Focus on Science: Dean's Awards The Dean's Awards for excellence in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics were initiated in 1994/1995.  At this year's ceremony, twelve awards were presented by the University Rector, Professor Roger Ellul-Micallef to the top three students in each of the four years of the B.Sc.(Hons.) course during the academic year 1998/1999.  In congratulating the students on their achievement, the Rector emphasised the country's need  for well trained scientists while the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor A.J. Vella also expressed his satisfaction at the fact that such high quality students are found in our Science Faculty.

The students on the Dean's List were: First Year -  Pierre Sandre Farrugia and Graziella Bartolo  (Maths & Physics), Peter Borg (Maths & Statistics and Operations Research); Second Year - Arthur  Burlo and Doreen Micallef (Maths & Physics), Alexander Farrugia  (Maths and Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence); Third Year -  Emanuel Chetcuti and Stephen Gruppetta (Maths & Physics), Claudette Spiteri  (Biology and Chemistry) while the final year students were: Janet Bezzina, John Aquilina and Nadia Vella  (Maths & Physics).

The Faculty of Science has recently expanded to include a new Department of Statistics and Operations Research.  Research is being carried out in several fields but particular areas of interest include marine biology, environmental chemistry, alternative energy devices, algebraic graph theory and combinatorics, systems analysis and design, multimedia authoring environments and stochastic processes.

3 February, 2000