First PH uni in the cloud: Mapua steps up tech infra
Altair and Mapúa University signed a partnership for the launch of the Center of Excellence. Top line, from left: Eng Ban Wee (Altair Technical Director of Asean), Mabel Songson (VP for Academic Affairs MMCL), Lilibeth Sabino (senior AVP for Academic Affairs), Hilmer Medrano (EVP and COO of MMCL), Raul Tan (EVP and COO of Mapúa University), Ericson D. Dimaunahan (director of the Center for Teaching and Learning) and Nilo S. Cruz (country strategic advisor of Altair in the Philippines). Seated, from left: Satish Ramakrishna (lead for Altair Global Academic Relationship with Universities), Dodjie Maestrecampo (president and CEO of Mapúa University) and Srirangam Srirangarajan (Altair’s managing director). —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Amid the technological revolution in education, Mapúa University has become the first university in the Philippines to have a privately managed cloud infrastructure after partnering with Altair, a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Using technologies like digital twin, AI, machine learning, physics simulations, high-performance computing, data science and more from our portfolio will propel Mapúa University regionally and globally,” Altair managing editor for Asean and ANZ Srirangam Srirangarajan says.
As students are increasingly benefiting from innovative approaches to learning, one of the key highlights of this partnership is the establishment of a Center of Excellence (CoE).
READ: Mapua offers unique digital learning setup
The CoE certification program prepares students for competitions, research publications and new vocational courses.
“This collaboration is critical because it enables our students to confidently navigate and succeed in the future job market,” says president and CEO of Mapúa University Dodjie Maestrecampo during the signing ceremony between Altair and Mapúa University.
Practical expertise in AI, digital transformation
“We not only teach our students rigorous academic courses, but also provide them with practical industry-demanded expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital transformation,” he adds.
Through their software and cloud solutions, students, especially from engineering and sciences can efficiently and safely simulate experiments without conducting the actual trials.
Altair managing director Srirangam Srirangarajan showcases various solutions offered by the company, such as cloud and HPC, data analytics and machine learning, structural analysis, impact and drop testing, thermal analysis and more. —MARY UMLAS
Despite this partnership and the program being embedded to the existing curriculum, Maestrecampo says there will be no increase in tuition fees.
No tuition increase
“It is part of our regular upgrading of our curricula to make sure that our curricula remain relevant and our graduates still highly employable,” Maestrecampo says.
In addition to their collaboration with Altair, Mapúa University has also signed up with Huawei Philippines a renewed agreement for their scholarship partnership.
The partnership seeks to ensure continued educational opportunities for Mapúa students for academic years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
The scholarship covers students majoring in electronics engineering, computer engineering, computer science, information technology and electrical engineering from the second year onward.
“The program also shows the commitment of Huawei to support education and cultivate ICT (information and communication technology) talents to bridge the digital gap in the Philippines,” says Huawei Philippines.
