The Department of Italian would like to announce that Professor Paolo Orvieto from the Università degli Studi di Firenze will be giving a seminar on “Le nuove tendenze critiche in Italia, con esercitazioni pratiche su saggi e testi” on Wednesday 2nd July, 1000hrs - 1200hrs in GW 211.

Professor Paolo Orvieto started lecturing at the Università degli Studi di Firenze in 1970, holding courses on Literary Criticism, Literary Historiography and Comparative Literature. He has published, among others:  Lorenzo de’ Medici, La Nuova Italia, 1976; Pulci medievale. Studio sulla poesia volgare fiorentina del Quattrocento, Salerno Editrice, 1978; Lorenzo de’ Medici, Il canzoniere, Mondadori, 1984; Angelo Poliziano, Sylva in scabiem, Salerno Editrice, 1989; Lorenzo de’ Medici, Canti carnascialeschi, Salerno Editrice, 1991; Lorenzo de’ Medici, Tutte le opere, Salerno Editrice, 1992; Carnevale e feste fiorentine del tempo di Lorenzo de’ Medici, Olschki, 1992; La poesia comico-realistica dal XIII al XVI secolo, Carocci, 1999; Teorie letterarie e metodologie critiche, La Nuova Italia, 1981; La retorica antica dalle origini al Rinascimento e la sua attualità, Loescher, 1981; D’Annunzio o Croce. La critica in Italia dal 1900 al 1915, Salerno Editrice, 1988; Tra Jung e Freud. Psicanalisi, letteratura e fantasia, Le Lettere, 1991; Teorie critiche del Novecento, Carocci, 1999; Donne di Saba e di Montale e gli archetipi animali in Bestiari del Novecento, Roma, Bulzoni, 2001; L’Italia tra mito e realtà nell’Ottocento e nel primo Novecento, in L’Italia fuori d’Italia, Salerno Editrice, 2003; Misoginie. L’inferiorità della donna nel pensiero moderno, Salerno Editrice, 2002; Labirinti castelli giardini. Luoghi letterari di orrore e smarrimento, Salerno Editrice, 2004.

The Department of Statistics & Operations Research wishes to invite you to a seminar during which our final year students will be presenting their dissertations.

Date:   Monday, 30th June 2008
Time:   0930hrs - 1130hrs
Venue: Statistics & Operations Research Computer Laboratory Room 606, Maths & Physics Building, University of Malta

All university members of staff and students are cordially invited to attend.  The programme and abstracts are available from the department upon request.

For more information please visit the website.

The Institute of Forensic Studies, University  of Malta is hosting the Findings Seminar of the European project "Date Rape Cases among Young Women: Strategies for Support and Prevention", supported by the Daphne II Programme, European Commission. The seminar is scheduled to take place on the 20 June 2008 at Dar l-Emigrant, Valletta between 1000hrs and 1245hrs.

The main aim of the project is to measure the prevalence and incidence of date rape among female students in tertiary education in Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta, and explore their attitudes, dating experiences and level of awareness. The project also aims to promote awareness among beneficiaries and target groups and make policy recommendations for the prevention of date rape and support to victims of sexual violence. The project is implemented in partnership with the Coalition for Gender Equality in Latvia (Latvia), the Institute of Equality (Greece), the University of Malta (Malta), and the Women’s Issues Information Centre (Lithuania). 

The aim of the Findings Seminar is the exchange of best practices for the support and prevention of date rape and sexual violence in Malta and will involve the participation of academics, NGO representatives, policy makers, as well as experts in the field of gender and violence against women. 
 
Refreshments will be served.
1000hrs - 1015hrs     
Opening of the Seminar

1015hrs - 1115hrs        
Overview of the Daphne II project – Date Rape Cases among Young Women and  the Development of Strategies for Support and Prevention and the results of the research carried out in Malta
Dr Frances Camilleri PhD and Dr Jacqueline Azzopardi PhD.

1115hrs  - 1145hrs       
Coffee Break

1145hrs  1245hrs   
Recommendations from the floor and closure

For more information please contact Ms Sonia Vella.

Solar applications have become more popular over the years. In order that this boom continues, one neeeds to address issues such as proper design of systems, siting, addressing the real needs and training. Following last year's success, the Malta University Holding Co. Ltd together with the Institute for Energy Technology are offering the opportunity of this course on solar heating, due to start on 23 June 2008, aimed at technicians, policy makers, green leaders, government employees, solar businesses, systems' designers, engineers.

The course runs over 3 weeks on Mondays and Thursdays from 1700hrs to 2100hrs.

For more information, please contact Ms Fiona Amato by email or phone on +356 21 234121/2

The European Documentation and Research Centre (EDRC) in conjunction with the Malta European Studies Association (MESA) with the support of the European Commission announces the fifth seminar in this year’s series.

Dr Gavin Barrett, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, University College Dublin

Title:
The End of the Affair: The Treaty of Lisbon and the Final Provisions of the Treaty Establishing the European Community and the Treaty on European Union

Abstract:
Some of the most important stipulations in the constitutive treaties of the European Union – which are also known as the Treaty on European Union, and (at least for now) the Treaty Establishing the European Community - are to be found in their so-called final provisions. If and when the Treaty of Lisbon comes into force, these ‘final provisions’ will be amended so as to facilitate the introduction of some highly significant reforms. Among the resulting reforms will be:
1. the express conferring of legal personality on the European Union,
2. the introduction of procedures for amending the constitutive treaties,
3. the facilitation of member states that wish to leave the union,
4. the expansion of the role of the European Court of Justice and
5. the amendment of the so-called ‘flexibility’ clause.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of these highly significant envisaged amendments. The prospect of the coming into force of several of them (in particular, the introduction of a treaty amendment procedure and to a lesser extent the role of the European Court of Justice and the conferring of legal personality on the European Union) has played a prominent role in the popular debate surrounding the referendum on whether or not Ireland should ratify the Treaty of Lisbon.

Date: Thursday 19th June 2008 at 1745hrs for 1800hrs
Venue: Gateway Building Hall E, University of Malta.
Please book by sending the following details: Name, Organisation, and Email address to Ms Romina Zammit by 16 June 2008 at 1000hrs
Entrance: Free

The Faculty of Education, University of Malta in collaboration with the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education would like to present the 4th Trends Issue

Transforming History Teaching – Transforming Society

Speakers:
Editor:
Dr Yosanne Vella

Reviewer:
Dr George Cassar, President of the History Teachers’ Association

Open Discussion

Date:   Thursday 5th June 2008
Venue: National Curriculum Centre, Hamrun
           [adjacent to Maria Assumpta Girls Secondary School]
Time:   1830hrs – 2000hrs

Light refreshments will be served after the launch.

A book sale is being held on campus, Thursday 5 and Friday 6 June from 0900hrs to 1600hrs ...

Contact: Ms Tita Bonnici

Phone: +356 21 224067

The Department of Statistics & Operations Research wishes to invite you to a seminar entitled:
'Objective Bayesian Statistics as Applied Probability' by Prof. Jose M Bernardo, University of Valencia, Spain

Date:    Friday, 13 June 2008
Time:    1100hrs
Venue:  Rm 606 Maths & Physics Bldg

All university members of staff and students are cordially invited to attend.

For more details click here.

The fourth session of the Forum will be held on Monday 2 June at 1930hrs at the Old University Building ...

You are cordially invited to the fourth session of the Postgraduate Researchers’ Forum of the University of Malta which will be held on Monday 2 June 2008 at 1930hrs at the Old University Building, St Paul’s Street, Valletta.

Programme:

1930hrs – 2000hrs	A Transposition and its Context – Maltese Consumer law and EU Accession in 2004 David Fabri  (Faculty of Laws)
2000hrs – 2030hrs	Negative Materials and Structures Ruben Gatt (Faculty of Science)
2030hrs	Drinks

  

David Fabri:
A Transposition and its Context – Maltese Consumer law and EU Accession  in 2004
The transposition of the consumer acquis is an interesting and peculiar case study which throws light on the difficulties presented by the pre-EU accession transposition of legislation. It may also usefully be seen as an adventure into an aspect of law-making which has remained relatively unexplored and which will likely never be repeated, at least not in the foreseeable future. The speaker will argue that the EU context has added significant new dimensions and unexpected challenges to the future development of Maltese consumer law.

Laws should always be examined in context and never in a vacuum. Consumer protection is a fine place to reflect on what this wonderfully civilized and civilizing phenomenon called law is all about, and the contexts in which this particular branch of law has evolved. Consumer law in Malta has had a relatively short and interesting history. It is a story worth telling and the speaker has been involved at almost all its stages. 

David Fabri heads the Department of Commercial Law at the Faculty of Law. He graduated in law in 1979 presenting his doctoral LL.D. thesis on 'Consumer Protection in Maltese Law'. Thirty years later, he is still thinking, writing and learning about the subject.
 
He has been lecturing at University since 1994, specializing in consumer protection and legislation, company law and financial services regulation. Recently, he started reading for his M.Phil on the transposition of the EC consumer protection directives into Maltese law and the various legal, political and administrative contexts within which this exercise was carried out.  His research covers the period from 1991 to 2005.

Ruben Gatt:
Negative Materials and structures
Materials and structures has accompanied humanity throughout the ages, in fact, one may classify the different stages in human evolution by identifying the different materials used, for example, the ‘stone age’ may be defined as the period where human technology was based on stone. Following the same line of thought, the modern era may be defined by the development of smart, multifunctional materials and structures. The study, characterisation and fabrication of such man-made systems bring together different scientific disciplines such as Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Engineering. Here we discuss a class of novel counterintuitive materials and structures which include materials with negative Poisson’s ratios (materials which get fatter when stretched or thinner when compressed), materials with a negative thermal expansion (materials which get smaller when heated and larger when cooled) as well as materials with a negative compressibility (materials which get larger when subjected to an increase in the hydrostatic pressure and get smaller when subjected to a decrease in the hydrostatic pressure). We show how systems exhibiting such ‘negative behaviour’ can have a number of advantages over conventional systems, for example, materials with a negative Poisson’s ratio show a higher resistance to indentation, superior acoustic properties, curve to form dome shaped structures and so on. Furthermore, we will show how these effects may arise in naturally occurring materials such as the mineral cristobalite and the zeolite natrolite as well as how these effects may be engineered into novel structures which may show the three effects.

