Tuesday, 31 January 2023 When are two graphs really the same?
For the third talk in Famnit's cycle of lectures about mathematics (Famnitovi Izleti v matematično vesolje), Dr. Ted Dobson lectured about a graph, a relatively simple object. It has two parts, dots (which we call vertices) and lines between pairs of dots (which we call edges). They discussed the problem of when two graphs are really “the same”, and what this means. This is a famous problem, called the “graph isomorphism problem”. After looking at some examples, they talked about the current state of the problem, and end by considering graphs that are “symmetric”.
About the lecturer:
Ted Dobson received his PhD in 1995 from Louisiana State University in the USA. After 20 years at the University of Mississippi in the USA and after many years of visits to Slovenian mathematicians, he became a professor at the University of Primorska, in 2018. His research area is symmetries on graphs, together with related areas.
Slides from the lecture can be found HERE.
Monday, 30 January 2023 INTERDISCIPLINARY SYMPOSIUM BRINGS TOGETHER DIFFERENT UP EXPERTISE
On Wednesday, 25 January 2023, UP FTŠ Turistica hosted the symposium "The Present and Future of Wine and Gastronomy Tourism on Tourist Farms in Slovenia" which represents the final activity of the Targeted Research Project "Possibilities of Further Development of Wine and Gastronomy Tourism on Farms" (Vingatur, V5-2030 - Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia, ARRS), a complex research and development project made possible by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovenian Research Agency ARRS.
It involved more than 10 researchers from three universities and five faculties: Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT), Faculty of Management UP, Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica UP, Faculty of Arts UL and Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences UM:
- Dr Simon Kerma (UP FTŠ Turistica) and Dr. Matjaž Hladnik (UP FAMNIT) presented an analysis of the results of surveys of holders of complementary farm tourism activities;
- Alenka Baruca Arbeiter, dr. Matjaž Hladnik and dr. Ig. Dunja Bandelj (UP FAMNIT) pointed out the importance of including traditional/indigenous plant varieties and animal breeds in the offer of tourist farms;
- Dr Aleš Gačnik (UP FTŠ Turistica) shed light on the place and role of tourist farms in the context of gastronomic tourism and the development of tourism in rural areas;
- Emil Juvan (UP FTŠ Turistica) highlighted the visitor perceptions of tourist farms by illustrating the potential for the development of enogastronomy tourism in rural areas;
- Dr Igor Jurinčič, Dr Simon Kerma and Dr Aleš Gačnik (UP FTŠ Turistica) presented a comparative analysis of wine and gastronomy events in Slovenian wine-growing regions;
- Dr Aleš Gačnik and Mag. Maja Plahutnik Nahtigal (UP FTŠ Turistica) presented the results of the analysis of the use of digital channels of communication of tourist farms, with an emphasis on websites and social networks;
- Štefan Bojnec (UP FM) emphasised and highlighted the importance of tourist farms in the preservation and development of the Slovenian countryside.
In this context Dr. Dejan Cigale and Dr. Barbara Lampič (UL FF) presented how sustainable development is reflected in tourist farms, while Dr Barbara Lampič and Dr Irma Potočnik Slavič (UL FF) highlighted wine tourism routes as an important factor in rural development. Dr Martina Robačer, Dr Martina Bavec and Dr Franc Bavec spoke about the perspectives for the development of ecological tourist farms. The scientific symposium was concluded with proposals for research and development topics as a basis for the design of cross-sectoral measures for the further development of wine and gastronomy tourism on farms and an interesting closing discussion.
Representatives of important institutions also addressed the participants and emphasised the importance of the topic: Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, Rector of the University of Primorska, Dr. Marijana Sikošek, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica, Tatjana Buzeti, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia, Dubravka Kalin, Director General of the Tourism Directorate of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Slovenia, Matija Vimpolšek, President of the Association of Tourist Farms of Slovenia, and Dr. Simon Kerma, Project Manager. The importance of cross-sectoral cooperation and networking was highlighted, as well as the importance of transferring research findings into educational programmes, agriculture and the economy.
