NSU IT MA Student from Congo Presents New Algorithm For Recommending Products

Congolese Boumbanda Pama Gondran Almega is a second year MA student at NSU’s IT Department. He is developing a recommender system for users. During his research, he created a new method for recommending products based on a collaborative filtering algorithm, a technology for predicting user preferences. It takes into account the interests of other visitors to an Internet resource and the system, relying on the information collected, recommends new products to the user that an audience with similar likes has been interested in. The young researcher presented his work at the international scientific and technical conference for students, graduate students, and young scientists "Scientific Session TUSUR 2023" that was held in Tomsk fr om May 17 to 19. He won first place in his section. 

Boumbanda explained,

This topic is very relevant, especially in African countries, wh ere unlike Russia and other developed countries, data transfer speed is still a big problem. I tried to create a new method based on a modification of the collaborative filtering algorithm that is capable of working in an environment with low data transfer rates.

Before studying at the University the student was developing an online store for use in the Congo and wanted to add a product recommendation module. During the development process, he identified gaps in the technical solutions that kept the module from being completed. He needed to find other ways to solve the problem and that is what lead to this new method.  

Boumbanda was surprised he won even though his Conference report for four months, 

I did not expect my report would take first place because the other participants in my section had very interesting and high-quality presentations. One person developed new formulas, another developed software using a neural network. I was probably the winner because my research topic is so relevant. The Chairman of the section noted that my topic was really interesting, so I intend to continue my research in this area.