The Mathematics program at UNAIR has four Expertise Groups (KBK), namely: Algebra, Analysis, Operations Research and Computation (ORC), and Systems Modeling (SM). During their studies, students are guided to choose a specialization that aligns with their interests and talents. This choice influences the elective courses they need to take and the topics for their final research project. There is an imbalance in the number of students interested in each specialization. Students tend to prefer applied mathematics fields, such as ORC and SM, over pure mathematics fields like Algebra and Analysis. This disparity arises from the perception that pure mathematics is abstract and difficult to understand, unlike applied mathematics, which is directly linked to real-world problems and thus easier to grasp.
To address this issue, the UNAIR Mathematics program initiated the “Mathematics Talk” event, which was held on Thursday, July 29, 2021. The event aimed to introduce students to the interesting aspects of Mathematics, particularly Pure Mathematics. The talk began with an opening remark from Dr. Herry Suprajitno, M.Si, the Head of the Mathematics Program at UNAIR, followed by a brief presentation on the applications of Mathematics. One of the speakers, Ray Novita Yasa, S.Si., M.Si, a lecturer at the Polytechnic of Cyber and State Code, discussed this topic.
Ray highlighted a field of Mathematics that plays a crucial role in national security, especially concerning digital data: Cryptology. Cryptology encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis. Cryptography involves encrypting plaintext using an encryption key, transforming it into ciphertext, which is unreadable without a decryption key. Cryptanalysis, on the other hand, is the technique of deciphering encoded data. Studying this field requires a strong understanding of Mathematics, including Basic Mathematics, Basic Statistics, Elementary Linear Algebra, Number Theory, Discrete Mathematics, Probability Theory, Matrix Theory, Algebraic Structures 1 and 2, Computational Mathematics, and Coding Theory. One application of cryptography can be seen in digital signatures.
Other materials presented at the Mathematics Talk were related to the various specializations within the Mathematics program. Unlike the previous topic, these materials were shared by UNAIR Mathematics alumni: Inneke from ORC, Farrel from SM, and Ratna from Algebra. The Analysis specialization was represented by Annisa, a lecturer at the Kalimantan Institute of Technology (ITK) and an alumnus of Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS). They discussed their motivations for choosing their specializations, their experiences in writing their theses, and how their chosen fields influenced their post-campus lives. Generally, they agreed that the type of specialization they chose in college did not significantly impact their careers. The valuable lessons learned during their studies, such as problem analysis and systematic thinking skills, were highly beneficial in their professional lives.
The event was lively, with many questions from participants who were mostly uncertain about choosing a specialization within the Mathematics program. Through this event, they gained insights into each specialization, helping them make informed decisions. The event, moderated by Nashrul Millah, a lecturer in the Mathematics program at UNAIR, concluded with a presentation on research facilities provided by UNAIR through the Institute of Innovation, Journal Development, Publishing, and Intellectual Property Rights (LIPJPHKI), and the promotion of journal and paper databases as references for students in selecting research topics in each specialization. The recording of this event is available on the Mathematics UNAIR Official YouTube channel at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NyL8uFRLE4&t=5434s.
