The Faculty of Science is commemorating the 90th anniversary as a separate faculty of the University of Malta. The Faculty Board met to discuss business of the new faculty on 17th September 1915: the first Dean was Sir Temi Zammit, Professor of Chemistry, who was later to serve as Rector of the University. Science and mathematics had, of course,
been part of the university curriculum from the inception of the university since these areas of study form the basis of the professional courses in medicine and architecture. However, the disconnection of science and mathematics from other general academic areas and their unification in a separate faculty paved the way for consolidation of studies in these areas as specialist disciplines in their own right.

To celebrate this 90th anniversary, the Board of the Faculty meeting today, the 16th of September 2005, under the chairmanship of Professor Alfred J Vella is suspending its normal agenda to mark the occasion with the reading of a commemorative paper by Professor Stanley Fiorini, who, besides being a mathematician by profession, is also a distinguished
historian. Among the persons invited for the occasion are the Rector and pro-Rectors, Registrar and also retired academic staff of the Faculty.

Today, the Faculty of Science consists of seven departments in the following areas, namely, biology; chemistry; mathematics; physics; statistics and operations research; computer information systems; and computer science and artificial intelligence.  The Faculty offers a 4 year joint honours Bachelor of Science degree in two areas of study as well as postgraduate programmes, namely, Masters and Doctoral (PhD) degrees.

Professor Stanley Fiorini delivering a speech about the history of the faculty with Professor Alfred J. Vella, Dean of the Faculty of Science looking on.


Professor Alfred J. Vella, Dean, Faculty of Science (left) with Professor Edwin Borg Costanzi (right) former rector of the University of Malta.