Thursday, 27 December 2018 Erasmus+ open call for academic year 2019/2020 published

Erasmus+ open call for students is published. Applications are now open for exchanges for studies or traineeships in the period from1 June 2019 to 30 September 2020.

The application deadline is 23 January 2019.

The Open call and all necessary documentation (forms, instructions) are available on this link.

You are invited to apply!

Friday, 21 December 2018 8 new research projects with russian institutions

UP IAM Department of Mathematics has successfully obtained new funds through a public tender for co-financing scientific research cooperation between Slovenia and the Russian Federation. This means that until the end of December 2020, our researchers will strengthen the existing cooperation by hosting in the following Russian Universities and Research Institutions: Lomonosov Moscow State University, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Sobolev Institute of Mathematics, Moscow State University, Steklov Mathematical Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science.

Leaders of the eight approved projects are: dr. Ademir Hujdurović, dr. Martin Milanič, dr. Edward Tauscher Dobson, dr. Štefko Miklavič, dr. Istvan Kovacs, dr. Klavdija Kutnar, dr. Vito Vitrih and dr. Russel Stephen Woodroofe.

The list of all approved projects is available here.

Wednesday, 19 December 2018 Guest lecture: Dr. Marinka Žitnik (Stanford University): Deep Learning for Network Medicine

UP FAMNIT and UP IAM
Departments of Information Sciences and Technologies
are pleased to invite everyone to the lecture

»Deep Learning for Network Medicine«

which will be held by Dr. Marinka Žitnik (Stanford University, USA)
on Thursday, 20 December, at 13:30 in FAMNIT-VP1.

About the lecturer:
Marinka Žitnik is a postdoctoral research fellow in Computer Science at Stanford University where she works with Jure Leskovec and collaborates with biomedical research departments around the world. She is also a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub postdoctoral researcher.
Her research investigates machine learning for biomedical sciences, focusing on large networks of interactions between biomedical entities -- e.g., proteins, drugs, diseases, and patients. She leverages these networks at the scale of billions of interactions among millions of entities and develops new methods blending machine learning with statistical methods and network science.
She uses her methods to answer burning scientific questions, such as how Darwinian evolution changes molecular networks, and how data-driven algorithms accelerate scientific discovery; and she uses the methods to solve high-impact problems, such as what drugs and combinations of drugs are safe for patients, what molecules will treat what diseases, and how newborns are transferred between hospitals and how these transfers influence outcomes.

About the lecture:
Networks pervade medical research and practice. The primary challenge is how to learn on biomedical networks that involve rich interactions, spanning from the molecular scale all the way to the societal scale encompassing all human interactions. However, prevailing deep learning algorithms are designed for data with a regular, grid-like structure and cannot exploit rich interactions, the essence of biomedical networks.
In this talk, I will discuss methods that learn how to embed nodes in rich biomedical networks as points in a low-dimensional embedding space, where the geometry of this space is optimized to reflect the structure of interactions between the nodes. These embeddings methods are at the technical core of Decagon, the first approach for predicting side effects of drug combinations, not merely of individual drugs. Decagon composes a massive network describing how proteins in our bodies interact with each other and how different drugs affect these proteins. Decagon's deep embedding method uses the network to identify patterns in how side effects arise based on how drugs target different proteins. Today, in many cases, it is unknown what side effects might arise from adding another drug to a patient's personal pharmacy, and Decagon has the potential to lead to more effective and safer healthcare.

Friday, 7 December 2018 UP IAM and UP FAMNIT leading a new Research Programme in the field of Mathematics

Researchers of the University of Primorska have reached another important achievement: UP IAM and UP FAMNIT researchers have successfully obtained funds for a new research program from the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS). In the next six years, within the program “Mathematical modelling and encryption: from theoretical concepts to real-life applications”, new and innovative methods of research in the field of mathematics will be developed under the direction of Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, expert in symmetric-key cryptography and Head of the UP FAMNIT Center of Cryptography, who will work with an international and interdisciplinary team of researchers, doctoral and postdoctoral students working at our University and at the Institute InnoRenew CoE.

The core of this new program is mathematics at its purest with cryptology as a bridge to applied mathematics. »In cryptology, which has in recent years become deeply embedded in many aspects of society, the most abstract mathematical ideas find a fruitful reflection in real-life applications where security remains an imperative. This program addresses important research challenges, extending from pure mathematical problems to real-life applications such as the creation of safe, secure, and healthy built environments.« states Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, and underlines the innovative aspect of the programme: »Previous work linking applied mathematics to these areas will be extended as well. The interplay between encryption and discrete mathematics will open new areas of research, trigger the development of new approaches, and lead to ground-breaking progress in pure mathematics that will drive innovation in real-life applications of encryption and mathematics in general.«

(In 2018, Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, received the Scientific Excellence Award of the University of Primorska in the field of science and technology)

With modern technology to excellence

Therefore, the focus of the programme will be on scientific, technological and innovation excellence, which will be achieved with the help of modern equipment that will support advanced data collection, modelling, and analysis, as well as a modern IT environment, which will enable connected, interdisciplinary cooperation with the requisite data storage, handling, and computational power.

Concrete results will ensure secure communication with blockchain technology, the development of innovative, interdisciplinary data methodologies, simulations and modelling to generate exceptional results in various areas related to real-life problems, focusing on the topics of sustainable built environment. At the same time, research activity in the field of basic mathematics will be maintained and strengthened.

Transfer of knowledge to students and the economy

Students of all levels in the fields of mathematics, computer science, sustainable built environments and data science will have the chance to learn about the research work, becoming part of the needed critical mass of researchers and professionals who will be able to further develop the research area and transfer it to the industry. The use of mathematical knowledge will be essential for improving the development of ICT technologies in real environments, with key users of knowledge - from other researchers in the field of natural and technical sciences to industry. Through the participation in the design of new products, technologies and technological solutions and innovations, we will be able to detect, in the future, the impact of the program on the economic development. The exchange of technology and knowledge between the research and industrial world will introduce systematic innovations that will simultaneously increase the rate of discovery and development in related scientific fields while supporting economic and societal development.

You can read abou the new Research Programme on this website.

Congratulations to our researchers on the remarkable achievement!

Monday, 3 December 2018 Prof. Dr. Gretta Pecl (University of Tasmania) on climate changes in world’s oceans

We are glad to announce another guest professor visiting our Department of Biodiversity, Prof. Dr. Gretta Pecl, director of the Centre for Marine Socioecology at the University of Tasmania (Australia). Professor Pecl is among leading specialist in climate change ecology with publications in numerous prestigious scientific journals, including Nature and Science.

To understand the long term impacts of climate changes in world’s oceans, Dr. Pecl and her international colleagues, are working in global ocean hotspots that are the fastest warming ocean regions in the world. One such hotspot is on the east coast of Tasmania, a region that is warming at four times the global rate. Other hotspots she is working in include Madagascar, South Africa, India and Brazil. More info on Dr. Pecl work and publications is available at: http://www.utas.edu.au/profiles/staff/imas/Gretta-Pecl

Dr. Pecl will give a guest lecture on climate changes in the global oceans to our students. The lecture will take place on Wednesday, December 5th, from 13:00 to 15:00 h in the classroom Famnit VP-2.

All students are kindly invited to come!

Thursday, 29 November 2018 Mathematical Advent Calendar 2018

Elementary School students (8th and 9th year) and High School students are invited to compete in solving problems as part of the  Mathematical Advent Calendar.
The competitors are divided into three categories: 1st level (Elementary School, 2nd level (High School, first and second year) and 3rd level (High School, third and fourth year).

You will have fun with the Mathematical Advent Calendar from December 1st to December 20th.

There is one day (24 hours) available for solving each of the problems (from midnight till midnight).

In each category  three awards will be given, each award will be  a USB together with a T-shirt.

Before starting solving problems, participants have to create an account here.

The rules of the quiz are available here.

Wednesday, 28 November 2018 Assoc. Prof. Andreja Kutnar, PhD awarded with the prestigious Zois Certificate of Recognition

We are happy and honored to announce that our professor and researcher Assoc. Prof. Andreja Kutnar, PhD received the Zois Certificate of Recognition for important achievements in scientific research work in the field of wood science.
Zois Awards and Recognitions are the most prestigious awards for exceptional achievements in scientific research and development activities, awarded to researchers in the Republic of Slovenia.

(On the photo: Assoc. Prof. Andreja KUtnar, PhD with Prof. Dragan Marušič, PhD - UP Rector)

On Tuesday, 27th November 2018 in Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, the gala award ceremony was hosted for the Zois awards and recognition; Puch awards and recognitions; and the Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia.
Our professor of Wood Science at UP FAMNIT, scientific colleague at the UP IAM institute and InnorRenew Coe director Dr Andreja Kutnar is among this years winners of the Zois award for important scientific achievements in the field of wood science.

