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Thursday, 28 March 2024 ALUMNI UP WEEK 2024 15.–19. APRIL 2024

Registration for Alumni Week UP 2024

The applications will be open from the 26. March till the 10. April 2024

     

Alumni UP Week is designed to foster connections between generations, professors, researchers, students and community partners. A wide range of workshops, lectures and other creative and multi-disciplinary content will take place live and online. Join us!

DIGITAL MONDAY, 15. APRIL 2024

16:00 - 18:30 Cybersecurity

  • Where: UP FTŠ Turistica (Obala 11a, 6320 Portorož), Lecture room 202 - 2nd floor
  • Lecturers: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Janez Mekinc and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Blaž Markel
  • Language: Slovenian

Join us for an expert colloquium with renowned experts to learn about key aspects of cyber security, including understanding cyber attacks, identifying scams such as phishing, and effective approaches to protecting electronic devices. The colloquium will feature an introductory lecture and discussion by eminent experts in the field of cybersecurity, followed by a panel discussion where you will contribute your own experiences, opinions and questions

13:00- 14:30 Uses and pitfalls of ChatGPT

  • Where: Zoom (https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84290571373?pwd=dnpVaGZ2YTh6UEVJWFdVOFNIaWwrZz09)
  • Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Igor Rižnar
  • Language: Slovenian

The topic of the workshop is the ChatGPT chatbot, its use and the pitfalls the user should be aware of. Chatbots give the user the feeling that they understand and answer questions in a grammatically correct and seemingly competent manner. They have evolved in a similar way to computer-aided translation tools. We will first briefly review the literature on artificial intelligence and large-scale language models, and then use a number of queries to check how reliable the answers are, paying particular attention to the pros and cons of using ChatGPT in an educational context.

HEALTHY TUESDAY, 16. APRIL 2024

9:00 - 10:00 Habits - forming new and quiting old ones

  • Where: Online
  • Lecturer: Luka Kejžar
  • Language: English

Habits are something we encounter every day. They are a key part of our lives, as they are involved in our sleep, work, diet, exercise and many psycho-social aspects of our lives.

In this workshop we will learn how habits are formed, why they can be a double-edged sword and how we can change them using different tools.

12:00 -14:00 Nutritional consultation

  • Where: UP FVZ (Polje 42, 6310 Izola), practice room 4 (ground floor, right corridor)
  • Lecturer: Asist. Prof. Špela Bužinel
  • Language: English and Slovenian

Participants will have the opportunity to take body composition measurements using a body analyser (i.e. a Tanita bio-impedance scale). Participants will get an insight into their body composition - body fat, lean body mass, muscle mass, etc. - and get these printed out. The results are briefly commented and explained to each group after the measurement (this means that everyone in the group waits until the last person in the group has finished, followed by a short 5-minute explanation of the results). At the same time, we briefly introduce the operation and the services that the nutrition counselling centre UP FVZ will soon be offering.

10:00 - 11:00 Using Simulation in Healthcare - Group 1

11:00 - 12:00 Using Simulation in Healthcare - Group 2

  • Where: UP FVZ (Polje 42, 6310 Izola), practice room 3
  • Lecturer: Jakob Renko
  • Language: Slovenian and English

The workshop will include a demonstration of the Simulation Classroom and the High Fidelity Simulator. It will also present the possibilities of research using simulators and simulations.

SUSTAINABLE WEDNESDAYS, 17. 4. 2024

11:00 - 14:00 Q&A on investing and trading on the stock exchange

  • Where: UP FM (Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper), Lecture room 10
  • Lecturer: Asist. Prof. Dr. Jan Frančeškin
  • Language: Slovenian

In recent years, the world economy has been put to the test. We have witnessed a global pandemic of COVIDA - 19 which turned into a period of elevated inflation in 2022. It is precisely this elevated inflation and the low interest rates on bank deposits that are forcing individuals and households to be exposed to riskier investments. This raises the key issue of financial literacy, which is a prerequisite for the prudent selection of a portfolio of slightly riskier investments.

16:00 - 17:00 Portorož villas - architectural heritage and tourism of quiet luxury at the turn of the 20th century

  • Where: UP FTŠ - Turistica (Obala 11a, 3620)
  • Host: Ma. Tomi Brezovec
  • Language: Slovenian

The exhibition shows the rich architectural heritage of Portorož, with an emphasis on the flourishing of villas as a building object of the wealthier class, which coincides with the rise of Portorož as a monastic resort at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In parallel with the construction of hotels, villas began to dominate the Portorož Riviera at this time, adding a touch of luxury and exclusivity to the northern Adriatic spa resort with their architectural design and carefully landscaped surroundings. Leopoldina, Maria, Lidia and Amalia are just a few of the villas in Portorož, which are shown in the exhibition through architectural plans from the Koper Regional Archive (Piran Unit), as well as pictures and photographs of the sites. The exhibition is the result of the authors' collaboration in the study of the heritage of Portorož as a sustainable aspect of tourism development.

The exhibition will be on display in the Turistica Hall (ground floor of the Faculty of Tourism Studies, Obala 11a, Portorož) until 20 May 2024.

17:00 - 18:30 Roundtable: Sustainability Reporting and the new EU Sustainable Business Directives: challenges and practice

  • Where: UP FM (Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper)
  • Host: Prof. Dr. Roberto Biloslavo
  • Language: Slovenian

Speakers:

  • Vojko Rotar, Workers Director Luke Koper d.d.
  • Maja Brvar, Dun & Bradstreet (UP FM studnet)
  • Aleš Kranjc Kušlan, Institut Ekvilib
  • Nataša Gabršček, Hidria d.o.o.
  • Nataša Gladovič, Atlantic Droga Kolinska d.o.o.

Moderator:

Prof. Dr. Roberto Biloslavo, Professor at the Faculty of Management and Director of the Postgraduate Programme in Sustainable Development Management

MEETUP, 18. APRIL 2024, Annual Alumni Meeting of the University of Primorska

17.00-20.00, UP Famnit Auditorium (Glagoljaška 8, Koper)

  • Opening greetings by the Rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar and the President of the Alumni UP, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mirko Prosen
  • Discussion with the guest, Assoc. Prof. Gorazd Sedmak
  • Presentation of the Alumni UP Awards and Recognitions
  • Socializing

FUN FRIDAY, 19. APRIL 2024

12:00 - 15:00 Polyglot Caffe  

  • Where: UP FM (Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper) - INNOlab (ground flore)
  • Host: ESN Primorska
  • Language: English

Join us at Pollyglot Caffe in the INNOlab at UP FM. We invite you to join us for a social gathering where we will enjoy a pleasant atmosphere and bring together different languages and cultures.

The event will last from 2 to 3 hours, full of fun, surprises and pleasant moments. Delicious snacks and refreshments will be provided.

All you need to participate in the event is a good mood and a desire to socialise and learn.

You are welcome to join us and let's create an unforgettable time together.

16:00 - 19:00 Scavanger hunt

  • Where: Koper
  • Hosts: SportUP
  • Language: Slovenian and English

Get ready to discover the hidden corners of Koper and test your knowledge of the narrow city streets. The exact route will remain a mystery until the run.

19.00 - 21.30 Cinema visit: The Holdovers

  • Where: Art kino Odeon (Kraška 1, 6310 Izola)
  • Language: English (Slovenian subtitles)

The story follows a disgraced professor (Paul Giamatti) who is forced to stay on campus at a prestigious American school during the Christmas break, where he has to protect some students who have nowhere else to go. He eventually forms a bond with one of them - a troubled and cunning troublemaker (freshman Dominic Sessa) and the head cook at the school who has just lost her son in Vietnam (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). Three very different people will spend two weeks together, helping each other to understand that they are not bound by the past and can forge their own futures.


The project is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The project is implemented in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) under the development area Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, component Strengthening competencies, in particular digital competencies and those required by the new professions and the green transition (C3 K5), for the investment measure Investment F. Implementation of pilot projects, the results of which will serve as a basis for the preparation of a roadmap for the reform of higher education for a green and resilient transition to a Society 5.0: project Pilot Projects for the Reform of Higher Education for a Green and Resilient Transition.


Thursday, 28 March 2024 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Nuwan Tharanga Attygalle

Nuwan Tharanga Attygalle, student of the doctoral study programe Computer Science at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis Improving interaction with radar-based gesture recognition when sensing through materials; under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Klen Čopič Pucihar, PhD and co-mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Matjaž Kljun, PhD.

The defence will take place on Tuesday, 2 April 2024 at 11:15 in Famnit-MP1 and on Zoom:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/85891946265?pwd=NzNJYjVTcUszM1dEMFd0Y1owTys3UT09

Meeting ID: 858 9194 6265

Passcode: 039315

The doctoral disertation will be available in the library at UP in the following days.

Cordially invited!


Tuesday, 26 March 2024 Young enthusiasts tested their programming skills at the Faculty Programming Competition - FTP

Yesterday, the Faculty Programming Competition (FTP) concluded successfully at UP FAMNIT. The competition gathered 22 young computer science enthusiasts who enjoyed testing their programming skills in a fun and engaging way between December 11, 2023, and March 1, 2024.

Throughout the competition, students developed a program (player) that played a turn-based game against other programs (players). The main goal was to develop a strategy that responds best to the strategies of other competitors without being able to see their source code. 

The top spots were awarded to: 

  • 1st place: Jerman Blaž, Gimpelj Tilen (Team Bot)  
  • 2nd place: Petrov Ilija (Team Rakija)  
  • 3rd place: Vincek Aleks, Ahlin Jaka (Team BananaBurek) 

The competition's organizer, Assist. Prof. Aleksandar Tošič from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies (UP FAMNIT), organizes the Faculty competition and further inspires young people for computer science through the conception, leadership, and organization of the programming competition.

A special thanks go to the following for the implementation of the event: InnoRenew CoEBlockchain and Language Technologies Lab, and the University of Primorska. 

We would like to sincerely congratulate all the participants! 

 


Friday, 22 March 2024 Invitation to the defense of the Master’s Thesis - Mina Markovič (Biopsychology, 2nd cycle)

On Monday, 25 March 2024, at 12:00 in the classroom Famnit-MP2, Mina Markovič, a student of the master's study program Biopsychology, 2nd cycle, will present her Master's Thesis entitled Anxiety, disordered eating and perceived external pressure on body image.

You are all kindly invited!


Friday, 22 March 2024 ISOPS XI – This September we are hosting the International Symposium on Phlebotomine Sandflies

The Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT, in collaboration with the Society of Conservation Biologists (BIODIVA) and with the support of the CLIMOS project, will take over the organization of the 11th International Symposium on Phlebotomine Sandflies ISOPS XI.

