In a scientific speech entitled "Graph Labeling, Pattern Diversity in Mathematics", Prof. Dra. Kiki Ariyanti Sugeng, M.Sc. conveyed that the key to 20th-century technology is closely related to the collection, processing, and distribution of information. In the 21st-century life known as the current era of society 5.0, humans are highly dependent on communication networks. All processes of information technology advancement are strongly supported by mathematics. On the other hand, the digitalization of processes in both business and education as well as other things in organizations has been widely applied in the era of society 5.0. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the security of digital documents in storage and in transmission. One of the data security algorithms that uses mathematical concepts is the RSA Algorithm (Rivest, Shamir, Addleman).
He further said, the sender chooses two pairs of prime numbers ? and ? that are large enough, and uses them to form a number ?=??. The process of multiplying ? and ? to ?, would be very easy, but factoring into and is still very difficult and to date has not been able to be solved. Based on this simple mathematical concept, RSA cryptography has proven to be very secure, since its discovery in 1977 and remains usable today.
In developing mathematics, Prof. Kiki stated that it is usually classified into two categories: theoretical mathematics and applied mathematics. Generally, applied mathematics is developed based on real-life problems that require solutions, so its application is already known. Meanwhile, theoretical mathematics arises from a desire to understand the structure and properties of various objects in mathematics.
Essentially, studying mathematics involves observing patterns, which is why mathematics is sometimes called the science of patterns. From these patterns, mathematical concepts can be abstracted into abstractions.
Simple diagrams, now called graphs, or networks by researchers in computer science and engineering, can model a variety of everyday events. The simplest representation is a graph showing a road map, where points represent cities, and arcs (lines in the diagram) represent roads connecting two cities.
"From now on, points will be called vertices, and lines will be called arcs. Graphs can be applied to various fields. One that is inherent in our daily lives is the use of Google Maps, which works by finding the shortest path in a graph," said Prof. Kiki.
He added that one area of research in graph theory is graph labeling. Graph labeling is the assignment of labels to graph elements, which can be vertices, arcs, and faces, or a combination of these. The labels are usually integers, although some labeling methods use rational numbers.
If labels can represent colors, then the problem is called graph coloring. A particularly interesting aspect of graph coloring research is that adding or removing a few vertices or edges often yields drastically different patterns.
The sensitivity to pattern recognition emphasized in mathematics is expected to enable everyone to more clearly see the problems they face. Mathematics, including graph labeling, not only teaches what has been discovered in the past but can also encourage students to discover new patterns or concepts that have never been discovered before. This is the essence of research, which can range from simple to complex.
"As I explained at the beginning, new concepts can start from simple things. It's up to us whether these discoveries, thoughts, and simple questions can be developed. Therefore, mathematics teaching and a love of mathematics need to be strengthened. This responsibility is also a shared one, including for us as lecturers in higher education," said Prof. Kiki.
For his research, on Wednesday morning (9/8/2023), Prof. Kiki was inaugurated as a Professor in the Field of Graph Science and Combinatorics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (UI) by UI Rector, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., at the University of Indonesia Convention Center Building, Depok. The ceremony was broadcast live on the University of Indonesia YouTube channel and UI TV.
In his inauguration, also present were the Chairperson of the UI Board of Trustees Dr. (HC) Noni Purnomo, B.Eng., MBA.; Managing Director of Sinarmas / Chairperson of the UI Board of Trustees for the 2019 – 2023 Period Saleh Husin, S.E., M.Si.; Founder of the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) and Jaya Suprana School of Performing Arts Prof. HC. Jaya Suprana; and Chairperson of the Academic Senate of Andalas University Prof. Dr. Syafrizal Sy.
Prof. Kiki completed his Bachelor of Mathematics education at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia in 1985 and in 1987 he successfully obtained his Master of Mathematics degree at the Bandung Institute of Technology. Then Prof. Kiki completed his doctoral education at the University of Ballarat (Federal Univ), Australia in 2006. Some of his scientific works are entitled, Modular Irregularity Strength on Some Flower Graphs (2023); Two Types of Irregular Labeling on Dodecahedral Modified Generalization Graph (2023); Distance-Local Rainbow Connection Number (2022); and Uncertain Hypergraphs: A Conceptual Framework and Some Topological Characteristics Indexes (2022).