Dr Kutnar is one of the world's leading scientists in the fields of wood composites, thermo-hydromechanical treatment of wood, sustainable built environments, and environmental impact analysis. With interdisciplinary and international research, she co-created and established a new research area - restorative environmental and ergonomic design, which is also one of the key research areas at the InnoRenew CoE.

In addition to the successful establishment and leadership of the project and the research institute InnoRenew CoE, Andreja has coordinated several international consortiums. For example she connected researchers from 39 countries in the networks of COST Actions.
Her bibliography involves 54 original and 10 scientific papers, 39 articles in reviewed scientific publications, 11 chapters in a scientific monograph, and a scientific monograph which was published in 2014 at the prestigious Springer publishing house. The great impact of her work can be seen also in 353 citations in the last ten years, 292 citations in the WoS database, and 342 citations from the Scopus database.

Dr Kutnar is pleased to receive the award: "I am honoured to receive this award and happy to see that my passion for wood is being shared with the wider society."

We congratulate Dr Andreja Kutnar for this excellent achievement and important award!

(The gala was attended also by the Minister of education, science and sport of the Republic of Slovenia, Jernej Pikalo, PhD - on the picture together with UP and InnoRenew representatives)

Thursday, 22 November 2018 The European Mathematical Society sponsor of the 9th PhD Summer School in Discrete Mathematics

UP FAMNIT and UP IAM are happy to announce that the European Mathematical Society – EMS will provide financial support for the 9th PhD Summer School in Discrete Mathematics. The generous contribution to the organisation of the Summer School is also a symbolic confirmation of the qualitative research work of our mathematicians in the field of discrete mathematics.

The first PhD Summer School in Rogla was held in 2011, and during the past eight years it has attracted over 600 researchers and students from all around the world. Many of them keep returning year after year, which clearly shows both the popularity and the quality of this scientific mathematical meeting.

The 9ht edition will be held in the beautiful scenario of the Pohorje mountains from 30 June to 6 July 2019. The registration deadline is 31 May 2019, while doctoral students can also apply for financial support.

Among the invited speakers we would like to mention Daniel Kráľ (Masaryk University, Czech Republic) and Alice Devillers (The University of Western Australia), who will deliver two mini-courses. As last year, doctoral students will have the chance to compete for the Best Student Talk Award.

More detailed information about the Summer School can be found on this site.

Participants of the PhD Summer School in 2018

Friday, 16 November 2018 8ECM UPDATE: His Excellency Mr. Borut Pahor, president of the Republic of Slovenia becomes honorary patron of 8ECM!

The 8th European Congress of Mathematics is under the honorary patronage of His Excellency Mr. Borut Pahor, President of the Republic of Slovenia

We are especially honoured that the 8th European Congress of Mathematics is under the honorary patronage of His Excellency Mr Borut Pahor, President of the Republic of Slovenia.

The 8th European Congress of Mathematics (8ECM) is both an important milestone and a great opportunity for the visibility of Slovenian mathematics, as well as mathematics in the region. Slovene mathematicians publish annually about 300 mathematical papers in international journals, and their research has always had a strong link with the international community. 

However, as much as it is vital to nurture and develop cooperation outside national borders, it is equally critical to have a strong scientific base at home. Our intent is for 8ECM to have a big impact on promoting mathematics as an interdisciplinary field, especially among younger generations. We must demonstrate that they have the support and well-established grounds to explore their curiosity in all fields of science. 

***

8th European Congress of Mathematics in July 2020 is a quadrennial event, taking place every four years and it is held under the auspices of the European Mathematical Society (EMS). The host institution for 8ECM is the University of Primorska, in collaboration with all active mathematical institutions in Slovenia. There are more 1500 mathematicians expected to attend the 8ECM 2020.

Further details will be posted on 8ECM website, please visit www.8ecm.si for more news.

Tuesday, 6 November 2018 New cooperations with US universities and research institutions

UP IAM Department of Mathematics has recently obtained new funds through a public tender for co-financing scientific research cooperation between Slovenia and USA until September 2020. This means that in the next two years our researchers will strengthen the existing cooperation by hosting in the following US Universities and Research Institutions: Kennesaw State University, The University of Mississippi, Emory University, Northen Arizona University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Leaders of the seven approved projects are: dr. Ademir Hujdurovič, dr. Russell Stephen Woodroofe, dr. Primož Šparl, dr. Enes Pasalic in dr. Edward Tauscher Dobson.

The list of all approved projects is available here.

Tuesday, 23 October 2018 8ECM UPDATE: Sir Vaughn F.R. Jones to deliver a public lecture at 8ECM

Sir Vaughn F.R. Jones to deliver a public lecture at 8ECM

We are delighted to announce that Fields medallist Sir Vaughan F. R. Jones FRS will deliver a public lecture at the 8^th European Congress of Mathematics.

Sir Vaughan F. R. Jones is a New Zealand-born mathematician based in the USA, renowned worldwide for his remarkable work on von Neumann algebras and knot polynomials.

He was awarded a Fields medal in 1990 for his discoveries in the mathematical study of knots – including an improvement on the Alexander polynomial (now called the Jones polynomial) – working from an unexpected direction with origins in the theory of von Neumann algebras, an area of analysis already much developed by Alain Connes.  These discoveries led to the solution of a number of classical problems in knot theory, and to increased interest in low-dimensional topology.

His work on polynomial invariants of knots also had remarkable implications in the field of molecular biology, where new insight was gained into how DNA can remove the tangles that result when replication and cell division firstly duplicates the DNA and subsequently has to pull the chromosomal mass into different cells. The result represents a landmark in modern mathematics whose ramifications still remain to be fully explored.

Prof. Jones is currently Professor Emeritus at University of California, Berkeley, where he has been on the faculty since 1985, as well as Stevenson Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Vanderbilt University (from 2011).  He is also a Distinguished Alumni Professor at the University of Auckland.

We look forward to welcoming Professor Jones at the 8th European Congress of Mathematics in Portorož, Slovenia!

Further details will be posted on 8ECM website, please visit www.8ecm.si for more news.

Saturday, 29 September 2018 Orientation days 2018 in progress

First students are already moving to the Slovenian coastline. To our foreign students, who will start their studies on 1 October, we offered Orientation days 2018. 165 students (of which more than a third are coming from UP FAMNIT) joined the programme.

During the orientation days, new students learn about the environment, the university, its faculties and other relevant organisations, especially Student Organisation of the University of Primorska. The programme was packed with different presentations, visits, tours, workshops and events. In cooperation with the Administrative Unit Koper we took care of the documentation for the temporary residence permits, while students also met their programme study coordinators, researchers and other university staff. On Saturday they started to learn Slovene in an introductory course to the language courses starting in October. Part of the programme was also intended for the students to get to know each other and tutors better. Thus, on Thursday they were presenting the culinary tradition of their home countries, while 8 authors of best photos from the first day got a special chance to dive to the Underwater archaeology park in Strunjan!

Orientation days are finishing on Monday, when they will be combined with the event Welcome, freshmen.

We wish all new arrivals a pleasant stay at UP, the Coast and Slovenia!

Wednesday, 26 September 2018 The last application term for undergraduate and postgraduate studies - until 27 September 2018

Today starts the last application term for undergraduate and postgraduate studies at UP FAMNIT 2018/2019 and lasts until tomorrow 27 September 2018.

The application is possible for all study programmes that are included in the call for enrolment, except for undergraduate study programme Biopsychology.

All information about the application procedure are available here.

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Monday, 24 September 2018 UP Scholarship Fund - Call for applications

The call for scholarship applications of the Scholarship Fund of the University of Primorska has been published on Monday, 24 September 2018.

Students who would like to apply must submit the requested documentation by Wednesday 10 October 2018.

The Scholarship Found of the University of Primorska is managed by the University, while it is supported by national, municipal, private and other financial sources. Special emphasis is given on linking students with prospective employers, who invest in the scholarship fund and also have an option to choose which students they will support with their funds.

You can read more about this year invitation here (find the documents in English), for more information please contact the Career Centre of the University of Primorska (05/61 17 636, kariernicenter@upr.si).

Friday, 21 September 2018 Course schedules for the autumn semester 2018/2019

We would like to inform you that the course schedules for the undergraduate and Master's study programmes for the autumn semester 2018/2019 are published on our website. The lectures start on Monday, 1 October 2018 and last until Friday, 18 January 2019.

Students are divided into groups for laboratory work in some courses in undergraduate study programmes (Computer Science – Slovene (1^st year, 2^nd year), Computer Science – English (1^st year), Biodiversity / Conservation Biology (1^st year, 2^nd year) and Biopsychology (1^st year, 2^nd year, 3^rd year)). The list of students will be published no later than Saturday, 29 September 2018.