The event will take place between September 9th and 13th at the Bernardin Congress Center in Portorož, Slovenia.

The symposium will be dedicated to the latest achievements in the fields of parasitology, microbiology, and medical entomology. ISOPS XI will bring together leading world experts and researchers from the mentioned fields, with the aim of exchanging knowledge, innovations, and experiences that are of great importance for progress in human and veterinary medicine.

ISOPS alternates between Europe, Asia, and one of the countries in South or North America, and it is an exceptional honor for us that Slovenian entomologists have been chosen to organize the 11th symposium. The event, expected to host 200 leading biologists, pharmacists, physicians, and veterinarians from around the world, will contribute to a rich exchange of knowledge and encourage further development in research in the field of medical entomology.

The central location of the symposium will be in Portorož at the Bernardin Congress Center, the largest hotel congress center in Slovenia, consisting of 19 halls. During the event, an excursion to the Škocjan Caves will also be organized, the first monument in Slovenia inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as visits to Ljubljana and Bled.

 

Organizations can join in co-creating the symposium story through sponsorship partnerships. More information about sponsorship packages is available in the SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE.

Early-bird registrations are available until May 31st. You can register at this link.

For more information, please contact us at [e-mail: isops11@upr.si; Tel.: 00386 40 612 161]. We will be happy to answer all your questions and provide additional information about the symposium.

Official ISOPS XI website: http://isops11.si/


Thursday, 21 March 2024 EMPLOYEES 2.0 ALSO IN 2024

Celebrating UP's 20th anniversary on Wednesday, employees asked themselves how we can be an even better version of ourselves, a UP 2.0 version. This kind of reflection is not limited to round anniversaries, however, but also spurs us on, which is why the name for Wednesday's employee activities has been kept. We would like to thank all those who have made the effort to organise sports, educational and cultural activities, based on the wishes expressed in the employee surveys, for the beautiful act of building good and collegial relations. 

A meeting on the book "Why are you silent, Hava?", by the young Copra author Selma Skenderova, took place in the Armeria's Lobby, where the participants of the Walk with the Artists (Friday, 22 March) will be guided through Koper, and at this event, the participants chatted about the book during the walk.

Various workshops were held for the staff - 5x 5 LANGUAGE TIPS - for the second time, by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vladka Tucovič Sturman, during which she gave a practical presentation of the most frequently observed language slip-ups that need correction. A WORKSHOP ON THE BASICS OF BUSINESS BONTON was held at UP FM, led by Dr. Simona Kustec, and was aimed at all those who want to learn and understand the key skills for successful appearance in the business world. EMPATHETIC TRAINING: STRENGTHENING CONCENTRATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE IN THE WORKPLACE (UP IAM SCRS) - the participants of the workshop discovered the power of empathy to improve concentration and psychological resilience in the work environment.  UP COMMUNICATION OFFICE offered a workshop on DIGITAL COMMUNICATION - Karin Marinič, UP Social Media Editor, presented ways to optimise editing and traffic on social media, how to format posts and what to look out for when posting on different platforms. A workshop "WHY LEARN ARABIC?" was also held at UP FHŠ - with the help of Dr Polona Oblak, participants learned how to greet and introduce themselves in Arabic.

There were also lectures:

PRESENTATION OF THE VOLUMES: REFUGEE STORIES AND GLOBAL FACES OF AGING (UP FM) - the event started with Dr Primož Štrbenc talking about migrant flows from the Middle East, the wider Muslim world and Africa, followed by Dr Majda Naji presenting the two volumes.

OPTIMISATION OF SLEEP (UP FVZ, SPORT UP) - at the workshop, participants had the opportunity to learn about how sleep works, the impact of daily activities on sleep quality and practical tools they can use to improve the quality and duration of sleep and, consequently, their long-term health and well-being. The workshop was facilitated by Luka Kejžar (UP FVZ, SportUP).

HOW TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY? (UP FAMNIT) - with Dr Vesna Jug, they touched upon communication filters and barriers, different communication skills (positions in communication, forms of communication, active listening, checking understanding, asking questions and strong questions), assertiveness, etc.

The exhibition Portorož villas - architectural heritage and tourism of quiet luxury from the beginning of the 20th century was opened at UP FTŠ Turistica. The exhibition shows the rich architectural heritage of Portorož, with an emphasis on the flourishing of villas as a building object of the wealthier class of the population, which coincides with the rise of Portorož as a fashionable resort at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The opening was followed by a one-hour lecture by mag. Tomi Brezovec.

In the late afternoon, a lecture on self-improvement through fairy tales will be held at UP PEF, and a trip to the mathematical universe on the Sudoku game at UP FAMNIT.

    

     

   


Thursday, 21 March 2024 VICE-RECTOR PROMOTED FIVE NEW DOCTORS OF SCIENCE

On Thursday, 21 March 2024, 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 five new Doctors of Science, who completed their doctoral studies between October 2023 and by the end of February 2024. As of today, the University of Primorska has 336 Doctors of Science.

Dr. Katjuša GorelaDr. Katja Vrhunc Pfeifer and Dr. Niki Hrovatin were graduated at the ceremony and in the (excused) absence: Dr. Maheshya Weerasinghe and Dr. Željka Pećanin. 

At UP FAMNIT are two newly promoted Doctors of Science.

Maheshya Weerasinghe defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies entitled  »Instructional Guidance in Extended Reality for Learning« under the mentorship of izr. prof. dr. Matjaž Kljun, izr. prof. dr. Alice Toniolo and prof. dr. Aaron Quigley and co-mentorship of izr. prof. dr. Klen Čopič Pucihar and izr. prof. dr. Angela Miguel.

Doctoral dissertation summary

This thesis aims to contribute new knowledge on how Extended Reality (XR) technologies can be used to design and develop interactive, adaptive Experiential Learning (ExL) systems that can be integrated into future learning environments. This is accomplished by (i) presenting a comprehensive design space grounded in XR technology and the theoretical underpinnings of learning and instructional guidance, and by (ii) conducting three different user studies (VRNaV, ArigatŌ, VocabulARy), each focusing on an interactive experiential learning system developed based on a particular configuration of the presented design space.

Niki Hrovatin defended his doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies entitled  »Enabling Decentralized Privacy Preserving Data Processing in Sensor Networks« under the mentorship of izr. prof. dr. Jernej Vičič and co-mentorship of prof. dr. Michaël Mrissa.

Doctoral dissertation summary

This thesis advances sensor networks by addressing privacy and centralization challenges. It introduces a unique privacy-preserving protocol using layered cryptography for arbitrary in-situ computation, and new efficient methods for distributing the processing load of machine-learning tasks across sensor network nodes. These innovations will lead to scalable, efficient, and secure sensor networks that can perform analytics in the network without the need for extra cloud facilities.

Katjuša Gorela defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Education entitled  »Representation of poverty in Slovenian fairy tales and in reading books for the second educational cycle of primary school« under the mentorship of doc. dr. Barbara Zorman

Doctoral dissertation summary

The doctoral dissertation is a three-part research focused on the analysis of poverty in Slovenian fairy tales collected in the most relevant fairy tale collections and in reading books for grades 4, 5 and 6 of primary school. The doctoral dissertation argues that the school environment, and within it in particular the literature classroom and the treatment of Slovenian fairy tales, is the appropriate place to introduce and expose children to problematic issues such as poverty. A list of twenty Slovenian fairy tales thematising poverty from different angles has been created for this purpose. The list is intended for teachers and those who are committed to destigmatising and eliminating the social exclusion of the poor.

Katja Vrhunc Pfeifer defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Education  entitled  »The intervention competences of educators in residential treatment centres in crisis situations« under the mentorship of doc. dr. Nina Krmac and co-mentorship of prof. dr. Ivana Borić

Doctoral dissertation summary

The doctoral dissertation presents the first comprehensive analysis of crisis situations in Slovenian residential treatment centres faced by educators. It is also an analysis of the situation in the field of crisis intervention and thus the formulation of the necessary set of basic and specific competences that educators need for effective intervention. The research involved all residential treatment centres in Slovenia, and based on the information obtained, in addition to the competency framework, we have developed proposals for effective intervention, specific to each crisis situation.

Željka Pećanin defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Management entitled »A model of consumer buying behavior when deciding to purchase "superfoods"« under the mentorship of dr. Tina Vukasović.

Doctoral dissertation summary

Nowadays, there are more and more products on the market that meet consumer needs. In recent decades, it has been a great challenge for many manufacturers, retailers and, ultimately, marketers as well as advertisers to become familiar with consumer behaviour and the factors that influence people’s purchase decisions. We explored mutual correlations between selected purchasing factors and their impact on consumer purchase decisions when buying superfoods in Slovenia. We also presented superfoods and looked for substitutes among native foods, comparing their prices. With quantitative research we came to the conclusion that the leading factors in the purchase of superfoods is advertising. We also find that consumers who have a higher personal income need less exposure to advertising compared to consumers with a lower personal income in order to decide to purchase superfoods. In any case, it would be difficult to get consumers to decide to buy superfoods without an incentive, in this case advertising.


Wednesday, 20 March 2024 TEN FULL PROFESSORS INAUGURATED AT UP

On Tuesday, 19 March 2024, a solemn inauguration of full professors of the University of Primorska took place in the hall of the Armeria Palace in Koper. Vice-rector prof. dr. Štefko Miklavič, with Deans of UP FAMNIT, UP FVZ and UP PEF, handed over the decisions on the election to the title of ten new full professors of the University of Primorska. 

Among the inaugurated professors are also colleagues of UP IAM and UP Famnit.

DR. DUNJA BANDELJ, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »PLANT PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR

Dr. Dunja Bandelj graduated in the field of agronomy from the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana in 1998. As a young researcher, she continued her doctoral training in the field of agronomic sciences at the Biotechnical Faculty, where she focused on research in the molecular genetics of olives. In 2008, she was employed as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Information Technologies and became head of the Department of Applied Natural Sciences. Since then, she has been employed at UP FAMNIT and actively involved in the management of the faculty, as the head of the Department of Applied Natural Sciences, coordinator of the Agronomy study program, a member of the faculty and university Senate. In 2016, she became vice-dean for student affairs.