The scientific and professional symposium highlights the fact that development needs to be planned on the basis of integrated multidisciplinary research, reflecting both international knowledge of the topic and the characteristics of the field. The future of tourist farms in Slovenia undoubtedly depends on creative and innovative cross-sectoral cooperation between agriculture, tourism, culture and science.
Friday, 27 January 2023 (BIO)PSYCHOLOGY DAY AT UP FAMNIT
On 26 January 2023, as part of the (BIO)PSYCHOLOGY DAY AT UP FAMNIT, we hosted High school students from GIMNAZIJA Celje-Center high school.
Through various activities, lectures and workshops, they learned about the diverse world of science and enjoyed it.
After the warm welcome by dr. Vesna Jug from the Department of Psychology, the students were divided into two groups. One of them attended the Mini Info Fair, where students of Biopsychology and Psychology answered various questions about the tutoring system, the Student Council and the Erasmus programme.
In the second group, students have been introduced to a different aspect of mental health. Through discussion and activities, Eva Sedlašek and Polonca Borko from the Department of Psychology, in the workshop "Are you ok? OK!", introduced students to the concept of mental health and its aspects, which have influences on it. Together, they also talked about why it is important to take care of mental health and what we can do about it.
At the practical workshop, Tjaša Ogrizek, Tina Tinkara Peternelj, Dean Lipovac, Klen Čopič Pucihar, Matjaž Kljun in Julija Pavlin, directly introduced participants to the main concepts of biopsychology and the interplay of biological and psychological processes. They interactively engaged students, teaching them more about stress and how we can measure it. In addition, practical examples were given, related to career possibilities in this field and how newer technologies can help researchers.
Dr. Vesna Jug, the coordinator of the Biopsychology study programme, gave students detailed information of the programme itself and the study process (courses, timetables, career opportunities etc.).
Thursday, 26 January 2023 Record attendance of Gimnazija Koper high school students at the Mathematics Day
On Wednesday 25 January 2023, UP FAMNIT hosted the traditional Mathematics Day, which was organized for third-year students of the Gimnazija Koper by professors of Mathematics at UP FAMNIT.
This year the event was attended by more than 100 students, accompanied by mathematics teachers. The students were divided into three groups and listened to lectures on the applicability of mathematics in everyday life.
The programme started with the introductory greetings by Dr. Ademir Hujdurović, dean of UP FAMNIT, Dr. Bojan Kuzma, the Head of the Department of Mathematics of UP FAMNIT and Dr. Marko Orel, Coordinator of the study programme Mathematics.
Dr. Ademir Hujdurović
In his lecture, Dr. Ted Dobson presented the graph, which is a relatively simple object. He relied on the key question of when two graphs are really "the same'' and what this means. Mathematics is often used in the field of Sports, which was presented by Dr. Boštjan Frelih, who gave interesting examples that were not limited to counting results. Dr. Karla Ferjančič presented Bézier curves, which have become incredibly useful with the development of computers. The curves themselves are considered indispensable in the automotive, aircraft and ship industries for robot control, modelling, animation and other fields.
Students also went through the history of cryptographic methods and procedures, as Dr. Štefko Miklavič explained the role of mathematics in cryptography, where students tried to "crack" some simple codes. Dr. Nino Bašić also introduced the basics of the Python programming language.
Lecturer, Dr. Nino Bašić
Dr. Rado Pezdir explained about the vicissitudes of the stock market, basic financial concepts (risk, return, stock market) and also how mathematics can help us understand complex environments such as financial markets.
"When teaching mathematics at school, students mostly calculate and use formulas that they have to learn by heart, sometimes it is difficult to imagine the usefulness of mathematics in real life," says Neva Ećimović, professor of mathematics at Gimnazija Koper.
"Theory and good basics are important, so students can upgrade their knowledge, but at the Mathematics Day, which is prepared every year by FAMNIT, they have a very good opportunity to learn mathematics differently and get the additional motivation to learn, which is sometimes lacking in learning about theory." She summed up, that students are enthusiastic about Mathematics Day every year because in this way they learn about the usefulness of mathematics.