Please check the schedule every week, because weekly schedules can differ.

The schedule might change until Friday, 28 September 2018. Please check the schedule again before the beginning of the academic year.

Changes after that will be published in the notices of Student Services. You will be able to find them here: https://www.famnit.upr.si/sl/obvestila (for each study programme separately). We advice all students to register for the news, as they will also receive e-mails with the news and will be notified immediately of any change.

Student Services UP FAMNIT

Friday, 21 September 2018 MASTER'S STUDIES: Begining of courses and meetings with programme coordinators

Dear students,

courses of all Master's programmes will start on Monday, 1^st October, as follows:

• Mathematical Sciences (in English): Cryptographic Hash Functions and Block Chains at 8.00 in Famnit-MP7.
  Meeting with the programme coordinator: Monday, 1^st October at 11.00 in Famnit-MP7;
• Computer Science – Selected Topics in Theoretical Computer Science on Tuesday, 2nd October at 9.00 in Famnit-Muzejski3.
  Meeting with the programme coordinator: Tuesday, 2nd October at 17.30 in Famnit-Muzejski3;
• Nature Conservation – Environmental Microbiology, Monday, 1^st October at 9.00 in Famnit-MP6.
  Meeting with the programme coordinator: Monday, 1^st October at 12.00 in classroom Famnit-MP6.

For any additional questions or information please contact Student Services office (05/611 75 75, referat@famnit.upr.si).

We wish you a lot of academic success in the academic year 2018/2019!

Student Sevices UP FAMNIT

Friday, 21 September 2018 UNIVERSITY RECEPTION OF FRESHMEN – MONDAY, 1st OCTOBER

Dear freshmen!

Your first Academic year is about to start and we are warmly inviting you to take part of the activities and events of the first day!

• 10.00 – 11.00: University of Primorska reception of freshmen on Tito square
• 11.00 – 11.30: UP FAMNIT reception of freshmen – in Slovene, classroom Tramontana (UP FHŠ, Titov trg 5, ground floor)
• 12.00 – 12.30: UP FAMNIT reception of freshmen – in English, classroom Tramontana (UP FHŠ, Titov trg 5, ground floor)
• 11.30 – 13.00: informal socializing in Galeb study room (Kettejeva 1, ground floor)

Meetings with study programmes coordinators:

• Mathematics (Slovene) and Mathematics in Economics and Finance: 13.00 – 13.45 in classroom Famnit-MP6 (Glagoljaška 8, 2nd floor),
• Mathematics (English): 13.45 – 14.30 in classroom Famnit-MP6 (Glagoljaška 8, 2nd floor),
• Computer Science (Slovene): 13.00 – 14.00 in classroom Famnit-VP2 (Glagoljaška 8, 1st floor),
• Computer Science (English): 13.00 – 14.00 in classroom Famnit-VP1 (Glagoljaška 8, 1st floor),
• Conservation Biology: 13.00 – 14.00 in classroom Famnit-Muzejski3 (Muzejski 7, ground floor),
• Bioinformatics (Slovene): 13.00 – 13.45 in classroom Famnit-Muzejski1 (Muzejski 7, ground floor),
• Bioinformatics (English): 13.45 – 14.30 in classroom Famnit-Muzejski1 (Muzejski 7, ground floor),
• Biopsychology: 13.00 – 14.00 in classroom Tramontana (UP FHŠ, Titov trg 5, ground floor).

All courses will start on Tuesday, 2^nd October – please check the schedule here (https://www.famnit.upr.si//en/student-pages/timetables). Time and classroom changes will be regularly published on the website (https://www.famnit.upr.si/sl/obvestila), but we advise you to register for the news and notices for your programme, as you will be immediately notified of any change.

See you soon!

UP FAMNIT professors and staff

Wednesday, 19 September 2018 Orientation days 2018

All freshmen from abroad are warmly invited to participate to this year ORIENTATION DAYS where they will get to know the environment and the university.

The program is presented below. You can also download the programme here.

For the registration click here: https://www.upr.si/en/study/orientation-days

UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA ORIENTATION DAYS 2018

Thursday, 27 October 2018

• 9.30 am – 10.15 am: Welcome! Meet the people (Faculty of Humanities, Koper)
• 10.15 am – 11.15 am: About the University of Primorska, Coastline and Slovenia (Faculty of Humanities, Koper)
• 11.15 am – 1 pm: Preparing documents for residence permits / distribution and registration of SIM cards (Faculty of Humanities, Koper)
• 1 pm – 3 pm: Lunch break – own organization
• 3 pm – 4.45 pm: Walking tour of Koper (Start at Tito square, Koper)
• 4.45 pm: Buses depart to Portorož
• 5.30 – 7.30 pm: Who are my fellow students - Country fair & Typical local dish (Faculty of Tourism Studies, Portorož)
• 7.30 pm – 9 pm: Peer in(to) Portorož (Portorož)
• 9 pm: Buses depart to Koper

Friday, 28 September 2018

• 9 am – 12 noon*: Visiting Administrative Unit, Visiting SOUP – arranging subsidised food, sport (Meeting at Tito square, Koper)
• 12 noon – 1 pm: Lunch break – own organization
• 1 pm – 2.30 pm*: Meeting with faculty members and departments (Meeting at Tito square)
• 2.30 pm – 7 pm: SAWE – Safe with science – Researchers’ night (Meeting at Tito square)

* Students of UP FTŠ – Turistica have a separate programme in Portorož

Saturday, 29 September 2018

• 10 am – 10.15 am: Presentation about language courses (Faculty of Humanities, Koper)
• 10.15 am – 1 pm: Crash Slovenian language course (Faculty of Humanities, Koper)
• 1 pm – 2 pm: Lunch break – own organization
• 2 pm: Sport and socialising activities

Sunday, 30 September 2018

• Free day – enjoy the new area!

Monday, 1 October 2018

• from 9 am: Reception of freshmen (Tito square, Koper)
• 10 am – 11 am: Opening of new academic year (Tito square, Koper)
• 11 am / 12 noon: Faculty receptions (UP Faculties)
• 1 pm – 3 pm: Visit to the Administrative Unit (UE Koper)

Tuesday, 2 October 2018 - Start your studies!

• 8 am – 12 noon: Visit to the Administrative Unit (UE Koper)
• 1 pm – 3 pm: Visit to the Administrative Unit (UE Koper)

Monday, 17 September 2018 Jean Monnet Module at UP FAMNIT

We are glad to announce that the European Commission’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) has selected, among more than 900 Jean Monnet Module applications, an UP Famnit proposal entitled "European Union Economic Trends".

A Jean Monnet Module is a teaching programme or course in the field of European Union studies. The aim of the modules is to promote research and teaching experience among young researchers, scholars and practitioners in EU issues, foster the publication and dissemination of academic research, create interest in the EU, foster the introduction of an EU angle mainly into non EU related studies and deliver tailor-made courses on specific EU issues relevant for graduates in their professional life.

Therefore, the “European Union Economic Trends” project is yet a new elective course at UP Famnit – a Jean Monnet course – offered to students at their third year of bachelor studies. It is a EU-tailored course that focuses on a set of critical factors that shape the growth and strength of the EU in the years to come. Lately, the resilience of the EU has been challenged by multifaceted crises: the sovereign debt crisis, governance and political turbulences, and - lastly, the migrant/refugee crisis and Brexit. All of the key trends in relation to these problems are shaping the future of the EU and its socio-economic environment.

Therefore, the objective of the course is to provide students with an overview of current trends: political, economic and regulatory, and their implications for the EU economy and EU policymakers. The course focuses on the traditional ‘growth drivers’ such as monetary/fiscal policy, capital markets and other, but also on more alternative growth drivers: social business, ‘disruptive technologies’, fiscal unification, banking union, criptocurrencies, etc.

Assist. Prof. Ana Grdović Gnip, PhD is the academic coordinator and course holder of the project, while other lecturers and researchers from different European institutions will contribute to the implementation of the project in its three-year duration span.

Sunday, 16 September 2018 Prof. Vladimir Batagelj, PhD, co-author of the textbook published by Cambridge University Press

It is our great pleasure to inform that Cambridge University Press is about to publish the third edition of the successful textbook »Exploratory Social Network Analysis with Pajek« co-written by the Slovenian mathematician, Prof. Vladimir Batagelj, PhD, researcher at the University of Primorska and at the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics .

An extensively revised and expanded third edition of the successful textbook on analysis and visualization of social networks integrating theory, applications, and professional software for performing network analysis (Pajek). The main structural concepts and their applications in social research are introduced with exercises. Pajek software and datasets are available, so readers can learn network analysis through application and case studies. In the end readers will have the knowledge, skills, and tools to apply social network analysis across different disciplines.