Ruben Gatt graduated from the University of Malta in 2004 with a B.Sc.(Hons) in Chemistry and Biology and in 2005 with an M.Sc. in Chemistry obtained with distinction. Since then, he has been employed as a research assistant with the department of Chemistry, University of Malta and as an assistant lecturer at the University of Malta Junior College. He is currently reading for a Ph.D. on systems which exhibit 'negative effects'. He has been carrying out research in this field for the last five years and his work has been accepted for presentation in various international conferences including conferences organised by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) the Materials Research Society of Singapore (MRS) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). A number of papers have been published in international journals including 'Journal of Material Chemistry’, 'Molecular Simulations', 'Journal of the Physical Society of Japan’, 'Physica Status Solidi B' and 'Materials Science and Engineering A'. 

RSVP Tel: +356 2340 2092 Click here to send an email.

Sponsored by Bank of Valletta

The Islands and Small States Institute will be organising a public talk on "The External Relations of an Associated State: The Case of the Isle of Man."  The speaker will be Professor Houchang E. Chehabi who is Professor of International Relations and History at Boston University. The lecture will be held on Thursday 29 May from 1800hrs to 1930hrs at Gateway Building Room 255. Attendance is free of charge.

He is the author of several books on Iran and his articles have appeared in several peer reviewed journals. Currently his main research interest is the cultural history of Iran since the nineteenth century and small island states.

The Isle of Man is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, with Queen Elizabeth as head of state. However, the island is not part of the United Kingdom, but its foreign relations are the responsibility of the government of the United Kingdom.

The island is not part of the European Union, although it also has special limited relationship with the EU. It is however part of the customs territory of the Union. There is free movement of industrial and agricultural goods in trade between the Island and the Union.

Those wishing to attend are kindly asked to contact:
Ms Isabelle Vella
Islands and Small States Institute
University of Malta
Tel: +356 21 344879
Fax: +356 21 344879
 

Professor Mary Durfee will be giving two public lectures at the International Maritime Law Institute. All are welcome.

Tuesday, 27 May from 1200hrs to 1400hrs
The Evolution of Regional Security in the Great Lakes of North America

Wednesday, 11 June from 1200hrs to 1400hrs
Bacteriology and Diplomacy in the Great Lakes

Mary Durfee, Ph.D. is Assistant Provost/Associate Professor at the Michigan Technological University. She is a Fulbright Scholar at the Faculty of Laws of the University of Malta.

The European Documentation and Research Centre (EDRC) in conjunction with the Malta European Studies Association (MESA) with the support of the European Commission announces the third seminar in this year’s series given by:
Prof. Erika Szyszczak, Jean Monnet Professor of European Law
University of Leicester
The seminar is entitled 'Will Competition Destroy the European Social Model? The Effects of the Treaty of Lisbon'.

Abstract
The seminar will look at recent developments in case law and legislation where opportunist litigants have used the free movement and competition rules to challenge the traditional State welfare models (for example, in healthcare, social security, postal services) and the response from the EU in the form of soft and hard law, the creation of universal service programmes in the liberalisation processes alongside new institutional models for managing the differences between the Member States. The seminar will ask if the Commission’s new models of 'Citizens’ Rights' can be seen as new forms of 'Citizenship' rights, or are we moving towards a model of 'Consumer-Citizenship' in the EU? If this is the case what is the role of the welfare state in Europe, what role can fundamental rights play and what will be the impact (if at all) of the Treaty of Lisbon in creating a set of values for the Union and the effect of absorbing competition into the Internal Market programme?

Date: Thursday 5th June 2008 at 1800hrs.
N.B.: Refreshments at 1730hrs
Venue: The Reading Room, Radisson SAS Baypoint Resort , St. Julian’s
Book by sending the following details by email to Ms Romina Zammit by 3rd June 2008 at 1000hrs:
Name, Organisation, and Email Address E-Mail

Entrance: Free

Public Debate on Research and Innovation

The Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit together with Forum Malta fl-Ewropa will be holding the workshop and public debate on Energy Review for Europe on Tuesday 27 May at the University of Malta, KSU Common Room, University House, (opposite the library).

Energy Review for Europe presents a highly relevant theme in a densely populated micro state that is increasingly becoming more and more aware of the environmental impact on irresponsible energy use, and the EU-wide need for safer, cleaner and more efficient generators. The importance of a progressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere to fight climate change is of vital importance to Malta.

This workshop is the third in a series of four as part of the Say EU and  Action project, which  falls under the EU Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate. Young people in particular are more conscious of the strong need for sustainable development and the intelligent use of energy. However even the older generations now understand the importance of reducing our energy requirements, maximizing conventional resources and developing renewable sources to achieve the Kyoto parameters. You are invited to discuss this topic and come up with recommendations to improve the quality of our environment  and ultimately the survival of our planet. It will also be the occasion to make publicly known the role of the European institutions in this field.

The first project workshop was held on the 29th March 2008 on the subject of Immigration. The second workshop on Research and Innovation was held on 24th April 2008. The fourth will focus on Flexicurity.

Programme

1530hrs	Registration and Coffee
1600hrs	Opening address The Hon. Chris Said, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Consultation and Information
1630hrs	Energy Review for Europe The Maltese Perspective Prof. Robert Ghirlando, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malta
1700hrs	Public Debate – chaired by Prof. Peter Serracino Inglott followed by voting on recommendations to be presented to the European Institutions
1800hrs	Conclusion and Recommendations
	Refreshments

 

The European Documentation and Research Centre (EDRC) in conjunction with the Malta European Studies Association (MESA) with the support of the European Commission announces the fourth seminar in this year’s series given by:

Prof. Robin C.A. White, Head of Department of Law, University of Leicester

The seminar is entitled 'The Treaty of Lisbon: Some Human Rights Issues'.

Abstract
The Treaty of Lisbon commits the European Union to accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, and gives the Charter of Fundamental Rights legal status. This could be viewed as a Union coming of age as a human rights organisation. However, the Union’s relationship both with the Member States in the field of the protection of human rights and with the Court of Human Rights in adjudication of its performance as a human rights organisation is likely to be problematic. Both the Luxembourg Court and the Strasbourg Court are likely to find the implementation of the new regime troublesome.

Date: Monday 9th June 2008 at 1800hrs
N.B.: Refreshments at 1730hrs
Venue: The Reading Room , Radisson SAS Baypoint Resort , St. Julian’s
Book by sending the following details by email to Ms Romina Zammit by 3rd June 2008 at 1000hrs:
Name, Organisation, and Email Address E-Mail

Entrance: Free

ArcheoMed
Patrimoine Culturel Maritime de la Mediterranée

Archeology and the Sea II
Saturday 24 May 2008
0900hrs - 1245hrs
Venue: Gateway Building Room 104, University of Malta

Archeomed is an EU-funded project aimed at promoting a better understanding of maritime archeology in the western Mediterranean. This seminar is being organised so as to provide a general introduction on maritime archeology to the general public. This sub-discipline has, over the past decades, brough to light important evidence which has bettered our understanding of past economies, trade patterns and ancient shipbuilding technology.

The seminar will be delived by various speakers who will cover a variety of subjects related to the field of maritime archaeology.

Participation in this semiar is free and open to the first 25 applicants.

To apply please send an email to Mevrick Spiteri.

Programme

0900hrs-0915hrs	Registration
0915hrs-1045hrs	Ehtical considerations and responsibilities towards the Conservation of Underwater Finds Mr Frank Checuti and Mr James Licari
1000hrs-1045hrs	An Insight in the Conservation of Objects made from Ferrous Materials Discovered in Underwater Environments Mr Anthony Catania
1045hrs-1115hrs	Coffee Break
1115hrs-1200hrs	Displaying objects from the Deep Mr Liam Gauci
1200hrs-1245hrs	Geoarchaeology of Ancient Beirut, Sidon and TYre: 5000 years of human-environment Interactions Dr Nick Marriner

Multi-Ethnic Educational Experiences in Maltese Primary Schools
It is our pleasure to invite you to attend this half day conference which will be held as a result of a year long research project on the above subject whereby findings will be presented and issues addressed. The research was conducted to raise awareness on the educational experience of children coming from
different ethnic backgrounds in particular primary school/s - with the aim of empowering them, other children and the school community in general. It is meant to raise awareness of the personal experiences of ethnic diverse children, develop critical insights about their positions within the school, initiate public debate about their educational experiences and suggest strategies to democratise educational structures and practices.

