Professor Peter Mayo, Head of the Department of Education Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Malta, spent the month of July as 'Noted Scholar' in Residence and Visiting Professor in the Department of Educational Studies, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada. During this period, he taught the graduate course 'Comparative and International Perspectives in Adult Education' and gave a public talk 'Adult Education in the Mediterranean. Some Preliminary Considerations' at the University’s Scarfe Building. He was also invited to Edmonton, Alberta, to give another public talk, this time on 'Lorenzo Milani, the School of Barbiana and Critical Pedagogy.' He delivered this talk in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta, as guest of the University’s Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Research.

The course taught by Prof. Mayo, as part of the UBC’s Summer Course programme, was intended to raise issues concerning adult education across different parts of the globe. The course could not be exhaustive but importance was attached to some of the figures and movements that have helped shape the discourse concerning adult education in the global North and South, themes that are often invoked with regard to current adult education policies and practice. Special emphasis was placed on adult education in Africa, with special reference to Nyerere and contemporary experiences in Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, the Mediterranean (general considerations involving the regions' Northern and Southern shores), Asia (particularly China and India), and Latin America. The course  also considered Western hegemonic discourses and counter discourses (the OECD and EU debates around lifelong learning/alternative conceptualizations, citizenship, the competence discourse, Neoliberal/workfare society threat to pensions and 'retooling' older adult labor, Migration, lessons from the South) and global challenges (adult education and the World Social Forum; biodiversity; social movements from a global perspective; feminism, Migration once again,  postcolonialism).

Professor Mayo has previously held short-term appointments as Visiting Professor at the universities of Alberta (twice), Cyprus and Bogazici (Istanbul) in addition to the most recent appointment at UBC. In 2003, he was offered a similar appointment to teach summer school at OISE/University of Toronto which he could not take up in view of the Sars outbreak. He twice taught block seminars at the University of Mainz.

The Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Malta is pleased to announce that in October 2010 it will be offering a degree in Classical Hebrew. The degree gives an overview of ancient Israelite and Jewish history and culture, covering the period ranging from the 12th century BC and the 2nd century AD, and of the development of the Hebrew language during this period. Various language courses on Classical and post-Classical Hebrew (starting from the very basics of the language) will be on offer, which will enable the students to read ancient Jewish texts, such as the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, in their original language. The language courses are complimented by a number of historical and cultural courses, which present a general introduction to the social and cultural context from which these ancient texts originated. These historical and cultural courses provide a detailed analysis of the literary and archaeological evidence from the periods under discussion.

The various language courses which the degree offers are on: Classical Hebrew, Mishnaic Hebrew, the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Biblical Aramaic; some of these courses consist of basic language classes, while others consist of readings of Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The historical and cultural courses which the degree offers cover topics such as: the emergence of Ancient Israel, Judah in the Persian Period, Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Jewish literature and the formation of the Hebrew Bible.   

The B.A./B.A.(Hons) degree in Classical Hebrew is a three-year full-time degree. For more information please contact Ms Louisa Borg.

New 2-year Diploma Course in Chinese for Beginners
Evening, Part-Time
October 1, 2010 – June 30, 2012

The new 2-year part-time evening course in Chinese for beginners is designed for persons with little or no Chinese language experience. The course focuses on spoken Mandarin and on developing conversational fluency, yet allowing ample freedom to discover the richness of Chinese culture, both past and present.
 
Students from all walks of life are eligible, given that the General Entry Requirements for admission are satisfied. Applications will be considered from all eligible applicants whether or not they have an academic background on China. People working in the private sector, civil service, non-government institutions, journalism, or equivalent fields may be interested in following this Diploma course.  Students, possessing an undergraduate degree or higher in areas such as Public Policy, International Relations and Diplomatic Studies, Geography, Anthropology, Communications, Health Sciences, Legal or Business Studies may see this Diploma as an opportunity to broaden their disciplinary range and integrate Chinese as part of their respective disciplines. This course may also serve as an entry-point to further learning on China.

The Diploma in Chinese is offered by the Confucius Institute at the University of Malta through the Department of Oriental Studies, Faculty of Arts.

Please address your enquiries concerning the Diploma in Chinese to the Confucius Institute by email or visit the University of Malta website to apply for the Diploma in Chinese (Part-Time Evening) under the 'Find a Course ● Apply Online' section.

