By Tajudeen Babamale
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, has received a Mathematics Professor from Texas A&M University-Central Texas, USA, Prof. Christopher Thron, to the institution.
Prof. Thron was led to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office by the Dean of Physical Sciences, Prof. Olabisi Adekeye, who explained that the visiting scholar was at the Department of Mathematics to facilitate a workshop on machine learning and deep learning with Python.
While welcoming the visiting scholar to the University, the Vice-Chancellor commended Prof. Thron for his commitment to knowledge sharing and expressed the interest of the University in expanding its collaboration with the University of Texas.
He acknowledged the dedication of the workshop participants and stressed the need to sustain such engagements beyond the laboratory setting. He also encouraged the Department of Mathematics to explore virtual opportunities for the workshop on a regular basis to bridge any gaps that might arise outside physical interactions.
Prof. Egbewole, who explained the significance of trans disciplinary research, noted the willingness of the University to extend such collaborations to other Faculties and disciplines in partnership with the University of Texas. He reaffirmed the commitment of the University of Ilorin to ensuring international partnerships that promote interdisciplinary research, innovation, and capacity building among staff and students.
Earlier in his remarks, Prof. Thron commended the diligence and focus of the participants, noting that while there remains a significant gap, such training initiatives can help bridge the divide that hinders Nigeria’s technological development.
While noting that his own research spans multiple fields, Prof. Thron, whose focus areas include machine learning, operations research, stochastic optimisation, agent-based modeling, and algorithm design, stressed the need for academics to engage in interdisciplinary studies.
He expressed optimism that the interactive nature of the workshop would inspire further collaborations among participants and hoped to be involved in future research partnerships with the University of Ilorin.
Others in the entourage of the Dean were the Head of the Department of Mathematics, Prof. A. S. Idowu; a Reader in the Department, Dr. (Mrs.) Catherine N. Ejieji;, and a Principal Technologist, Mrs Fasilat Yetunde Aderibigbe.