Cambridge University Press is the world's oldest publishing house and the second-largest university press in the world (after Oxford University Press). Its mission is to further the University's mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.

Friday, 14 September 2018 Second application term for postgraduate studies - until 19 September 2018

Today starts the third application term for postgraduate studies at UP FAMNIT 2018/2019 and lasts until 19 September 2018.

The application is possible for all study programme that are included in the call for enrolment.

All information about the application procedure are available here.

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Tuesday, 11 September 2018 Summer Camp Math is cool: how science can be fun

At the end of August, an international group of high school pupils participated to the 8th Famnit Summer Camp Math is Cool.

21 young math-enthusiasts enjoyed the five-day long programme of educational, research and social activities in Slovenian and English language. This year they came to Koper from other parts of Slovenia (7), and from Macedonia (6), France (2), Slovakia (2), Poland (2), Hungary (1) and Serbia (1). As usually, the programme was diverse, and the topics new, as some participants have been taking part in the camp for several years in a row, and each time they are looking for new knowledge.
During the lectures, they learned about the functioning of the human brain from a mathematical point of view, they dealt with the theory of combinatorial games, the optimization and planning of transport in the GoOpti system, and the problem of consensus. In addition to the research and project work, groups had the chance to learn more about the world of finance, cryptocurrency and mathematics in biology.

For Akos from Slovakia, it was the first time in Slovenia. Before starting his Bachelor studies in Budapest, he wished to spend a few days by the sea and, of course, in company of young mathematicians: "I really like Koper. Lectures and workshops are of high quality, and I am enjoying the most all topics regarding optimization and game theory." Nina from Paris came to Koper after attending another summer camp in France. In the future, she sees herself in the field of engineering and space technology. The fields she is the most interested in are game theory and cryptology. "I like mathematics because it is precise," says the young math-enthusiast, adding that the friendly atmosphere on the Faculty contributed to the success of the camp.

Jan from Slovenia is a regular participant to the camp – this was his fourth time in Koper. "Topics are similar every year, but each time the programme offers new, diverse and interesting activities.” While studying math, he learned that big problems can be divided into small ones in a very elegant way. “I like the applicability of the game theory and graph theory - for example, when optimizing the GoOpti system."

Luka from Gornja Radgona (Slovenia) attended the camp for the first time. "My math teacher forwarded me the information about the camp and I am really pleased that I decided to come here. The atmosphere is very nice and I also like the fact that I can speak English too. Mathematical topics are presented in a different, more interesting way."

Read more about the programme on this link.

Our math students actively participated to the camp as tutors and assistants. One of them was Barbara Vesel, student of the MSc programme Mathematical Science, who decided to study at UP FAMNIT after a positive experience at the camp. "Just after high school I attended the camp and decided to study here. Mathematics is really cool, because it is logical and it is present everywhere. We use it every day, even unconsciously." Đorđe Mitrović, 1^st year student of Mathematics, participated to many mathematical camps and workshops. For him, math has always represented a challenge: "Everything has its meaning, and it is also intertwined and logically connected," he says, and describes the participants of the camp as extremely curious and interested in almost everything.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTO GALLERY

The Summer Camp aims to promote science and present its use in practice. Math is introduced as a fun, interesting and, above all, useful science. The success of these activities are confirmed by the fact that some participants have been returning to Koper year after year.

Tuesday, 21 August 2018 Second application term for undergraduate studies for Slovenian and EU citizens: 22 to 29 August 2018

On Wednesday, 22 August 2018 starts the second application term for Slovenian and EU citizens for the enrolment in the undergraduate study programmes at UP FAMNIT and it lasts until 29 August 2018.

All information about the application procedure is available here: https://www.famnit.upr.si/en/education/enrolment1819#heading1.

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Thursday, 16 August 2018 Invitation to the workshop on Software Tools for Mathematics

We are glad to invite you to participate to the workshop on Software Tools for Mathematics which will be held from 24 to 28 September 2018 in Koper, Slovenia.

The workshop will focus on the diversity of the mathematics software ecosystem, and on collaboration between the various systems and communities.

This will be also an official Sage Days event, which is a gathering of people interested in SageMath, from newcomers to contributors. As a Sage Days meeting, the workshop will bear the number 97. It will not be only about Sage though – more of a "GAP + Sage + other software".

Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of initial skills in software: to start using mathematics software, to become more proficient user, to start developing, to meet other developers …

Dates and location:

The workshop will start on Monday morning, 24 September 2018, and end on Friday evening, 28 September 2018. We suggest participants to arrive on Sunday, 23 September 2018 (or before) and leave on Saturday, 29 September 2018 (or after). There will be an install party on Sunday night for anyone interested.

We plan two days of Software Carpentry training, covering the Unix shell, version control with Git, and programming with Python, delivered by Software Carpentry instructors.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we will focus on mathematical software and databases with lots of talks, tutorials and demos about the various software including but not restricted to GAP, CoCalc, DiscreteZOO, Jupyter, LaTeX and SageMath. We also plan to include a problem session on Thursday afternoon where people can submit math problems whose solution might involve programming, for everyone to think about.

Fees and registration:

The workshop fee for students is 150 €, and 200 € for other participants. Early registration for payments before August 31, 2018: 100 € for students, and 150 € for other participants.

Register here.

Organisers:

• Nino Bašić (FAMNIT, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia),
• Katja Berčič (CCM, UNAM Morelia, Mexico),
• Matjaž Krnc (FAMNIT, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia),
• Samuel Lelièvre (LMO, University of Paris-Sud, Orsay, France).

We acknowledge financial and organisational support from:

• UP FAMNIT,
• UP IAM,
• OpenDreamKit, the Horizon 2020 European Research Infrastructures project #676541,
• Slovenian Discrete and Applied Mathematics Society.

Monday, 13 August 2018 Third application term for non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship: undergraduate study

Today, 13 August 2018 starts the third application term for for non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship for the enrolment in the undergraduate study programmes at UP FAMNIT and it lasts until 14 September 2018.

All information about the application procedure are available here: https://www.famnit.upr.si/en/education/enrolment1819#heading0

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Thursday, 19 July 2018 8th PhD Summer School in discrete mathematics - a total success

In the first week of July, mathematicians from 17 countries took part in 8^th PhD Summer School in discrete mathematics which is traditionally organized by UP FAMNIT and UP IAM.

As in previous years, mathematicians from all over the world applied. Two mini-courses were lectured by Colva Roney-Dougal (University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom) and Gabriel Verret (The University of Auckland, New Zealand), while invited speakers were Francesco Belardo (University of Naples Federico II, Italy), Shaofei Du (Capital Normal University, China), Wilfried Imrich (Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria), Arnold Neumaier (University of Vienna, Austria), Sanja Rukavina (University of Rijeka, Croatia), Primož Šparl (University of Ljubljana) and Paul Terwilliger (University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA).

For many of the 55 participants, this was not the first time at the summer school. “We are trying to make participants feel good here. The goal is to strengthen and deepen our relationships, so the atmosphere in the classrooms and during different social and sport activities is relaxed.” Assis. Prof. Ademir Hajdurović, PhD, member of the scientific and organizational committee, explains. “We carefully choose our lecturers, so the classes are always interesting enough for everyone. In the previous years, we have hosted lecturers from all over the world, and many have returned to UP FAMNIT – either for a research visit or to deliver lectures to our students. Everyone loves to come back to Rogla and to Slovenia. It often happens that new students or researchers find us, usually after hearing many great things from other participants.”

The PhD Summer school has worldwide reputation. So when head speaker, Prof. Colva Roney-Dougal, PhD from University of St. Andrews, was asked why she decided to participate this year, she replied: “Because I was invited! I then looked at the list of the people who had previously been invited, and was really impressed by their quality, so decided to accept.”

 Meetings like this are very important to the scientific community, as Prof. Colva Roney-Dougal says: “I think that they are a great way to encourage communication within the community, and to expose both your own students and those from nearby countries to mathematics and mathematicians with different points of view, from around the world. They are also excellent for building links between the more senior mathematicians who were present. So yes, I think that they are very important. And I’m sure that they are also helpful for students when looking for jobs after their PhD.”

As said, participants are both researchers and students, which represents an important opportunity for integration between young and more experienced mathematicians. “This year, half of the participants were students. Many of them are still at the beginning of their career and that is why we encourage them to connect with their senior colleagues more freely.” Prof. Hajdurović adds.

For this purpose, this year for the first time, students took part in competing for the Best Student Talk Award, which was given to José Antonio Montero Aguilar from National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Read more about this year's program and participants here.

