Two Consecutive Best Paper Awards for Maltese Researchers at World Renowned International Conferences
Ing. Marvin Bugeja and Prof. Simon G. Fabri, two Maltese academics working in the field of Computational Intelligence and Robot Control at the Department of Systems and Control Engineering of the University of Malta, were awarded two best paper awards for their most recent works published and presented at two international conferences.

Their paper entitled 'A Novel Dual Adaptive Neuro-Controller Based on the Unscented Transform for Mobile Robots', presented at the International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence (IJCCI \ ICNC 2009) held in Funchal, Madeira – Portugal, received the Best Student Paper Award. This international conference received 231 paper submissions from more than 35 countries. Only 21 papers were accepted for publication and presentation as full papers; a full-paper acceptance rate of 9%. This reflects the high quality of the selected works. The second paper entitled 'Dual-Adaptive Computer Control of a Mobile Robot Based on the Unscented Transform', presented at the Third International Conference on Advanced Engineering Computing and Applications in Sciences (ADVCOMP 2009) held in Malta, was given a Best Paper Award.

These two papers document the latest results of a research project entitled Computational Intelligence Techniques for Control of Complex System, led by Prof. Simon G. Fabri, and funded by a grant from the National RTDI Programme 2004 (RTDI-2004-026) which is administered by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST). Ing. Marvin Bugeja is a researcher on the project. His work is contributing to his Doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Fabri.

In a nutshell, this research aims to develop novel automatic control techniques designed to enable machines to exhibit human-like intelligent traits such as adaptation, learning and autonomy. In particular the works in this project place specific emphasis on the use of artificial neural networks, inspired by the inner workings of a biological brain, aimed at guiding precisely an autonomous mobile robot, despite structural or environmental uncertainties such as unknown frictional conditions, payload masses, or changes taking place in the physical structure of the system due to faults. In brief, the robot learns to drive itself and re-adapt with unmatched precision by learning from its own experience; a situation analogous to a human being who is learning to walk.

Other previous contributions from this research have been published in several research papers in peer-reviewed conference proceedings, book chapters and journals. In November 2006, the paper entitled “Multilayer Perceptron Adaptive Dynamic Control for Trajectory Tracking of Mobile Robots”, won an IEEE-IES Student Scholarship Award at the 32nd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON'06) held in Paris.

For more information about this project click here.

Marvin Bugeja presenting his winning paper at ICNCO 2009, Funchal-Madeira, Portugal

The 9th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (mLearn2010)
19-22 October 2010
Valletta, Malta
Venue: Grand Hotel Excelsior, Malta

mLearn2010 Call for Papers

The Programme Committee for the mLearn 2010 has issued a Call for Papers for the 9th International Conference in Mobile Learning.

The main conference themes will focus around the 'Future of Mobile and Contextual Learning'.

The conference which is being organised by the University of Malta in collaboration with IAmLearn - the Association for Mobile Learning, and the Valletta Local Council is designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences interested in enhancing learning, designing content and developing systems for mobile devices.

Please forward to colleagues who might be interested in submitting their research work for review.

Target Dates
Submission of Peer-reviewed papers: 11 June 2010
Posters/Demos: 15 September 2010
Notification to Authors: 30 July 2010

Topics of Interest
mLearning strategies in educational institutions, corporations and government
mLearning: theory, design and pedagogy
emerging mobile technologies and applications
tools, technologies and platforms for mLearning
informal and lifelong learning using mobile devices
future trends in mLearning
mobile game based learning
quality standards in mLearning
mLearning and mTraining
mobile Web2.0 applications for learning
adaptive mobile learning environments
virtual campus and eLearning;
mobile remote and virtual laboratories.

Special Tracks
mGovernment in Education
Training for m-Business

Contribution Types
full papers
short Papers
posters
discussion panels

Other Opportunities to Participate
Run a workshop or tutorial (These do not need published paper. Proposals should clearly indicate topic, background knowledge expected of participants, objectives and accompanying info and experience of instructor/presenter)
Exhibit at the mLearn2010 (projects, products and developments)

Conference Language
English

Proceedings
The proceedings will be published both in hard copy and on CD with ISBN.

Journal Affiliations
Best peer reviewed papers will be published in selected journals.

mLearn2010 Chair
Dr Matthew Montebello

For more information and submission of papers click here.
Email

The foundation of any great relationship is trust. One of the reasons that people talk about a product, service or company is because they trust the brand. As businesses develop relationships with customers, suppliers and employees, trust will slowly develop - this is an organic process that takes time. Word-Of-Mouth advertising (WOM) is the unpaid spread of a positive marketing message from person to person. It can take place directly using the human voice, or can be transmitted via any communicative means such as through the internet or via a text message.