After completing her PhD in 2005, she actively took a leading role in studying the genetic resources of the most important Mediterranean fruit species. Her research work was directed towards the development of microsatellite markers, which are an indispensable tool in studying the diversity and relatedness of plants at the DNA level, for the traceability of plant material on the market, for managing collections of agricultural plants, parental testing, and with DNA profiling, also for the accurate identification of varieties. Together with the research group of the University of Primorska, she was among the first in the world to develop a larger number of olive genic microsatellites and genomic microsatellites for studying figs and other species of the genus Ficus. In recent years, she has intensively researched the aromatic plant immortelle. With her research team, she was the first to sequence the genome and transcriptome of immortelle and developed a larger number of microsatellites, that contribute globally to the understanding of kinship relations among species from the genus Helichrysum, and are used to control the geographic origin and identity of the plants. Her significant achievements also include the published nucleotide sequence of the entire chloroplast DNA of Immortelle and the chloroplast microsatellite markers developed from it. Dr Dunja Bandelj's research is clearly application-oriented and aims to solve challenges in agriculture. At the University of Primorska, she was involved in the establishment of the most modern genetic-molecular laboratory, which enables UP researchers to participate competitively in global research. She was also involved in establishing the Conservation Biology from Molecules to Ecosystems research programme group.

To date, Dr. Dunja Bandelj has co-authored 49 original scientific articles, of which she is the first or lead author in 27 articles. She has also published five independent chapters in scientific monographs and three major professional monographs. Her works have been cited 464 times. She was the lead researcher of several national ARIS and CRP projects as well as international projects under the SEE-ERA and INTERREG programs in the field of genetics and plant production.

Dr Dunja Bandelj was involved in the accreditation of study programmes in the fields of agriculture, biopsychology and bioinformatics at UP FAMNIT. She is pedagogically involved in the study programmes Agronomy, Conservation Biology and Bioinformatics, where she teaches subjects in genetics, agroecology and plant production. She has mentored or co-mentored 20 graduate or master's students and mentored two doctoral students. In 2006, she received the Svečana lista (Certificate of Honour) from the University of Primorska for her research work.

DR. SIMONA KRALJ FIŠER, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »BIOLOGY« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR

Dr. Simona Kralj Fišer graduated in behavioural biology from the Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Ljubljana in 2002. Between 2003 and 2004 she conducted research for her PhD thesis at the Konrad Lorenz Research Station for Ethology and at the University of Vienna. In 2006, she joined the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences (ZRC SAZU) as a young researcher and defended her PhD thesis, for which she received the ZRC SAZU prize, in 2009. In 2010, she was awarded a Humboldt Foundation project and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hamburg. In 2011 she returned to ZRC SAZU, where she was awarded an ARIS postdoctoral project. Since then, she has been continuously employed at ZRC SAZU, first as an assistant and now as a senior research fellow. In 2012 she obtained her habilitation in the field of ethology and since 2013 she has been working as a lecturer at the University of Primorska. Between 2019 and 2023, she worked as a coordinator of the Master's and PhD programmes at the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU.

Dr Simona Kralj Fišer's research is in the fields of behavioural biology, evolutionary biology and ecology, and focuses on various interesting aspects related to animal behaviour and life history traits. Her work is particularly distinguished by her research on sex differences in behaviour and morphology, investigating the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying these differences. Her research uses a combination of quantitative genetic and experimental approaches, including pedigree breeding, quantitative genetics, genomics and transcriptomics. She also studies mating strategies and systems and sexual size dimorphism, in particular the architecture of sex-specific traits and how maternal effects may influence phenotypic differences between the sexes. An important part of her research is devoted to the study of within-species differences in personality, examining how sexual selection influences personality traits, the genetic architecture of these traits and their sex differences. She collaborates with a wide range of researchers and institutions to publish her findings, making important contributions to our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological basis of animal behaviour.

Dr Simona Kralj Fišer has co-authored 52 original scientific articles, of which she is the first or lead author in 28, and two chapters in monographs, with a total of 852 net citations. Dr Simona Kralj Fišer is the leader of the programme group "Biodiversity: patterns, processes, predictions and conservation". She has led or participated in a number of research projects, working mainly with the Faculty of Biotechnics, the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (FAMNIT) and the National Institute of Biology.

Dr Simona Kralj Fišer's pedagogical work includes teaching at the University of Primorska and at the ZRC SAZU Graduate School. At the University of Primorska, she works at the Department of Psychology at UP FAMNIT, where she lectures in Behavioural Genetics. She has been a mentor or co-mentor for more than 16 graduates or master students and a mentor and co-mentor for two PhD students. She is or has been involved in PhD student supervision committees at the University of Singapore and at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), and two of her students have been awarded prizes for the best thesis or PhD thesis for their work.

DR. MARKO OREL, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »MATHEMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR

Marko Orel completed his bachelor degree study in Pure Mathematics in 2004 at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of University of Ljubljana. Then, he was employed as a young researcher at the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics in Ljubljana. He completed his PhD study in mathematics in 2009 at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.  After a short period of time working at the company Proinstal d.o.o. and as a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, in the school year 2009/2010 he got a temporary position as a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering of University of Ljubljana.  His first experience with the University of Primorska was in the school year 2008/2009, when he had tutorials for the course Probability at UP FAMNIT. At the same faculty he got a position as an Assistant Professor in 2010. In the following years, the employment at UP FAMNIT was supplemented by partial employments at the Andrej Marušič Institute and at the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics.  In 2017, he was elected to the title of Associate Professor in Mathematics at the University of Primorska.

Initially, the research work of Marko Orel involved preserver problems in matrix theory. Already during his PhD study, he started to combine preserver problems with a graph theoretical area that include the study of graph homomorphisms and cores. The intersection of the two research fields involved several mathematical structures over a finite field. In a more recent research work, he built some new bridges that connect matrix theory and graph theory one side and finite geometry and coding theory on the other side.

The research publications of Marko Orel are spread into 13 different research journals and books. Among them we can find journals as Linear and Multilinear Algebra, Journal of Combinatorial Theory - Series A, and Finite Fields and their Applications. In particular, he is the sole author of 11 scientific articles and one book chapter that combine in total for 279 pages of original research work. He served as a referee for 11 different journals with impact factor. 

Marko Orel has teaching experience at the University of Primorska, University of Ljubljana, University of Nova Gorica, and at the University of Rijeka. In total he had 28 different course lectures and tutorials at 9 different faculties. Since he joined the University of Primorska, he had several leading and administrative functions. In particular, he is a board member of University of Primorska since 2011 and the vice-dean for science and research at UP FAMNIT since 2012.

DR. ADEMIR HUJDUROVIĆ, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »MATHEMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR

Dr. Hujdurović graduated in mathematics from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Tuzla in 2009. He completed his studies with a maximum average grade of 10,00. Since 2010, he has been employed at the University of Primorska. He was first employed as a young researcher at UP IAM. In 2013, he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation under the supervision of Prof. dr. Dragan Marušič and the co-mentorship of Prof. dr. Klavdija Kutnar. He was then employed as an assistant with PhD at UP FAMNIT, and since 2015 as an assistant professor and research associate. In 2018, he became vice-dean for international and inter-university cooperation at UP FAMNIT. He obtained the title of associate professor in 2019. He has been the dean of UP FAMNIT since November 2019, and in June 2023 he was re-elected for a second term as dean of UP FAMNIT.

The research work of dr. Hujdurović is graph theory, primarily focusing on the study of the properties and characterization of graphs that possess a certain degree of symmetry. Some of the most important results of Dr. Hujdurović are the proof of the conjecture about the non-existence of non-trivially unstable circulants of odd order, as well as the solution of some open questions regarding the intersection density of transitive permutation groups.

Dr. Hujdurović has so far co-authored 34 original scientific articles in SCI-listed journals, with a total of 132 pure citations. As a researcher, he is a member of the program group Mathematical modelling and encryption: from theoretical concepts to real-life applications, within which he participated in numerous research projects in the field of mathematics. In 2019, he received the award for scientific excellence of the University of Primorska, and in 2023 the Kalman Visiting Fellow award of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Since 2023 he is a managing editor of SCI journal Ars Mathematica Contemporanea.

The pedagogical work of dr. Hujdurović includes participation in the implementation of study programs of all levels in the field of mathematics and first-level study programs in the field of computer science and informatics at UP FAMNIT. He was a mentor or co-mentor for three doctoral dissertations and three master's theses in the field of mathematics. Dr. Hujdurović was a member of the organizing committee of a large number of international mathematical conferences and summer schools, including a member of the organizing committee of the 8th European Mathematical Congress. He was an invited lecturer at international conferences and universities in Turkey, Austria, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, USA, South Korea, Hungary, New Zealand and Croatia.

DR. RUSSELL STEPHEN WOODROOFE, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »MATHEMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR

Dr. Russ Woodroofe was born and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  He moved across town to the University of Michigan for his bachelors degree.  He finished his bachelors in science in 1998, with a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science (with honors in both).  After a brief period working as a programmer, Russ moved to Cornell University for graduate study in Mathematics, where he completed his PhD in 2005.  His dissertation was titled "Shelling the coset poset", and was directed by Ken Brown.

Dr. Woodroofe's first job after the PhD was at Cornell's medical college campus in Doha, Qatar, where he taught premedical calculus.  In 2008, he began a postdoc with John Shareshian in the Department of Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis.  He moved in 2012 to Mississippi State University as a tenure-track assistant professor of Mathematics.  While at Mississippi State, he spent a semester in 2016 visiting the University of Miami; and he visited the University of Primorska several times on guest researcher grants.  Dr. Woodroofe came to the University of Primorska in the fall of 2017 as an associate professor, and has been here since.

The research work of Dr. Woodroofe is broadly centered around combinatorics, group theory, and topology.  He is an expert in the technique of shellability.  He has built tools to shell lattices of subgroups and cosets, and similar lattices.  He is perhaps best known for his work in combinatorial commutative algebra, which demonstrated to researchers in that field how to make good use of techniques from topological combinatorics and graph theory.  His recent work concerns application of Smith-Oliver theory to posets of groups or cosets, and application of techniques inspired from algebraic geometry to Erdős-Ko-Rado problems.

Dr. Woodroofe has published 22 mathematical articles, including an article in the Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery and two articles in Advances in Mathematics.  He also has a significant package of mathematical software, with his Gap.app computer algebra frontend and distribution. 

At FAMNIT, Dr. Woodroofe has taught courses for mathematics, computer science, and bioinformatics students, in topics around topology, analysis, and combinatorics.  He advised the PhD thesis of Andrés Santamaría-Galvis.  He also advised two masters theses of students at Mississippi State, and has advised formal and semi-formal undergraduate research projects for eight students.  In 2011, he received the Guido L. Weiss Teaching and Service Award from the Department of Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis.