Tuesday, 17 July 2018 NEW extended deadline: Position of Young Researcher in the field of Cryptography 2018

The University of Primorska has prolonged the deadline for the submission of the application for the position of Young Researcher in the field of Cryptography to be trained at University of Primorska Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) for obtaining a doctorate of science. Student’s mentor will be Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, one of leading experts in symmetric-key cryptography. The four-year doctoral study will begin in the Academic Year 2018/19.

The new deadline for the submission of the application is 9 August 2018.

The Public tender and the Instructions on how to apply (with application forms) are available on the UP IAM web-page.

The candidates who have not yet enrolled in a doctoral degree study programme and will be selected in this tender shall also apply separately for the Tender for Enrolment to Doctoral Degree Study Programme UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies in the 2018/19 Academic Year.

Monday, 16 July 2018 Second application term for postgraduate studies non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship

Today, 16 July 2018 starts the second application term for for non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship for the enrolment in the postgraduate study programmes at UP FAMNIT and it lasts until 31 August 2018.

All information about the application procedure are available here: https://www.famnit.upr.si/en/education/enrolment1819#heading1.

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Monday, 9 July 2018 Study in Slovenia without paying tuition fees

We are pleased to share good news: The Protocol on education between the Republic of Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina has been renewed, which means that in the next Academic year 2018/19 students who are citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina won't pay any tuition fees for full-time BSc and MSc programmes.

The same rights belong to citizens of the following countries:

• European Union Member States,
• Kosovo,
• Macedonia,
• Montenegro,
• Serbia.

Candidates who are non-EU citizens can apply in the following terms:

• Undergraduate study programmes:
  • second application term: from 28 May to 20 July 2018,
  • third application term: from 13 August to 14 September 2018,
  • fourth application term: from 26 to 27 September 2018 until 12:00.

• Postgraduate study programmes (MSc and PhD):
  • second application term: from 16 July to 31 August 2018,
  • third application term: from 14 to 19 September 2018,
  • fourth application term: from 26 to 27 September 2018 until 12:00.

Read more about the application procedure here.

Hurry up and keep an eye on our study programmes in English and on scholarship opportunities!

Wednesday, 4 July 2018 The international School of Marine Conservation Sciences (ISMCS) successfully ended

On Saturday, 30th June, the International School of Marine Conservation Science (isMCS) successfully ended in Veli Lošnj (Croatia). 20 students from 11 countries (Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Montenegro, Spain, Sweden and United States of America) completed the 10 days study and research programme, which was jointly organised by University of Primorska (UP FAMNIT Department of Biodiversity), Oregon State University (USA) and Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation (Croatia), under the umbrella of the Society for Conservation Biology.

The summer school included lectures, field data collection in protected areas of Strunjan, Sečovlje (Slovenia) and Miramare (Italy), lab work as well as computer exercises of spatial aspects of conservation. The international participats spent the last days in Croatia (Pula and Lošinj), where they got to know the importance of Aquria in sea turtle rehabilitation and conservaion. Last but not least, they got to know how an NGO can be involved in research and conservation of large marine vertebrates and its role in educating different interest groups.

We would like to thank all the participants for their effort and hard work and wish them all the best in changing the world with the newly gained knowledge.

The programme was covered by the Slovenian national TV (from minute: 3:37), while more pictures are available in the photoalbum.

Tuesday, 26 June 2018 Position of Young Researcher in the field of Cryptography - deadline for the submission of the application prolonged till 16 July 2018 (2 p.m.)

The University of Primorska has prolonged the deadline for the submission of the application for the position of Young Researcher in the field of Cryptography to be trained at University of Primorska Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) for obtaining a doctorate of science. Student’s mentor will be Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, one of leading experts in symmetric-key cryptography. The four-year doctoral study will begin in the Academic Year 2018/19.

The new deadline for the submission of the application is 16 July 2018 (2 p.m.).

The Public tender and the Instructions on how to apply (with application forms) are available on the UP IAM web-page.

The candidates who have not yet enrolled in a doctoral degree study programme and will be selected in this tender shall also apply separately for the Tender for Enrolment to Doctoral Degree Study Programme UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies in the 2018/19 Academic Year.

Sunday, 24 June 2018 Position of Young Researcher in the field of Cryptography

The University of Primorska has published a public tender for Young Researcher candidate in the field of Cryptography to be trained at University of Primorska Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) for obtaining a doctorate of science. Student’s mentor will be Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, one of leading experts in symmetric-key cryptography.

The four-year doctoral study will begin in the Academic Year 2018/19.

Candidates must submit their applications untill Friday, 22 June 2018 by 2 p.m.

• Public tender
• Instructions on how to apply
• Application form
• Statement
• Confirmation and evaluation sheet (completed by mentor)

Friday, 22 June 2018 The International School of Marine Conservation Sciences (isMCS) started

Yesterday marked the start of the International School Of Marine Conservation Sciences (isMCS), organized jointly by  University of Primorska (UP FAMNIT Department of Biodiversity), Oregon State University (USA) and Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation (Croatia), under the umbrella of the Society for Conservation Biology, European Section.

This year's meeting hosts 20 students, coming from 11 countries (Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Montenegro, Spain, Sweden and the United States of America).

The program started with welcome speeches from Faculty dean Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, Head of the Department of Biodiversity, Assoc. Prof. Elena Bužan, and organizers (Prof. Selina Heppell, Assoc. Prof. Scott Heppell and Assoc. Prof. Bojan Lazar). Shortly afterwards, the students were already immersed in the introductory lectures.

The next 10 days will bring a packed program. Through lectures, invited speakers, field and lab work, as well as computer exercises on spatial aspects of conservation, the students will delve deep into different biological, policy and human dimension aspects of marine conservation. The first week, the program will be based in Koper, Slovenia; during the last three days the school will move to different locations in Croatia. You can read more about the event here: http://ismcs.famnit.upr.si/en

We warmly welcome all the participants and wish them a pleasant stay and successful work.

Wednesday, 13 June 2018 Position of Young Researcher in the field of Mathematics in 2018

The University of Primorska has published a public tender for Young Researcher candidates in 2018.

The position of Young Researcher in the field of Mathematics will to be trained at University of Primorska Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) for obtaining a doctorate of science. Student’s mentor will be Assoc. Prof. Istvan Kovacs, PhD.

Candidates must submit their applications till Monday, 16 July 2018 by 2 p.m.

The Public Tender and the Instructions on how to apply (with application forms) are available on the University of Primorska web-page, where you can find also the mentor's and the research program presentation.

The candidates who have not yet enrolled in a doctoral degree study programme and will be selected in this tender (for the position Young Researcher in the field of Mathematics) shall also apply separately for the Tender for Enrolment to Doctoral Degree Study Programme UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies in the 2018/19 Academic Year.

Friday, 1 June 2018 Position of Young Researcher in the field of Cryptography

The University of Primorska has published a public tender for Young Researcher candidate in the field of Cryptography to be trained at University of Primorska Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) for obtaining a doctorate of science. Student’s mentor will be Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, one of leading experts in symmetric-key cryptography.

The four-year doctoral study will begin in the Academic Year 2018/19.

Candidates must submit their applications till Friday, 22 June 2018 by 2 p.m.

The Public tender and the Instructions on how to apply (with application forms) are available on the UP IAM web-page.

The candidates who have not yet enrolled in a doctoral degree study programme and will be selected in this tender shall also apply separately for the Tender for Enrolment to Doctoral Degree Study Programme UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies in the 2018/19 Academic Year.

Monday, 28 May 2018 Second application term for non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship

Today, 28 May 2018 starts the second application term for for non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship for the enrolment in the undergraduate study programmes at UP FAMNIT and it lasts until 20 July 2018.

All information about the application procedure are available here: https://www.famnit.upr.si/en/education/enrolment1819#heading0

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Monday, 21 May 2018 Successful awarding ceremony of University of Primorska International Mathematics Competition 2018

On Friday, May 18th, a ceremony was held in Prishtina (Kosovo), as the final part of the University of Primorska International Mathematics Competition 2018. The competition was organized and carried out by UP FAMNIT professors and students, and it was supported by the municipalities of Prishtina and Peja.

The event, which took place at the Directorate for Education of the Municipality of Prishtina, was attended by the representatives of the local authorities and, of course, by students from various secondary schools who participated in the competition on April 16th (more on this link).

The participants were addressed by the Rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Dragan Marušič, PhD who emphasized the importance of having a highly educated population. Young countries have to offer young people the opportunity to study abroad, but then they need to attract the same young people back and provide them with the opportunity to participate in the development of the country. His final thought was: »For a small and a young country, each young person who does not return, is already a too big loss.«

Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, PhD highlighted the international engagement of UP FAMNIT, where each year students from more and more countries decide to study. Similar ideas about the importance of having international opportunities were shared by the Deputy Mayor of Pristina, Selim Pacolli and Jonuz Salihaj, Director of the Education Department of the Municipality of Prishtina.

