The Mathematics Division Research Colloquium unfolded a rich tapestry of mathematical research featuring distinguished speakers—our very own assistant professors Lester Charles Umali and Mark Allien Roble—and keynote speaker Dr. Daniel Onofrei from the University of Houston on November 20, 2023. Each speaker brought a different area of research, collectively illustrating the diverse nature of contemporary mathematical research.

The colloquium was originally planned as a face-to-face event. Due to the national transport strike, the organizers swiftly adapted an online setup, and the colloquium was able to accommodate 107 participants.

Assistant Professor Umali kicked off the series of talks with an introduction of tricoma functions and his intention to unveil applications of these mathematical tools through further explorations with interested collaborators.

Following Assistant Professor Umali was Assistant Professor Mark Allien Roble, who delved into the inverse best approximation property of convex subsets of a real Hilbert space. His results illuminated the mathematical principles governing the behavior of convex sets through an examination of their geometric interpretations. The audience gained profound insights into the defining properties of these mathematical constructs.

The triad of presentations concluded with Dr. Daniel Onofrei. In the first part of his presentation, he discussed an ongoing joint project with Dr. Neil Jerome Egarguin, which is about active control of sound and electromagnetic waves. This entails describing an active source capable of generating specific fields in predetermined regions of space. The latter half of his presentation serves as an invitation for Filipino students to pursue the University of Houston’s PhD Math program. Recent graduates of the said program are IMSP’s Dr. Egarguin, Dr. Mark Jayson Cortez, and Dr. Jeric Alcala. Dr. Onofrei provided valuable insights into ongoing mathematical research at the university, emphasizing the numerous opportunities for collaboration leading to both personal and professional growth.

A common thread woven through each presentation was the speakers’ shared encouragement for attendees to get involved with their areas of research. It is the Institute's hope that this call resonated with aspiring mathematicians from IMSP and beyond.

(JD Palacio)