From mathematics to engineering

During my undergraduate years and a one-semester “side quest” for a master’s degree in mathematics, I was obviously doing math. Now that I shifted out to engineering, I’m still doing math! So what’s the difference? And what is the fundamental similarity?

Math courses deal mostly with the analysis and construction of abstract theories. We spent most of our time proving theorems and extracting theoretical properties of math objects. Engineering, at least based from my two-month immersion with the field, deals with the use of these theories to solve real-world problems. Thus, math deals with theory and engineering with applications. Of course, these are not mutually exclusive and each field can contribute to the other.

Despite this difference, both fields essentially deal with the art of problem solving. And so my transition from math to engineering hasn’t been really difficult, perhaps just a shift of priority from theory to applications.

The rules of the game haven’t really changed at all.

OR graduate study begins

Last November, I finally made the move from the Ateneo to U.P. Diliman to pursue my master’s degree in operations research. This course is actually offered by both the Mathematics and the Engineering department but I opted for the latter due its applied bent.

And so I set off studying my chosen field of specialization, something that will define me. It’s going to take a long time, as I expect myself to graduate in March 2009. I must start from the very bottom, beginning with the basic concepts of linear programming and tread the path up to the cutting-edge techniques of stochastic optimization.

Right now, I have little idea how its techniques are being applied, but I do know what this powerful field can do. I believe it’s going to be worth the effort.

Maricris is cute

I usually don’t want much T.V. as I find it somewhat a waste of time. But I do watch regularly some local comedy shows, one of which is Bitoy’s Funniest Videos.

I usually turn off the T.V. after this show. But I left it open one time as it seemed that I had nothing better to do. The next show is Pinoy Pop Superstar, a singing competition, now on its third season.

In that episode, the defending champion, Maricris Garcia, caught my attention. I usually find talented local singers, like Nina and Kyla, to be cute. With Maricris’ talent, she has a good chance of winning the title.

What is Operations Research?

A collection of links describing what OR is all about:

• Wikipedia

an interdisciplinary science which deploys scientific methods like mathematical modeling, statistics, and algorithms to decision making in complex real world problems which are concerned with coordination and execution of the operations within an organization

• Princeton OR department (elegantly said, in my opinion)

a discipline dedicated to solving the problems arising from the complexity of the human society, from the activities and aspirations of the human beings… our problems do not originate in physics or chemistry…[but] from economics and history… the only tools we have at our command are derived from mathematics, in fact, the mathematics of the last 50 years

• MAA Online article

An exciting area of applied mathematics called Operations Research combines mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, engineering, economics, and social sciences to solve real-world business problems.

• Michael Trick’s OR blog (a comprehensive OR resource)

Why Operations Research?

My statistics professor once said that among all the college math subjects we had to endure, only statistics and operations research are very applicable, at least in the corporate world. “Of course, she’s biased in favor of statistics,” I thought. But the second phrase barely registered in my mind. OR courses were only taken as an elective, and since my interests back then were Mathematical Finance and Actuarial Science, I didn’t bother to take up an OR elective.

Investing on a mutual fund

I was recently invited by Absolute Traders to attend a seminar on technical analysis of the stock market. Of course, I was eager to attend but I haven’t yet saved enough money for both the seminar and for buying stocks. Right now, I have to limit myself with mutual funds.

According to the ICAP website, the leading funds, as of August 18, 2006, are

1. First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund
2. PhilEquity Fund

Which fund should I choose? First Metro leads the game but is relatively new and therefore riskier. However, it’s backed by Metrobank, one of the largest banks in the country, which is definitely a plus. PhilEquity comes in second but has a proven performance based from the 5-year return.

Instead of speculating which of these two will eventually get ahead, the solution is to simply diversify investments over these funds. In this way, the performance drop of one fund may be offset by the other fund.

Time to get serious

I admit I’ve been a bit of a laggard this past few weeks. This is partly due to a number of class suspensions because of bad weather and also because of the lack of structure in my current schedule. I’m just taking one graduate course this semester. I would have taken another subject if it were not for the terrible schedule that would ensue (about an 8-hour interval between the two subjects).

Still, the subject that I’m currently taking, Advanced Probability and Martingales, is not easy. I’d say it’s at par with Advanced Calculus, arguably the most difficult undergraduate math course. The mathematical maturity of the student will be developed and tested with courses such as this. This is indeed my case.

