In its latest effort to support Digital Technology Research and Education for All, the University of Malta’s Faculty of Information and Communication Technology held its annual Projects Exhibition between Friday 23 and Sunday 25 July 2021, during which it is showcasing more than 85 projects led by students of the Faculty.
Themed ‘Digital Technology Research and Education For All’, this year’s exhibition includes the work of undergraduate students and postgraduate ones across many disciplines such Software Engineering and Web Applications, Internet of Things, Audio Speech & Language Technology, Data Science, Deep Learning, Blockchain & Fintech, PG Research, Testing & Verification, and Digital Health.
The format of the exhibition was mostly virtual, with the launch being the only physical element of the event. This helped participants, physical and virtual, appreciate more the value that digital software can bring into our lives, especially in the context of a pandemic.
Dean of the Faculty for ICT, Prof. Carl James Debono, said this exhibition is the culmination of many successes achieved throughout the past year, mentioning the cooperation agreement signed with 8 Italian universities renowned in the field of ICT, which should help open more doors for graduates past and present, and the launch of the new Master of Science degree in Digital Health.
In fact, the Faculty prides itself on working with industry partners and this has enabled it to champion some of the above-mentioned areas and teach students the latest developments, latest and best practices, whilst offering them work opportunities.
“ICT is more people-centric than most would assume. All the projects being exhibited in fact have two things in common: technology and the idea of how it could improve the life of the people it will impact”, he continued.
Whilst attending the launch of the exhibition held on Friday 23 July and streamed live on the Faculty’s social media channels, Minister for Education, Hon. Justyne Caruana expressed her pride at the stellar work of the ICT students, who are a prime example of the persevering and hard-working culture of the entire Maltese student population.
Hon. Caruana was also present during the distribution of the Dean’s Awards to the students who excelled in their project and throughout the duration of their University courses.
The recipients of the Dean’s Awards for the academic year 2020/2021 are: Mr Chris Frendo (Computing Science), Mr Matthew Jonathan Axisa (Artificial Intelligence), Mr Domenico Agius (Computing Science), Mr Ryan Camilleri (Artificial Intelligence), Mr Matthew Galea (Artificial Intelligence), Mr Nathan Grech (Software Development), Mr Daniel Attard (Artificial Intelligence), and Mr Jacques Vella Critien (Computer Science).
Furthermore, Mr Daniel Attard, Ms Francesca Chircop and Mr Lukan Cassar each were awarded for submitting the best ICT projects with Social Impact during the exhibition.
“One of the main roles of the Faculty, other than that of inspiring students to keep working hard as we’re going to witness throughout this weekend, is to ensure that Malta is well equipped to face the future, which is becoming increasingly digital. This doesn’t only revolve around teaching practices, but it comes with a needed awareness of the responsibilities that come with it. I think the Faculty is doing an excellent job of this,” said UM Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella.
Highlights from the exhibition and virtual walkthroughs can be viewed through the Faculty of ICT’s Facebook Page.
A special thanks also goes to the sponsors of the exhibition: MITA, the Main Sponsor, CCBill, Ascent Software, Corel Malta Ltd, Epic, KPMG, Tech.mt, Tipico, Altada Technology Solutions and Go as Gold Sponsors, MDIA as Silver Sponsor, and Computime, eSkills Malta Foundation, RS2 Software plc, IEEE Malta Section, Betsson, Malta Enterprise, PTL, PwC, Leo Vegas, Exigy, ICT Solutions, MCA and EY as Sponsors.