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Friday, 31 March 2023 Department of Mathematics (UP FAMNIT) established a vital link with the University of Rijeka

Yesterday, 30 March 2023, the Department of Mathematics (UP FAMNIT) went to the University of Rijeka, where mathematicians from both faculties exchanged their knowledge and discussed all the possibilities of future cooperation.

The meeting began with a seminar entitled "Erdős-Ko-Rado property of transitive permutation groups" by Assoc. Prof. Ademir Hujdurović. The engaging presentation sparked lively discussions among the participants. After the discussion, they also announced and discussed upcoming conferences that will be held in Croatia and Slovenia.

“Overall, the visit was very successful. The crucial aspect of the meeting was strengthening the collaboration between the University of Rijeka and Primorska. I strongly believe that this will lead to new and exciting research opportunities, knowledge sharing, and student exchange programs. Besides that, we were delighted to see so many enthusiastic mathematicians come together to share their knowledge and ideas. The meetings proved to be an excellent opportunity to socialise, exchange ideas and discuss new research areas. We look forward to more such meetings in the future!, sums up Dr. Blas Fernandez from the Department of Mathematics (UP FAMNIT).

Thursday, 30 March 2023 Within the project - A Day of planting Melliferous plants, Dr Živa Fišer highlighted the importance of wild pollinators

Last year, Slovenian beekeepers launched the project A Day of planting Melliferous plants, supported by the company Avto Krka and Rotary Slovenia and North Macedonia. This year they gave special attention to the wild pollinators. For this reason, they invited Dr. Živa Fišer from the Department of Biodiversity (UP FAMNIT) to present their importance. The lecturer emphasized their significant role in providing pollination and also our part in ensuring a safe and adequate living environment.

Partners of the project encouraged schools to maintain biodiversity, therefore, they gave them a wild pollinator hotel made by Tončka Hočevar Centre for Conservation and Education.

The project runs until 2030 and aims to plant 2 million Melliferous plants. Part of donation given by Avto Krka and the Rotary Federation of Slovenia will devoted to reforestation of the burnt Kras region.

Wednesday, 29 March 2023 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY OPENS SOON, PHYSICAL BORROWING UNAVAILABLE UNTIL 15 MAY DUE TO MATERIALS RELOCATION

UP UNIVERSITY LIBRARY OPENS SOON, PHYSICAL BORROWING IS UNAVAILABLE UNTIL 15 MAY DUE TO THE RELOCATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
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In the coming weeks, the University of Primorska is preparing the final stage before the opening of the UP University Library at the new location - the former Kolosej in the center of Koper.

Due to the relocation of the library materials, the installation of the unified collection, and the conversion of the materials, the UP UK departments in Koper and Izola (UP FVZ) will have to be closed from 3 April to 15 May 2023. During this period, no borrowing renewal, or return of materials will be possible; no overdue fees, will be charged during this period.

Professors, researchers, students, and other library users are therefore kindly invited to borrow physical materials latest by Friday, 31 March, and to return them after the opening of the University Library UP at the new location.

Between 3 April and 15 May, the electronic databases will be available without interruption and without changes as before. Bibliographic activity will also be uninterrupted during this period.

Tuesday, 28 March 2023 Join Estimathon, organized by Jane Street - the main sponsor of EGMO

Do you know how many computers were connected to the Internet on 1 January 1989? Or how many YouTube videos have more than 1 billion views? What about the bandwidth beneath the Atlantic Ocean?

If you want to solve problems like these, join us at the upcoming Estimathon, organised by Jane Street - the main sponsor of EGMO - The European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad.

After the competition, you will have a unique opportunity to learn about all the career opportunities offered by the company.

The Estimathon takes place on 19 April 2023 in the lecture room - VP3 UP FAMNIT (Glagoljaška 8, Koper,) 2nd floor.

Application deadline >>17 April 2023, 6 pm.

Apply >>> HERE

Monday, 27 March 2023 COFUNDING TUITION FEES IN DOCTORAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

The University of Primorska (UP) has published on its webpage the criteria and conditions for co-financing doctoral studies at UP for the academic year 2023/2024.

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Co-funding tuition fees of public doctoral programs are governed by the Decree on co-financing of doctoral studies (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 22/17 and 105/20; hereinafter: Decree) and the Act Amending the Higher Education Act.

In the academic year, 2023/2024 the tuition fees for co-funding of doctoral studies will be provided to all doctoral students meeting the requirements of the Decree and Criteria for the selection of candidates for co-funding tuition fees in doctoral studies at the University of Primorska.

Doctoral students who are interested in co-funding of tuition fees of PhD programmes and are meeting the requirements from Criteria UP will have to complete the Statement on the fulfilment of the conditions for co-funding tuition fees in doctoral studies for students of the University of Primorska and submit it upon the invitation to enrol the Doctoral degree programmes at the University of Primorska. Faculties conducting doctoral study programmes will publish the Statement on their websites upon enrollment.