Speakers:
Dr Andrew Azzopardi Department of Youth & Community Studies
Dr Simone Galea Department of Education Studies
Ms Nicolette Camilleri, Research Assistant
Guest Speaker:
Ms Mina Dye-Sharp, Project Manager
Bradford Community
Housing Trust UK

Date: Wednesday 21 May 2008
Time: 0900hrs – 1300hrs
Venue: NCC Hamrun

Programme
0900hrs Welcome – Dr Andrew Azzopardi and Dr Simone Galea
0915hrs Introduction
0925hrs Address by Dean of Faculty
0930hrs Ms Mina Dye-Sharp 'Tackling Language, Identity and Social Inclusion'
1010hrs Questions
1030hrs Coffee Break
1100hrs Presentation – Dr Andrew Azzopardi and Dr Simone Galea
1200hrs Workshop Sessions
1230hrs Discussion and Close
1300hrs End of Conference

Speakers
Dr Andrew Azzopardi is a Lecturer with the Department of Youth and Community Studies, Faculty of Education at the University of Malta. His lecturing focuses on sociology, critical pedagogy, disability politics, inclusive education, community management, emancipatory research, narrative enquiry, youth and community studies. He has had papers published in the applauded journals of disability studies; Disability and Society and The International Journal of Inclusive Education, had several pieces of work published in an electronic journal of the University of Leeds, reviewed books for the British Educational
Research Association (BERA) and co-authored a text, Developmental Programme for PSD Teachers (2002). He has just published a monograph, Career Guidance for Persons with Disability and will very soon publish a contribution in the text Disability studies in education 'An international reader' co-edited by Dr Susan Gabel and Dr Scot Danforth. He has presented papers at the University of Leeds, University of Lancaster, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester. Dr Andrew Azzopardi is currently co-ordinating a Masters in Inclusive Education and Communities that is being offered by the Programme of Inclusive Education (Department of Psychology).

Dr Simone Galea is senior lecturer in Philosophy of Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Malta. She has published papers in local and international journals that reflect her interdisciplinary research interests and teaching areas including philosophy of education, educational theory, feminism, multicultural and anti racist education with particular focus on narrative research and genealogical modes of inquiry. Dr Galea has regularly presented papers and chaired sessions at local and international seminars and conferences. She is currently co-ordinating a Masters programme in Educational Research and as an educational researcher she is working on a research project on the
multi-ethnic school. She is the co-founder of the newly set up Programme for Culturally Responsive Education within the Department of Education Studies.

Mina Dye-Sharp is Project Manager of the Community Regeneration Unit at Bradford Community Housing Trust UK, a leading social housing provider in the North of England. The Community Regeneration Unit is an innovative project, shifting the focus from Housing Management and 'bricks and mortar', to include tackling issues that impact on some of Bradford's poorest social housing estates. Good practice has been achieved through establishing innovative grass-roots projects creating opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to developing sustainable neighbourhoods. Principal responsibilities include establishing and developing innovation pathways - reducing barriers to learning through piloting
neighbourhood-based learning centres in some of England’s most deprived Wards. Initiatives and opportunities are linked to local support and specialist agency frameworks; relevant to beneficiaries gaining life skills, basic skills and English language skills in view of maximizing vocational and formal education and training/employment opportunities. Over the past decade, she has worked with disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable communities and groups, with a particular focus on
Bradford’s hard-to-reach minority ethnic and migrant communities. Past experience includes Coordinating the Cities Anti-Racism Project focusing on developing youth-led activities to build tolerance, understanding and encourage dialogue amongst Bradford’s most excluded and hard-to-reach communities. She also managed the Integra Programme a local and transnational project piloting creative peer-education, inter-generational and community development activities. Initiatives have been featured in local and national press and have received acclaim and recognition for social inclusion, community cohesion and innovation.

Researchers' Mobility and Career Development Consultation Meeting
Gateway Building, Hall C
University of Malta
Thursday May 22, 2008
1300hrs - 1500hrs

The Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) is the EU's main funding instrument that supports research and development.

One of the pillars of FP7 is the People Programme – this consists of a number Marie Curie Actions that are dedicated to stimulate the transfer of knowledge through researchers’ mobility. The actions focus on training and career development activities. Participation in the People Programme is open to European and International researchers and targets graduates, post grads as well as experienced researchers.

The People Programme offers the opportunity to, on the one hand help outgoing researchers move to another EU or third country for up to 2 years to increase competencies and skills by working with a supervisor. The supervisor will help the researcher build a career development plan while working on a particular research project.  

On the other hand, it can cover the costs for the research and salary of the researcher/s who will be working on the project. The projects are all 100% funded by the EC.

The Malta Council for Science & Technology (MCST) will be holding a public consultation on the People Programme which would be of interest to students and the research community.

For registration kindly contact Anthea Frendo on 2360 2141.

Contact:

Phone:

The Department of Statistics & Operations Research wishes to invite you to a seminar entitled:

'Classification Trees' by Dr Marek Sedlacik, University of Defence in Brno, Czech Republic

Date:    Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Time:    1400hrs
Venue:  Rm 606 Maths & Physics Bldg

All university members of staff and students are cordially invited to attend.

For more details click here.

The Department of Youth & Community Studies and the Department of Education Studies of the Faculty of Education invite you to a public lecture:
Approaches to Immigration and Multiple Identities

Lecturer: Ms Mina Dye-Sharp
Project Manager, Bradford Community Housing Trust UK

Date: Tuesday, 20th May 2008
Venue: Hall B1, Gateway Building, University of Malta
Time: 1700hrs - 1830hrs

Introductory Presentation by:
Dr Simone Galea
Department of Education Studies
and
Dr Andrew Azzopardi
Department of Youth & Community Studies

To book a place send an email or phone on 2340-2918.

All those who attend will be given a certificate.
Attendance is free of charge.

Promoting Positive Behaviour and Healthy Relationships in School
by Jenny Mosley

The Faculty of Education and the Education Directorate for Student Services are oganising a one day seminar on Quality Circle Time by Jenny Mosley (Jenny Mosley Consultancies, UK) for classroom practitioners. Jenny Mosley’s approach to raising self-esteem, promoting positive behaviour, building caring relationships, enhancing motivation and creating co-operative learning environments has been encapsulated in the Quality Circle Time Model.

The seminar provides participants the opportunity to explore in more depth this approach as a tool to develop the social and emotional competencies in children and young persons. It is divided in three sections, covering the following themes:

• Understanding one’s own behaviour as a practitioner a prerequisite to managing children’s behaviour
• Creating the right conditions within a class so that relationships can flourish
• Making use of circle time to help children develop an inner locus of control.

The seminar is intended for classroom practitioners working with children and young persons.
The seminar is being held at Robert Sammut Hall, Floriana on 24 May between 0900hrs and 1600hrs.

For further details contact Dr Carmel Cefai

Writing Support at UoM: The Writing Studio and the Writing Studio OWL (Online Writing Lab)

Date: 15th May
Time: 1200hrs – 1330hrs
Venue: Common Room, Student House
Speakers: Ms Natalie Schembri; Ms Rachel Decelis; Ms Diana Abela

Note: The presentation will take up the first hour; a coffee/tea break will follow. Please do join us for a chat and some informal feedback afterwards.

The Writing Studio team invites you to this lunchtime presentation intended for all university members of staff interested in finding out what kind of writing support is available at the university. The Writing Studio (CCT, 404B) will become operational in October, 2008 and preparations are currently under way to make it fully functional. We would like to share our ideas about the services we intend to provide, the facilities available and how you can make use of both. We would also like to know what services you are most in need of, in order to be able to tailor-make them to your needs. Time will be allotted for feedback and all suggestions will be noted down and taken into consideration.

If you cannot make it, but would like to contact us anyway, send us an email

About the speakers:
Ms Natalie Schembri has been teaching Academic English at the University of Malta since 1995 and is currently reading for a PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Reading. Her area of expertise is academic writing.

Ms Rachel Decelis graduated from the University of Malta in 2005 with a first-class Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Chemistry and Biology, having twice been listed in the Dean’s List during her course. She is currently reading for a Master of Science in Chemistry at the University of Malta. She is responsible for the setting up of the Writing Studio OWL.

Ms Diana Abela has been teaching Academic English at the University of Malta since 1998. She trained in online teaching with the University of London and teaches Business English online. She will be responsible for looking into the possibility of setting up online writing support.  

Third year students within the Department of Management, Faculty of Economics Management & Accountancy, reading for the B.Com., B.Sc. Business & Computing, or B.A. Tourism Studies and taking the Operations Management module, are required to write a report on the Operations function of a company of their choice as part of their credit in this subject. The subject tutor is Mr Charles J. Falzon. A number of these reports accompanied by powerpoint presentations or video will be presented during a special evening session to be held at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall, University Campus on Friday, 16th May, 2008 starting at 1830hrs.

The Organising Committee will be inviting all those managers who helped the 29 groups on this assignment, besides parents, friends, members of staff and other distinguished guests. As in the previous eight years, this event should prove highly instructive and educational.

Tickets can be obtained by contacting any member of the organising committee. Click here to send an email for further details.

The Department of Maltese, University of Malta invites you to a series of four public lectures by Prof. Alexander Borg of the University Ben-Gurion, Negev, Israel

All lectures will be in Maltese and shall be held in Hall E, M.A. Vassalli Lecture Centre (Gateway) at 1900hrs.

Tuesday, 13 May
The Maltese Language and the Dialects of Arabic

Wednesday, 14 May
The Revival of the Maltese Language

Thursday, 15 May
Maltese and Hebrew: Similarities and Differences in their Development

Friday, 16 May
Colours as a Linguistic Test

**********

Id-Dipartiment tal-Malti jistiednek għal erba’ taħditiet tal-Prof. Alexander Borg mill-Università Ben-Gurion tan-Negev, Iżrael

It-taħditiet kollha jibdew fis-7.00p.m. u jdumu madwar siegħa, u jsiru fis-Sala E, Ċentru Mikiel Anton Vassalli, l-Università, l-Imsida

It-Tlieta, 13 ta’ Mejju
L-ilsien Malti fost id-djaletti Għarab
It-taħdita tifli l-post ta’ l-ilsien Malti fi ħdan l-Għarbi mitkellem ta’ żmienna. L-istat ta’ l-istudju attwali tad-djaletti ta’ l-Għarbi juri li l-Malti jista’— minħabba l-iżolament storiku tiegħu — idawwal l-istaħriġ ta’ l-imgħoddi antik ta’ l-Għarbi, b’mod speċjali fil-qasam tal-lessiku. It-taħdita hija msejsa fuq materjal ġdid li nġabar dan l-aħħar għal dizzjunarju mqabbel ta’ l-Għarbi Palestinjan u l-ilsna Xemin.

