T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A L T A A L U M N I N E W S L E T T E R
JANUARY 2016
Photo: Adriana Vella, CBRG-UoM
A first documentary focusing on the mysterious world of jellyfish and other gelatinous creatures in Maltese waters is being transmitted on local
TV stations from January 2016 onwards. Jellyfish blooming, reveals experiences of local researchers, fishermen, divers, tourists and swimmers side by side with sharing growing knowledge on blooming jellyfish species and how to mitigate for such blooms.  This 20 minute educational documentary was produced by the Department of Biology,
University of Malta as part of its contribution to the
ENPI MED-JELLYRISK EU project.
This documentary transports the viewer into the marine world of these interesting and often misunderstood gelatinous creatures.  While some species are venomous stingers and need to be identified promptly and treated in the best manner possible, most other species are not dangerous to humans and play important roles in the marine ecosystem. This documentary produced in both Maltese and English unravels useful information on how the MED-JELLYRISK project has provided information aids for better first-aid treatments and awareness to better mitigate for jellyfish blooming.
The director of this documentary is Adriana Vella, conservation biologist and senior academic in the
Department of Biology, University of Malta, who has directed other original educational documentaries on biodiversity, such as the award winning “ECOMalta” in 2002 and “Waves of Life” in 2008.   MED-
JELLYRISK is a 3-year-long project, funded under the framework of the ENPI-CBC MED framework, which involved the participation of partners, from four countries (Italy, Tunisia, Spain and Malta), including the University of Malta, represented by the
Physical Oceanography Research Group and by the
Department of Biology.

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Mathematical research by Professor Irene Sciriha
Aquilina from the Department of Mathematics at the Faculty of Science, has attracted the attention of the  award-winning Fellow of the Royal Society,
Patrick Fowler. He holds a chair at the University of
Sheffield, where Harry Kroto, one of the 1996 Nobel
Prize winners for the discovery of the Buckminster fullerene, started his research.
Together with Professor Fowler, Professor Sciriha
Aquilina has discovered nano-structures of new forms of carbon, the Nut Fullerenes. This discovery promises to be reproduced in scanning tunnelling microscopes and portable micro-computers.
Imagine a paper-like video screen that folds flat into your pocket, doing away with bulky computer monitors and laptop displays.
What is remarkable is that the same mathematics is being developed with control engineers from
Serbia and social scientists from the UK. How are leaders identified in a political network? Which familiar network can model a telecommunications network? Which pathways do neural tubes in the brain prefer? Attempted answers not only open up new venues of cooperation but also give rise to seminal mathematics.
Patients suffering from bone cancer in the ribs, or lung cancer that has spread into the inner portion of the chest, require a resection of the thoracic wall. An artificial device has been designed by the Department of Industrial
& Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of
Engineering at the University of Malta to reconstruct the chest wall preventing lung collapse whilst resuming normal breathing.
Chest wall reconstruction can be complicated and surgeons are sometimes limited by the available tools and products on the market. The RiBridge addresses these and other issues in an off-the-shelf kit of artificial rib implants which offer improved fixation and ergonomic fit.
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Dr Raphael Vella, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education,
Faculty of Education, was recently invited to curate an exhibition for the 7 th edition of MADATAC, a
Madrid-based festival of New Media Arts and
Advanced Audio Visual Technologies which brings together important experimental art from around the world. The exhibition curated by Dr Vella entitled:
‘No Man’s Land’ was held at the prestigious cultural centre, Centro Cibeles. ‘No Man’s Land’ presented work by Maltese artists Alexandra Pace, Vince Briffa,
Mark Mangion and Jimmy Grima and revolved around uncertain spaces which haunt our every certainty and the blurring of territorial lines and divisions.
Dr Vella was also invited to present a paper during MADATAC’s symposium on ‘Cyberculture and New Media Art’, which included presentations by other international artists, academics and curators. His paper, called ‘Transnational flux in a small island state’, discussed Malta’s specific geopolitical, postcolonial situation in relation to recent developments in the cultural scene at a local and international level. Another international exhibition curated by Dr Vella, ‘Good Walls make
Good Neighbours’ held in Valletta in October 2015 served as a central conceptual motif for the paper.
Mr Paul Xuereb and Mrs Violet Filletti, one of the members of staff who received recognition for her invaluable work. Photo by Riccardo Flask
The Junior College recently held its Annual Staff Recognition Day to show its recognition of its members of staff for their invaluable work throughout the year.
During the event members of staff who have retired during the last academic year as well as others who have taken up a new appointment were presented with a memento.
The administration would like to thank its sponsors for their support in sponsoring the activity.
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