Tuition fees for co-funding of doctoral studies may be granted to students meeting the following requirements:

they are enrolled in the 1st year of doctoral studies and the average grade of exams at the previous level of study is 8 or if they have a scientific publication. The relevance of the publication has to be approved by the Commission for Scientific Research and Development of the UP.
they are enrolled in the 2nd 3rd or 4th year of doctoral studies and have regularly advanced to the 2nd 3rd and 4th year of doctoral studies. Regular advancement to the higher year of doctoral studies is also considered in cases when the student has an extension of status for justified reasons in accordance with the Higher Education Act, the Statute of UP and in accordance with Article 49 of the Act on Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy.
they have not yet obtained the level of education matching the level of education obtained under third-cycle doctoral study programmes;
their studies under doctoral degree programmes to obtain a PhD, regardless whether they have been completed, are not or have not been co-funded from public funds.

All candidates who wish to receive co-financing must fill out and submit the Statement on the fulfilment of the conditions for co-funding tuition fees in doctoral studies for students of the University of Primorska!

Students will be informed about the share of co-founded tuition fee after the Call for enrollment into the Doctoral degree programmes ends, by the end of November. The co-financing share will be the same for all doctoral students and will depend on the number of enrolled students meeting the Criteria and the funds received from the Ministry of Higer Education, Science and Innovation.

For specific information about co-financing of doctoral studies please contact: Laura Šušteršič Zorn: laura.zorn@upr.si

For additional information you can contact Student Services (UP FAMNIT).

Friday, 24 March 2023 Discover the possibilities of algebra with our seminar series at FAMNIT

Given the growing interest in applying algebraic methods to study problems from other fields, we have organised a (learning) Algebra Seminar, principally catered to graduate students and postdocs at FAMNIT.

The seminar meets semi-regularly on Thursdays at 14:00 in MP3, for more information and to join the mailing list, please contact the organisers Francesca Gandini (francesca.gandini@famnit.upr.si) and Russ Woodroofe (russ.woodroofe@famnit.upr.si).

Friday, 24 March 2023 ELECTIONS OF THE RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA 2023

At the 37th regular session, the Senate of the University of Primorska th regular session, the Senate of the University of Primorska, has adopted the Decision on the call for regular elections of the Rector of the University of Primorska.

An integral part of the Decision on Calling for Elections is the Schedule for the Implementation of Electoral Tasks.

In accordance with the decisions on the call for regular elections of the Rector of the University of Primorska, the deadlines for completing the election start from today, 22 March, 2023.

In accordance with the Schedule for conducting election tasks for the regular elections of the Rector, the deadline for submitting a candidate for Rector of the University of Primorska is from 22 March 2023 to 21 April 2023 until 12:00 (noon).

The three groups of voters who have the right to vote for the election of the Rector of the University of Primorska, are the following:

higher education teachers, scientific workers, research assistants and higher education staff,
students, and
other employees.

More detailed instructions and the forms are published on the link > Election of the rector of the University of Primorska 2023.

Thursday, 23 March 2023 SIXTH SLOVENIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM WITH INTERNATIONAL ATTENDANCE

After five years of challenges both on a personal and professional level, we are pleased to invite you to the 6th edition of the Slovenian Entomological Symposium with international attendance, which will be held in Izola on September 15-16, 2023. The symposium is organized by entomologists from the Department of Biodiversity of the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (University of Primorska) together with the Slovenian Entomological Society of Štefan Michieli. We are pleased to invite all amateur and professional entomologists to present their achievements, results and visions related to different fields of entomology.

Important dates:

Deadline for registration and abstract submission: 1. 6. 2023
Registration fee: 50 € for employees and 25 € for students and pensioners.
Deadline for payment of registration fee: 1. 7. 2023

The fee includes the Book of Abstracts, organization expenses and refreshment during coffee breaks.

For the process of registration fee payment, please go to the tab REGISTRATION.

Official languages: Slovene and English.

Official website

Wednesday, 22 March 2023 UP PUBLISHED THE CALL FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS, GENERATION 2023

UP has published a call for young researchers who will train for the profession of researcher and carry out doctoral studies at UP in the next four years. In 2023, five vacancies are announced under the following mentors, UP faculties/institute and research fields:

prof. Istvan Kovacs; PhD, UP IAM (mathematics),
Alenka Baruca Arbeiter; PhD, UP FAMNIT (plant production; biotechnology),
Assoc. Prof. Jakub Sandak, PhD, UP IAM (forestry, wood and paper technology; materials),
Assoc. Prof. Vita Poštuvan; PhD, UP IAM (psychology; psychiatry),
Assist. Prof. Patricia Blatnik; PhD, UP FM (economics; public health).

Candidates who have completed a second-level study program in the last four years and have an average grade in all exams and coursework including the grade of the Master's thesis of at least 8.00, can apply for the call until June 15, 2023. One young researcher will be selected for each mentor. UP will enter into a full-time, fixed-term employment contract with the selected young researchers.

Link to the Call for young researchers, generation 2023 >>> HERE <<<.

Tuesday, 21 March 2023 Visit by researchers from Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

Last week the HICUP Lab hosted professors from Interactive Media Design Lab, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan: Prof. Hirokazu Kato (director of IMD Lab), Assoc. Prof. Masayuki Kanbara and Assist. Prof. Taishi Sawabe.