On the picture: Prof. Dragan Marušič, PhD, Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, PhD, Jonuz Salihaj (Director of the Education Department of the Municipality of Prishtina) and Deputy Mayor of Prishtina Selim Pacolli.

Among the 19 participants, the winner of the competition was Besfort Shala, who was awarded the scholarship to study at the University of Primorska.

In addition, our university received the acknowledgment for the excellent cooperation with the Municipality of Prishtina, while UP FAMNIT student Eda Kaja and Lisa Qarkaxhi received a special certificate of appreciation for their efforts in organizing the competition.

Congratulations to all participants of the competition and specially to the winner of the UP Scholarship!

Tuesday, 15 May 2018 Position of Young Researcher in the field of Cryptography

Next week, the University of Primorska will publish a public tender for Young Researcher candidate in the field of CRIPTOGRAPHY to be trained in the research programme at University of Primorska Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) for obtaining a doctorate of science. Student’s mentor will be Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, one of leading experts in symmetric-key cryptography.

The four-year doctoral study, which will begin in the Academic Year 2018/19, includes research work, publication of articles in international scientific journals, project work and teaching exercises as assistant.

The PhD student will conduct research in modern cryptography that include some contemporary directions such as post-quantum cryptography and/or homomorphic encryption. The former branch of cryptography mainly concerns problem of specifying secure cryptographic primitives which are resistant in presence of quantum computers. In particular, the standard public key cryptography is affected and therefore many alternative approaches have been developed (lattice-based, code-based, multivariate-based cryptography) recently to protect these primitives once quantum computers become reality. Homomorphic encryption or more precisely Fully Homomorphic Encryption has been developed during the last decade but there still do not exist efficient solution for performing standard mathematical operations on the encrypted data instead of decrypting the data, performing such operations and encrypting the data again.

More detailed information about the application procedure will be published shortly.

UP FAMNIT Center of Cryptography

In the modern world, intense research activity in the field of cryptography is extremely important, since cryptographic codes protect information from unauthorized access, alterations and other abuses, making the use of cryptography in economy and industry essential on the national and international levels. Researchers from the University of Primorska have been working for many years in the field of cryptography, and the establishment of the Center of Cryptography is the result of their work. The Center will aims to significantly increase the possibilities of cooperation between the university, industry and the wider society, as in the modern society, the exchange and storage of information in an efficient, reliable and safe way, is essential.

Tuesday, 8 May 2018 Study Mediterranean Agriculture at the University of Primorska

Have you ever heard of »TEOSINTE«?
It is not a Greek God, but an ancestor of corn, that grows in Central America. Wild relatives of crop plants are a great source of genes for creating new varieties.
Are you interested in how new strawberry varieties with different fruit colour and shape are produced?

Then you are probably considering to undertake your studies in the field of agriculture!

If you are interested in:

• confront yourself with the challenges and opportunities of planning sustainable and competitive agricultural production,
• broaden your horizons by involving you in creative projects and research work,
• give yourself the opportunity for national and international mobility by allowing you free choice of elective courses….

… the BSc study pogramme Mediterranean Agriculture is the right choice.

The programme aims to educate experts who will be able to interdisciplinary connect the basic natural science knowledge with the professional contents of biotechnical science in the planning and implementation of sustainable and competitive agricultural production, taking into account the environmental and ecological characteristics of any production area.

Free tuition for candidates from the European Union, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia!

Read more about the study programme HERE and find out all you need to know about the application.

»Agriculture isn't dead. In fact, no other industry feeds the world's population, which could hit 9 billion by 2050. The need for graduates in agriculture, horticulture, and animal science programs will be critical to finding ways of safely doubling food production in order to meet the demand of a growing population«
(Volenec et al. 2012, Science (335): 917)

Thursday, 19 April 2018 Prof. Tim Bell (University of Canterbury): "Computer Science... without computers?!"

UP FAMNIT and UP PEF
are pleased to invite everyone to the lecture

"Computer Science... without computers?!"

which will be held by Prof. Tim Bell
(University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
on Monday, 23 April 2018 at 17:00
in the big lecture room of the Faculty of Management
(3rd floor, Cankarjeva 5, Koper).

"Computer Science Unplugged" is a fun and engaging way to delve into the topic of computer science, without using computers at all, and before you learn how to do programming! Instead, there are games, puzzles and magic tricks that engage students with deep concepts behind the technology that is right under their noses. In this workshop you will get to experience some of the activities first-hand, and get guidance on how to use them in a classroom. All of the material is free and open-source.

Tim Bell is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Canterbury. His "Computer Science Unplugged'' project is being widely used internationally with the supporting materials (books and videos) having been translated into over 20 languages. Prof. Bell has received many awards for his work in computing education including the 2018 ACM SIGCSE Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education award.  Since 2008 he has been actively involved in the design and deployment of the approach to the teaching of digital technologies in New Zealand schools.

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 University of Primorska International Mathematics Competition 2018

On Monday, 16th April, 19 pupils from 5 kosovar schools participated to the second Mathematics competition which the University of Primorska organized in Kosovo. Last year the competition took place in Gjakova (click here for more), while this year the location was moved to the capital.

The competition was organized by UP FAMNIT professors and 2nd year Mathematics students Eda Kaja and Lisi Qarkaxhija, and was supported by the municipalities of Pristina and Peja.

The competition was held the in the Specialised Mathematics Gymnasium in Pristina, where competitors tested their knowledge in mathematics. They are all last year pupils of the following schools »Sami Frasheri«, »Xhevdet Doda«, »Aluddin«, »Specialized Mathematics Gymnasium« (Prishtina) and »Bedri Pejani Gymnasium« (Peja).

One of the aims of the competition was to discover, encourage and challenge mathematically gifted pupils who will consider the possibility to study at UP FAMNIT. In fact, two scholarships will be offered by the University of Primorska to the best ones.

Official results will be announced in May.

Apart from our two students from Kosovo, UP FAMNIT would like to thank everyone who has contributed in making the competition happen. Special thanks go to: Mrs. Diana Qarkaxhija, Mr. Fatos Osmani – Chief of the Directorate of Education in municipality of Prishtina, Mr. Shemsi Berisha – Director of Specialized Mathematics Gymnasium, Mr. Jonuz Salihaj – Director of the Department of Education in Prishtina and Mr. Besim Avdimetaj – Director of  the Department of Education in Peja, Mrs. Ardiana Hyseni, Mrs. Shpresa Berisha and all the teachers that prepared the pupils for the competition.

And of course, congratulations to all participants!

Monday, 16 April 2018 Seminar Information Economics and Robust Institutions (Prof. Jernej Čopič, PhD)

The Department of Mathematics UP FAMNIT is pleased to invite everyone to the the Seminar Information Economics and Robust Institutions, which will be held by  Prof. Jernej Čopič, PhD (Aix-Marseille School of Economics; Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education – CERGE-EI) from April to June 2018.

All sessions will be delivered in English language.

DATES:

• Wednesday 18. 4. 2018 (16:00-18:00), location: FAMNIT-Muzejski1
• Tuesday 24. 4. 2018 (18:00-20:00), location: FAMNIT-MP1
• Sessions in May/June will be announced shortly.

More informations are available on this link.

ABOUT THE SEMINAR:

In this seminar we will be firstly cover some basic concepts of Game Theory, i.e., Nash equilibrium and dominant strategy equilibrium under complete information. Then we will move to the setting of incomplete information and equilibrium concepts suitable for robust analysis, i.e., ex post Nash equilibrium and dominant-strategy equilibrium under incomplete information (strategy proofness). In both of these settings, complete and incomplete information, we will then consider concepts of economic efficiency: Pareto efficiency (classical efficiency) and constrained Pareto efficiency. Next, we will formulate and prove the revelation principle under incomplete information and move to the question of maximally efficient economic institutions.
We will commence with the well-known class of allocation schemes, the so-called Vickrey-Clarke-Groves mechanisms, which satisfy equilibrium conditions (incentive compatibility) and have seen wide applications in Economics and Computer Science. However, these allocation schemes in general fail some desirable properties: either they may fail to satisfy budgetary constraints or they may fail the requirement that the participation of economic actors is voluntary (individual rationality).
We will thus move on to address the question of existence and maximal possible efficiency of desirable allocation schemes, which along with the equilibrium conditions satisfy all desiderata. We will broach these questions in the following economic settings:
Market settings:

• Auctions
• Double Auctions
• more general market platforms

Non-market settings:

• Public goods
• Voting (time permitting).