The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies of the University of Primorska offer six undergraduate study programs, including Mathematics and Mathematics in Economics and Finance. More information about study programs and studying at Famnit can also be found at the upcoming Information Days, which will take place on 17 and 18 February 2023.
Thursday, 26 January 2023 University of Primorska host the final meeting of the ELBA project
From 23 to 25 January UP FAMNIT hosted the final meeting of the ERASMUS + project ELBA, where highly profiled specialists from universities in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are participating. The purpose of this training is to implement a multidisciplinary package of module-based courses for bachelor and master students at the 10 partnering universities in Central Asia.
The meeting was coordinated by Assist. Prof. Branko Kavšek from the University of Primorska and analyzing the results of the project, the participants see great potential for further development.
»The goal of the project was to develop interdisciplinary model based courses and establish cooperation between partners in Central Asia, research and educational centres in each university. All of these goals were achieved. During the final meeting we have been discussing the finalizing of all the goals and every partner presented their achievements. It was very interesting to see how the project has developed,« summed up Emilbek Musabaev from the Kyrgyz State Technical University, Kyrgyzstan.
Prof. Roberto Fontana from Turin Polytechnic University in Turin, Italy, added his perspective on the results achieved: »The ELBA project had very ambitious goals and objectives. Not all the goals have been reached, but there has been a strong movement from the very beginning with the different consortiums, different levels on the understanding of the subject. Now, the consortium is good in terms of a group that cooperates. The results, that have been reached, were unexpected at the beginning and considering the starting position and the impact of the pandemic, the outcome of the ELBA project is excellent.«
We hosted experts at the faculty as part of the project already in January last year, at a 10-day international teacher-training in the field of Intelligent Big Data Analysis. Then, Shokhjakhon Abdufattokhov from the Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, shared this about Intelligent Big Data Analysis (IBDA): »I am applying machine learning to control theory. To put it simply – I am now working on projects of smart buildings where we have sets of big data available to us. To process this data, we have to choose the right algorithm and features, this is IBDA. We can also use it to analyse business intelligence or do market analytics to find out about consumer shopping habits. Some of the colleagues here are interested in building models for the coal mining industry or for predictions in civil engineering. You can extract some really useful features that can give you very exact predictions.«
After the successful conclusion of the project, UP FAMNIT continues providing great research and establishing international cooperation, as well as offering excellent study programmes in the field of Information technologies. To find out more about studying Computer Science (at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral level) and Data Science (at master’s level) at Famnit, we invite you to visit the upcoming Information Days on 17 and 18 February. More information available at www.famnit.upr.si.
Thursday, 26 January 2023 NEW! The ERASMUS+ Open Call for international STUDY exchanges in the year 2023/2024 is now open!
Students are invited to apply for an Erasmus+ Open Call for international STUDY exchanges in the year 2023/2024.
As a novelty this year, the Erasmus+ call for INTERNSHIP exchanges will be published in a separate Open Call, most likely sometime in February. We will notify students via the UP FAMNIT website and other information channels once it’s announced.
The Erasmus+ program enables students to complete part of their study obligations abroad at one of the University of Primorska partner institutions instead of at their home institution. Within the framework of this call (Erasmus+ KA131), students can participate in an exchange in the following program countries: member states of the European Union (EU), Liechtenstein, Turkey, Norway, Iceland, the Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia.
The application deadline is February 24, 2023 (until 11:59 p.m.).
The Open Call and all related attachments are available at the following links:
- The Open Call
- Link to the online application form (OBLIGATORY TO CONSULT ALSO INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION): http://www.famnit.upr.si/sl/sis
- Instructions for submitting the application
- Annex 1_UP FAMNIT
- Annex 2_MOTIVATION LETTER_STUDY
- Annex 3_Possibilities of cofinancing the mobility_E+ ka131_STUDY
- Annex 4_OLS
In addition, we invite UP FAMNIT students to join us for the Erasmus+ Info Meeting, which will take place via ZOOM on Monday, January 30 2023
- at 1 p.m. in Slovenian,
- at 14:30 in English.