Right now, I’m having some trouble understanding and appreciating the course. Online notes such as the MIT equivalent of this course do offer some help. The official textbook is a bit too concise, quite difficult for self-study (I do see the enthusiasm of the author with the style of the book, so this encourages me to plod through the concepts). Still, it may be the case that I’m not just giving an all-out effort.

Therefore, I’m resolving to study hard for this subject, an average of at least two hours per day. Probability is one of my favorite subjects in math, and although my focus is on the applications, I’ll struggle with the foundations. I’ll attempt to see the elegance in the abstraction.

Books paradise

Reading books is a relatively new hobby for me. I only got interested after I graduated from college, in between applying for a job. Some of my favorites include the Da Vinci Code and The Alchemist. Of course, I have only read a few so it’s quite easy to select a favorite.

One problem with books, especially with hard-bound or imported ones, is the price. Imagine if I can read one good book per month which costs Php 500, this will total to Php 6000 per year. Is there an alternative? Fortunately for me, the answer is yes. I do hope that this is also applicable to other universities.

The Ateneo Rizal Library grants access to its vast collection of references to its alumni. This is accomplished by applying for an alumni card which amounts to Php 500 yearly. By depositing Php 600 per book (which can be refunded after returning the book), the library allows for borrowing privileges.

You may think that a library houses only technical references or academic materials but this is not true. Some books available in the library include:

• The Elegant Universe, a popular science book on the physics theory of everything
• my favorite books, the Da Vinci Code and The Alchemist, are also available
• The Chronicles of Narnia, a fantasy novel, I haven’t watched the movie nor read the books. I’m wondering why some of my colleagues got hooked in it.
• technical reference: Operations Research Applications and Algorithms, an excellent and comprehensive overview of O.R. techniques. I’m not yet out of my mind to buy this tome which costs a whopping Php 8,655.

As you can see, there’s a good breadth of categories available. For only Php 500 plus an additional Php 600 per book per year, I think it’s a cost-effective solution. Also, now that I’m applying at U.P. Diliman to continue my graduate study, I can still borrow from the Ateneo library. Now, that’s cool!

Undergraduate Lesson #5: Have a purpose – Know why you’re doing what you’re doing

This is the last part of this series of lessons. I initially settled to create a list of seven lessons I learned during my college life but somehow I could not complete it. I got stuck after Lesson #2 and so I wasn’t able to write on this series until now. Still, this series has to be completed.

Why did I work on this series? As a newbie blogger, this is my first attempt to write a sequence of posts, rather than unconnected ones. Also, I wanted to compile a short list of lessons, not necessarily new but personalized, which may be both relevant to me and you. In fact, this is simply a realization of the purpose I set for this blog.

Doing what’s necessary seems to be a laudable act, but it has to be guided by a purpose, otherwise it only becomes a drudgery. Having a purpose gives direction to what you’re doing. It may be an ideal, something which can never be completed. Nevertheless, it’s still something worthy to strive for.

Thank you for reading this list. As always, comments are most welcome. This series is now officially closed but there are still new lessons which need to be learned…

Go back to index: Reflections on my Undergraduate Years

Undergraduate Lesson #4: Take advantage of an OJT or an exchange program

It was summer of my junior year. I was happily blasting away with my newly bought Gamecube console system. During that period, some undergraduates were taking an on-the-job training, perhaps to get a first taste of the “real world” or simply to have something to add in their resumes. “What a waste of time!” I thought so.

It is I who in fact wasted time in front of the TV. Joining an OJT is an important aspect of college life, an opportunity to apply what we learned so far and also to learn by actually doing and not just reading from textbooks. It enables us to know what we need to know when we begin the real work.

More importantly, it’s also an experience, an opening to a world of possibilities. In my case, I didn’t take an OJT so my first work experience was my first job at a startup software company. I soon realized that I should have learned some important technical skills. I stayed there on full-time (I still work there on a part-time basis) for 18 months before deciding to pursue my master’s degree.

My work there convinced me that an advanced degree is a necessity. I now consider my 18-month stint there to a significant part of my life.

Go back to index: Reflections on my Undergraduate Years