Monday, 16 April 2018 Our mathematicians at Vojtěch Jarník International Math Competition

Also this year, our math students participated at the oldest mathematics competition for students within EU: the 28th Vojtěch Jarník International Mathematical Competition, which was held in Ostrava (Czech Republic) on Friday, April 13th.

At this year's event, 150 students from 33 European universities competed. In the first category (for 1st and 2nd year students or under 22 years of age), Famnit was represented by Đorđe Mitrović (1st year of Mathematics), Arbër Avdullahu and Daniil Baldouski (both 2nd year of Mathematics), in the second category our Faculty was represented by Mirza Krbezlija (3rd year of Mathematics).

Mitrović, Avdullah, and Baldouski received the certificate of a successful participant.

Congratulations to our students and we wish them many successful performances!

(on the picture: Mirza Krbezlija, Đorđe Mitrović, Arbër Avdullahu, Daniil Baldouski)

Tuesday, 10 April 2018 Our math students among the top students of the Open International Internet-Olympiad

In March our Mathematics students participated to the first two rounds of this year's International Mathematical Competition of the Open International Internet Olympiad for Higher Education Student. In both rounds students were solving mathematical problems online. The first round was attended by 5,887 students from 158 different universities, in the category »specialized faculty«, where Famnit competes, there were 772 students from 63 universities worldwide.

Our faculty was represented by Luka Pavlović (2^nd year Mathematical Sciences MSc), Roman Solodukhin (1^st year Mathematical Sciences MSc), Mirza Krbezlija (3^rd year Mathematics BSc), Arbër Avdullahu and Daniil Baldouski (both 2^nd year Mathematics BSc), and Đorđe Mitrović (1^st year Mathematics BSc).

All of our students have achieved above average results and entered into the 2^nd round of the competition. Roman Solodukhin and Luka Pavlović also achived 50% of all points, which ranks them among the best of all competitors (see the graph below which shows the ranks of students according to the points achieved).

The 2^nd round was attended by 542 students, of which 135 were in the »specialized faculty« category, where Roman Solodukhin won the 2^nd place. In addition, also Arbër Avdullahu and Luka Pavlović (who both ranked on the 36^th place), advanced into the 3^rd round, which will take place in May.

Famnit’s students traditionally participate in the mentioned Open International Internet Olympiad, where they are also very successful. Last year, two students entered the finals of the competition, while two years ago the University of Primorska won the award ''Winning University''.

We congratulate our students for their success!

(On the picture, from left to right: Arbër Avdullahu, Mirza Krbezlija, Luka Pavlović, Roman Solodukhin, Đorđe Mitrović in Daniil Baldouski)

Tuesday, 10 April 2018 MSc Sustainable Built Environments - scholarship for prospective students

Are you interested in contributing to the development of a sustainable built environment?

Do you see yourself working in the fields of engineering, wood and material science, business innovation, and building design?

Then the MSc study programme Sustainable Built Environments (SBE) is the right choice for you, since it offers a complete set of skills and knowledge that graduates will need to design, assess, construct, and renovate a new generation of buildings that consider human health and environmental and social impacts.

This programme prepares students to solve complicated problems and face challenges that arise in the field of the sustainable built environment. Graduates will be able to effectively communicate and support work within construction, building, and civil engineering institutions as well as conduct independent scientific research.

This skill set provides an interdisciplinary approach that is necessary for graduates to actively contribute to the development of the sustainable built environment in both public and private sectors.

The SBE programme along with the InnoRenew CoE are offering five scholarships for the programme. These scholarships will offer financial assistance for the degree programme, but will also integrate successful applicants into a vibrant, international, research institute providing many research opportunities. Send us your PRE-APPLICATION!

Interested? Read more about programme structure, courses, and admission requirements HERE.

Monday, 9 April 2018 Today, 9 April 2018 first application term for postgraduate study starts

On Monday, 9 April 2018 starts the first application term for Master's and doctoral study programmes at UP FAMNIT (enrolment in the 1^st year, for the subsequent year and parallel studies):

• lasts until 31 August 2018 for Slovene citizens and EU citizens,
• lasts until 27 June 2018 for Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship and non-EU citizens.

All information about the application procedure are available here.

Candidates are invited to check our programme’s presentation and visit us on 11 May 2018 during the Open day! The exact Open day’s programme will be published later in the section Education/ Enrolment 18/19.

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Tuesday, 3 April 2018 Jessica Cauchard: On body and Out of body Interactions

The Department of Information Sciences and Technologies
is pleased to invite you to the Seminar

On body and Out of body Interactions

by Jessica Cauchard (IDC Herzliya, Israel)
on Wednesday, 4th of April 2018 at 16.00 (FAMNIT-POSTA).

PLEASE SIGN-UP FOR THIS EVENT!

ABSTRACT:
Mobile devices have become ubiquitous over the last decade, changing the way we interact with technology and with one another. My research focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of novel interaction techniques with mobile devices using a human-centered approach. In this presentation, I will in particular focus on two types of mobile devices: wearables and autonomous mobile devices. I will discuss the use of multiple modalities to interact with technology and in particular how haptics on wearables can support long-term tasks without interrupting the user’s attention. I will then discuss how autonomous devices such as drones re-invent our understanding of ubiquitous computing and present my current research on collocated natural human-drone interaction.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:
Jessica R. Cauchard is a Senior Lecturer at IDC Herzliya, Israel in the departments of Computer Science and Communications. Prior to joining IDC Herzliya, she was working as a postodoctoral research fellow at Stanford's Computer Science Human-Computer Interaction laboratory and completed her PhD at the University of Bristol at the Interaction & Graphics research lab. At IDC Herzliya she leads the Ubiquitous Computing research lab. Her research focuses on wearable, mobile, and ubiquitous computing. She is interested in new interaction techniques and how users can be supported by technology.

Friday, 23 March 2018 Call for enrolment into postgraduate study programmes in 2018/19 academic year

In 2018/19 academic year UP FAMNIT offers the following postgraduate study programmes:

• doctoral (3^rd cycle) study programmes: Mathematical Science (available also in English), Computer Science;
• master (2^nd cycle) study programmes: Mathematical Science (available also in English), Mathematics with Financial Engineering, Computer Science, Nature Conservation, Biopsychology, Applied Psychology, Sustainable Built Environments.

More information about the Call for enrolment 2018/19 and the application procedure is available on our website in the section Education/ Enrolment 18/19.

Candidates (SLOVENE CITIZENS AND EU CITIZENS) can apply in three terms:

• first application term: from 9 April to 31 August 2018,
• second application term: from 14 to 19 September 2018,
• third application term: from 26 to 27 September 2018.

Candidates (NON-EU CITIZENS AND SLOVENE NATIONALS WITHOUT SLOVENE CITIZENSHIP) can apply in four terms:

• first application term: from 9 April to 27 June 2018,
• second application term: from 16 July to 31 August 2018,
• third application term: from 14 to 19 September 2018,
• fourth application term: from 26 to 27 September 2018.

Candidates are invited to check our programme’s presentation and visit us on 11 May 2018 during the Open day! The exact Open day’s programme will be published later in the section Education/ Enrolment 18/19.

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75).

Monday, 12 March 2018 Prof. Cheryl E. Praeger, PhD: Breaking down barriers in Mathematics - UP 2018 honorary doctorate inaugural lecture

We are pleased to invite you to the
inaugural lecture entitled

Breaking down barriers in Mathematics

by University of Primorska 2018 honorary doctorate
Prof. Cheryl E. Praeger, PhD (University of Western Australia)

The lecture will be held in the FAMNIT-VP lecture room (UP FAMNIT, Glagoljaška 8, Koper)

on Friday, 16 March 2018 at 10 am.

Cheryl Elisabeth Praeger is an Australian mathematician, a member of the Order of Australia and a member of Australian Academy of Science. Praeger received BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Queensland, and doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1973 under direction of Peter M. Neumann. She has published widely and has advised more than 20 PhD students. She is a professor of mathematics at the University of Western Australia, best known for her works in group theory, algebraic graph theory and combinatorial designs. Her selection as an “ISI highly cited researcher” places her among the very top mathematicians world-wide.

About the lecture:
"Mathematics is all around us. It’s behind all the algorithms that make computers work so anything that involves computing and technology needs maths. If you can do maths you are essentially able to invent the future.
When I was a student I was told “there are no jobs for a maths graduate”. Clearly wrong. I’ll tell you a bit of my journey into maths, the kinds of maths I love and use – the mathematics of symmetry – my links with mathematics in Slovenia - how this is a link between mathematics and life – how there is a place in maths for both women and men."