Students are kindly asked to review the published open call and related attachments and prepare any questions before the meeting.
Zoom link:
https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84775725735?pwd=RnpUREZXcURrOFU4Z1pmWDVYQ2c2dz09
Meeting ID: 847 7572 5735
Passcode: 002866
Wednesday, 25 January 2023 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Blas Fernandez
Blas Fernandez, student of the doctoral study programe Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis On certain problems related to Terwilliger algebras and distance-balanced graphs; under the mentorship of Prof. Štefko Miklavič, PhD and co-mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Ademir Hujdurović, PhD.
The defence will take place on Wednesday, 1 February 2023 at 17:00 in Famnit-VP3 and on Zoom:
https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84794175297
Meeting ID: 847 9417 5297
The doctoral disertation will be available in the library at UP FAMNIT in the following days.
Tuesday, 24 January 2023 UP at this year's highly attended 14th Informativa
On January 20 and 21, the University of Primorska successfully presented all UP faculties and study programmes at the 14th INFORMATIVA, the largest all-Slovenian Pre-Open Door Day, which takes place three weeks before the official Open Door Days in Slovenia and thus presents in one place an overview of educational programmess available in Slovenia and abroad – from high schools to universities, graduate and postgraduate programmes, further education and training, language courses, lifelong learning, etc.
After a two-year break from live fair organization, the number of fair visitors was the highest so far. Organized school groups and individual visits dominated on Friday, while on Saturday we mainly recorded visits of students with their parents. Along with the faculties, the UP Student Dormitories and the Career Center of the University of Primorska were also presented.
Thursday, 19 January 2023 The 32nd IASP World Congress under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia
We are honoured to announce that the 32nd IASP World Congress will be held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Nataša Pirc Musar.
The Slovenian Centre for Suicide Prevention, which is part of the University of Primorska, Andrej Marušič Institute, and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) will host the Congress in Portorož from 19 to 22 September 2023.
The Slovenian Centre for Suicide Research has achieved a remarkable accomplishment in hosting such an event. This is an international confirmation of the quality of many years of work, both in the field of scientific research and in the implementation of educational programmes, projects and interventions for the general public.
President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Nataša Pirc Musar
Photo: Matjaž Klemenc/UPRS
Wednesday, 18 January 2023 Izleti v matematično vesolje: »When are two graphs really the same?«
We are kindly inviting you to 3rd Mathematical event: FAMNItovi izleti v matematično vesolje,
When are two graphs really the same?
Wednesday, 25 January 2023, at 18.00, Lecture room-VP3, UP FAMNIT / via ZOOM,
Dr. Ted Dobson, UP FAMNIT and UP IAM
For this talk, a graph is a relatively simple object. It has two parts, dots (which we call vertices) and lines between pairs of dots (which we call edges). We will be interested in the problem of when two graphs are really “the same”, and discuss what this means. This is a famous problem, called the “graph isomorphism problem”. After looking at some examples, we will discuss the current state of the problem, and end by considering graphs that are “symmetric”.
About lecturer:
Ted Dobson received his PhD in 1995 from Louisiana State University in the USA. After 20 years at the University of Mississippi in the USA and after many years of visits to Slovenian mathematicians, he became a professor at the University of Primorska, in 2018. His research area is symmetries on graphs, together with related areas.
Tuesday, 17 January 2023 DR. ANNA SANDAK NOMINATED FOR EXPERT AT THE SWISS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE research group leader for wood modification, was invited to become an expert in the database for outstanding female academics at the Swiss National Science Foundation.
The database at lists more than 3500 profiles of top-class female researchers of all disciplines. All of them were nominated by distinguished European research organizations because of their outstanding qualifications and achievements.
Congratulations to Dr. Anna Sandak!