DR. MIKLÓS KRÉSZ, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR

Dr. Miklós Krész completed his Master’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science in 1994 at the University of Szeged, Hungary. During his final year of study, he was awarded the Republic Scholarship for outstanding academic achievements.  After graduation, he worked as an assistant researcher in the Research Group of Automata Theory at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He also spent one year at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, supported by a research scholarship from the International Soros Foundation, where he served as a teaching assistant. Upon returning, he gained industrial experience as an actuary (insurance mathematician) at Hungary’s largest insurance company and as a development mathematician at a research and development communication technology subsidiary of a German technology transfer center.

Continuing his academic journey, Miklós Krész pursued a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Szeged, earning his degree in 2005. During this time, he joined the Department of Applied Informatics at the same university, where he has been a college professor since 2010. Between 2011 and 2018, he assumed the role of Department Head. Alongside his colleagues, he co-founded a research and development start-up whose main product was a network analysis software for risk assessment. This software found applications in leading banks, insurance companies, and telecommunication firms.

Since 2006, Miklós Krész has been actively involved in teaching at the University of Primorska. Initially, he served as an Erasmus teacher, and from 2009, he took on the role of lecturer in the Computer Science MSc program. In 2011 he was granted the title of assistant professor and  since 2017, he has held the position of associate professor. In October 2017, Dr. Krész became part of the newly established interdisciplinary center, InnoRenew CoE, where he assumed the role of research group leader. Currently, he serves as the head of the Research Department Information Processing. Additionally, since March 2018, he has been a senior researcher at the Institute Andrej Marušič, University of Primorska.

Miklós Krész’s main research areas are industrially motivated discrete optimization methods, data driven industrial solutions and the integration of operations research and data science methodologies. Both fundamental and applied research in the above fields is in the focus of his interest. He has co-authored 75 original scientific articles, and four chapters in monographs, with a total of almost 300 pure citations. He was a leading expert in over 50 interdisciplinary and industrial projects. He was the Secretary General of the Hungarian Operations Research Society and currently he is the vice chair of SI MATH IN - Consortium for Industrial Mathematics (Slovenian network of EU-MATHS-IN: European Service Network of Mathematics for Industry and Innovation). 

Dr. Miklós Krész has an extensive teaching background. At the University of Szeged, he covered a diverse range of subjects, including Formal Languages and Automata, Information Systems, Operations Research, Statistics, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Mining.  At the University of Primorska he is actively involved in both the Computer Science and Data Science MSc programs. Specifically, he serves as the main lecturer for the courses Selected Topics in Theoretical Computer Science and Mining Massive Data. Additionally, he co-coordinates the Data Science Seminar course. Dr. Krész’s commitment extends to the Renewable Materials and Healthy Built Environment PhD program, where he participates in teaching various courses and the lecturer of the Design and Analysis of Experiments course. Furthermore, he also delivered specialized courses at the University of Turku, Finland, covering topics such as Algorithm Engineering, Optimization, and Data Mining. He has been a mentor or co-mentor of 15 MSc students and a supervisor or co-supervisor for four PhD theses.

dr. Lara Lusa, redna profesorica za področje »Statistika« in znanstvena svetnica

Dr. Lara Lusa je leta 1998 diplomirala iz statističnih in aktuarskih ved na Univerzi v Trstu ter leta 2002 doktorirala iz Uporabne statistike na Univerzi v Firencah. Po doktoratu je delala kot raziskovalka na Nacionalnem Inštitutu za proučevanje in zdravljenje tumorjev v Milanu, na Inštitutu molekularne onkologije v Milanu ter na Nacionalnem Inštitutu za rak v Bethesdi, ZDA. Od leta 2008 do 2016 je bila zaposlena na Inštitutu za biostatistiko in medicinsko informatiko na Medicinski fakulteti v Ljubljani, kjer je leta 2016 pridobila naziv izredne profesorice in kjer je še danes dopolnilno zaposlena.  Od leta 2016 je zaposlena na Univerzi na Primorskem, na Fakulteti za matematiko, naravoslovje in informacijske tehnologije.

Raziskovalno delo dr. Luse zajema področje razvoja statistične metodologije za potrebe medicinske statistike.  Najbolj odmevni so njeni članki s področja visokorazsežnih podatkov. Njeno trenutno raziskovalno delo se osredotoča na začetno analizo podatkov. Od leta 2016 je članica mednarodne pobude STRATOS (STRengthening Analytical Thinking for Observational Studies), ki vključuje strokovnjake številnih različnih področij biostatistike, kjer je sopredsednica delovne skupine o začetni analizi podatkov in članica delovne skupine o visokorazsežnih podatkih.

Bibliografija dr. Luse do sedaj obsega 85 izvirnih znanstvenih del v revijah s faktorjem vpliva, od tega je prva ali vodilna avtorica v 21 člankih, skupno število čistih citatov presega 2500 in njen indeks citiranosti h je 26. Ima tudi 14 člankov, ki so opredeljeni kot izjemni dosežek po metodologiji Javne agencije za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije. Za svoje raziskovalno delo je leta 2020 prejela Zoisovega priznanja za znanstvene dosežke pri razvoju metodologije medicinske statistike, leta 2021 je bila prejemnica nagrade za zanstveno odličnost Univerze na Primorskem. Svoje raziskovalno delo je predstavila z vabljenimi predavanji na mednarodnih konferencah in na univerzah v tujini.

Pedagoško delo zajema izvajanje predmetov s področja statistike in uporabne statistike na vseh nivojih različnih študijskih programih na Univerzi na Primorskem in na Univerzi v Ljubljani. V slovenskem prostoru aktivno sodeluje v dejavnostih Statističnega društva Slovenije, od leta 2013 je sourednica revije Metodološki zvezki – Advances in Statistics and Methodology, od leta 2016 pa predsednica programskega odbora mednarodne konference Applied Statistics.


Tuesday, 19 March 2024 21ST UP SOLEMN ACADEMY

The University of Primorska celebrates its anniversary every year in the week around 17 March, since it was entered in the Court Register on 17 March 2003. Thus, every year, the UP Week takes place, and within it there is always a Solemn Academy, at which the UP awards prizes to all those who have contributed to the reputation, development and success of the University through their work or activities.

This year's Academy started with a special occasion - in the company of the first Rector, Dr. Lucija Čok, both Rectors - Dr. Rado Bohinc and Dr. Dragan Marušič, Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, who wore the current insignia during her first term, accepted the new insignia. The first Rector's insignia was donated by the designer Oskar Kogoj at the time of its creation, and now all those who proudly and responsibly wore it have put it in a commemorative frame with their signatures. With the new decade, the design of the new insignia was donated to the University by the academic painter Dr. Tilen Žbona, a teacher at the University of Primorska and the initiator of the establishment of the Visual Arts and Design art study programmes at the University of Primorska.

            

The participants were first addressed by the Rector of UP, Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, who emphasised in her speech: »Our university, which is still mostly portrayed only as the youngest and smallest public university in the Republic of Slovenia, is thus taking a leading role in shaping the future of the construction ecosystem in the European Union and is committed to the three core values of the New European Bauhaus: sustainability, beauty and inclusion.«

Lana Erjavec, President of the UP Student Council, gave a special greeting to the students: »I would like to thank all the students for your significant contribution to co-creating our academic community. I appreciate that you dedicate your free time and energy to improving the experience of all UP students. I am always impressed by how driven we are, eager for knowledge and willing to make the world a better place.«

Last year, we hosted the keynote speaker Mariya Gabriel, in her role as European Commissioner, who has made her efforts to strengthen higher education institutions a reality through the creation of ENIHEI - the European Network of Innovative Higher Education Institutions, of which UP is a member. This year, she was invited to be the keynote speaker, but had to limit her presence to a video address, due to her commitments related to the assumption of the Presidency of the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria. We will meet her in person at UP when she will be awarded the UP Honorary Doctorate for 2023. In her address, she emphasized: »I'd like to congratulate everyone at the University of Primorska and thank your fore being an active participant in key European initiatives in the areas of higher education. You are a concrete example, how by connecting the spheres of innovation and education we can encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation.«

             


The UP Prizes for 2023 were awarded.

Recipients of the University of Primorska awards for 2023

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - PROF. RADO BOHINC

On the proposal of the Rector of UP, the 2023 title of Professor Emeritus of the University of Primorska is awarded to Prof. Rado Bohinc for his outstanding achievements in the development of his scientific discipline, for his dedication to teaching and supervising activities, and for his contribution to building up the reputation and visibility of the University of Primorska.

Dr. Rado Bohinc was the Rector of UP from 2007 to 2011, during which time he was also a teacher and researcher at UP. In almost 40 years of scientific activity (his first monograph was published in 1981), he has published 40 scientific monographs, 17 independent scientific papers or chapters in monographs, 52 original and 12 review articles. Dr. Rado Bohinc’s research interests have in many respects been characterised by his field of employment: business law, comparative corporate governance, social responsibility, economic democracy, social economics, property ownership, university and higher education, science and research, public governance (public administration, the public sector), EU law, political systems, human rights, and the media. He has been a long-serving lecturer in all three study cycles at both the University of Ljubljana and the University of Maribor. He was first employed at UP as a visiting professor, then in 2007 as Rector and later as a teacher at UP FM.

Dr. Rado Bohinc has always been active in governance bodies at various social and institutional levels. During his term of office at UP, he contributed crucially first to the financial rehabilitation of the University, then to the development of study programmes and faculties, especially the advancement of the University’s research activities and, last but not least, to its investment development. During that time, he was also the President of the Slovenian Rectors’ Conference and the Alps-Adriatic Rectors’ Conference (2010–2011). He made a significant contribution to the international standing of UP by concluding numerous international agreements. He served as Rector of UP and performed other academic leadership positions with responsibility, dedication and conscientiousness, striving to increase UP’s quality, excellence and international standing.

SOLEMN CHARTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - ASST. PROF. ALEKSANDAR TOŠIĆ (UP FAMNIT IN UP IAM)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and the UP Andrej Marušič Institute, the 2023 UP Solemn Charter is awarded to Assist. Prof. Aleksandar Tošić for his significant contribution to the development of UP in all of its activities and for his extremely successful integration of scientific research work with industrial projects.

Dr. Aleksandar Tošić received his PhD at UP, where he completed all three cycles of his studies. He works at the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at UP FAMNIT, where he regularly receives excellent evaluations as a lecturer. His scientific interest is distributed systems, especially distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) and blockchains. He has published several high-profile works, including 11 scientific papers in SCI-listed journals in the last three years, two of which were published in A’’ journals. The integration of his research with industrial projects is especially important, and is reflected not only in his successful work in industry but also in his applying for and supervising six Creative Pathways to Knowledge projects. These are aimed at introducing students to working on projects with companies, including projects with successful industrial applications. He is also extremely active in the popularisation and visibility of his research field: his smart floor innovation was exhibited at the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for several months. Lastly, he continues to inspire young people to get involved in computer science through designing, managing and organising the Faculty Programming Competition.

UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - ASSOC. PROF. ANNA MAŁGORZATA SANDAK (UP FAMNIT IN UP IAM)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and the UP Andrej Marušič Institute, the 2023 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Assoc. Prof. Anna Małgorzata Sandak for her outstanding research in wood science and her leadership of a prestigious ERC project.

Dr. Anna Małgorzata Sandak completed her PhD studies in 2010 at the University of Poznan, Poland. She has been employed at UP since 2016, working as a researcher and transferring her knowledge to Master’s and PhD students of renewable materials and sustainable built environment at the Department of Applied Natural Sciences of UP FAMNIT. She is also head of the Materials research department at InnoRenew CoE. Since coming to UP, she has carried out scientific research, teaching and leading the way in popularising science and improving the visibility of UP. In particular, she has organised numerous international conferences and workshops, and is a member of the editorial boards of many international journals. She has published over 90 scientific papers, 7 of which were published in 2023. She is a world-renowned and internationally engaged researcher, which is demonstrated by the outstanding number of international grant projects she has been awarded, including the first ERC Consolidator Grant led by a female researcher. Her five-year ARCHI-SKIN project, titled “Bioinspired living skin for architecture”, worth almost €2 million, focuses on the development of a protective biocoating made from engineered living materials.

GOLD MEDAL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - ASSOC. PROF. JERNEJ VIČIČ

On the proposal of the Rector of UP, the 2023 Gold Medal of the University of Primorska is awarded to Assoc. Prof. Jernej Vičič for his particularly significant contribution to the development of UP by establishing IT support for the administrative processes underpinning educational, research and support activities.

Dr. Jernej Vičič completed his doctoral studies at the University of Ljubljana in 2012 and has worked at UP since 2001. His research interest is language technologies, particularly language and translation models of natural languages and distributed systems. He is head of the UP Distributed Systems and Language Technologies Laboratory – D(LT)^2, and has interdisciplinary links with the Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovenian Language at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts as well as with InnoRenew CoE. Particularly noteworthy is his leadership of the project Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Communities – European Digital Innovation Hub. In addition to conducting scientific research and teaching at UP, he is also responsible for the IT support of education and research. For many years now, he has been in charge of the Moodle learning platform at all the faculties. As head of the Centre for Application Design and Development (UP IAM CORA), he manages the development team of the UNIS personnel information system and the travel orders application – a unique open source integration system that allows the control and integrated use of information from different sources. The system also provides a comprehensive overview of the data of staff, research projects and other university projects, as well as extracts used in reporting, which is an essential element of the informatisation of the university.

SREČKO KOSOVEL AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - ANA KUDER (UP FAMNIT)

On the proposal of UP FAMNIT, the 2023 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Ana Kuder for her Master’s thesis Assessing cognitive sequelae of COVID-19 using telepsychological testing under supervisor Assist. Prof. Maja Smrdu and co-supervisor Assist. Prof. Bojan Rojc.

Ana Kuder has graduated from the Psychology MA programme at UP FAMNIT. She approached her excellent Master’s thesis with extraordinary independence, a remarkable ability for analytical thinking, use of the latest scientific sources and detailed familiarity with statistical analytical methods. Her work, which perfectly integrates various contemporary areas of knowledge in cognitive psychology and the use of psychodiagnostic tools, explores the cognitive functioning in people who have survived a mild or moderate case of COVID-19 and compares them with those who have not been affected or who had been affected more than a year before. Her research work includes setting up and carrying out Biological-Psychological Student Conferences at UP. She is also a member of SiNAPSA, the Slovenian Neuroscience Association, where she helps to organise the annual Neuroscience Conference. She has already published two scientific papers in indexed journals and presented her work at several conferences and symposia. Shortly after graduation, she completed her traineeship in healthcare and passed her professional examination. At the beginning of this academic year, she became a research assistant in clinical neurophysiology at University Medical Centre Ljubljana.

SREČKO KOSOVEL AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - DR. SARA ZUPAN (UP FHŠ)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Humanities, the 2023 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Dr. Sara Zupan for her PhD thesis The influence of geographic and ecological isolation of populations of the false ringlet butterfly Coenonympha oedippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on genetic structure and phenotype expression, under supervisor Assoc. Prof. Jure Jugovic and co-supervisors Prof. Elena Bužan and Assoc. Prof. Valentina Brečko Grubar.

Dr. Sara Zupan completed her PhD in Geography at UP FHŠ with an extremely extensive and multifaceted doctoral thesis, whose results have been published in five scientific papers. The PhD thesis excels at applying an outstanding interdisciplinary approach, in which the author combines elements of geography, genetics and ecology, thus providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the habitat and populations of the false ringlet butterfly (Coenonympha oedippus) in Slovenia, an endangered species of pan-European importance. Dr. Sara Zupan is employed at the Department of Biodiversity of UP FAMNIT, where she is active in both the scientific area and in education. Her innovative teaching and her involvement in the INOVUP project show her desire to improve the quality of higher education. She has also participated in several projects, helped organise conferences and brought together four institutions in the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Kras4us project application. She is an exceptional researcher and educator who exceeds high expectations in all areas of her work.

GOLD MEDAL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - UP FHŠ GROUP OF CO-WORKERS TO OBTAIN UNESCO CHAIR

On the proposal of UP FHŠ, the 2023 Gold Medal of the University of Primorska is awarded to a group of associates from the UP Faculty of Humanities for facilitating the establishment and acquisition of the first UNESCO Chair in the Humanities in Slovenia and the first at UP.

Specialist trends point to the need for an inclusive approach to heritage management. In August 2021, the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris approved the establishment of a new UNESCO Chair for Interpretation and Education for Enhancing Integrated Heritage Approaches at UP FHŠ, which became operational in 2022. It is only the fourth Chair in Slovenia and the first in the humanities. The Chair fills a gap in the existing UNESCO Chairs around the world, recognising that the key to sustainable heritage management lies in interpretation and education through integrated heritage approaches. The activities of the Chair are based on the world-renowned International Summer School of Museology and other educational and research activities of UP FHŠ, organised in collaboration with the Škocjan Caves Regional Park, Slovenia’s oldest UNESCO destination. The newly established Chair has thus put UP on the world map of the most prominent and excellent institutions in heritage studies, strengthening its reputation, excellence and visibility at the international level. The following people have made the establishment of the Chair possible through their long-standing heritage research and teaching: Prof. Irena Lazar, Assist. Prof. Neža Čebron Lipovec, Assist. Prof. Zrinka Mileusnić, Assoc.Prof. Katja Hrobat Virloget and Assoc. Prof. Alenka Tomaž.

SOLEMN CHARTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - ASST. PROF. ŽIGA KOZINC (UP FVZ)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Health Sciences, the 2023 UP Solemn Charter is awarded to Assist. Prof. Žiga Kozinc for his significant contribution to the development of UP in all of its activities and for his incisiveness and excellence in scientific research.

Dr. Žiga Kozinc received his PhD from UP FVZ in 2021, having been employed there since 2020. Immediately after his PhD, he obtained an internal university postdoctoral project, and, this year, also an ARIS postdoctoral project. He has contributed to strengthening the international visibility of UP both through established collaborations with a number of experts from abroad and his scientific excellence in foreign journals, which is recognised in his appointment to both editorial and review boards. He is the author or co-author of 113 scientific papers, ranks 2nd among sports researchers with 2,863 points (SICRIS) and is a co-author of a patent in metrology. Moreover, he is an excellent teacher, being one of the most highly rated lecturers. He supervises students in their final theses in all study cycles (including those who have won some faculty- and university-level prizes) and in the publication of scientific papers. On his own initiative, several students have presented their papers at conferences. He has been involved in curricular renewal, has designed lifelong learning courses and co-authored a textbook. He is singled out by students as one of the best teachers – extremely accessible, responsive, professional and fair.

UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - PROF. ŠTEFAN BOJNEC (UP FM)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Management, the 2023 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Prof. Štefan Bojnec for achieving outstanding results in scientific research in the social sciences.

Dr. 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 at UP FM and a lecturer and teacher in seven courses. In 2023, he published a total of 19 original scientific papers, 9 of which were published in top international social science journals indexed by SCI, SSCI and A&HCI. His high-profile work is confirmed by the numerous citations of his publications – 1,696 in WOS and 2,112 true citations in Scopus in the last 10 years. He has also been awarded numerous projects, especially in the last few years. The most recent ones are AGRIGEP from the prestigious Horizon programme, WE-GREEN from the Erasmus+ KA2 programme and one ARIS basic project. He is also involved in three targeted research projects. His international engagement is evident in the five bilateral cooperation projects he has carried out in the last year and in his membership of the editorial boards of more than 20 international journals. He is also a member of around 10 international professional associations, an evaluator of Horizon 2020 projects and a member of the German Scientific Advisory Board of IAMO. 

UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - PROF. ANDREJA ISTENIČ (UP PEF)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Education, the 2023 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Prof. Andreja Istenič for having achieved outstanding results in scientific research in didactics.

Dr. Andreja Istenič completed her doctoral studies in 2002 at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, and has been employed at the Department of Educational Sciences of UP since 2005. She is in charge of the in-house research programme Post-digital Learning Environment and Educational Technology for Innovative Learning and Career Paths. She is one of the leading researchers in education and has a high citation record (593 WOS citations and 847 Scopus citations), with 829 true citations and 138 citations for her most outstanding work over a five-year period. Her career is characterised by successful and dedicated teaching, supervising students in all study cycles, and by strong international engagement. For example, she has been appointed to a five-year term by the American Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) as a member of an expert panel formulating educational development policies in the USA. She is currently an editor at Taylor & Francis and has served as editor of various journals and special anniversary issues of foreign journals. Her good cooperation with foreign organisations is reflected in the extensive list of guest lectures and degrees awarded by foreign universities in Russia, Australia and the US.

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023 - ASSOC. PROF. ARMAND FAGANEL (UP FM)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Management, the 2023 UP Educational Excellence Award goes to Assoc. Prof. Armand Faganel for his outstanding educational work and for sharing both theoretical and practical knowledge with his students.

Dr. Armand Faganel completed his doctoral studies in 2015 at UP FM, where he has been working since 2003, currently as an associate professor in marketing. He is a lecturer and teacher of several courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He is a dedicated university teacher, a thesis supervisor and a long-standing head of the Marketing Department. His research interests include inter-organisational and consumer marketing, sales, service quality perception in higher education and brand management. His dedication to teaching is evident from the many reviews from his students, who describe him as a lecturer who approaches the subject in a way that is always new, innovative and exciting. In his work with students, it is clear that he wants to give the best experience possible since he constantly involves them in his scientific work, while at the same time familiarising them with the real-world working environment during their studies. He keeps in touch with his graduates, thus forming a bridge between theory and practice, which he understands very well thanks to his many years of experience as a manager in retail, wholesale and the automotive industry.

