Math majors qualify to ASEAN finals in data science tilt

Lizzie Annika Montemayor and Val Allen Eltagonde, both 4th year BS Applied Mathematics with Specialization in Data Science (BS AMDSc) students, won First Place and USD 1,000 in the Philippine National Finals of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Data Science Explorers competition held on 29 August 2025 via Zoom. 

They will go on to represent the Philippines in the Regional Finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Montemayor, a Financial Aid, DOST, and Magis scholar, and Eltagonde, a Financial Aid and DOST scholar, together formed Team Sharksfin. Through creative data storytelling using publicly available data from ASEAN, they pitched HydroLink, a mobile-app-based solution that creates a participatory, data-driven ecosystem to address issues of unmonitored and overexploited groundwater resources in the ASEAN region. The team was driven by their commitment to utilize data science in shedding light on overlooked issues affecting underserved communities and to empower them with sustainable solutions.

Team Sharksfin will be the second team from Ateneo to represent the Philippines in the competition's regional stage. The last time a team from the university advanced to the Regional Finals was in 2019.

Hosted by the ASEAN Foundation, is an annual, regional-wide data science competition for ASEAN youth ranging from 15 to 30 years old. This year, participants were challenged to develop data-driven solutions that address the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals of Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3), Clean Water & Sanitation (SDG 6), Sustainable Cities & Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption & Production (SDG 12), and  Climate Action (SDG 13). The team decided to tackle SDG 6: Clean Water & Sanitation as they recognize it to be a prominent issue in the Philippines.