During the visit Assoc. Prof. Kanbara and Assist. Prof. Sawabe presented at Monday Computer Science seminar. Kanabra presented a study, which analyzed the “Gentle stroke with speech” behavior with the aim of modeling the “talking and stroking behavior” in a situation in which a person is caring for another person, while Sawabe introduced us to Comfort Intelligence (CI), an intelligence system that considers passengers’ comfort inside moving autonomous vehicles.

Monday, 20 March 2023 Dr. Katarina Šoln received a fellowship from the World Federation of Scientists (WFS)

We are honoured to announce that Dr. Katarina Šoln was nominated by the Slovenian Science Foundation (SZF) and received a fellowship from the World Federation of Scientists (WFS).

Photo: Mateja Grašič

The main focus of the recipient was on science and science popularization, where her field is allelopathy, which she described as "the plant's secret biochemical weapon, which makes allelopathic plants more successful in competing with other plants for water, space, and sunlight. It is very common among invasive plants, which also have a presence in the home garden - not every plant belongs together ” she summed.

Dr. Katarina Šoln is very passionate about delivering knowledge specific to nature, which is also one of her main goals." I think it is important to present interestingly and understandably all the mysteries of the natural world to the public, therefore, I will organize biology workshops for children, write popular articles about nature, give a few public lectures, and make short videos about plant life", she concludes.

Slovenian Science Foundation (SZF) has been in partnership with the World Federation of Scientists (WFS) since 2002, where the main task relies on the development acceleration of young researchers in the field of planetary necessity.

Fellowships play a distinct social role in promoting the completion of doctoral work, as well as contributing to a more favorable socio-economic situation for young PhDs.

Monday, 20 March 2023 CALL FOR ENROLMENT INTO MASTER AND DOCTORAL DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMMES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

On 17 March 2023 the University of Primorska publishes the Call for enrolment into master and doctoral study programmes in the academic year 2023/2024.

The first round application period opens on 6 April 2023.

The list of study programmes with available enrolment slots is available:

for master and doctoral study programmes > HERE

Information about application enrolment > HERE

For additional information, you can contact Student Services.

Monday, 20 March 2023 DR. ANNA SANDAK PUBLISHES A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE IN NATURE REVIEWS MATERIALS

Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE research group leader at InnoRenew, associate professor and research associate at the UP FAMNIT and UP IAM recently published a scientific article »Engineered living materials for sustainable and resilient architecture«, in Nature Reviews Materials.

In the article, Dr. Sandak discusses the progress in biomimetics which allows for the fabrication of man-made materials and surfaces with properties similar to biological ones.

“These advancements enable the development of a new generation of building materials for architecture that have remarkable properties typically unachievable with a traditional approach,” said Dr. Sandak.

The Nature Reviews Materials journal is an online-only journal for weekly publication in all scientific disciplines within materials science, with the impact factor 76.679.

Read more here.

Saturday, 18 March 2023 UP FAMNIT hosted the National Competition for Biology

Today, on March 18 2023, the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT) successfully concluded the National Competition in Biology intended for high school students. This year, 238 high school students competed in the national competition, which guaranteed their successful participation during the school competition where 1677 students were engaged.

Throughout the competition, the students were divided into two different groups, with different topics, where the first and the second one competed in "Biology of the Salt Pans", while the second group, of third and fourth years students, contested in the obligatory curriculum and as well in the content which is applicable for the matura examination.

The competition was co-organised by University of Primorska and ZOTKS an organization that has thrived for more than 70 years to educate young people in the field of technic and science.

In parallel with the competition, a lecture from Prof Dr. Elena Bužan took part, who gave knowledge on innovative teaching methods, focusing on the latest methods of biodiversity monitoring. Afterwards, Taja Pajmon Rak, told participants more about the UP Science Centre and the possibilities of cooperation with high schools.

The lecture was organized within the project Green, Digital and Inclusive University of Primorska, which includes three pilot projects focusing on the curricular reform of higher education programmes at UP, namely, to encompass a broader national reform for green, resilient transition to Society 5. 0. Project aims to equip students with the competences that are necessary for a green and digital transition to Society 5.0.

Friday, 17 March 2023 20TH SOLEMN ACADEMY UP, UP 2.0

20TH SOLEMN ACADEMY UP, UP 2.0

17 March marks the birthday of the University of Primorska, since it was entered in the court register on that day in 2003, and this year marks its 20th anniversary. The celebrations culminate in a gala academy, which this year took place on Thursday, 16 March 2023, and which, along with the awarding of the University's prizes, was a special occasion with the presence of distinguished guests.

The keynote speaker was the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, she emphasised: »Strong links between your university and your innovation and a focus on interdisciplinary, challenge-based challenges in teaching and research have been and will continue to be continue to be the key to your success.«

The guests were welcomed by Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, Rector of UP, and Katja Kosem, President of the UP Student Council.

