Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

26 July, 2025

The opening day of the 8BIGTC 2025 began with formalities including a safety video, the Indonesian national anthem Indonesia Raya, and the Universitas Gadjah Mada Hymne, followed by a traditional dance performance “Warak Dugder” that brought energy and cultural flair to the ceremony. This was followed by opening speeches from key academic figures.

Prof. Ahmad Erfanian, Chair of the Scientific Committee, gave the opening speech, after which Prof. Yeni Susanti, Chair of the Conference, delivered the official report. These were followed by welcoming remarks from Prof. Dr. Fajar Adi Kusumo, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada, who officially declared the conference open. The afternoon featured parallel sessions where researchers from around the world—both international and local—shared new results and ideas closely related to group theory. These sessions reflected the conference’s goal of promoting global collaboration and knowledge exchange within the field.

The academic program commenced with plenary lectures from internationally renowned mathematicians. Prof. Ismail Güloğlu from Doğuş University, Turkey, presented his work on enhanced power graphs and group automorphisms. Prof. Rebecca Waldecker from Martin-Luther University, Germany, followed with a talk on the classification of finite simple groups, placing them within the broader context of “Big Mathematics.” Additional invited talks were delivered by Prof. Nor Haniza Sarmin from Malaysia, who discussed homological aspects of Bieberbach groups, and Prof. Andrea Lucchini from Italy, who explored independence complexes of finite groups.

The afternoon featured parallel sessions where researchers from around the world—both international and local—shared new results and ideas closely related to group theory. These sessions reflected the conference’s goal of promoting global collaboration and knowledge exchange within the field.

Evening Session: Tribute and Dinner

The evening session of the opening day of the 8BIGTC 2025 featured a special tribute and dinner in honor of Prof. Ahmad Erfanian, Chair of the Scientific Committee. Held at the 7th Floor Auditorium of Building D, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, this event celebrated Prof. Erfanian’s contributions to the field and his long-standing collaboration with Indonesian mathematicians.

The program began with a brief opening, followed by a heartfelt appreciation video dedicated to Prof. Erfanian. A series of speeches were then delivered by representatives from institutions that had worked closely with him, including:
– Prof. Intan Muchtadi (ITB, West Java)
– Prof. Amir Kamal Amir (UNHAS, Makassar, South Celebes)
– Prof. Slamin (UNEJ, Jember, East Java, via video)
– Prof. Dr. Nur Inayah (UIN Syahida, Jakarta, via video)
– Dr. Yudi Mahatma (UNJ, Jakarta)
– Prof. Yeni Susanti (UGM, Yogyakarta)

Following the tributes, Prof. Ahmad Erfanian delivered a speech of appreciation. This was followed by the presentation of certificates of appreciation from the 8BIGTC Local Organizing Committee, represented by Prof. Yeni Susanti, and from the Indonesian Algebraist Society, represented by Dr. Nikken Prima Puspita.

The tribute concluded with a closing and dinner, providing a warm and collegial atmosphere for all participants to reflect, socialize, and celebrate the opening of the conference and the achievements of Prof. Erfanian.