L-Erbgħa, 14 ta’ Mejju
Il-qawmien ta’ l-ilsien Malti
Il-qawmien tal-Malti fi żmien il-globaliżmu jfisser, qabelxejn, tiġdid bla waqfien f’kull qasam li jista’ jtejjeb il-qagħda kulturali u soċjali ta’ l-ilsien Malti: l-ippjanar lingwistiku, l-edukazzjoni, l-istaħriġ tal-Malti, eċċ. Fi ftit kliem, jitlob qawmien kulturali wiesa’ u kreattiv.
 
Il-Ħamis, 15 ta’ Mejju
Il-Malti u l-Lhudi: qbil u differenzi fl-iżvilupp tagħhom
Il-Malti u l-Lhudi ta’ żmienna huma żewġ ilsna tal-familja semitika li għaddew minn ġrajja tixxiebah f’ċerti punti, ngħidu aħna fil-qasam tal-fonetika, minħabba l-kuntatti li seħħu bejnhom u bejn ilsna barranija Ewropej.
 
Barra minn hekk, iż-żewġ lingwi wirtu sostrat Aramajk antik li jidher b’mod ċar fil-lessiku modern, ngħidu aħna l-Lhudi XIDER ‘to broadcast’, il-Malti XANDAR.

Il-Ġimgħa, 16 ta’ Mejju
Il-kuluri bħala test lingwistiku
It-tema tal-kuluri kisbet post ċentrali fl-antropoloġija lingwistika ta’ żmienna bħalma juru x-xogħlijiet ta’ Brent Berlin u Paul Kay u l-istudjużi li tgħallmu għandhom. It-taħdita tifli riżultati ta’ interess għar-riċerkaturi tal-Malti li nkisbu fl-istaħriġ li seħħ qalb il-Bedwini tan-Negev (Borg 1999) u fuq l-Għarbi mitkellem tal-Lvant Nofsani u ta’ l-Afrika ta’ Fuq (Borg 2008).
 

Il-Prof. Alexander Borg huwa studjuż ta’ l-ilsna Xemin (l-aktar l-Għarbi, il-Lhudi u l-Aramajk) u jgħallem il-lingwistika fid-Dipartiment tal-Lhudi kif ukoll l-Għarbi fid-Dipartiment tal-Lvant Nofsani fil-Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Iżrael.

Il-Prof. Borg kiseb il-B.A. mill-Università ta’ Londra u l-M.A. mill-Università ta’ Pittsburgh (Pa., U.S.A.). Id-dottorat tiegħu, A Historical and Comparative Phonology and Morphology of Maltese, ġie mwettaq fl-Università ta’ Ġerusalemm fl-1978 u kiseb il-grad summa cum laude.

Aktar tard, bis-saħħa ta’ dan ix-xogħol, Borg ingħatalu research fellowship mill-Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung (Bonn) għal sentejn fl-Università ta’ Erlangen-Nürnberg biex jagħmel staħriġ dwar l-ilsien mitkellem mill-Maroniti ta’ Ċipru u bih kiseb l-Habilitation Ġermaniża.

L-istudju Cypriot Arabic (Stuttgart 1985) u d-dizzjunarju Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Leiden 2004) servew biex it-tajfa tal-Maroniti f’Ċipru jingħatalha l-għarfien uffiċjali tal-Kunsill ta’ l-Ewropa bħala minoranza lingwistika.

Il-Prof. Borg qatta’ tmien snin bħala riċerkatur fil-Blaustein Institute of Desert Research ta’ Ben-Gurion University of the Negev li jinsab ġo Sede Boqer u wettaq staħriġ fil-qasam ta’ l-antropoloġija lingwistika dwar il-bedwini tat-tribù msemmi Għażażima. Huwa studja l-għażla ta’ l-ismijiet personali li jingħataw fi ħdan it-tribù u s-sistema tal-kuluri fid-djalett tiegħu. Ix-xogħol dwar il-kuluri ġie mxandar fl-istudju The Language of Color in the Mediterranean (ed. A.Borg) li ħareġ fi Stokkolma fl-1999. Il-Prof. Borg issa impenjat fi staħriġ lessikali bl-appoġġ ta’ l-Akkademja ta’ l-Għarbi f’Ħajfa għal dizzjunarju ġdid dwar l-Għarbi mitkellem tal-Palestinjani. L-ewwel volum ta’ dan ix-xogħol iħaddan id-djaletti u l-kultura tal-bedwini fil-barr tan-Negev.

Il-Prof. Borg xandar ħafna artikli fuq il-Malti u issa qed ilesti wkoll ktieb li jifli l-ġrajja tal-Malti, imsejjes fuq id-dottorat tiegħu.

The Physics Department will be hosting a talk by Professor Frantisek Vizda from the University of Defence on "Influence of Cross-Correlation of Rough Boundaries on Reflectance of Thin Films" on Wednesday 14th May 2008 at 1430hrs in Room 101 of the Mathematics and Physics Building.

For further information on this and other seminars set up by the Physics Department click here.

The Department of Statistics & Operations Research wishes to invite you to a seminar entitled:

'Finite Horizon Dynamic Programming Models' by Dr. Jaroslav Sklenar

Date:    Tuesday, 13th May 2008
Time:    1400
Venue:  Rm 606 Maths & Physics Bldg.

All university members of staff and students are cordially invited to attend.

For more details visit our website

Click here to view poster

The Department of Arts and Languages in Education of the Faculty of Education has invited  Prof. Marie Berchoud of the Université de Bourgogne (France) to deliver a number of lectures to 3rd year B.Ed.(Hons) and PGCE student-teachers of French. This short course will be held between the 12th and 16th May and will focus on evaluation techniques in the teaching of French as a Foreign Language.

Thomas Freller’s numerous books and Articles on people, incidents and customs relating to the history of Malta are well known.  His substantial new and scholarly work on the authors who have written about Malta since classical times down to 1900 will provide the first overarching view of the many authors, famous and obscure, who have written about Malta.  Freller places the various works within the literary and political context of their times, and his knowledge of the highways and byways of Maltese history enables him to explore in depth authors’ attitudes to Malta and to the Order of St John. Beginning with classical literature and the Acts of the Apostles, Freller goes on to write chapters on English, Italian, French, Spanish and German authors from the sixteenth to the end of the nineteenth century. The many footnotes and the substantial bibliography add greatly to the usefulness of the work to the scholar.

Verses and Visions is being launched on 17th May at 12 noon, Green Lounge, Hotel Phoenicia, Floriana, the guest speaker being Professor Peter Vassallo. The book can be bought at a special pre-publication price (€34 instead of €40 for the hardback, and €24 instead of €29 for the paperback) until the 17th.

Linguistics Circle Meeting (7 May) - Computational Resources for Spoken Maltese...

The Institute of Linguistics
University of Malta

(Maltese version)

Linguistics Circle meeting
On: Wednesday, 7th May 2008
At: 6.30 p.m.
In: the Gateway Building, Rm. 104
Alexandra Vella with Paulseph-John Farrugia,
Flavia Chetcuti, Sarah Grech and Michael Spagnol
Institute of Linguistics
Computational Resources for
Spoken Maltese
MalToBI – SPAN Project Presentation

Maltese has, until recently, suffered from a serious lack of structured resources.  One resource which, to date, has been unavailable, is a corpus of spoken Maltese.  This talk presents work carried out in the context of two projects, MalToBI and SPAN, on the development of such a corpus.
We first describe the development of the spoken corpus by outlining the design of the corpus content and the procedure involved in the recording and storing of data. We then exemplify the standards that have been established for the annotation of Maltese data at the orthographic level and the steps being taken to establish parallel standards for the annotation of Maltese prosody in ToBI-style, as developed for other languages. Examples of annotated data from the corpus and of practical uses thereof as a means to answering questions about aspects of Maltese prosody will be provided and the set of guidelines which have been put together for use in the annotation described.
The corpus, the annotated data and the annotation guidelines are expected to serve as important resources for continuing research particularly on issues related to Maltese prosody and to the development of systems for the artificial production of human speech such as Text-to-Speech systems for Maltese with natural sounding intonation, and other human language technologies. By creating written versions of spoken texts and by compiling guidelines for their creation, the research being reported here is also set to complement current projects such as that being carried out as part of the Maltese Language Resource Server (MLRS) project, thus rendering the inclusion of spoken data into the MLRS corpus a more straightforward undertaking
__________________________________________
L-Istitut tal-Lingwistika
L-Università ta’ Malta

Taħdita Lingwistika
Nhar l-Erbgħa, 7 ta’ Mejju 2008
Fis-6.30 ta’ fil-għaxija
Fil- kamra 104, fiċ-Ċentru tal-Konferenzi Mikiel Anton Vassalli (Gateway)
Alexandra Vella ma’ Paulseph-John Farrugia u
Flavia Chetcuti, Sarah Grech, Michael Spagnol
L-Istitut tal-Lingwistika
Għodod komputazzjonali għall-Malti mitkellem
Preżentazzjoni tal-Proġetti MalToBI – SPAN