»Therefore, we do not fear for the future of the University of Primorska. Because every minute, hour, day, month, year, we act according to the principle “don’t ever stop wondering”, as our anthem says. This gives us the strength to pick ourselves up even when things go wrong and to achieve even better results than we had planned. We draw this strength and resilience right from our name, UP. In the Slovenian language, “up” means “hope”, so there is always an all-pervasive hope and a desire to improve everything we do. And through the English word “up”, by being aware that we have to do it with confidence, looking up.« dr. Klavdija Kutnar, rector.

»(At UP) you have the opportunity to gain some added value, not just tick off a box and get your degree. A university is a home. Not just for us but also for international students who come to Slovenia for the first time and get an idea of the country based on what they experience at our university. Well, we also rather like to travel around. To gain new experiences, acquaintances, knowledge. But we always like to come back home – to the University of Primorska.« Katja Kosem, President of the UP Student Council

Dr. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon also addressed the audience on the occasion of receiving the title of Honorary Doctor of UP and will deliver his inaugural lecture on Friday, the University's birthday, as the 20th Honorary Doctor of UP.

ACAD. PROF. DR. JEAN-PIERRE BOURGUIGNON

On the proposal of the UP Famnit and the UP IAM, the title of Honorary Doctor of the University of Primorska is awarded to Academic Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon for his outstanding achievements in science and his significant contribution towards developing the University of Primorska and enhancing its reputation.

Professor Bourguignon is a distinguished academic – his research area is differential geometry and his work focuses on the Ricci curvature. He is also the co-author of the monographs A Spinorial Approach to Riemannian and Conformal Geometry (EMS, 2015) and Mathematics, A Beautiful Elsewhere (Thames and Hudson, 2012). For most of his career, he was associated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), which provided him great freedom to continue his research.

Until 2013, he was Director of the prestigious international research institute Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES). Under his leadership, no fewer than three IHES members were awarded the Fields Medal, which, together with the Abel Prize, is the most prestigious award in mathematics. His research and teaching received continuous support by the École polytechnique, where he taught from 1986 to 2013. As President of the Société mathématique de France (1990–92), Professor Bourguignon was instrumental in establishing the European Mathematical Society (EMS), founded in 1990, which he chaired from 1995 to 1998. The most notable achievements of his tenure include the launch of the Journal of the European Mathematical Society (JEMS), the increased visibility of the EMS and his massive support for young mathematicians.

Professor Bourguignon received the Prix Paul Langevin in 1987 and the Prix du Rayonnement Français in Mathematical Sciences and Physics from the French Académie des Sciences in 1997. He has received several honorary titles over the course of his career: he is an honorary member of the London Mathematical Society (LMS) and the German Mathematical Society (DMV). In 2008, he was made honorary doctor of Keio University, Japan, and, in 2011, honorary doctor of Nankai University, China.

Professor Bourguignon has been collaborating with the mathematicians from our University for many years. He first visited our University in December 2016, and after we succeeded in our bid to organise the 8^th European Congress of Mathematics in June 2021, our ties were strengthened even further. In addition to his invaluable advice and assistance in providing content for the Congress, he contributed to its smooth organisation and thus to the promotion of the University within the global university network through his active role at the Congress. The presentation of the title Honorary Doctor of the University of Primorska is thus a special honour for both the recipient and the University.

The Rector, together with the Vice-Rectors and Deans, then presented the 2022 University of Primorska Awards:

PROFESSOR MILAN VODOPIVEC, UP FM

On the proposal of the UP FM, the 2022 title of Professor Emeritus of the University of Primorska is awarded to Professor Milan Vodopivec for his excellent work in economics as the highest ranking Slovenian economist, his significant contribution to the education of young researchers and his work on unemployment reduction policies.

Professor Milan Vodopivec completed his doctoral studies at the University of Maryland (1988) and worked at the University of Primorska from 2011 to 2022. Today, he is the highest-ranked Slovenian economist in terms of citations according to the RePEc/IDEAS ranking, and the author and editor of an extensive body of scientific research. As a Lead Economist at the World Bank, where he advised many governments on their labour market policies (between 1988 and 2011), he developed the internationally prominent UISIM simulation model, a standard tool in the analysis of unemployment insurance systems in individual countries. His work is also important at national level, as he is one of the authors of the pension reform and a pioneer in the use of administrative data for economic analysis, contributing to the provision of data sources for research purposes at the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS). He was project leader of three basic and six target research projects at the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) as well as the project leader of a European Commission project. He has also taught courses on the labour market, supervised three young researchers and PhD candidates, and contributed to the education of young researchers with a book for them, A Message-Driven Writing Technique.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR NINO BAŠIĆ, UP FAMNIT AND UP IAM

On the proposal of UP Famnit and the UP IAM, the 2022 UP Formal Charter is awarded to Assistant Professor Nino Bašić for his significant contribution to the development of the University of Primorska in all of its activities and for his outstanding work both in the popularisation of mathematics and computer science among young people and in his integrating role among University of Primorska employees.