A group of 17 members from the University Junior College Chamber Orchestra, accompanied by project coordinator Ms Boryana Chaneva and Orchestra director Mro. Manoel Pirotta, travelled to Germany between 1 and 9 July 2010 as part of a student exchange and annual partnership between the Junior College and the Louis-Otto-Peters School in Wiesloch, Germany.

There, the group marked the 10 year anniversary of partnership between the two schools. The students performed two vocal and instrumental concerts at Louis-Otto-Peters School on 5 July and at Max-Weber-School in Sinsheim on the 8th July. The group visited Heildelberg, Mannheim, Schwetzingen and Bruchsal, where students got a chance to tour the castle as well as visit the mechanical instruments museum. Students also had the opportunity to visit the Mannheim National Theatre, the oldest local theatre in Germany and one of the tops in the world, where the young musicians were first given the rare opportunity to visit back stage and experience what it is like to stand in a professional orchestra pit. Later, they were also allowed to view an opera dress rehearsal of Wagner’s dramatic Götterdämmerung 'The Twilight of the Gods'.

A farewell was organised for the students at the magnificent Schwetzingen Palace Gardens – the summer residence of Prince Elector Carl Theodor. The German students are expected to return the visit in October, when the 17 Maltese participants will host them for the duration of their stay.

The participant musicians were:
Musical Director: Mro. Manoel Pirotta
Flute: May Schembri
Clarinet: Tracey Vella
Trumpet: Fabian Fenech
Althorn: Benjamin Vassallo
Trombone: Fabio Spiteri
Violin I: Miguel Rosales, Claudia Galea, Kirsty  Gomez Blancom, Katryna Grech
Violin II: Marie-Claire Cassar, Melissa Caruana
Viola: Michelle Borg
Piano: Analise Mifsud, Maria Attard
Percussion: Kristian Schembri, Gilbert Farrugia
Soprano: Analise Mifsud
Baritone: Gilbert Delicata

Following on the success of last academic year’s initiative, the University of Malta will once again be making a selected number of courses open to the general public. These will be offered on a ‘first come, first served basis’ and places are restricted.

The intention of this initiative, followed by other overseas universities, is to enable members of the general public with particular interests to widen their knowledge by attending selected undergraduate lectures on specific subjects. These subjects vary from 'Roman Baroque Sculpture' through to 'Women in the Bible' and other courses in Anthropology, Philosophy and Development Studies, to name a few. The courses are varied and interesting.  No certificates or diplomas are offered, but members of the public who have both the time and the desire to widen their understanding and knowledge in specific intellectual areas, are welcome to apply by consulting the list of lectures available. Registration for Semester 1 courses (October 2010- February 2011) is open until the 15th September 2010. A list of lectures is available here.

For more information and online application please click here.

Courses available to the general public in Semester 2 (March - May 2011) will be announced at a later date. This selective opening of courses to the general public is being made available as part of the University’s commitment to enhance social and educational development. Individuals wishing to follow full courses that lead to a Degree can, of course, apply through the normal procedures.

For a number of years the University of Malta and Heritage Malta have collaborated by offering courses leading to a Bachelor degree in Conservation in four areas of study as well as two Masters’ courses. 

Following discussions, and in order to further consolidate and develop courses in the areas of conservation and restoration, as well as to rationalise the use of resources, the University of Malta and Heritage Malta have agreed that the Institute of Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage (ICMCH) within Heritage Malta will henceforth concentrate on offering vocational programmes as well as outreach programmes for school children and the general public. Courses leading to tertiary level qualifications will be restructured and offered under the auspices of the University of Malta.

In the next two years the University of Malta, through the Faculty for the Built Environment, will work on developing Masters’ courses in Conservation. Admission to such courses will be open to graduates in possession of Bachelor degrees in relevant areas of study, such as Archaeology, History of Art, Science, Architecture, Engineering and Conservation. It is planned for these new courses to be offered with effect from October 2012.

Both the University of Malta and Heritage Malta will continue to fully support those students currently following courses at ICMCH until completion of their course. In an effort to provide an enhanced learning environment, such students have already been attending lectures for certain study-units together with students in other courses at the University’s Msida campus.