SREČKO KOSOVEL AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - MATEJ VREČIČ (UP FM)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Management, the 2023 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Matej Vrečič for his thesis The pitfalls of investing in cryptocurrencies under supervisor Assoc. Prof. Suzana Laporšek.

Matej Vrečič has graduated from the Management BA programme at UP FM. In his thesis, he dealt with the highly topical area of cryptocurrencies. Applying a clear theoretical background, he explained the existence and functioning of cryptocurrencies and the pitfalls of investing in cryptocurrencies for individual investors and society as a whole. The thesis demonstrates an in-depth and comprehensive knowledge of the chosen topic. At the end of the thesis, he even puts forward suggestions for improvement and specifically points out that the lack of regulation in this area may lead to crypto crime. He displayed remarkable independence and research curiosity when drawing up his final project thesis. The fact that this is an area where research is lacking and few sources are available confirms that the thesis is a particularly significant contribution to the profession and to raising financial literacy in cryptocurrency investing. His thesis is extremely topical, as it deals with one of the most exciting yet relatively poorly researched areas in the financial world. As one of the first in Slovenia, it represents an important step towards awareness and knowledge of the risks and pitfalls of cryptocurrencies.

UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA PRIZE FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - LANA ERJAVEC (UP FVZ)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Health Sciences, the 2023 UP Prize for UP Students is awarded to Lana Erjavec for her exceptionally active involvement in curricular and extracurricular activities at UP and for conveying the voice of the students.

Lana Erjavec has been actively engaged in the curricular and extracurricular life of the Faculty and the University since her enrolment at UP FVZ. She has become a role model for many students through her actions, commitment, motivation, her genuine empathy and self-sacrifice. She has thus contributed to building a community and a sense of belonging, which was lost among students in the post-COVID era, raising awareness of social responsibility among students. She has helped develop and promote the entire tutoring system and the UP FVZ and UP Student Councils. She has been involved in the launch of the student magazine Ad Salutem and helped break down taboos and stigma surrounding several social issues among students. She has also promoted the acquisition of informal skills and participation in the UP FVZ and UP Alumni Clubs. Since November, she has been the UP representative on the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Student Council. Besides competently handling many tasks, she is above all an admirable person, still finding time for voluntary work to which she has been committed for many years, at SOS telefon, a helpline for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Lana Erjavec proves that by being organised, determined and willing it is possible to successfully balance one’s studies and extracurricular activities.

UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA PRIZE FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - ALJA POLANEC (UP PEF)

On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Education, the 2023 UP Prize for UP Students is awarded to Alja Polanec for her active involvement in curricular and extracurricular activities at UP and her tutoring work.

Alja Polanec has shown outstanding dedication and commitment at faculty and university level. After having taken over the organisation of events for students, her work has developed into active participation in both the Student Council and the tutoring team. As the coordinator of UP PEF Tutors, she has monitored and advised students and new tutors, and has transferred her experience to the university tutoring system, which has gained new dimensions, success and momentum with her involvement. She has demonstrated versatility and the ability to handle a wide range of responsibilities, which she does with pleasure, great energy and conscientiousness. She is a member of the Faculty Student Council, Vice President of the University Student Council and a member of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Student Council. In addition, she is extremely passionate about acquiring new knowledge, as she is a student of Adult Education at UP PEF and Biopsychology at UP FAMNIT, and takes part in conferences both as a volunteer and as an active participant. Her work in different capacities reflects a high level of responsibility, organisational skills and an outstanding commitment to the student community.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA FOR 2023 - BLANKA PALČIČ (RECTORATE UP)

On the proposal of the UP College of Deans and Directors, the 2023 Acknowledgement of a Member of the UP Support Staff is awarded to Blanka Palčič for her conscientious work and successful stewardship of the important UP GDI project.

Blanka Palčič joined the UP team in December 2010. Today she is in charge of the sound operation of the Scholarship Fund, is a trustee of the UP Board of Trustees and has established the UP Alumni Office. She has been entrusted with the management of the important GDI UP project – Green, Digital and Inclusive UP, co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. Thanks to her effective organisational skills, she is in charge of the timely reporting and implementation of the project in accordance with the provisions set by the funding bodies. She demonstrates a high sense of protocol and precision in the organisation and high-quality delivery of various events and workshops. She has earned the respect and trust of the various stakeholders involved in her work and tasks by constantly reinforcing the reputation of UP, while also demonstrating a high level of loyalty to the University.

    

   

     

     

     

     

     

     


Friday, 15 March 2024 Königsberg: A Hidden Key to Graph Theory's Door: Video of the third lecture of Famnits' excursion into the mathematical universe 2023/24 is now available

The third lecture of Famnits' excursion into the mathematical universe 2023/24, titled "Königsberg: A Hidden Key to Graph Theory's Door"  was conducted by Dr. Blas Fernandez from the Department of Mathematics UP FAMNIT. The lecture took place live and via video conference link on Zoom. 

             

Unnoticed within the pages of history rests the unfamiliar city of Königsberg. While modern maps may find it hard to precisely locate, one particular quirk in its geography has made it one of the most recognizable cities in mathematics. Right in the middle of this city, where the Pregel River flowed, lay two interconnected islands joined to the riverbanks by seven distinct bridges. Residents became captivated by a simple question: Could one traverse all Königsberg's bridges without retracing their steps? This innocent and curious question challenged the minds of mathematicians and forged the very essence of graph theory. The lecturer presented the secret role that Königsberg had, unlocking the door to the amazing world where graph theory began. Dr. Fernandez unraveled the essential ideas behind graphs— visual representations of interconnected nodes —and dive into their wide applicability for solving all sorts of different problems. 

Blas Fernandez, born in 1992 in Alberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina, finished his Master’s thesis in Mathematics at the National University of La Plata in 2018. Before defending his thesis, he was at the University of Primorska as part of the Erasmus programme. At the beginning of the academic year 2018/2019, Blas enrolled in the doctoral Mathematics study programme at the University of Primorska, where he made remarkable progress in the field of algebraic combinatorics. He is the author of twelve high-quality articles and has presented several results from his doctoral dissertation at international conferences and research seminars. 


Friday, 15 March 2024 Open Call for Young Researchers at UP for 2024

The University of Primorska has published a Call for Young Researchers who will be trained over the next four years in a research and study programme. Each young researcher will carry out a research project under supervision, which will be structured within the framework of the specific research programme.

In 2024, there are four positions open for young researchers, with two positions available at UP IAM.


Candidates can apply to the call for the following mentors, in the following research fields and within the framework of the institution's research programmes.

Prof. Dr. Michel Lavrauw – research field Mathematics, research programme P1-0285 Algebra, diskretna matematika, verjetnostni račun in teorija iger, UP Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM),

Prof. Dr. Enes Pasalic – research field Mathematics, research programme P1-0404: Matematično modeliranje in enkripcija: od teoretičnih konceptov do vsakodnevnih aplikacij, UP Inštitut Andrej Marušič (UP IAM).


Candidates must have completed a second-level degree programme within the last four years and have an average grade in all final assessments and examinations, including the Master's thesis, of at least 8.

Only one candidate can be selected per mentor. The candidate will be offered a full-time contract for up to four years. If there are several applicants, they will be ranked according to their overall score. The candidate with the highest score will be selected. In the event of two candidates scoring the same number of points, preference will be given to the candidate from the under-represented gender in the specific research field, if the research field is characterised by a gender imbalance of researchers at UP (more than 60 %/40 % in favour of/to the detriment of one gender).

The submission deadline is 15 June 2024, by the end of day. Applicants should submit their applications and supporting documents in electronic format (scanned PDF documents) to the following e-mail address: razpis.mr@upr.si.


Thursday, 14 March 2024 Invitation to the defense of the Master’s Thesis - Katja Povše (Psychology, 2nd cycle)

On Tuesday, 19 March 2024, at 14:00 in the classroom Famnit-MP4, Katja Povše, a student of the master's study program Psychology, 2nd cycle, will present her Master's Thesis entitled Gratitude as a mediator of perfectionism and psychological wellbeing among students.

You are all kindly invited!


Thursday, 14 March 2024 Simulation of autonomous driving with dr. Toralf Trautmann

Toralf Trautmann, a distinguished physicist and professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Dresden (HTWD), presented a of autonomous driving and advancements in automotive software on March 14, 2024, in Izola.

Attendees gained insight into advanced automotive software and its development at the event.

Within his visit to UP FAMNIT, Dr. Trautmann shared his knowledge and experience also at the Monday computer seminar on March 11, 2024.

He focused on the development and testing of advanced driver assistance systems, surrounding sensors (Lidar, Radar, Camera) and data fusion, approval processes for autonomous vehicles, as well as the development of software and prototyping using Matlab/Simulink. At the seminar he presented the research, which emphasizes the necessity of sensor fusion for improving detection quality and addresses the physical limitations of sensors, proposing design adaptations for better visibility.

More about the current testing procedures and development activities of the Automotive Mechatronics Laboratory at HTWD is also presented in this video.

The video recording of the seminar is available at this link.


Thursday, 14 March 2024 Brain Awareness Week

How to enhance intimacy in romantic relationships? Is sexual education in primary school sufficient to fully understand sexuality? These and many other questions were discussed together with experts from various fields at this year's Brain Awareness Week at UP FAMNIT.

Brain Awareness Week is an international initiative that takes place every year in the third week of March. During this time, various educational events are held throughout Slovenia, aimed at raising awareness among the general public and professionals about the latest findings in the field of human brain and nervous system research. Under the auspices of the Slovenian Society for Neuroscience, SiNAPSA, a diverse range of lectures, workshops for younger and older audiences, roundtable discussions, and film evenings with discussions are organized.

A series of events was organized by students of biopsychology and psychology in collaboration with the Association of Biopsychology Students in Koper. In addition to the main events in Ljubljana, Brain Awareness Week took place at UP FAMNIT from Tuesday, March 12, to Friday, March 15.

Leila Winkler and Larisa Lara Pohorec, both graduates of Biopsychology at UP FAMNIT, were the coordinators of the group organizing the events at UP FAMNIT. Students of biopsychology, psychology, and young employees of UP FAMNIT actively participated in event preparation.

The common theme of this year's events revolved around topics related to sexuality, intimacy, and eroticism. During the lectures, participants gained insight into addiction to online pornography and how mindfulness can help us in dealing with these issues. Additionally, some myths that arose due to inadequate sexual education at home and in schools were clarified.