Il-Malti hu ftit jew wisq sajjem minn riżorsi strutturati li jintużaw għar-riċerka. Għodda ewlenija li ilna mixtiqin minnha hi korpus għall-Malti mitkellem. Din it-taħdita tippreżenta l-ħidma involuta fl-iżvilupp ta’ korpus ta’ dan it-tip fl-ambitu ta’ żewġ proġetti, MalToBI u SPAN.
Il-preżentazzjoni tibda billi naraw kif inbena l-korpus, fiex tikkonsisti d-data u kif din ġiet irrekordjata u maħżuna. Nispjegaw ukoll l-istandards li ntużaw għall-annotazzjoni ortografika tad-data u dawk li qed nistabbilixxu għall-annotazzjoni prosodika tal-Malti, hekk kif żviluppati f’lingwi oħra fuq l-istil ta’ ToBI. Insaħħu d-diskussjoni permezz ta’ eżempji ta’ data annotata mill-korpus li juru kif aspetti varji tal-prosodija tal-Malti jistgħu jiġu mistħarrġa f’iktar dettall. Inħarsu wkoll lejn il-linji gwida li huma għodda essenzjali għal min jiġi biex imidd għonqu għal xogħol ta’ annotazzjoni ta’ data mill-Malti mitkellem.
Il-korpus, id-data annotata u l-linji gwida għall-annotazzjoni huma għodod importanti għar-riċerka kulma jmur tiżdied fil-qasam tal-prosodija tal-Malti. Dawn huma bżonjużi wkoll għall-iżvilupp ta’ teknoloġiji lingwistiċi għall-Malti u sistemi li jirriproduċu t-taħdit b’mod artifiċjali, bħalma huma sistemi Text-to-Speech, li l-intonazzjoni tagħhom trid tinstema’ kemm jista’ jkun naturali. Fil-kwadru kollu, din ir-riċerka tagħti sehemha wkoll fil-korpus nazzjonali li qed jinbena mill-proġett Server għar-Riżorsi tal-Lingwa Maltija (SLRM), billi tipprovdi konverżazzjonijiet f’forma miktuba li jistgħu jiġu inklużi faċilment fil-korpus ta’ l-SLRM.

The Argotti Botanical Gardens, (University of Malta section), Floriana include a selection of indigenous and endemic Maltese plants as well as other plants well adapted to the Mediterranean climate some of which are unique to Malta.  A selection of these Maltese indigenous and Mediterranean plants are now being offered for sale between Wednesday 7th May and Friday 9th May from 0900hrs till 1500hrs. For those specifically interested in Maltese indigenous trees and shrubs, a special offer is being made for a set of the most important Maltese indigenous trees and plants. Advice on planting and caring for these plants will be given. Further enquiries can be made on 21 248 984.

The Third Session of the Postgraduate Researchers’ Forum of the University of Malta...

The third session of the Postgraduate Researchers’ Forum of the University of Malta which will be held on Wednesday 7 May 2008, at 1900hrs at the Old University Building, St Paul’s Street, Valletta. M.Phil./Ph.D. students are particularly encouraged to attend.

Postgraduate Researchers' Forum
May 2008 Meeting

Date:   Wednesday, 7 May 2008, 1900hrs
Venue:  Old University Building, St Paul's Street, Valletta

Programme:

1900hrs - 1925hrs
Twists and Turns in Text and Translation
Rose Marie Caruana (Faculty of Arts)

1925hrs – 1945hrs              
Design Knowledge support for the key (hole) Success
Alexia K. Grech (Faculty of Engineering)

1945hrs
Coffee

Rose Marie Caruana:   
Twists and Turns in Text and Translation
This paper demonstrates how the novel Requiem for a Malta Fascist written by Francis Ebejer, a leading literary figure, belongs to the genre of psychological novels which Maltese literature started exploring after Independence from Britain in 1964, where the anti-hero is a misfit, a stranger in his own land. Requiem takes the form of an interrogatory exercise, and indeed its sub-title is The Interrogation. The protagonist is not only revealed to be a prisoner being questioned but throughout his narrative he questions his own motives and actions and tries to come to grips with all his failed relationships. His angst and identity crisis mirror all the questioning and the search for a national conscience and national identity that Maltese society was thrashing out. Moreover the strong autobiographical references evoke very graphic and realistic accounts of a childhood spent in a remote village juxtaposed against an adolescence as a University undergraduate in the liberal society of urban living. Both proved to be a passing way of life, changed forever with the onset of the Second World War and the subsequent socio-politico-cultural upheavals it brought about in Maltese society and reflected in the narrative. Though firmly rooted in the literary movement of the late 1960s when three-quarters of the novel was written, Requiem was actually concluded in 1976 and the changes that had overtaken Maltese society in the meantime can be discerned in the text. The translation of Requiem into Maltese by Charles Briffa some twenty years later, not only transposes the twists and turns of the narrative itself but creates a shift of emphasis and direction, and consequently of meaning. The title in Maltese, Requiem Għal Sieħbi Faxxista, signals this overall shift due, as this paper maintains, to the change in the socio-political climate of the intervening years.

Rose Marie Caruana was born in Rabat in 1958. She graduated with a first class degree in English in 1979 and enjoyed a career in administration before opting to become a full time housewife and mother. She has travelled widely and together with her husband Albert and two daughters Colette and Janelle, has spent considerable periods of time living in the UK, the USA and Australia. Turning back to academic study she recently graduated with distinction, from the Postgraduate Diploma in Translation in 2006 and Master in Translation in 2007. Midsea Books published her translation of Immanuel Mifsud’s short story The Black Night of the Shearwaters in 2006. Her translation of Oliver Friggieri’s novel Jasmine Blossoms For All Time is due to be published soon. Her master’s thesis was published as a book in December 2007 by MUPL entitled Translating Reality. It has been designated a reference work by the review editor of the prestigious journal ‘Translation Studies’, a Routledge publication.

Alexia K. Grech: 
Design Knowledge support for the key (hole) success    
There is a rapidly increasing trend towards the development and adoption of more and more minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures across almost all fields of surgery, due to the clear benefits to patients. This means that more tools need to be designed and produced.   Surgeons are demanding safer, more ergonomic, multi-functional, interchangeable, light and small tools to be able to operate more comfortably. The knowledge required to design a MIS instrument is beyond the proficiency of a single engineering designer due to the various disciplines that are involved.  Guidance on designing micro-scaled products and on designing medical devices exists, yet design guidance in the micro surgical domain is lacking. The design problem that is that in the micro surgical domain, designers lack i) sufficient design knowledge and ii) design support tools. The research work carried out tries to solve this problem.

Alexia Grech graduated with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Malta in December 2006. She was awarded the ‘Most Innovative Design Mechanical Engineering Project’ by the Institution of Engineering Designers and  the ‘Best Mechanical Project’ presented during the Final Year Engineering Project by the Chamber of Engineers that was related to the Design of Hearing Aids. After working for a few months at ST Microelectronics, she returned back to the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering to further extend her interest in the biomedical engineering field. In January 2007, she started reading for an MPhil after being awarded a three year scholarship by the Malta Government. She has attended conferences in Iceland, USA and Paris as part of her research work, and has submitted two papers in International conferences, one of which has been accepted to be presented in Croatia and the other still under review. In 2007 Alexia worked for some months with the Malta Medical Devices Association at the Kordin Business Incubation Centre.  She is currently working on a part-time basis on an R&I project funded by the Malta Council for Science and Technology, which is very much related to her research.  She is also involved in the coordination of an FP6 project in the thematic area of Nanotechnologies, Materials engineering and Production. She holds the role of PR officer of the local branch of the Institution of Engineering Designers.

The Department of Italian would like to announce that Professor Norberto Cacciaglia from the Università per Stranieri di Perugia will give the following lectures on Verga, Svevo and contemporary Italian literature:
“Il mare nei Malavoglia” on Monday 12 May at 1300 hrs in OH112;
“La coscienza di un inetto” on Monday 12 May at 1400hrs in OH112;
“Linee di tendenza nella critica e nella produzione letteraria italiana degli ultimi decenni”, a seminar for third year and postgraduate students. Date and venue will be announced later.
Professor Norberto Cacciaglia is the Head of the Department of Comparative Cultures at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia and has published, among others, “La letteratura italiana nel ‘900. Spunti critici di lettura”, “La ragione e la fede. Da Giovanni Verga a Clemente Rebora”, “Sul primo Cinquecento perugino. Poesia minore e dispute sul volgare”.

Public Lecture
on
European Research Area (ERA)
Free Circulation of Knowledge, Researchers and Technology

The Malta Council for Science and Technology is organising a public lecture on the EU’s Green Paper on the European Research Area (ERA), as part of its commitment to create awareness on the initiative, as well as to ensure that the National R&I Strategy contributes to the building of the ERA. This forum will act as the ideal backdrop to the work currently being done on updating Malta’s R&I strategy.

The two hour session is being held at the University of Malta on the 12th May at 1300hrs, in room LC217.

The guest speaker will be Prof Luke Georghiou from the University of Manchester, who over the past year, has acted as Chair of the ‘ERA Rationales Expert Group’, set up by EU Directorate-General Research. Prof Georghiou will be presenting an overview of the ERA, as well as the main findings of the ERA Rationales Expert Group. The lecture will be followed by questions and a discussion.

The ERA Green Paper is a key document establishing the framework and vision for research in the European Union. Different measures to implement the various concepts outlined in the Green Paper are presently being discussed in EU fora. By being aware and updated of the process so far, you can voice your opinion and ideas of how the ERA vision can to be put in practice to Malta’s best advantage and success. Your participation to this event is therefore strongly encouraged.

For reservation please contact Ms Christine Grixti christine.m.grixti@gov.mt or call on 23602 118.
 


The European Research Area

Europe is at a crucial juncture:  the beginning of the second cycle of the renewed Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs. It is therefore important to assess progress made and discuss future orientations on one of its core elements – the European Research Area (ERA).

The European Research Area is the basis on which the EU aims to build a European knowledge society. Such a society is one where research, education, training and innovation are fully mobilised to fulfill the economic, social and environmental ambitions of the EU and the expectations of its citizens.