As from October 2010 students following the Bachelor in Conservation and Restoration Studies (Honours) course will be registered with the Faculty for the Built Environment. The University will provide the resources necessary to support these courses, with the collaboration of Heritage Malta, whose laboratory facilities and library will continue to be made available to the students.

The Malta Internet Foundation offers an annual prize in support of academic work making a significant contribution to Internet technologies.

As previously announced, the 2010 prize concerns the theme of Intelligent Web Services, and has submission deadline 30th June, 2010. Further details can be seen at http://www.nic.org.mt/news.

The Foundation is pleased to announce the prize in 2011. This will be awarded to students submitting innovative work describing or demonstrating systems that profit from use of the Internet and address a need that is particularly relevant to the Maltese context. Submissions should address one or more of the following areas:

• Green ICT: includes the dimensions of environmental sustainability, the economics of energy efficiency, and the total cost of ownership, which includes the cost of disposal and recycling. It is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently to contribute to improvement of the environment.
• Semantic Web: an evolving development of the World Wide Web in which the meaning (semantics) of information and services on the web is defined, making it possible for the web to "understand" and satisfy the requests of people and machines to use the web content
• Mobile and Location Based Applications: mobile applications are those that can be deployed on a mobile phone, and location based applications are sensitive to the geospatial location in which they are used.
• IPv6: the next-generation Internet Protocol version designated as the successor to IPv4, the first implementation used in the Internet that is still in dominant use currently.

The submission must have academic merit as reflected by an official assessment in the context of a recognised university degree course. The two categories of submission are (i) a final year project or (ii) assessed coursework i.e.  a significant component of a course carrying at least 4 ECTS credits.

A cash prize of  €600 will be offered for the best final year project in any of the special areas. A second  prize of €400 will be offered for best assessed coursework. Other prizes will also be offered.

Eligibility
Students reading for a university degree who are resident in Malta.

Submission Procedure
A copy of the final year project report, or of the coursework, together with any software, as submitted towards the award of degree, should be submitted in softcopy on CD indicating clearly which category of submission is intended and contact details of the student, to: 2011 Prize, Malta Internet Foundation, c/o IT Services Reception Desk, University Campus, Msida MSD 2080.
 
Deadlines
Deadline for Submission: 30 June 2011
Announcement of Winners: September 2011
Award of Prize: October 2011

Queries about this initiative should be addressed to info@nic.org.mt with subject line '2011 Prize'.

About the Malta Internet Foundation
The Malta Internet Foundation, also known as NIC(Malta), was officially inaugurated in January 1999 and is responsible for managing the .mt top-level domain for Malta. The mission of the Malta Internet Foundation also includes activities to promote use of the Internet in Malta. The Foundation was responsible for the setting up of the Malta Internet eXchange (MIX) to facilitate local IP traffic between local ISPs. Current activities also include supporting IPv6 and offering annual prizes for outstanding projects on Internet-related themes. The Foundation is a member of the Maltese IPv6 Task Force and, together with University of Malta, coordinates the Malta IPv6 national test-bed (M6ix).

Click here to access the website.

European Regional Development Funds
ERDF 156 - Developing National Environmental Monitoring Infrastructure and Capacity

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) has recently been awarded €5 million in ERDF funding to develop national environmental monitoring infrastructure and capacity within MEPA.

The project focuses on radically improving the national environmental monitoring capacity in five environmental themes – air, water, radiation, noise, and soil. It will result in the procurement of equipment, information management systems, environmental baseline surveys, training of staff, and the enhancement of the national monitoring programmes in these five environmental themes. The project also includes the development of an online information system to provide free access of all the data collected from the project.

As the leading institution for the project MEPA has also brought on board major stakeholders and users of environmental data, namely the University of Malta, the Malta Resources Authority, the Department of Environmental Health and the National Statistics Office.

Staff and students within the University who wish to know more about the project and its outputs and give stakeholder input on the collection methodologies as well as the development of the monitoring strategy are invited to attend a briefing session on Thursday 16 September 2010 between 1030hrs and 1130hrs in Gateway Building Hall D1.

Interested individuals should get in touch with the Institute for Sustainable Development to register for the session by sending an email. Attendance to the session is free. Please also indicate whether you wish to receive news related to this project.

 

2 September 2010
http://www.um.edu.mt/newsoncampus/features