Andy Cassar is a student following the Master of Business Administration course at the University of Malta. He is currently working on his dissertation related to Word-Of-Mouth Branding and has prepared a survey to help analyse this topic.

The survey is available here. Andy invites you to visit the webpage, fill in and submit the survey which will be very useful to his study.

The Department of English of the Faculty of Arts is organising a Postgraduate Symposium entitlted After the Modern: Language, Literature, Culture

The symposium will be held at the Valletta Campus, Old University Building, St Paul Street, Valletta on 16 and 17 April 2010.

Call for Papers
Click here for further details about the topics that will be discussed during this symposium. Abstracts of between 200 and 500 words should reach the organisers by 25 March, 2010.

Email

A fourth-year student of the Faculty of Information & Communication Technology, Michael Debono, designed the website Tal-linja.com as part of a project at the University of Malta.

Tal-linja.com works by accessing the database of the Public Transport Association of Malta. After the user selects the point of departure and arrival, the available bus route is displayed. Through this website the user also gets to know where to stop, where to connect to another bus and what time the buses should be departing. Locations for places on the map are searched automatically on Google Maps.

Go to www.tal-linja.com to see for yourself.

The Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) has asked the Communication & Alumni Relations Office to provide them with a list of any UoM academics who have written papers/books/articles in journals originating in the Italian language.

Although the IIC is familiar with the academics in the Department of Italian and in other language departments of the Faculties of Arts and Education, there may be other academics in the Arts, writing in Italian, who are not so immediately identifiable.

The IIC is particularly interested to hear about any academics in the Faculties of Science, Engineering and ICT who have published in Italian.

Academic members of staff may send this information to Ms Patricia Camilleri by email.

Journal of Maltese History
volume 1, no. 2 (2009)
ISSN 2077-4338

The Department of History has just published the second issue of the Journal of Maltese History edited by Dr John Chircop supported by a high-powered international Advisory Board of Editors.

This second issue of the Journal of Maltese History includes original papers on: Brucellosis and Maltese goats in the Mediterranean; Malta and the Nineteenth Century Grain Trade; The Birth of the 'Maltese Model' of Development 1945-59 and on Commercial partnerships in late 19th and early 20th century Malta.  It also incorporates two research notes on the archives of the Spinola family at Genoa and some reflections on the ethnographic fieldwork on public memory in Malta.

The Journal of Maltese History is the only fully refereed and peer reviewed journal which provides historians and other scholars with a new space to publish high quality, interdisciplinary, research on Maltese history and historiography and which aims to facilitate critical debate on methodological, theoretical and pedagogical issues on the subject.  

The Editor of JMH solicits original, high-quality research papers, especially those looking at unstudied aspects of Maltese history. A list of research topics which the Editorial Board is looking for can be viewed on the website.

The journal is now inviting papers for consideration in preparation for the third issue.

Submissions should be sent electronically by the end of March 2010 and addressed to:
Dr John Chircop, The Editor
Journal of Maltese History
Department of History
University of Malta
Msida, MSD 2080.

3rd International Conference on the Management of Coastal Recreational Resources
 
Beaches, Yachting, Ecotourism & Conservation and Coastal Hazards
 
Grosseto, Southern Tuscany, Italy 27 - 30 October 2010   

First Announcement and Call for Abstracts

Click here to access the conference website.

Target Audience 
The conference is aimed at academics in the natural and social sciences, researchers dealing with coastal hazards reflected by ongoing climate change, project managers, tourism professionals, infrastructure investors and staff from the private sector and government agencies whose work involves integrated coastal area management practices and the development and management of coast-related recreational amenities. The conference will also be of interest to managers of natural resources and environmental agencies, urban  and coastal planners, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), environmental economists and coastal municipalities.

Conference Topics
All abstracts received by the deadline will be considered for placement. Presentation topics include the following but the organisers are open to new suggestions by prospective authors:

Theme 1: Beach Management
Innovations in beach management schemes and rating systems, beach nourishment, beach sediment modelling, conservation issues, beach ecology, dune management, health and safety issues, bathing water quality issues, policy and guidelines, socio-economic aspects, cost benefit analysis, feasibility studies, environmental economics, shoreline management and erosion control, utilisation of rocky shores for bathing purposes.