Wednesday, 13 March 2024 Invitation to the defense of the Master’s Thesis - Lara Gregorčič (Psychology, 2nd cycle)

On Monday, 18 March 2024, at 13:30 in the classroom Famnit-MP2, Lara Gregorčič, a student of the master's study program Psychology, 2nd cycle, will present her Master's Thesis entitled Leadership styles and self-efficacy in basic schools of the Goriška statistical region.

You are all kindly invited!


Tuesday, 12 March 2024 UP FAMNIT student won 1st place at the POPRI competition

Last week, at the Primorska Technology Park, the semi-final selection of the entrepreneurial ideas competition – POPRI, took place, bringing together young enthusiasts from all over Slovenia. 

Matic Bončina, a 1st-year student in the Computer Science program (UP FAMNIT), together with Matej Aleksov from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana, successfully identified a problem and received an excellent 1st place for their solution. 

He's shared his first thoughts on the entire process of development of the Repono online service, of which he is very proud: "We are very proud that our solution to mandatory relocations, which causes trouble for students every year, has been recognized. We are excited about participating in the final in Nova Gorica. With the funds that we have already obtained, we are keen to improve the product and achieve the ultimate mission of making the academic years the best years in students' lives."

What is Repono? Repono is an online service that serves for the safe storage and relocation of students' belongings during holidays or items they don't need outside the season. This allows students to focus on things that truly matter - studying, gaining work experience, and enjoying a carefree summer. 

This year, compete almost 30 percent more young people in the national competition for entrepreneurial ideas, which means 607 participants who have developed 203 innovative business models. About half of them managed to reach the semi-finals, and the best will contest in the final, held on 4 April 2024 in Nova Gorica. 

Popri competition is organised by the Primorska Technology Park with the cooperation with Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, SPIRIT Slovenia Business Development Agency, the Slovene Enterprise Fund (SEF), which also provides the prize pool of the competition. Other organizers are the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, the City Municipality of Nova Gorica, and the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba. 

Congratulations on the first place and good luck in Nova Gorica!​

   

       


Friday, 8 March 2024 THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE INNORENEW COE AMONG FINALISTS FOR THE NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS PRIZES 2024

The European Commission selected the research institute InnoRenew CoE, out of 530 applications, as one of the finalists for the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024. Today the public voting for the prizes started.

The application prepared by InnoRenew CoE experts stood out from over 530 applications for its quality, alignment with NEB values and principles, and potential to promote beauty, sustainability, and inclusion.

     

InnoRenew CoE became a hub for a future-oriented scientific and industrial community focused on sustainable building with renewable materials,” said Eva Prelovšek Niemelä, InnoRenew CoE architect and Head of Creativity & Society research department, and added: “We have successfully brought new hope and knowledge to the city of Izola, a former industrial city in Slovenia, with many events, trainings, conferences, scientific projects, designs, and collaborations.”

The research institute InnoRenew CoE not only designed and constructed the largest wooden building in Slovenia following restorative environmental and ergonomic design (REED) principles, but at the same time created the building to serve as a research object itself. The institute’s researchers can therefore deploy, test, and demonstrate new solutions, technologies, and systems to assess building materials, construction systems, occupant wellbeing, and social engagement. At the same time they are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and innovative approaches with the wider community. Since the official opening of the building in 2022, it has gathered, hosted, attracted and been visited by over 30.000 people. Thus, they are inspiring people to use wood for buildings, furniture, and other objects of daily use. Additionally, the building is the headquarters of the NEB Academy Pioneer Hub for Sustainable Environments with Renewable Materials. The NEBAP Hub activities will provide training, led by the University of Primorska, to accelerate the decarbonisation of homes and buildings across Europe and beyond.

Designing the largest timber building in Slovenia had a complex task beyond the design itself,  as it had to demonstrate how the physical transformation of a post-industrial place could bring new spirit and sociotechnical development by creating an engaging scientific hub.

With the construction of the InnoRenew CoE building we successfully created a new science hub that brings collaboration between research institutes, universities, private companies, vocational trainers, schools, and the local, national, and international community, and it became a special landmark and place to be in Slovenia,” emphases Eva Prelovšek Niemelä. Further she pointed out the pleasure that the excellence and ambitions of InnoRenew CoE were recognized also by the New European Bauhaus community and the European Commission.

The InnoRenew CoE decided to apply for the prize as they believe that the institute itself is an example of good practice, demonstrating a beautiful, sustainable and inclusive environment. From today, 6 March at 12:00 CET until 27 March 2024, at 18:00 CET, the public voting of finalists for the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024 is possible at the NEB Prizes platform.

Two out of the 20 winners of competition will be determined by the results of public voting, while others will be selected by an expert jury. Winners of the NEB Prizes 2024 will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place during the second edition of the New European Bauhaus Festival, in Brussels. The Festival will bring together people from all across the globe to share their vision about a sustainable future. Among them will be also dr. Andreja Kutnar, InnoRenew CoE director, who will present the story and the process of creating the NEB Academy at the University of Primorska and the planned activities of the NEBA Alliance, also led by University of Primorska.

The New European Bauhaus prizes are meant for projects that demonstrate its core principles and values in practice, and encourage the younger generation to develop new concepts and ideas.

You are kindly invited to take part in public voting and support the InnoRenew CoE project!

    


Thursday, 7 March 2024 Live demonstration of an AEB vehicle

We are pleased to invite you to a seminar and a live demonstration of an AEB vehicle featuring Toralf Trautmann, a distinguished physicist and professor of Automotive Mechatronics at the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (HTWD). 

    

During the Monday (RIN) seminar, Prof. Trautmann will share insights into his extensive research in the field and unfold the fascinating journey of how he and his group developed an Autonomous Vehicle. 

Additionally, Prof. Trautmann will give a live demonstration of an AEB vehicle on Thursday, 14 March 2024, at 3 pm, in the parking lot in front of the Livade 1.0 building in Izola. The event is open to all enthusiasts interested in Automotive Software and its development. 

His research areas include the development and testing of advanced driver assistance systems, surrounding sensors (Lidar, Radar, Camera) and data fusion, approval processes for autonomous vehicles, as well as the development of software and prototyping using Matlab/Simulink. 

Presentation of the current test procedures and development activities of the Laboratory for Automotive Mechatronics at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTWD) is available HERE.


Tuesday, 5 March 2024 LIFE BE-WoodEN project kick-off meeting

University of Primorska's researchers attended the kick off meeting of the LIFE BE-WoodEN – Buildings and Education in Wood Ecosystem for the New European Bauhaus project. It was held 27-28 February 2024 in Genoa, Italy.

The two-day meeting was the first in-person meeting between researchers at the University of Primorska, the project coordinator Universita degli studi di Genovaand other project partners – Regione Liguria, ART-ER Universita degli studi di Firenze, Federazione Italiana delle industrie del legno de IT, Comite Europeen de Coordiantion de l'habitat social aisbl and Politechnika Wroclawska.

The meeting began with an opening address by the University of Genoa’s rector, Mr Federico Delfino. Later participants reviewed the overall content of the project and presented the establishment of the NEB Academy Pioneer SUD Hub. A special focus was on the presentation of the planned communication and dissemination activities with external stakeholders. A timetable for the implementation of various seminars, the autumn school and the podcast were adopted. They held also the Steering Committee meeting.

Prof. dr. Andreja Kutnar, the project leader at UP IAM, presented the process of establishment of the New European Bauhaus Academy Pioneer Hub for Sustainable Built Environments with Renewable Materials (NEBAP Hub).

The following day, the project coordinator organised a tour of Imperia and ARTE Imperia, where participants took part in the first press conference and visited the pilot project for the building restructuring in Imperia. The municipality bought the building to carry out a sustainable renovation, where 18 social housing units and two common areas for the elderly are planned. They will renovate the building by using wood and other natural materials, test innovative methodologies and include on-site demonstrations.

      

The project is financed under the LIFE2027 initiative of the European Commission and aims to promote the decarbonization of buildings, improve circularity in the building sector, and overcome barriers hindering the widespread use of wood and bio-based materials.


Monday, 4 March 2024 Prof. Ademir Hujdurović was awarded the Kalman Visiting Fellowship to the University of Auckland

Prof. Ademir Hujdurović, Dean of UP FAMNIT, was awarded the Kalman Visiting Fellowship to the University of Auckland. This Fellowship is named after John Kalman, who was a professor of Mathematics at the University of Auckland from 1964 to 1993, and a leading promoter of New Zealand mathematics. The Fellowship is generously supported by a grant from the Margaret and John Kalman Charitable Trust.

This Fellowship is awarded each year to an early career academic to enable them to visit the University of Auckland for a period of several weeks. The Kalman Visiting Fellow would be a faculty member of another University. The purpose of the Kalman Visiting Fellowship is to enable successful mathematicians to visit the University of Auckland and to participate in the intellectual life of the University. The Visiting Fellows participate in and contribute to research activity, give seminars and engage in informal discussions on research topics with staff and students in the Department of Mathematics (and other Departments within the Faculty of Science and University as appropriate).

As part of the fellowship, the Dean of UP FAMNIT visited the University of Auckland this February and held a seminar titled "The Erd˝os-Ko-Rado property of transitive permutation groups".

Prof. Ademir Hujdurović and Assoc. Prof. György Kiss from the Department of Mathematics at UP FAMNIT also attended the Symmetries of Discrete Objects conference (SODO 2024 Auckland) at the University of Auckland, which took place from 12 to 16 February. They contributed with the talks titled "Stability of Cayley graphs" (by Prof. Ademir Hujdurović) and "Geometric constructions of small regular graphs with girth 5 and 7" (by Assoc. Prof. György Kiss).


Prof. Ademir Hujdurović at the SODO 2024 Auckland conference


SODO 2024 Auckland conference participants


Thursday, 29 February 2024 The Department of Biodiversity invites you to the next seminar on terrestrial topics

The next seminar on terrestrial topics, titled "From threats to resilience for a multi-scalar approach to the "Natura 2000" Network the article 6.3 of the Directive 92/43/EC" will be conducted by Pietro Giovacchini,  Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Livade 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), Lecture Room Epsilon (ground floor), from 12:00 to 13:00.