The ERA concept combines: a European "internal market" for research, where researchers, technology and knowledge freely circulate; effective European-level coordination of national and regional research activities, programmes and policies; and initiatives implemented and funded at European level.

The European Research Area has become a key reference for research policy in Europe. However, there is still much further to go to build ERA, particularly to overcome the fragmentation of research activities, programmes and policies across Europe.

If the European Research Area is to address these issues it should have the following features:
– An adequate flow of competent researchers with high levels of mobility between institutions, disciplines, sectors and countries;
– World-class research infrastructures, integrated, networked and accessible to research teams from across Europe and the world, notably thanks to new generations of electronic communication infrastructures;
– Excellent research institutions engaged in effective public-private cooperation, forming the core of research and innovation 'clusters' including 'virtual research communities', attracting a critical mass of human and financial resources;
– Effective knowledge-sharing between public research and industry, and with the public at large;
– Well-coordinated research programmes and priorities, including a significant volume of jointly-programmed public research investment at European level involving common priorities, coordinated implementation and joint evaluation; and
– A wide opening of the European Research Area to the world with special emphasis on neighbouring countries and a strong commitment to addressing global challenges with Europe's partners.

For more details click here.
 
Click here for the final report from the expert Group which has just been published.
 

Curso Internacional De Arqueología Marítima Mediterránea
ArcheoMed International Course

The ArcheoMed Project – Cultural Heritage of the Mediterranean (Interreg IIIB Medocc), through the University of Malta European Unit, has announced a public selection process for the awarding of scholarships for the participation in the International Course in Mediterranean Maritime Archaeology, Module III: Methodology and Techniques of Underwater Archaeology. The course will be held in Cadiz between 2 and 12 June 2008. The course is being organized by the Centro de Arqueología Subacuática Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico (Andalucia). The course is being held in Spanish.

Further details regarding the ArcheoMed Project and the International Course, including eligibility, selection, terms and conditions, may be viewed on the ArcheoMed website.

Relevant experience in maritime archaeology and a working knowledge of Spanish are both necessary.
Interested persons are invited to apply in writing by not later than 30 April 2008.

Applications shall include the following:
Name, date and place of birth;
Citizenship and identification (photocopy);
Full home address;
Telephone and e-mail address;
Curriculum Vitae;
Any relevant documents.

Applications are to be addressed to:
ArcheoMed Project - Scholarship Selection Board,
Department of Classics & Archaeology
University of Malta
Msida MSD 2080

Applications can be sent by email to Timmy Gambin
Late applications will not be considered.

The Department of Statistics & Operations Research wishes to invite you to a seminar:

'Negative Binomial Distribution' by Dr Lucie Doudova, Dept. of Econometrics, University of Defense, Czech Republic

Date:    Friday, 9th May 2008
Time:    1200hrs
Venue:  Rm 606 Maths & Physics Bldg.

All university members of staff and students are cordially invited to attend.

For more details visit the website.  

A Physics Seminar organised in view of the forthcoming discussion with CERN...

Public seminar organised by the Department of Physics, University of Malta

In view of the forthcoming discussion with CERN concerning the possibility of Malta's membership of this prestigious international research centre for particle physics, the Department of Physics of the University of Malta has invited Dr Raphael Galea, a Maltese-Canadian Particle Physicist working at Columbia University, for discussions on ways of collaboration. During his stay, Dr Galea has kindly accepted to give a public talk entitled 'The Elusive Neutrino' on Wednesday 7 May 2008. The details are given below:

Title: 'The Elusive Neutrino'
Date: Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Post: Physics & Mathematics Building, Room 401
Time: 1830hrs

Abstract:
The number of neutrinos far exceeds the count of all the atoms in the entire Universe. Although they hardly interact with matter, they are crucial for physics at all scales; from the nucleus to the cosmos. They may in fact be the reason why we exist at all. Neutrinos sparked interest when initial measurements of these particles coming from the Sun were found to be anomalous. The anomaly, dubbed the ‘Solar Neutrino Deficit Problem’, took over forty years of experimental measurements to resolve.  Yet over 99% of the solar neutrino flux arising from proton-proton fusion reactions in the Sun, still have not been detected in real-time.

The talk will introduce the neutrino and describe the experimental efforts in its study throughout history. An outline will be given of a novel neutrino detector which is being developed to measure the lowest energy solar neutrinos. This tracking detector will use cryogenic fluids and the properties of 'electron bubbles' to detect these notoriously weakly-interacting particles.

Biography:
Dr Raphael Galea received his Ph.D. in Experimental High Energy Physics from the University of Toronto in 2000, with his thesis 'A Search for R parity violating supersymmetric particles at HERA using the ZEUS Detector' (DESY-THESIS-2001-015). During his graduate years, he contributed to the operation of the ZEUS Detector at the Deutsches Elektron Synchrotron in Hamburg, Germany. As a post-doctoral fellow he worked at Columbia University, in New York and then as a visiting scientist at the Max-Planck-Institute in Munich, Germany, on accelerator physics. In 2005 he returned to Columbia University, where he is an Associate Research Scientist and has a lead role in the Research and Development of Novel Cryogenic Tracking Detectors at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, NY. He has published extensively in his field. His latest publication is 'Charge Transmission through liquid neon and helium surfaces', Journal of Instrumentation, Volume 2, P04007, 2007.

Attendance is free of charge and open to the public. Refreshments will be offered after the seminar. Since the number of places is limited, it is advisable to register as early as possible by sending an email request to physics.sci@um.edu.mt or by calling the Department on 2340-2524. More information is available from Mr Pierre-Sandre Farrugia by email or by telephone 2340-2178. Information on this and other seminars in the programme is available from the website.

A dissemination seminar on the research results of the Daphne II project -Secondary Education Schools and Education in Values - will be presented at the dissemination seminar to be held at the SAS Radisson, St Julians on 28 May 2008. 

Dr Suzanne Gatt, at the Faculty of  Education in collaboration with Dr Jacqueline Azzopardi and Dr Sandra Scicluna at the Institute of Forensics have worked on this project and carried out research in local schools. The project is coordinated by the University of Zaragoza and is funded by the European Commission under the Daphne II Programme entitled 'Secondary Education Schools and Education in values: Proposals for gender violence prevention'. The main aim of the project is to contribute to gender violence prevention in secondary schools, given that it is one of the stages in which many young people begin their first relationships and begin to shape certain values in relation to models of attraction. The project analyses the context of secondary schools, including that of other contexts of socialisation of youth (family, neighbourhood, etc.), in order to propose actions that contribute to the prevention of gender violence in relation to education in values. More specifically, the objective of the project is to identify and analyse the types of values in Secondary Education that have an impact on the model for attraction that influences adolescents’ affective-sexual relationships.

The seminar is free of charge. All those interested in attending are to send an email to Ms Sonia Vella Zarb.

Malta Commonwealth Third Country Training Programme
Commonwealth Workshop on
COMPETITIVENESS STRATEGIES FOR SMALL STATES
University of Malta, 5-16 May 2008

The Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malta will be organising a training workshop on Competitiveness Strategies for Small States as part of the Malta-Commonwealth Third Country Training Programme.

The course is primarily intended for officials, at senior and middle management levels, operating in their private sector and public sector institutions. Participants should normally be nominated by the national governments of small states members of the Commonwealth, and sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation.

The course will take place between 5 and 16 May 2008 in the Conference Room at the University of Malta (entrance near BOV). The aim of the course is to disseminate knowledge and provide training on competitiveness strategies, covering a variety of themes with a focus on small states. Another objective of the workshop is to enable the participants benefit from the sharing of ideas and experiences during discussions. The Commonwealth countries participating will include Singapore, Ghana, Malaysia, Maldives, Samoa, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana and Sri Lanka.

Further Information can be obtained from Ms Maryrose Vella, Islands and Small States Institute, University of Malta, Tel/Fax: 21344879.

All midwives are invited to attend an International Midwifery Week organised by the Nursing and Midwifery Division, Institute of Health Care, University of Malta.

Dates: 5th – 9th May, 2008
Venue: Mater Dei Hospital, Auditorium Block C Level 3

 

Programme
Monday 5th May
0900hrs – 0910hrs	Introduction by Chairperson, IHC Prof John Rizzo Naudi
0910hrs – 0920hrs	Introduction by Director, IHC Dr Alexandra Buttigieg
0920hrs – 0930hrs	Introduction by Nursing/Midwifery Co-ordinator Ms Roberta Sammut
0930hrs – 1030hrs	Introduction by foreign delegates from each country
1030hrs – 1100hrs	Coffee break
1100hrs – 1130am	Perspectives of Midwifery Education in Malta Ms Josephine Attard
1130hrs – 1230hrs	Midwifery education in Finland Ms Kirsti Palonen, Finland
1230hrs – 1330hrs	Normal childbirth and its promotion Ms Grace Thomas, Wales, UK
1330hrs – 1430hrs	Lunch break
1430hrs – 1530hrs	Research and pain in the newborn Ms Katrien Van Ginneken, Ms Ilse Van Gorp, Ms Annemie Stuer, Belgium
Evening (1900hrs)	Celebration of the International day of the Midwife Reception at the IHC staffroom
Tuesday 6th May
0900hrs – 0930hrs	Continuous Professional Development in Malta Ms Rita Borg Xuereb
0930hrs – 1030hrs	Midwifery education in Cyprus Ms Eleni Hadjigeorgiou, Cyprus
1030hrs – 1100hrs	Coffee break
1100hrs – 1330hrs	Mater Dei tour
1330hrs – 1430hrs	Lunch break
1430hrs – 1530hrs	National guidelines for Birth Centres in Wales led midwives Ms Grace Thomas, Wales UK
Wednesday 7th May
0900hrs – 1000hrs	Obstetrical care at the intersection of science and culture: studies of           midwives and doctors’ perspectives on obstetrical care of circumcised women Ms Catarina Widmark, Sweden
1000hrs – 1100hrs	An exploration of the perceptions of midwives as client advocates for normal            childbirth Ms Eleni Hadjigeorgiou, Cyprus
1100hrs – 1130hrs	Coffee break
1130hrs – 1230hrs	Public health roles in Midwifery: working with women who are victims of domestic abuse Ms Grace Thomas, Wales UK
1230hrs – 1330hrs	Introduction of Bachelor Midwifery study program on Faculty of Health Care             University of Presov Slovakia Ms Lubrica Rybarova, Slovakia
1330hrs – 1430hrs	Lunch break
1430hrs – 1530hrs	Presentation by Ms Natalja Istomina, Lithuania (title to be confirmed)
Thursday 8th May
0900hrs – 1000hrs	Aiming at culture conscious and tailored nursing. A study of Erasmus exchange Ms Raija Koku, Finland
1000hrs – 1030hrs	Coffee break
1030hrs – 1130hrs	Confidential enquiry into maternal deaths. Report for 2003 – 2005 in the UK Ms Grace Thomas, Wales UK
1130hrs – 1230hrs	Feedback and closing
1230hrs – 1330hrs	Lunch break
1330hrs onwards	Sightseeing tour for foreign delegates
2000hrs	Dinner at Selmun Palace, Selmun
Friday 9th May
1230hrs – 1330hrs	Culture and spirituality Dr Linda Ross, Wales (Venue: Block C Room 1, opposite Chapel)