Photo credit: Australian Mathematical Society Inc. (www.austms.org.au)
 

Tuesday, 20 February 2018 Announcement: 8th PhD Summer School in Discrete Mathematics, 1-7 July 2018, Rogla (Slovenia)

We are happy to announce the 8th PhD Summer School in Discrete Mathematics to be held on Mt. Rogla, Slovenia, July 1 - July 7, 2018. There will be two courses (8 hours each):

1. Finite permutation groups
Colva Roney-Dougal, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom

2. Vertex-transitive graphs and their local actions
Gabriel Verret, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Conference fee for payments before March 31, 2018 is 120 € for students, and 200 € for other participants, and for payments after March 31, 2018 the fee for students is 150 Eur, and 250 Eur for other participants.
The number of participants is limited, so please register as soon as possible. 

The registration form together with other relevant information (overview of the mini-courses, accommodation, traveling information, mode of payment, instructions for students etc.) is available at https://conferences.famnit.upr.si/e/rogla2018

We have limited financial support for PhD-students. This includes half-board in one of the bungalows and the exemption from conference fee payment. Students that want to apply for it, should indicate this in the registration form and send their motivation letter and short CV (in English).

Deadline for the financial support application is February 28th, 2018.

According to regulations and in view of the amount of work designed for these courses, the Summer School is credited with 2 ECTS. In order to collect the assigned credit points, the student must solve a certain number of problems and tasks, as required by the lecturer.
Please, feel free to forward this message to your colleagues and students. For further questions please contact sygn@upr.si.

(Group picture from the 7th PhD Summer School in Discrete Mathematics 2017)

Wednesday, 14 February 2018 Project DA.RE.: creating new profiles that the market demands

On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 February, UP FAMNIT is hosting the partners of DA.RE. project, which aims to train experts that the global market needs.

In the first phase of the project, partners identified the set of skills for professional profiles that the market demands. The analysis brought to light that there is a need of professionals with the knowledge in machine learning, statistical modelling, predictive analytics and big data management.

During the two days in Koper, the group of experts from Italy, Serbia, Portugal, United Kingdom and Slovenia will work on the design of the Pilot Course for Data Scientists, which will be a 150 hours course dedicated to about 450 participants from five countries and will be held in English. Students will be awarded with 21 ECTS credit points.

Da.Re. project has been funded with the support from the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme.

(Foto: participants of the meeting were welcomed by Vice-rector for Internationalization Assoc. Prof. Boris Kavur, PhD)

Thursday, 1 February 2018 Assoc. Prof. Dunja Bandelj, PhD co-author of the Strategic Research Agenda with the key EU priorities regarding Mediterranean agriculture

Agriculture faces a number of common problems related to the management of natural resources (in particular soil, water and biodiversity), the propagation and emergence of animal and plant diseases and the impact of climate change on the productivity and sustainability of agricultural and food systems.

Among the programmes that are focused on current challenges of the Mediterraneanean Agriculture, we can find ARIMNet2 (Coordination of Agricultural Research in the Mediterranean; 2014-2017) which is an ERA-NET Action financed by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration.

The main goal of the programme was to enhance the coordination of agricultural research in the Mediterranean area and strengthening the cooperation among stakeholders from the food and agriculture sector.
ARIMNet2 gathered 24 partners from 15 Mediterranean countries, which developed the Strategic Research Agenda (ISRA) describing the key priorities for the European Union and Mediterranean countries in the field of Mediterranean agriculture research, development and innovation.

The Strategic Research Agenda was prepared by a group of scientific experts - among them there was also Assoc. Prof. Dunja Bandelj, PhD – coordinator of the undergraduate study programme Mediterranean Agriculture and head of the Department of Applied Sciences at UP FAMNIT. Read the short interview with Prof. Bandelj here).

Find the Strategic Research Agenda online and read more about the project here.

Congratulation to Prof. Dunja Bandelj for this important scientific collaboration!

Thursday, 1 February 2018 Call for enrolment into undergraduate study programmes in 2018/19 academic year

In 2018/19 Academic Year UP FAMNIT offers the following study programmes: Conservation Biology, Bioinformatics (NEW: available also in English), Biopsychology, Computer Science (available also in English), Mathematics (available also in English), Mathematics in Economics and Finance, Mediterranean Agriculture.

All information about the application procedure are available here.

EU CITIZENS

Candidates can apply in three terms:

• first application term: from 6 February to 30 March 2018,
• second application term: from 22 to 29 August 2018 (available places will be published on 21 August 2018 on this website),
• third application term: from 26 to 27 September 2018 (available places will be published on 25 September 2018 on this website).

 NON-EU CITIZENS AND SLOVENE NATIONALS WITHOUT SLOVENE CITIZENSHIP

Candidates can apply in four terms:

• first application term: from 6 February to 28 May 2018,
• second application term: from 28 May to 20 July 2018 (available places will be published on 28 May 2018 on this website),
• third application term: from 13 August to 14 September 2018 (available places will be published on 13 August 2018 on this website).
• fourth application term: from 26 to 27 September 2018 until 12:00 (available places will be published on 26 September 2018 on this website).

Thursday, 1 February 2018 Our Department of Mathematics active at the Tsinghua Sanya International Mathematics Forum in China

It is commonly known, that science has no borders, but now it is also time to admit that there are also no borders for our mathematicians: this week eight members of our Department of Mathematics are actively participating at the International Workshop on Symmetries of Graph and Networks at the Tsinghua Sanya International Mathematics Forum. The workshop is taking place in Sanya (China) and it is organized by Marston Conder (University of Auckland, New Zealand), Yan-Quan Feng (Beijing Jiaotong University, China), Klavdija Kutnar (University of Primorska,), Mei Lu (Tsinghua University, China) and Jin-Xin Zhou (Beijing Jiaotong University, China).

(Participats from UP FAMNIT Department of Mathematics - from left to right: Ademir Hujdurović, Primož Šparl, Istvan Kovacs, Klavdija Kutnar (UP FAMNIT Dean), Robert Jajcay, Aleksander Malnič, Edward Dobson and Dragan Marušič (UP Rector).

Untill tomorrow, a large group of leading experts in the area of symmetries in graphs and networks will share recent developments and techniques, in order to develop further collaborations, and to provide an opportunity for younger, up-and-coming researchers to meet and learn from established authorities in the subject area.

Abstracts of the talks to be presented at the workshop are available at the Workshop webpage.

Members of the Workshop Scientific Committee are: Brian Alspach (University of Newcastle, Australia), Marston Conder (University of Auckland, New Zeland), Yan-Quan Feng (Beijing Jiaotong University, China), Cai Heng Li (South University of Science and Technology, China), Dragan Marušič (University of Primorska) and Jozef Siran (Open University, UK).

(Participants of the workshop)

The Tsinghua Sanya International Mathematics Forum (TSIMF) was established to host research conferences, workshops and retreats. It is located at the resort city of San Ya of Hainan Province in Southern China, and since it serves as an international hub for mathematicians and mathematical scientists to dissimilate latest results and to develop newest ideas. Surelly, it is one of the assets for the mathematical community worldwide.

Friday, 26 January 2018 UP Famnit supports Thai institutions in the field of vector borne diseases

UP FAMNIT, together with lead partner from France (Universite Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris VI) and universities from Portugal (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa) and Thailand (Mahidol University, Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University), obtained project support under the programme Erasmus+ Capacity Building for the project Life for SEA-ED. Under Capacity Building projects European institutions support partners from other parts of the world in their efforts to establish modern study programmes and knowledge in relevant study fields.

The objective of the Life for SEA-ED project is to improve the knowledge (what) and skills (how) of teachers and trainers for their work with students at partner Thai universities in the following fields:

• Applied Medical Entomology,
• Parasitic and Viral Diseases borne by vectors, such as ticks, mosquitoes and sand flies,
• Ecology and Environment,
• Epidemiology,
• Data Management and Analysis,
• GIS.

The potential emerging pathogens is a reality in Southeast Asia. Since a vector borne parasitic or viral disease is concerned, its investigation requires various expertises as well as an efficient organisation to articulate those expertises in a rational procedure. The long term impact would be to improve knowledge and skills of experts for a more efficient and, faster coordinated investigation.

Project leader at UP FAMNIT is Assist. Prof. Vladimir Ivović, PhD. We congratulate the team for obtaining the project and we wish you many successes!

This is already the second Capacity Building project UP FAMNIT is involved in. When education is concerned, we are already involved with institutions from Central Asia under the project ECCUM. 

Thursday, 11 January 2018 Open call Erasmus+ for academic year 2018/2019

Open call Erasmus + for students is published. Applications are now open for study exchanges or exchanges for the purpose of practical training in the period from 1 June 2018 to 30 September 2019.

The deadline for applying is 25 January 2018.

The Open call and all necessary documentation (forms, instructions) are available on this link.

You are invited to apply!