Dr. Anna Sandak
Thursday, 12 January 2023 Former UP FAMNIT student spotted by tech giants APPLE and FACEBOOK
Former UP FAMNIT student, now thirty-two-year-old Jernej Štrasner, showed his enthusiasm for programming already in high school, when he started developing applications for iPhone mobile phones. With a desire for new knowledge, he took advantage of every opportunity and joined the then free online course offered by Stanford University. With his regular homework and conscientious dedication, he was also noticed by lecturers and guest lecturers from Apple, who met him for the first time then.
At the end of his first year at UP FAMNIT, he noticed an extremely tempting announcement on Twitter for practical work from one of the Apple employees he met during the course. Jernej applied and was invited to an interview. As he confided in the interview for the Finance Manager newspaper, with the knowledge he had already acquired, practical questions did not pose any problems for him. In a process that lasted less than a week, he got a three-month internship. »The atmosphere in the company was quite mysterious, each team worked and kept to themselves, we didn't know what others were developing,« he briefly described his experience. Through this opportunity, he first encountered the operation of the company, teamwork and management in general. It was a culture shock. »When you move from Šared to Cupertino, you don't understand anything at first,« said Jernej.
Jernej Štrasner, Source: Finance Manager
He continued his more serious work at the then still growing company Facebook, which, as he said, was already quite a large company, and the atmosphere was not as serious as at Apple. The job interviews were technically challenging, but not too theoretical.
Starting in London, he moved up to the company's headquarters in Silicon Valley and worked on the Facebook Watch project, where they were developing a service for streaming video, movies, series and similar content. »I was sitting less than ten meters from Mark Zuckerberg, which was close and meant that this was a very important project for Facebook at the time.« By upgrading his programming skills, he quickly became the technical manager of the said project and through his experience realized that he is more interested in infrastructure and management than in product development. His desire for an independent career path was growing, so he resigned in May 2019 and founded his company Specto with a 3.5 million investment from investors. Later, the company’s solutions were tested mostly by big companies like Pinterest, Quora and others.
Is Slovenia a favorable country for starting your own business?
In the interview, J. Štrasner added that the development of startups in our country is critical and three urgent changes are necessary. »The first is the wage policy. Clearly, if you earn more, you have to give more to the state. But in our country there are now two extremes, a lot of entrepreneur IT specialists who are taxed minimally, and full-time employees who are taxed too heavily. We need a suitable intermediate solution,« he concludes.
Apple, Scource: Inc Technology
Thursday, 12 January 2023 Dr. Elena Bužan is the new member of the EUA Expert Group on Open Science
Dr. Elena Bužan from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT has become the new member of the European University Association – EUA, the biggest organization representing European universities, from which more than 850 are currently included in the accociation.
Besides playing a crucial role in the Bologna Process and in influencing EU policies on higher education, research and innovation, EUA ensures that the independent voice of European universities is heard through continuous interaction with a range of other European and international organisations. EUA provides unrivalled opportunities for members to share best practices by participating in projects, events and other mutual-learning activities involving a wide range of universities. The Association also provides members with unique opportunities to shape European policies and initiatives affecting higher education and research.
Dr. Bužan is a member of the Expert Group on Open Science – EGOS, working within EUA. EGOS was first established in 2015 and drives EUA’s work on Open Science, providing recommendations and guidance to support the EUA Secretariat in the definition of the Association’s position and activities in the field.
Over the years, EGOS has been timely in identifying strategic priorities and proposing concrete recommendations. The results of these efforts are visible at institutional level, where many universities have benefited from the evidence-based work, thus adapting their policies and practices. This impact can also be seen at national level, where EGOS’ work has informed the push for the reforms needed to support the transition to Open Science. New EGOS members will now be tasked with bringing forward these developments, as well as identifying new challenges, threats and opportunities for universities in the field of Open Science.
The first meeting of the new EGOS will take place in spring 2023. The new group will drive the implementation of the EUA Open Science Agenda 2025 and continue to guide EUA’s Open Science advocacy and activities, in close collaboration with the newly appointed EUA Research and Innovation Strategy Group (RISG).