                     
       

JMER in collaboration with the Department of Youth & Community Studies is organising a public talk:
Evidence-based policy/practice/education: Whom does it serve?

John P. Portelli
Professor and Co-Director Centre for Leadership and Diversity
OISE, University of Toronto

Venue: LT2
Date: Friday 25 April 2008
Time: 1730hrs - 1900hrs

Slogans permeate popular educational discourse. One current example is the phrase 'evidence-based policy/practice/education' (EBE). Slogans can lead people to effective action. However, very often they fail to consider the purpose/s these actions achieve and whom these serve. This presentation is in two parts. Part I offers an account and a critical analysis of the qualities and prospects of EBE as reflected in the writings of those who support it in the US, UK and Canada, identifying the assumptions and values explicit/implicit in these views. Part II focuses on the Canadian context. Drawing on policy documents, websites and literature searches the presentation addresses the following questions: What is the nature of EBE in the Canadian context? How does it differ from EBE in other national contexts? To what extent are the qualities associated with EBE visible in the Canadian contexts? To what extent is EBE susceptible to critiques of EBE?

Given the bias toward a narrow notion of evidence that this research identified, a crucial question arises: How do we develop a more inclusive educational research infrastructure in Canada that privileges different ways of knowing?

The Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit together with  Forum Malta fl-Ewropa will be holding the second workshop and public debate on Research and Innovation on Thursday 24 April at the University of Malta, KSU Common Room (Students' House). Registration will commence at 1500hrs. The opening address will be at 1530hrs.

The Lisbon Strategy has placed innovation, research and education activities at the top of the Growth and Jobs Agenda. Malta, unfortunately still does not fare well in terms of Research and Development (R&D) and, to a lesser extent, Innovation, when compared to other EU Member States. According to a Eurostat report on Research and Development  personnel, Malta not only has of the lowest levels of full-time researchers in employment within the EU but one of the lowest ratios of female researchers. The European Trend Chart reports that a process of reflection and review is underway to improve the national innovation in Malta, but further efforts are required on innovation policy challenges. Awareness on the need to address this issue is growing, thanks to a number of recent EU initiatives and projects

This workshop is the second in a series of four as part of the Say EU and  Action project, which  falls under the EU Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate. The main target groups of the project are youth and women organizations. Together with those who work in the field of research, women and young people are invited to discuss this topic and come up with recommendations to remove obstacles to the uptake of research careers and to promote innovation. It will also provide the occasion to inform participants of the incentives available to Maltese researchers and industries to seriously step up their attempts to face the pressing needs for research and innovation in the European economy.

The first project workshop was held on the 29 March 2008 on the subject of Immigration. The next two will focus on an Energy Review for Europe and Flexicurity.

Participation is free of charge           
Under the EU Plan D

Contact Details
Tel. 2340 2189
e-mail: projects@ftz.org.mt                

Workshop/Public Debate on Research and Innovation

Date: 24th April 2008
Time: 1530hrs – 1830hrs
Venue: KSU Common Room, University of Malta, Msida

Programme

1500hrs    Registration and Coffee

1530hrs    Opening address
               The Hon. George Pullicino, Minister of Resources and Rural Affairs

1600hrs    Research and Innovation: The Maltese Perspective
               Prof. Paul Micallef, Dept of Communications & Computer Engineering, Univ. of Malta

1630hrs    Public Debate – chaired by Prof. Peter Serracino Inglott 
               followed  by voting on recommendations to be presented to the European institutions

1745hrs    Conclusion and recommendations
               Dr Joanna Drake, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Malta

Refreshments 

Hebrew Multi-word Expressions: Characterization, Representation, Processing and Acquisition
Dr Shuly Wintner, University of Haifa
Friday, 25th April, EB1, 1300hrs - 1400hrs

Multi-word expressions (MWEs) are lexical words consisting of more than a single orthographic word. Semantically, their meaning is usually non-compositional (i.e., cannot be established from the meanings of their components); syntactically, they may function as words or as phrases; morphologically, their behavior is many times idiosyncratic; and orthographically, they are written with intervening spaces. The identification of MWEs is an important task for a variety of NLP applications, ranging from information retrieval and building ontologies to text alignment and machine translation. MWEs are a challenge for computational processing of natural languages because they combine properties of words and phrases, and because phonological, morphological and orthographic processes apply to them differently than to ordinary phrases. They are even more challenging in languages with complex morphology, because of the unique interaction of morphological and orthographical processes with the lexical specification of MWEs.
I will describe ongoing work whose goal is to develop theories and techniques for representing, processing and acquiring Hebrew MWEs. Specifically, I will describe:

• an architecture for lexical specification of MWEs in Hebrew, extending an existing lexicon of the language with capabilities to store MWEs;
• techniques for morphological processing of MWEs in Hebrew, extending an existing morphological processor (analyzer/generator) with capabilities to process MWEs;
• techniques to extract MWEs from monolingual and bilingual corpora, and populate the lexicon with MWEs acquired automatically;
• evaluation measures for MWE extraction, and their applicability to languages with complex morphology and orthography.

As this is still very much work in progress, I will focus on an extensive characterization of the phenomenon and some preliminary work addressing the first two items above. This is joint work with Hassan Al-Haj and Alon Itai.

Dr Shuly Wintner is a visiting Erasmus Mundus Scholar who contributing to the teaching programme of
the European MSc in Human Language Science and Techonology. The seminar is organised jointly by the
Department of Artificial Intelligence and the Institute of Linguistics.

For further information contact Mike Rosner.

The Association of European Insular Chambers of Commerce and Industry (INSULEUR) and the Gozo Business Chamber, in collaboration with the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta will be organising an Executive Training Workshop in Gozo, Malta between 12 and 13 June 2008.  

The Workshop is intended for officials at senior and middle management levels, operating in the private and public sector institutions to help them familiarise themselves with issues of insular development and to offer them the instruments to support their organisation. A brochure with the programme of the workshop and a registration form, with information about the workshop fee, are attached.

Click here for the seminar programme.

Click here for the application form.

The European Documentation and Research Centre (EDRC) in conjunction with the Malta European Studies Association (MESA) with the support of the French Embassy in Malta announces a lecture by:
Dr Dorothée Schmid, researcher on Mediterranean and Middle East issues at the Institut Francais des Relations Internationales (IFRI, Paris)

“The Union for the Mediterranean: French Track or New European Policy”

Abstract:
In February 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy, campaigning at the time to become the French President, spoke for the first time of a « Mediterranean Union ». A little more than a year later, while Sarkozy is effectively in power, his Mediterranean Project seems to have substantially evolved, having finally met with hard Mediterranean realities and soft EU constraints. The contents of the new 'Union for the Mediterranean' (EU-Med), thus re-labelled under German pressure, is still uncertain. What can be presently said about this initiative, which was supposed to be a highlight of the French presidency of the EU to come?
Historically, the Mediterranean has always remained a centre piece of France’s external system of influence.

While the French partly relied for the last 15 years on the EU’s capacity of action to uphold a Mediterranean development perspective, their disillusion with the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) has grown with the launching of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). At the same time, Nicolas Sarkozy’s Mediterranean Project should be understood in the context of the President’s global diplomatic ambition, and as an example of his willingness to restore France’s autonomy within the EU frame of action.

The usefulness and viability of the EU-Med was questioned from the outset by several EU member states and notably caused a critical debate in Spain, Italy and Germany. The French Project seems now on its way to be reintegrated into the EU’s cluster of external policies, as little more than an appendix to the EMP. It is now necessary to reflect upon its possible contribution to the development and stabilisation of the Mediterranean region.

Date: Tuesday 29th April 2008 at 1800hrs
Refreshments: at 1730hrs
Venue: Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard
Book by sending the following details by e-mail to Ms Doris Mangion:
Name, Organisation, and E-Mail by 25th April 2008 at 1000hrs
Entrance: Free

The Physics Department is proud to host one of the talks in the seminar series organised between the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery on Wednesday 23 April 2008 at 1500hrs in Rm 216 of the Mathematics and Physics Building.

The speaker, will be Mr Noel Aquilina of the University of Malta who will be talking about 'The MATCH Project - PAH and ETS urinary biomarkers'.

Click here for further information.

Contact:

Phone:

On April 24, as part of the Literature and Comparison Research Seminar Series, Professor Robert Hollander ...

