THE
LUMINARY
UNIVERSIT Y OF MALTA ALUMNI NEWSLET TER
www.um.edu.mt/alumni
JULY 2015
Successful First Year for University of Malta’s
Programme in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
The first academic year of the
University of Malta’s Programme
in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
(PLAS) came to a close with the
presentation of certificates to
participants who followed and
successfully completed Units within
the Programme.
Since the launch of PLAS last
October, 258 people took up over
400 places in the 34 Units offered
during the academic year 2014/5.
The Certificates of Achievement
were presented by Pro-Rector
Professor Joe Friggieri to 187
students who opted to be assessed
and passed in one or more Units.
The ECTS credits obtained count
towards the award of a University
Certificate,
Diploma,
Higher
Diploma and Bachelor’s degree in
Liberal Studies, which students can
follow at their own pace. Other
participants actively followed the
Units without being assessed.
The age and background of
PLAS students vary considerably.
A 19-year old was the youngest
person to receive a Certificate of
Achievement, while the eldest
person is 78. Students included
professionals from a broad
variety of fields, businesspersons
and homemakers. Some were in
possession of advanced degrees
while others followed a university
programme for the first time. Three
students, Ms Karla Grima, Mr Chris
Borg and Ms Nadya-Anne Mangion
shared their experiences with those
present during the ceremony.
The Director of the Centre for
the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dr
Jean-Paul De Lucca, explained that
PLAS was set up with the aim of
offering the opportunity of a varied
and flexible programme of quality
education at university level.
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JULY 2015
The CoCoNet Project:
Highlights and Key Achievements
The CoCoNet (“Towards COast to COast NETworks
of marine protected areas -from the shore to the
high and deep sea - coupled with sea-based wind
energy potential”) project has brought together
scientists from 39 different institutions in 21 countries,
including Malta (represented by the Department
of Biology of the University of Malta), to work on
producing guidelines for the design, management and
monitoring of a network of marine protected areas
(MPAs) in the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins,
based on connectivity. The novelty of CoCoNet lies
in its assessment of large-scale connectivity patterns
by integrating results from different methodologies,
including assessment of current regimes and propagule
transport, genetic analysis, and identification of
patterns of change in species diversity (beta-diversity).
This research project, which is funded under the
European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme,
is now in its fourth and final year. During the first
three years, the Maltese researchers contributed
extensively to synthesising existing knowledge
relevant to the setting up and management of MPA
networks, through their participation in over a dozen
workshops as well as by compiling information on
habitat classification systems and habitat mapping, on
patterns of distribution of biological assemblages, on
the sensitivity of MPAs to anthropogenic threats and
pressures, on the socio-economic implications of MPA
networks, and on best practices for the management
of MPAs for network monitoring and for management
effectiveness. Based on inputs from all partner
institutions, a geodatabase has been created to store
all the information on habitats, biodiversity, human
impacts, etc. collected through the project.
The final phase of the project entails looking at
the emerging patterns (e.g. habitat distribution)
and processes (e.g. connectivity) in order to identify
natural networks not only in coastal areas but also in
the high and the deep seas. To this end, two synthetic
workshops were recently organized. The first was held
at the beginning of February in Paris while the second
was held in Athens at the end of May. These workshops
provided a forum for technical discussions on how
the project results obtained so far can be translated
into guidelines on the design and establishment of
a network of MPAs, which would enable a holistic
approach towards the protection of marine ecosystems
in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. THE
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JULY 2015
Maltese roots in Trapani
In the first half of the 15th century
over 50 Maltese people and their
families settled down in the Sicilian
City of Trapani. Why did they go
there? The answers can be found in
the new book by Arnold Cassola, I
Maltesi di Trapani (1419-1455), which
has just been published by the
Malta University Press (MUP).
Nearly six centuries ago, these
Maltese and their families were
welcomed by the local community
in Trapani, which distinguished
itself for its tolerance and for the
acceptance of ‘otherness’ and of this
Maltese community coming from
the South. In the flourishing town of
Trapani, the Maltese found refuge,
comfort, prosperity and wealth and
were involved in various business
transactions, commercial deals and
different types of investments.
Many of these Maltese made
Trapani their permanent residence,
and a proof of this is also the fact
that today the surname ‘Maltese’
is to be found no less than sixty
times in the Trapani telephone
directory. The details concerning
these medieval Maltese have been
gleaned from the registers of the
Trapanese notaries Scannatello, De
Nuris, De Giordano and Scarcella.
These notaries perceived in a natural
way the existence of a different
identity which they associated with
‘Malteseness’, despite the fact that
politically and legally the Maltese of
the time were in reality part of the
Sicilian feudal system.
The fact that the Maltese identity
was already recognised as such
already at the beginning of the
15th century by the Trapanese
notaries is quite an important
phenomenon and must certainly
not be underestimated in the
evaluation of the formative process
of the Maltese collective identity in
the course of the past centuries.
This new book by Arnold
Cassola can be obtained from all
leading booksellers and from the
MUP, email: mup@um.edu.mt,
telephone no: 2340 3448.
Evenings on Campus 2015 (31 Jul. - 13 Aug.)
If you think that Malta’s summers are mainly
beaches, barbecues and festi, think again! This year’s
cultural scene has already been a full one and our hot,
balmy evenings are now filled with concerts, festivals
and performances. Evenings on Campus 2015 continues
to entertain summer audiences with stimulating
performances. Evenings on Campus is back this year with an interesting
mix of established and up-and-coming artists, performers
and event organisers. Constantly feeling the pulse of the
scene, Evenings on Campus welcomes innovation and
experimentation where all artists push their boundaries
and explore new ideas, concepts or ways of presenting
their art. This openness to innovation is what keeps the
festival vibrant and challenging, attracting a diverse
audience.
The variety of events to choose from is substantial so whether you are a regular patron or are entirely new
to Evenings on Campus, come join us for our events and
feel free to linger on afterwards and chat with others
who share similar interests and tastes.
Evenings on Campus is organised by Koperattiva
Kulturali Universitarja in collaboration with the
University’s Communications and Alumni Relations
Office. KKU is an independent cooperative which aims to
encourage participation, primarily but not exclusively,
by University staff and students in cultural events. From
the start, the aim was to give exposure to emerging
artists, most particularly students, who had no ‘stage’
on which to exhibit their artistic talent.
More Info | Tickets online or at the door |
Email or Tel: 2340 2142 or 7984 3482
This newsletter is published by the Communications and Alumni
Relations Office within the University of Malta.
All Rights Reserved 2015
THE
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JULY 2015
EVENINGS
on campus
31 JULY-13 AUGUST
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
TNEMMIS/theatre16+ - FRI 31 JUL & SAT 1 AUG // TWISTED TALES/children - SUN 2 AUG
SCIENCE OF HONEY - SUN 2 AUG // THE NOTEBOOK/film12+ (with Maltese Subtitles) - TUE 4 AUG
THE AUDITION/theatre18+ - WED 5 & THU 6 AUG // MISTURA/concert - FRI 7 & SUN 9 AUG
THE TATTOO CULTURE/infotainment - SAT 8 AUG // FROZEN/filmU (with Maltese Subtitles) - MON 10 AUG
COMEDY ON CAMPUS/stand-upcomedy18+ - WED 12 & THU 13 AUG
www.um.edu.mt/eveningsoncampus
TICKETS: ticketline.com.mt // 7984 3480 // at the door