Nino Bašić completed his doctoral studies at the University of Ljubljana and has worked at the University of Primorska since 2016. His research interests are in discrete mathematics and its applications in the natural sciences. He is the project leader of one Slovenian Research Agency project, two bilateral projects with the US and a member of the Management Committee of a COST Action. He has organised several scientific conferences and been a member of the Organising Committee of the 8^th European Congress of Mathematics (8ECM). During the pandemic, he organised an international webinar on biomathematics and mathematical chemistry, which is still running today and attracts world-renowned scientists. He has been Layout Editor (and since this year Editor) of Ars Mathematica Contemporanea (AMC) and The Art of Discrete and Applied Mathematics (ADAM), and Managing Editor of the newly established journal Discrete Mathematical Chemistry (DMC). Among the courses he teaches at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Mathematical Chemistry, a completely new course he has devised himself, is a special feature. He is also actively engaged in the popularisation of maths and computer science among young people: he participates in competitions (as a committee member and as a mentor) and is among the editorial staff at Presek journal. He plays an exemplary integrating role among all employees, garnering better interpersonal relationships through his willingness to help and cooperate.

PROFESSOR AMALIJA ŽAKELJ, UP PEF

On the proposal of the UP PEF, the 2022 Gold Medal of the University of Primorska is awarded to Professor Amalija Žakelj for her significant contribution to the development of didactics of mathematics and her great encouragement in increasing her colleagues’ engagement in project work.

Professor Amalija Žakelj completed her doctoral studies at the University of Ljubljana in 2004 and has been employed at the University of Primorska since 2016, although she has been teaching at the Faculty for over three decades. Her research interests include didactics of mathematics and curriculum development. She is also a lecturer of courses in didactics of mathematics and is involved in the development of new study programmes. She has been involved in a number of national and international projects as a team leader, and has been an exceptional driving force for colleagues in the field, encouraging them to participate more in project work. She has participated in the organisation of various meetings, chaired the Mathematics in Education mini-symposium and led the activities within the 8^th European Congress of Mathematics. She has also made a significant contribution to the development of didactics of mathematics as co-editor and co-author of the scientific monograph Selected Topics in Didactics of Mathematics, which contains selected papers from 8ECM. She is professional and values open communication with other specialists, as she bridges the gap between research and practice in her role of national coordinator for statistical literacy and member of the National Baccalaureate Committee.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MATJAŽ KLJUN, UP FAMNIT AND UP IAM

On the proposal of the UP Famnit and the UP IAM, the 2022 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Associate Professor Matjaž Kljun for his outstanding research breakthrough in 2022, brought about by vision, perseverance, leadership and scientific excellence.

Matjaž Kljun began working at the University of Primorska in 2003, when he participated in developing and setting up his research field by providing a vision of its potential with a firm basis in close international cooperation. He then completed his doctoral studies in 2014 at Lancaster University, where he built a strong social network of young researchers, who form the core of his collaboration. He has also assimilated Anglo-Saxon research methods, marked by collaboration, the exchange of ideas, encouragement and a reward approach, which the research team has now adopted. All of this led to a remarkable research breakthrough in 2022, when he co-authored 12 original scientific articles (type 1.01), eight of which were SCI (Science Citation Index) journals, ten were Q1 (Quartile 1), and five were A’’ (exceptional achievements), increasing his A1 score by 1.36 in just one year. He is also the recipient of two international prizes from the research community, with two papers receiving honourable mentions – Solids on Soli: Millimetre-Wave Radar Sensing through Materials (14^th Conference on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems) and A Survey of Augmented Piano Prototypes: Has Augmentation Improved Learning Experiences (16^th Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces). He shares his research achievements and broad knowledge with his students at the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR METOD ŠULIGOJ, UP FTŠ TURISTICA

On the proposal of the UP FTŠ - Turistica, the 2022 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Associate Professor Metod Šuligoj for his outstanding degree of research excellence in tourism and his multifaceted research work.

Metod Šuligoj completed his first PhD at the University of Ljubljana in 2009 and the second one at the Catholic University of Croatia in 2021. He has been working at Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica since 2010. He demonstrates his scientific excellence by publishing in top-ranked journals beyond the field of tourism and in languages besides English. His articles in Slovenian scientific journals contribute to the development of Slovenian terminology and the promotion of less common topics in Slovenian social sciences and humanities. In 2022, he published four scientific papers, all in indexed journals (SSCI or SCOPUS), and one interdisciplinary monograph. His (usually interdisciplinary) research is conducted both independently and in collaboration with national and international authors, and covers the territory of Slovenia and South-Eastern Europe. His remarkable concern to share his knowledge and experience with younger generations is one of the missions of great researchers. His joint publications in indexed journals prove that he pursues high standards in this area as well. Moreover, he is constantly in contact with practice and presents the solutions he develops within various projects in scientific publications. The integration of all these elements with his successful teaching career tops off his scientific excellence.

PROFESSOR ŠTEFAN BOJNEC, UP FM

On the proposal of the UP FM, the 2022 UP Educational Excellence Award goes to Professor Štefan Bojnec for his outstanding pedagogic work and exceptional mentoring, especially that provided to doctoral students.

