mathematics and statistics.
The highlight of the event was the Academic Plenary Session by Prof. Graeme Wake from Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand that presented how mathematical modelling can be applied in agriculture business that involves a lot of uncertainties. Prof. Graeme Wake delivered a clear plenary talk entitled “Sustainable Farming: Monitoring Catchment Pollution”.
“Stochastic models play an important role in elucidating many areas of the agricultural and ecological sciences which are important and highly valued”, said Prof. Graeme.
ISMI2021 also featured a series of talks given by three prominent mathematicians in MYHIMS-C Special Session: Industrial Mathematics in Asia Pacific and European Region. The speakers shared their experiences in making impactful industrial and applied mathematics in the industry within the region.
The first speaker, Dr. Hilary Ockendon, an Emeritus Professor of OCIAM, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, UK shared her experiences working with researchers around the world through Mathematics Study Groups. She also talked about international collaboration between academia and industry through European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI) and Asia-Pacific Consortium on Mathematics for Industry (APCMfI).
Also presenting were Prof. Osamu Saeki, the Director of the Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI) from Kyushu University, Japan. In his talk, Prof. Osamu presented various collaborative activities of IMI including research in fundamental mathematics, mathematics applied to other disciplines, joint projects with industry, and educational activities.
“To convince the industry expert is not easy, but collecting the concrete real examples are essential to provide good industrial solutions,” answered Prof. Osamu to one of the questions from the audience on how to convince the industry expert to work with the academia.
The third speaker Dr. Busayamas Pimpunchat, Head of Mathematics Department, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand presented her research work on “Forecasting A Distance of Cycling for Health Using a Hybrid GA-SVR Approach”. She ended her presentation by sharing the activities of Mathematics in Industry Thailand Research Group.
ISMI2021 successfully held five parallel sessions which focused on Modelling & Computer Mathematics, Operations Research, Fluid Mechanics & Heat Transfer, Applied Statistics & Stochastic, and Fuzzy & Algebra. Among the presenters were UTM alumni who are currently working for Malaysian Nuclear Agency and BDP International. Besides, the Best Presenter Award had been given to 16 presenters for their impactful work, as well as outstanding and engaging presentations.
Expanding the benefit of the event, ISMI2021 supported the Online Global Classrooms (OGC) initiative to create virtual students exchange coalition. Three OGC programs were registered under ISMI2021 namely Academic Plenary Session, MYHIMS-C Special Session – Industrial Mathematics in Asia Pacific and European Region, and Post-Pandemic Upskilling Forum. These programs drew participants from various university partners, including Andalas University, Kaduna State University, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember.
This exciting and rewarding event has established a multidisciplinary platform that enables the collaboration between researchers, students, and industries in the future.
For more information about ISMI2021, visit its official website at science.utm.my/ismi2021