2019.01.22. Bangkok Adventures Part 3: The ICAPM 2019 Conference Proper

(Currently: Tired.) 

The second day of the International Conference on Applied Physics and Mathematics (ICAPM) 2019 features presentations from scientists and engineers from various countries and research backgrounds. Our team, mostly from the De La Salle University - Manila, will be giving three talks in different parallel sessions. 

Needless to say, we’re ready.

Game face ON!

The plenary talks in the morning covered topics from theoretical and applied mathematics to engineering and other industry applications.  The ICAPM 2019 is jointly being conducted with the International Conference on Mechatronics and Manufacturing (ICMM), so the topics presented actually span a very wide range of scientific and engineering fields.

Prof. Yoshihiko Uematsu from Gifu University, Japan discusses the material characterization techniques he developed.

Prof. Naoyuki Ishimura from Chuo University, Japan presented a talk on copulas in discrete and continuous processes.

I actually asked a few questions, particularly on the presentation regarding the creation of a stabilizing control system for a machine that creates metal sheets. The thing is, when metal sheets are created, the speed of the process usually results in dangerous situations, as the tips of the sheets tend to get fractured and flies in all directions. They created a feedback system to stop the machine before it gets to the very tip of the metal sheet. The products have thicker tips, but the possible economic losses due to the stoppage is still more manageable and acceptable than the possible loss of lives and destruction of property due to the flying metal shards. 

Assoc. Prof. Vadim Rashitovich Gasiyarov from the South Ural State University (National Research University), Russia discusses the feedback system they created for the machines that create metal sheets.

After the plenary sessions, we attended the parallel sessions. We sat in the front, and asked quite a lot of questions. At first I thought that the shyness to ask questions in a discussion room is distinctly Filipino (I experience this almost daily in my classes). But during the conference sessions, other researchers are also not really asking that much questions, especially in fields that are very far from their own areas of research expertise. Most of the time, the moderator looks at us to start asking the questions! 😅 

We generated discussions in topics ranging from facial masks to luminescent phosphor devices for industrial applications. We even had discussions with some of the authors during breaktime, over coffee. 

But when the parallel sessions of my kids started, I quickly turned into paparazzi mode. 

Mich and Cams are in the same session, and they joined researchers from Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Qatar in discussing computational topics in physics and engineering. My kids did really well! Literally eveyone in the room asked questions during Mich’s presentation. They really appreciated the topic, and even suggested other approaches to pursue. Moreover, Cams also gave a very nice presentation that had even the moderator interested in visiting the Philippines (again). She went on to win the Excellent Oral Presentation award! 😃

After the session, the other participants from India requested to have a picture with us. They recommended the use of more network techniques for characterizing the road network of Manila. With their background in electronics engineering, they also use these techniques in characterizing circuit networks. They recommended we use these techniques as well. 

With our newfound friends from the Conference.

Nessa, on the other hand, is from a different session. Shortly after Mich and Cams presented their works, I went downstairs to catch Nessa’s presentation as well. Good thing they did have some technical problems, so I was able to catch the entirety of her presentation. She also presented really really well, and she received positive feedback for her work. 

Nessa starting her presentation.

[Aside from taking pictures, I actually have the videos of all their presentations. I would have wanted to place the videos here, but my students cringe everytime they see themselves, so I just gave them the digital copies of their presentations. 😂]

In general, I would consider this participation in the ICAPM 2019 as a success for all of us. This is a first for Cams, and she won a major award! Mich and Nessa also enjoyed the experience, and they got recommendations and feedback from their peers. We hope to be able to join the next series of the Conference next year. ■