Professor Štefan Bojnec completed his doctoral studies in 1988 at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Zagreb, and has worked at the University of Primorska since 2003. He is Head of the Department of Economics and is the lecturer of seven first- and second-cycle courses. He also lectures at foreign universities as a guest lecturer or within international exchanges. The results of surveys carried out among students show exceptionally high ratings, indicating their satisfaction with his teaching. He has also made a significant contribution as a supervisor, not only of master’s and bachelor’s theses, but also of 54 scientific master’s theses and 16 doctoral dissertations (he was a co-supervisor for 5 of them). Five PhD candidates under his supervision have received university or faculty awards for their excellent dissertations. Furthermore, he has made a significant contribution to the education of young professionals as a supervisor to (eight) young researchers. In recent years, he has been shortlisted for the PhD Supervisor of the Year Award by the Slovenian Society of Young Researchers. All of these features of educational excellence are based on his outstanding scientific research, which has produced impressive results as well as garnered him a Zois Prize for achievements in economics.

JAKOB POVŠIČ, UP FAMNIT

On the proposal of the UP Famnit, the 2022 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Jakob Povšič for his thesis Zero-Knowledge Authentication under supervisor Professor Andrej Brodnik.

Jakob Povšič completed the undergraduate study programme in Computer Science at the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies. His thesis Zero-Knowledge Authentication deals comprehensively with the issue of authentication. It first highlights the issue from the perspective of the role of authentication, then focuses on authentication using a username and password, and analyses the vulnerability of traditional password management. The thesis goes well beyond the level of the expected learning outcomes, both because of its remarkable independent work and its exceptionally comprehensive approach. This extends from the formulation of the theoretical bases to a detailed engineering implementation plan. The latter uses the standard Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), making the implementation of the theoretical bases immediately applicable. Much of the knowledge used in the final thesis comes from outside the curriculum, demonstrating the candidate’s scientific and engineering approach. He successfully presented his thesis at the 7^th Student Computer Science Research Conference (StuCoSReC) in 2021.

NIKA KLEPEC, UP FTŠ TURISTICA

On the proposal of the UP FTŠ - Turistica, the 2022 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Nika Klepec for her master’s thesis The Heritage of the Volna Laško Textile Factory and its Museum Interpretation under supervisor Associate Professor Katja Hrobat Virloget and co-supervisor Assistant Professor Neža Čebron Lipovec.

Nika Klepec completed her master’s degree in Heritage Tourism, an interdisciplinary study programme of the UP Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica and the UP Faculty of Humanities. The thesis includes a scientific analysis and self-critical reflection on preliminary incisive social action activities that the author carried out herself: she interviewed former textile workers from the Volna Laško factory, organised a café soirée (2017) and set up an exhibition (2018), which goes beyond the research students usually conduct for the purposes of a master’s thesis. The thesis highlights the topical issue of local community participation in museum presentations and heritage interpretation, which fits with the contemporary participatory trend of an evolving method. Nika Klepec opted for a process that is very challenging and complex due to the activation of a local community and multiple memories and perceptions, especially for someone only at the beginning of their research journey. From a research point of view, the thesis is particularly topical, as it deals with contemporary issues, such as the post-socialist collapse of industry, the related social restructuring, and the current patrimonialisation process of artefacts dating back to the socialist period.

JERNEJ PLEŠA, UP FVZ

On the proposal of the UP FVZ, the 2022 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Jernej Pleša for his master’s thesis Association between selected biomechanical variables and approach jump, linear acceleration and change of direction in male volleyball players under supervisor Professor Nejc Šarabon and co-supervisor Assistant Professor Žiga Kozinc.

Jernej Pleša completed his master’s degree in Kinesiology at the UP Faculty of Health Sciences. In his thesis, he designed and conducted large-scale and organisationally demanding biomechanical studies on a large sample of volleyball players, addressing both fundamental and applied aspects of sports science. The quality and comprehensiveness of the thesis, which goes well beyond the requirements of the master’s programme, is evidenced by the resulting scientific publications. The candidate used the research questions from the thesis to draw up and publish (with the help of his supervisor and co-supervisor) a remarkable number of papers: in total, he is the co-author of 15 scientific papers, including a category A’’ paper and four category A’ ones. He has demonstrated to be highly independent, proactive and professional when preparing his scientific papers, which he continues to be in his doctoral study programme. His master’s thesis thus represents an important contribution to sport science and an excellent foundation for further research in the field.

LARA SORGO, PHD, UP FHŠ

On the proposal of the UP FHŠ, the 2022 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Lara Sorgo, PhD for her doctoral thesis Literary perspectives on identity and belonging: a critical analysis of some case studies of Istrian Italian literature under supervisor Professor Nives Zudič Antonič.

Lara Sorgo has completed her doctoral studies in Language and Interculturality at the UP Faculty of Humanities under supervisor Professor Nives Zudič Antonič. Her top-quality thesis is original, topical, methodologically sound and a major achievement in international research circles. It focuses on identity and belonging in the works of four authors, who can be seen as harbingers of the current issues of complex societies, such as linguistic and cultural pluralism, hybridism, uncertain identities and intercultural dialogue. The originality of the research is based on the observation that the proposals of some intellectuals from the past are still relevant today. Bridging the ethnic and territorial belonging from the past raises the issue of the coexistence of many different cultures in the same territory. During her studies, the candidate was an excellent student: she was involved in two international projects, authored or co-authored four original scientific papers and one chapter in a monograph, collaborated with educational and research institutions, and participated in international conferences. Her thesis garnered her an award by the Centre for Research on Minorities (CERM) of the University of Insubria.