Literature and Comparison Research Seminar Series, Faculty of Arts
Thursday 24th April, Lecture Theatre 1, 1800hrs
Professor Robert Hollander (Princeton University)
"Dante’s 'Sympathetic' Sinners"

As part of the Faculty of Arts' Literature and Comparison Research Seminar Series, Professor Robert Hollander will give a talk entitled "Dante's 'Sympathetic' Sinners" on Thursday 24th April at 1800hrs in Lecture Theatre 1.

Professor Hollander will argue that Francesca, Farinata, Brunetto, Ulysses, and Ugolino (among others), most pronouncedly in the Romantic era but still today, tend to be dealt with as though they are larger than their sins rather than being defined by them. While not denying their attractive qualities, Professor Hollander’s presentation will make a case for their punishments befitting their crimes.

Professor in European Literature, Emeritus (Princeton University), Robert Hollander has published twelve books and more than eighty articles on Dante and/or Boccaccio, most recently a new translation (with his wife, the poet Jean Hollander) of Paradiso (Doubleday 2007).  He has been honoured with the Gold Florin both of the City of Florence (1988) and of the Dante Society of America (2005).  This year, on 30 May, both Hollanders will receive the Gold Florin of Florence for their translation of the Commedia.

 

MMSA’s SCOPH in collaboration with MKSU are organising a blood drive on campus. The event will be held on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th April at the canteen. Donors are to bring their ID cards. For further information email: kyky_cam@hotmail.com or lentini@maltanet.net.

There will also be a stand outside canteen, where further information is given and organ donation forms can be filled.

Roberto Benigni will be on campus on Wednesday 23 April at 6.30pm. The event is open to all ...

The Biology Department at the Junior College is organising the 3rd talk in the BIOCOMMS Seminar Programme entitled:
'Alien Insects and their Impact on the Maltese Islands with Special Reference to the Red Palm Weevil'

The lecture will by addressed by Dr David Mifsud (Lecturer in Biology) on Wednesday, 16th April, 2008 at 1400hrs
Venue: Room 23 (Media room) Junior College, Msida.

Anyone interested is welcome to attend but pre-registration by e-mail is recommended. 

Contact:

Phone:

The TOF-SIMS Analytical Technique
Instruments, methods and its application in technology

Presented by
Dr Elias Chatzitheodoridis
Technical University of Athens

Date: Tuesday 22 April 2008
Time: 1700hrs – 1900hrs
Location: Engineering Drawing Room, Engineering Building, University of Malta

Abstract
TOF-SIMS (Time Of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) is a mass spectroscopic technique. It uses primary ions, created with special instruments called "ion guns", to produce a primary ion beam which bombards the surface of the samples with high energies. Primary ions release secondary ions from the surface of the sample which are formed into a secondary ion beam, enter the mass analyser and analysed by mass. In the case of TOF-SIMS, the mass analyser is separating the different masses by their different travel times though a tube which is under high vacuum. The primary ion beam can be scanned to acquire elemental and isotopic maps from the surface of the sample and since the technique is destructive it removes material and provides information in the third dimension, resulting to depth profiles or three-dimensional elemental maps. It is a very sensitive technique which finds applications in many disciplines such as in materials science, quality control of technological materials during development or production, biology and medicine, and earth sciences, to name a few. This talk will describe the basic aspects of the technique, will refer in some detail to the most modern instruments, will give aspects of the data acquisition and interpretation of mass spectra and will close with examples of technological applications.

Profile of the Presenter
Dr Elias Chatzitheodoridis, born in Korydallos, Athens, Greece, took his first degree from the National University of Athens, in Earth Sciences and he continued his postgraduate studies at Manchester University, England, UK with his M.Sc. (1990) and his Ph.D. (1994).

Very early in his studies he realised the potential and the impact that materials science and technologies would have in the future, and took the opportunity through several European projects to research in microtechnologies, with hands-on  training on techniques such as LiGA (deep X-Ray lithography), targeting mainly the fabrication of the first three-dimensional photonic crystals, structures that would be capable to manipulate electromagnetic waves in frequencies of interest to telecommunications. He continued with further training and research in the area of microassembly and micromanipulation of microparts targeted towards automated assembly of microparts into microsystems (based on pattern recognition and/or sensing), and to the design, fabrication, integration and control of micromanipulation tools and assembly stations. He has also developed a prototype system for three-dimensional writing inside the volume of materials (8x8x2 inch) with the use of a two-photon absorption physical process (capable of nanostructuring with resolution reaching 120nm), or simply structuring with laser machining, where target was the fabrication of planar optics for chip-to-chip optical communication.

Currently, he is a lecturer at the Technical University of Athens, Greece. His research and efforts combine his interdisciplinary background, aiming to the miniaturisation of analytical instruments, tools and methods for planetary and extreme environment exploration.

Get that competitive edge, unleash your potential for creativity! 9-11 June ...

The Edward de Bono Seminar 2008, Malta, 9-11 June
Get that competitive edge, unleash your potential for creativity!
   
We are pleased to announce
The Edward de Bono Seminar 2008
to be held at the University of Malta
on the 9 - 10 - 11 June 2008

This seminar will be conducted entirely by Professor Edward de Bono, the inventor of Lateral Thinking.
Click here for full details and e-registration form.

You may also be interested to learn more about the University of Malta's Master of Arts in Creativity and Innovation with the participation of Professor Edward de Bono. The next intake is October 2008. 

Contact Person:
Dr Sandra Dingli,
Head of Institute
The Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking
Tel: +356 (2340) 2434

For further details send an email
Please circulate this information to anyone who may be interested. 

On 26 and 27 April Teatru Qroqq presents a theatre production for children based Roald Dahl’s popular story Charlie ...

Theatre: St James Cavalier
26th  April, 2008  1700hrs and 1900hrs
27th  April, 2008  1900hrs

Storyline – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory based on a story of Roald Dahl
TEATRU QROQQ presents a theatre production for children based Roald Dahl’s popular story of a world famous ingenious candymaker who hides five golden tickets in candy bars for five lucky children. Charlie, a young boy from a humble but loving family, has his wish come true when he finds a golden ticket to the amazing chocolate factory owned by the eccentric if ingenious and mean spirited candy maker Willie Wonka.  

This production is a theatre treat for children as they join Charlie, Veruca Salt, a little rich girl who is spoilt rotten; Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous kid who stuffs his face with sweets; Violet Beauregarde, a champion trophy gum chewer and Mike Teavee, a TV and video games addict on this extraordinary visit to the factory.

The TEATRU QROQQ Project is run by Dr Isabelle Gatt lecturer within the Faculty of Education in the Expressive Arts. Teatru Qroqq is made up of a group of B.Ed. students and theatre studies students working with a team theatre practitioners. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is directed by Marcelle Teuma and produced by Isabelle Gatt.

The play is in English and aimed at a young audience aged 6-12 years.
 
Bookings  through St James Cavalier on 21223216  or Box Office. 

The European Documentation and Research Centre (EDRC) in conjunction with the Malta European Studies Association (MESA) announces a lecture by:
Dr Stelios Stavridis, Senior Fellow and Head of the Euro-Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Studies Unit, Institute of International Economic Relations (IDOS/IIER), Athens, Greece

Title:
'The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA)'

Abstract:
In recent years there has been a growing trend towards inter-parliamentary co-operation both between national parliaments and at the regional level. The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) is the successor of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum. It was established on the basis of the 1995 Barcelona Declaration. The discussion focuses on the role of parliamentary co-operation and specifically that of the EMPA. It will also touch on the structure of the Assembly and its workings.

Date: Tuesday 15th April 2008 at 1800hrs.
Venue: Gateway Building, Hall B1, University of Malta, Msida
Book by sending the following details to Ms Doris Mangion
Name, Organisation, and E-Mail by 14th April 2008 @ 1000hrs
Entrance: Free

Faculty of Education – Department of Maths, Science and Technical Education (DMSTE) Dissertation Showcase – Wednesday 16 April 2008 – 1600-1800 hrs.

The Department of Maths, Science and Technical Education (DMSTE) of the Faculty of Education will be organizing its annual Dissertation Showcase on Wednesday 16 April 2008 – 1600-1800 hrs at the Library of the Old University Building, St. Paul Str, Valletta

The event is open to all academic staff, to students and to the public. The seminar should be of special interest to students who are working on their research project.  

Attendance is free of charge.  
For seat reservation, please email dmste@um.edu.mt or to Andrew Decelis 

Dear Colleague,

The University Library is pleased to offer two workshops entitled:
'The Usage of the EBSCOhost Interface for Academic D atabases'

You may attend any one of the workshops either on:
Tuesday April 15 from 0930hrs — 1130hrs
or
Tuesday April 15 from 1300hrs — 1500hrs

Another workshop entitled,
'EBSCOhost Interface for Medical Users and the Dynamed Interface' will be held on Wednesday April 16 from 1400hrs — 1600hrs

Gianluca Di Bella from EBSCO publishing will be the instructor for the course. The workshops will be held at the Stator Laboratory, Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Maths & Physics Building.  The objectives of these workshops are to introduce you to the library’s new e-journal packages, use the advanced search functions and obtain some hands-on training.                                    
                                                           .
You may also nominate any technical, laboratory and administrative staff, I.T. officers and postgraduate students to attend.  However, since we have limited capacity, in case you are interested to attend the workshops, please send e-mail  or call on telephone 23402316 by Monday April 14, 2008.

Yours sincerely,


Joanna Felice
Head of Reader Services

Th Institute of Health Care is organising a lecture entitled Dietetics - Old and New 

Venue: Mater Dei Hospital, Auditorium Block A
Date: Tuesday, 29th April 2008
Time: 1300hrs

Speaker: Ms Elizabeth Belton

Ms Elizabeth Belto