Theme 2: Yacht Marinas and Yachting-Related Activities
Facility siting, environmentally sensitive development, water quality issues, safety aspects, marketing issues, award systems for marinas and ratings, overwintering facilities, yachting tourism, specialised aspects – super yachts, ancillary services – yacht repair and maintenance, ship chandler and other speciality trades, economics of yachting activities.

Theme 3: Coastal Ecotourism
Coastal footpaths, diving holidays, cultural ecotourism and preserving the social fabric, heritage coast concept, issues of sustainability and carrying capacity, coastal nature reserves – management of environmentally sensitive areas, economic evaluation of ecotourism, other coastal leisure activities

Theme 4: Coastal Hazards
Types of coastal hazards (tsunamis, sea level rise, storm surges, erosion, rip currents, drowning, oil/chemical spills) and their generation, climate change issues related to coastal hazards, impacts of coastal hazards on society, environment and economy, impacts on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, mitigation & adaptation, assessment of vulnerability, early warning systems, mapping, law enforcement and protection.

Call for Papers
Participants wishing to present a paper are requested to submit an abstract by 15 March 2010. All abstracts will be reviewed for content, scientific value and compliance with the conference objectives and aims. Acceptance of submitted abstracts will be announced by the 15 April 2010.

Conference Deadlines at a Glance
Submission of Abstract............................................................... 15 March 2010
Acceptance Notification................................................................. 15 April 2010
Early Registration......................................................................... 14 June 2010
Submission of Camera Ready Final Paper........................................14 June 2010
(Ensures publication in Conference Proceedings)
Late Registration...................................................................30 September 2010

Abstract Format
Abstracts should have the following format:
Title
The Author/s Name/s (indicating corresponding author
The Author Affiliation/s
A maximum of six keywords which characterise the paper are to be indicated at the end of the abstract

The abstract should provide a brief and comprehensive summary of the study, including a concise and specific description of the problem being investigated, the methods used, the results and their implications. The abstract must not exceed 300 words. All abstracts will be reviewed for content and scientific value in relation to the conference objectives

Kindly send your abstract (in Word format) to Dr Anton Micallef, Conference Chairman, by email. A full authors’ manual will be provided in a second conference announcement in February 2010 and will also be available for download from the conference website.

Click here to download the first announcement. [PDF]

Conference Secretariat
Dr Anton Micallef
Director, Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Insular Coastal Dynamics - (ICoD)
International Environment Institute
University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080
Malta, Europe
Tel: +356 2340 2013
Fax: +356 2340 2880

Mr Robert Caruana
Project Officer
International Environment Institute
University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080
Malta, Europe
Tel: +356 2340 2879
Fax: +356 2340 2880     

Ms Dorianne Cortis
International Environment Institute
University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080
Malta, Europe
Tel: +356 2340 3373
Fax: +356 2340 2880

Click here to access the 12th edition of Europe’s World - Summer 2009 [PDF]
Click here to access the 13th edition of Europe’s World - Autumn 2009 [PDF]

Europe’s World is the only independent Europe-wide policy journal, produced in association with some 100-plus leading European think tanks and academic institutions. Since its launch in 2005 it has become the premier ideas platform for new thinking on political, economic and social issues, read by over 100,000 of the most influential decision makers and opinion formers across Europe.

Published every 4 months, Europe’s World’s objective is to stimulate the much needed debate over topical policy issues by encouraging citizens and stakeholders within civil society, media, academia, business and government, to engage in a series of genuine and informed political debates which reach beyond the Brussels village.

To date over 300 authors, including Heads of State, corporate chiefs, top academics, leading NGO activists or policymakers, have contributed articles, firmly cementing Europe’s World’s reputation as a platform for new thinking and ground-breaking ideas.

Europe’s World’s newly extended website, EuropesWorld.org, is designed to further promote debate on the policy challenges facing Europe. It spans articles and reactions to articles published in Europe’s World, but is not limited to the journal since it also features studies and reports from think tanks throughout Europe.

Its aim is to give readers direct access to the latest in policy thinking across the EU, and encourage visitors to submit their own reports and comment on any of the contributions featured on the website. 

Patricia Camilleri is producing and presenting the 'Research Matters' interviews for the Autumn programme on CampusFm 103.7.

In this series, Patricia Camilleri talks to academics on campus who are involved in research projects, many of which are EU funded. She will be asking these researchers to explain their work and its short and long term effects within their field of study and on society in general.

The interviews are aired on Monday at 1330hrs and Thursday at 1930hrs. Research Matters is a Campusfm programme produced and presented by Patricia Camilleri.

Click on the links to listen to the programmes

Programme 1: Conservation of Heritage
Programme 2: Erasmus Program