MILAN MILIVOJČEVIĆ, UP FAMNIT

On the proposal of the UP Famnit, the 2022 UP Prize for UP Students is awarded to Milan Milivojčević for his wide-ranging volunteer work and major contribution to the reputation and national and international visibility of the University of Primorska and the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies.

Milan Milivojčević completed the undergraduate study programme in Computer Science at the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, and is now enrolled in the master’s study programme. During his undergraduate studies, he participated in programming and mathematics competitions, where he achieved notable results. He is also a very active volunteer. He has been a successful student tutor at the Faculty for three years and a technical advisor for the Google Developer Student Club of the UP as well as an event organiser (FAMNIT Hackaton 2022). Moreover, he has participated in organising several conferences (8ECM, ICFP 2021 and CUI 2021), providing assistance and ICT support to the guests, as well as events dedicated to the promotion of maths and computer science. After an Erasmus+ exchange in the Czech Republic, he re-established the Primorska Student Exchange Network (PSEN), which organises events for Erasmus students, and set up the Student Buddy and Accommodation systems. In December 2022, after only 6 months of operation, ESN Primorska became a full member of the ESN network. In September 2022, he represented Slovenia and the University of Primorska at the Erasmus+ 35 years — 35 experiences event in Brussels, organised by the EU to mark the 35^th anniversary of the programme. His involvement in a wide range of activities and his immense eagerness to help and work are undoubtedly an example to UP students and employees alike.

MAJA HUMSKI, UP PEF

On the proposal of the UP Pef, the 2022 UP Prize for UP Students is awarded to Maja Humski for her active involvement in extracurricular activities at the Faculty of Education and her representation of the University of Primorska.

Maja Humski is a student of the master’s programme Inclusive Pedagogy at the UP Faculty of Education. She is a member and current president of the UP PEF Student Council. In addition to her formal duties (as a representative in the Academic Assembly and various Faculty committees), she has been a key organiser of high-profile campaigns (a field day for the staff and students, Secret Santa, From PEF to an Oscar, Biodiversity Week at UP PEF, etc.) and events at the Faculty and University (presentations at orientation days, Santa Claus pantomimes for children of employees, etc.). As a student, she participated in re-accreditation procedures carried out by the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (NAKVIS). She was also a tutor to Slovenian students and special needs students. She is a member of the UP PEF ECO Council and founding member of the PEF Theatre, which has garnered her a Faculty acknowledgement. Always eager to broaden her knowledge in her extracurricular activities, she was the only student of the Faculty to participate in a Student Innovative Community Service Project (ŠIPK) and took part in workshops and conferences.

NATAŠA KOGOVŠEK, UP RECTORATE

On the proposal of the UP College of Deans and Directors, the 2022 Acknowledgement of a Member of the UP Support Staff is awarded to Nataša Kogovšek for her diligent, professional and reliable work in the Rector’s Office and the custodianship of key UP bodies.

Nataša Kogovešek has worked as a member of the Rector’s Office at the University of Primorska since 2006. She has been involved in coordinating the duties and schedules of the University’s management, paying special attention to the protocol of the University’s ceremonies and other events. Given her diligence and conscientiousness, she was entrusted with the custodianship of the following UP bodies: the Senate, the Administrative Board and the Student Council, the College of Deans and Directors and the College of Secretaries General. She also manages the UP Awards and Prizes Committee. Her effective organisational skills ensure that meetings are convened in a timely manner, that materials and adopted decisions are properly prepared, and that the University’s and Faculties’ managements as well as our colleagues from the Rector’s Office and the faculties are kept consistently informed. She is characterised by her competence and humanity, having established a professional, friendly and respectful relationship with the management of all the faculties. Her skills, experience, kindness, general knowledge and demonstrated loyalty to the University contribute to the quality and reliability of her work.

Thursday, 16 March 2023 The successful conclusion of the Faculty Competition in Programming - FTP

FTP (Faculty Programming Competition) in which you will test your programming skills in a fun and engaging way. You will develop a program (player), which plays a turn based against other programs (players). The goal is to develop a strategy, which best responds to other strategies, without being able to see their source code.

The Competition - FTP took place between 1 October 2022 and 1 January 2023, where 25 undergraduate and postgraduate students in Computer Science (UP FAMNIT) tested their programming skills.

"This year we successfully concluded a re-united Faculty competition in programming. I would like to give a special thanks to GameArt for the collaboration and the rewards that all participants have received. However, the best competitors will also get an additional invitation by GameArt to attend the internship." concluded in the brief statement the head of the competition Aleksandar Tošić from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies (UP FAMNIT).

The contestants ended up competing interactively in a programming competition, and the best spots went to:

Alex Vincek 1st place
Robert Gavranović 2nd place and
Nejc Razpotnik 3rd Place

We would like to sincerely congratulate all the participants!

Wednesday, 15 March 2023 NEW! THE FIRST APPLICATION PERIOD IS EXTENDED UNTIL 27 MARCH 2023

In accordance with the minister's decision, the first round application period for enrolment in the first year of undergraduate and second-cycle integrated master's degree programmes for Slovenian citizens, citizens of EU Member countries and Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship at public higher education institutions and independent higher education institutions carrying out study programmes under a concesion in the academic year 2023/2024 is extended until 27 March 2023 (extended by one week).

List of undergraduate study programmes of the University of Primorska to which the above-mentioned decision refers:

>>> ENROLMENT CONDITIONS FOR THE 2023/2024 ACADEMIC YEAR FOR CANDIDATES WHO HAVE PASSED THE VOCATIONAL MATURA EXAMINATION AND COMPLETED A FIFTH SUBJECT <<<

The corrected timetable is published at >>> >>> https://portal.evs.gov.si/razpisi-za-vpis-javni-koncesionirani

Link to general news from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation >>> Dveletni prehodni rok pri vpisu bo veljal za vse javne univerze | GOV.SI <<<.

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In the framework of the Call for Enrolment in undergraduate and unified master's study programmes in the academic year 2023/2024, the University of Primorska announces the following free enrolment places for 30 undergraduate study programmes (7 higher professional and 23 academic study programmes):

1.539 enrolment places for Slovenian citizens and EU citizens, of which 1.219 for full-time study and 320 for part-time study,
71 enrolment places for Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship, of which 57 for full-time and 14 for part-time study,
247 enrolment places for foreign citizens of non EU countries, of which 212 for full-time and 35 for part-time study.

For the 1st year of study, there are also 91 enrolment places for candidates for parallel studies.

The Call of Enrolment is available at: LINK

The application for enrolment is entirely electronic on the eVŠ web portal. The candidate submits the application with a means of electronic identification of at least a medium level of reliability (with a qualified digital certificate, smsPASS, e-identity card) or with an AAI account (account of the authentication and authorization infrastructure) or with a username and password via the system SI-PASS , which operates within the framework of the Trust Service Authority of Slovenia.

Each candidate can submit one application for enrolment, where they select a maximum of three study programmes in the order of priority, in which they wish to enrol and for which they meet or will meet the conditions for enrolment by the deadline. The order of the selected study programmes is important, as the candidate will be ranked in the first one for which they will meet all the conditions.

More information about enrolment > HERE

Tuesday, 14 March 2023 PRESENTATION OF "SYMMETRY IN GRAPHS" (PI DAY AT UP)

Pi Day is a holiday celebrating the mathematical constant π (pi) on 14 March each year, and is also the International Day of Mathematics. In the American date notation, 14 March is written as 3/14, which are the first three digits of pi. On this day, events are held all over the world, mostly competitions to memorise the decimals of a number. PIphilology covers various mnemonic techniques that can help us to know the maximum possible number of decimals of PI. One way is PIpoetry - i.e. poetry in which the number of letters in the nth word of a composition must equal the nth decimal in the decimal notation of Pi. PIphilology is a technique that can help us to know the maximum number of decimals of Pi.

PIpoetry is a form of poetry in which the number of letters in the nth word of a composition must equal the nth decimal in the decimal notation of Pi. The first Slovenian competition in PIetry was organised at UP, in 2014, within the Department of Mathematics of UP Famnit and UP IAM.

This year, we celebrated this day at UP with the presentation of the scientific monograph Symmetry in Graphs by Ted Dobson, Aleksander Malnič and Dragan Marušič, first full-length book on the major theme of symmetry in graph. It was published in 2022 by Cambridge University Press. The books within the series Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics aim at introducing the reader to an active area of mathematical research. As well as being suitable for postgraduate students, the topics covered are also useful for experts and professionals from other branches of mathematics seeking access to research topics.

ABOUT »Symmetry in Graphs«

The book begins with the basic material, leading the reader towards major problems and most active research themes of this fast-growing field, which forms a part of algebraic graph theory. Authors motivate the detailed discussion of individual topics that follow the introduction.

It is concerned with the study of highly symmetric graphs, particularly vertex-transitive graphs, and other combinatorial structures, primarily by group-theoretic techniques. Investigations of the field shed new light on permutation groups and related algebraic structures.

Featuring many examples and over 450 exercises, it is an essential introduction to the field for graduate students and a valuable addition to any algebraic graph theorist's bookshelf.

Monday, 13 March 2023 VICE-RECTOR PROMOTED ELEVEN NEW DOCTORS OF SCIENCE

On Monday, 13 March 2023, a solemn promotion of Doctors of Science of the University of Primorska took place in the hall of the Armeria Palace in Koper. The Vice-rector of the University of Primorska promoted eleven new Doctors of Science, who completed their doctoral studies between October 2022 and February 2023. As of today, the University of Primorska has 320 Doctors of Science. This year UP FAMNIT gained eight new doctors of science.

Miha Markelj defended his doctoral dissertation at the UP FTŠ - Turistica entitled »Designing and Applying the Method for Cultural Landscape Evaluation and Sustainable Tourism Development: Example of the Selščica valley« under the mentorship of izr. prof. dr. Igor Jurinčič