     

Satisfactory management of Natura 2000 sites”: is it always necessary a more detailed approach in the analysis of the project? For example, environmental fragmentation can be measured particularly where the impact shows different effects on the biotic group across a more detailed scale. For other reasons, the rock quarries abandoned for over 10 years, where up to seven breeding or wintering bird rock species included in the Red Lists have been found, constitute an example of resilience over a large territory. Article 6.3 of the "Habitats" Directive evaluates the main effects that the project may have on the site concerned. However, the authorization process envisaged by the same article of the Directive is often indicative in the document of an inadequate cultural formation which implies a multi-scalar approach, for example, due to the lack of an evaluation of cumulative effects or planning strategies. If the environmental interference with the Natura 2000 network is out of this area, in a scenario with anthropic threats in which value taxa coexist (e.g. Discoglossus sardus, annexes II and IV of Directive 92/43/EEC), the analysis of the ecological system and the elements of the landscape unit equally aim to verify the impact on the species, especially if compared to an adequate reference scale for the critical issues inherent in a meta-population.


Pietro Giovacchini attained his Master's degree in Natural Science in 1997) and his Professional Master program in Biomonitoring and Management of the Coastal Zone in 2004, in both cases at the University of Siena. Currently, he is doing his PhD at the Department of Environmental, Geological and Polar Sciences and Technologies at the University of Siena University, his PhD thesis Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the management of Protected Areas through the Use of objective indicators: An Application to a system of zones wetlands of the Tyrrhenian coast. Apart from his PhD, he works as an officer of the public authority “Regione Toscana”, where he mainly deals with natural resources and management of the Natura 2000 network.

 

 

 

 

 


Wednesday, 28 February 2024 The Department of Biodiversity was part of the largest scientific gatherings on the topic of fisheries

Between 19-23 February 2024, the GFCM Forum on fisheries science in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea took place in Antalya, Turkey, organized by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Food and Agriculture Organization (UN). 

The Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT participated in the thematic session "Better Science for Better Advice," addressing the topic of Management Strategy Evaluation for fisheries advice, where Matic Jančič shared his experiences about the projects LIFE EUROTURTLES and LIFE DELFI, with a talk entitled "Inadequacy of Protected Species Bycatch Monitoring in Bottom Set Net Fisheries in the Eastern Adriatic Sea." 

About talk: In collaboration with local fishermen, the authors identified a significant incompatibility between officially published bycatch monitoring data and the observed amount of bycatch in small-scale coastal fishing with passive nets in the years 2018-2021 in the Croatian Istria. The presented results were obtained as part of an ongoing collaboration between UP FAMNIT, the Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, the Croatian Natural History Museum, and the Marine Science Program of Juraj Dobrila University of Pula. 

The forum, one of the biggest scientific gatherings dedicated to fisheries and related issues in the region, aims to promote discussions and cooperation among scientists and policymakers towards producing scientific advice and encompasses oceanographic, social science, and economic perspectives on fisheries research 

The forum was divided into three thematic sessions, each addressing multiple specific topics. Throughout these sessions, numerous workshops and side events were organized, providing participants with the option to delve deeper into specific areas of interest. 

   


Tuesday, 27 February 2024 EXTENDED DEADLINE: OPEN CALL FOR AWARDS AND RECOGNITION OF THE ALUMNI UP IN 2024

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TILL THE 18 MARCH 2024 (14:00)!

The Alumni Club of the University of Primorska is a network of Alumni Clubs of individual faculties of the University of Primorska, whose purpose is to maintain contact with and among alumni, to organise educational, scientific and other professional events, to support excellence in research, and to strengthen the identity and sense of belonging of the University of Primorska community.

The University of Primorska is launching an open call for Alumni UP awards and recognitions in order to strengthen the identity and sense of belonging of the Alumni UP community. Alumni UP members are eligible to recive three types of awards; the Alumni UP Award for Excellence, the Alumni UP Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Professional Field, and the Alumni UP "Young UP" Award. The "Patron of Alumni UP" Recognition.

PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING NOMINATIONS AND CONDITIONS FOR AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

  • Candidates for prizes may be proposed by:
  • Alumni UP bodies;
  • a member or a group of members of Alumni UP.

Candidates for awards may be proposed by:

  • Alumni UP bodies;
  • a member or a group of members of Alumni UP;
  • the deans of the UP faculties, the directors of the UP members, and the UP management.

An individual may not nominate himself/herself. The President of the Alumni UP, as a voting member of the Commission, cannot propose candidates. Voting members of the Commission cannot propose candidates in the year of the award.

Candidates for the awards must meet the following conditions:

  • have completed a postgraduate or undergraduate degree at UP or an advanced study program at UP; and
  • membership of the Alumni UP.

How to submit your proposal: via the e-form available HERE!
The following information must be entered in the e-form:

  • Type of award and recognition,
  • the name, last name, and email of the proposer(s);
  • the name, last name and email of the prize nominee;
  • the name of the organization and the name and last name of the person responsible in the case of a candidate for an award,
  • the consent of the nominee (sample available here).

A justification of the proposal stating the reason for nominating the candidate (up to 400 words), a brief description of the candidate's achievements, and relevant supporting evidence (e.g. references, list of published works, or other documents demonstrating the candidate's achievements and contributions) is to be sent to the alumni@upr.si e-mail adress.

Deadline for submission: 10.3.2024.
Date for the selection of candidates: 22.3.2024

TYPES OF AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Alumni UP Award for Excellence

The Alumni UP Award for Excellence is awarded to a graduate of the University of Primorska (hereinafter referred to as UP); a member of the UP Alumni, for outstanding career achievements or outstanding philanthropic activity or achievements in the cultural, sporting field, or the candidate has otherwise established himself/herself as a leader or role model in one or more areas of his/her activity. In all of the above cases, the candidate has contributed to the reputation and visibility of UP through his/her work and achievements.

 Alumni UP Award for outstanding achievements in the professional field

The UP Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement is awarded to a UP graduate, a member of the UP Alumni, who has achieved outstanding success in his/her professional community and/or has made a significant contribution to the development of the profession through his/her work. The candidate has contributed to the reputation and visibility of UP through his/her work and achievements.

Alumni UP Award "Young UP" 

The UP Alumni Award "Young UP" is awarded to a UP graduate, a member of the UP Alumni, who has completed his/her studies at UP within the past five (5) years and has demonstrated special acumen in his/her professional field and/or has demonstrated dedication to community service, public service, or philanthropy, and who has achieved significant career, scientific research, or other professional accomplishments during this period. The candidate has contributed to the reputation and visibility of UP through his/her work and achievements.

"Patron of Alumni UP" recognition

The "Patron of Alumni UP" recogniton is given to a supporter of Alumni UP for a significant contribution to the development and activities of the Alumni UP community. The award is not linked to membership in Alumni UP and can be awarded to legal or natural persons.

CALL FOR AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

CONSENT FORM SAMPLE

The project is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The project is implemented in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) under the development area Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, component Strengthening competencies, in particular digital competencies and those required by the new professions and the green transition (C3 K5), for the investment measure Investment F. Implementation of pilot projects, the results of which will serve as a basis for the preparation of a roadmap for the reform of higher education for a green and resilient transition to a Society 5.0: project Pilot Projects for the Reform of Higher Education for a Green and Resilient Transition.


Tuesday, 27 February 2024 Visiting professor and researcher about future cooperation with our faculty

Last week we spoke with Prof. Dr. Fabio Vlacci from the University of Trieste and Dr. Matteo Bisanti from the University of Florence, who visited us within the Erasmus+ exchange and research project, and shared their impressions and other possibilities for further cooperation.  

Prof. Dr. Fabio Vlacci arrived as part of a short-term exchange on February 19th and, was hosted by Assoc. Prof. Jasna Prezelj from the Department of Mathematics until February 22nd. 

    
                                                          
Prof. Dr. Fabio Vlacci from the University of Trieste

As he briefly described, this is certainly not his first visit to our faculty; he previously participated in several seminars, and each visit constantly excites him. “ The university has represented a great opportunity for me to work with my collaborator Prof. Jasna Prezelj and to better appreciate the active university life at UP. In recent years, I have been several times to Koper, for seminars, lessons, conferences, meetings and, occasionally, also for some celebration. I have been always impressed by the efficiency and kindness of the administrative staff, together with the excellent quality of research and teaching activities carried out at UP Famnit. Thank you for accepting me as a privileged guest in this very dynamic, young but internationally recognized university: hvala lepa!!” he expressed his gratitude in Slovene. 


In September, as part of a research visit at UP FAMNIT, we were visited by Dr. Matteo Bisanti from the University of Florence, hosted by Prof. Elena Bužan, for a period of 6 months. 

      
                                                    
 Dr. Matteo Bisanti from the University of Florence

The researcher, who primarily focuses on the design and evaluation of educational and playful activities related to sustainability, is particularly interested in how public institutions utilize games for their purposes. Recently, Matteo  has been working on gamification and sustainability in citizen science projects – games for social change and games for (OGS), the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics about ships 'Laura Bassi' (OGS). He is also a part of the Scientific Committee of the Game Science Research Center - the interuniversity research center, which produces research about games, ranging from game-based learning to game studies. 

He has admitted that the field of biodiversity excites him, but he has recently found new challenges. "While I have a love for evolutionary biology and genetics, my recent focus has shifted towards naturalistic aspects and citizen science projects, particularly using games as tools for engaging the public. Among other things, my latest publication involves a role-playing game used in an Economics class in Florence to simulate macroeconomic actions addressing climate change," he adds. 

Currently, within the framework of the ERGA project, Dr. Bisanti assisting Dr. Elena Bužan from the Department of Biodiversity, in the game design of a videogame for the European project ERGA on the sequencing of European species. In addition, he is supervising the master's thesis of one of our students, focusing on gamifying the app for the European Step Change project. He also sees many other opportunities for future collaboration with the faculty. " I believe there will be numerous opportunities for collaboration with Buzan's group in the coming years, particularly in European projects involving elements of Citizen Science and strong citizen involvement, " explains Dr. Bisanti. 


Saturday, 17 February 2024 PUBLIC CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS 2024-2025

The University of Primorska invites all students of the following faculties: UP Faculty of HumanitiesUP Faculty of ManagementUP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information TechnologiesUP Faculty of EducationUP Faculty of Tourism Studies - TuristicaUP Faculty of Health Sciences, who are eligible, to apply for the Public call to obtain scholarships from the Scholarship Fund of University of Primorska in the academic year 2024/2025.

The Scholarship Fund of the University of Primorska is based on a partnership between the University of Primorska, municipalities, and the private sector. Its aim is to reward and encourage the best students of UP, offer their knowledge to potential employers during the course of their study process, and provide opportunities for employment to these students as soon as they finish their studies. The objective of the Fund is at the same time to support all UP students in achieving the best possible results in their studies.

With this Public Call, the University of Primorska invites all:

  • candidates for enrolment in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd cycle study programmes of UP and
  • students who, in the academic year of 2024/2025, will be enrolled in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd cycle study programmes of UP,

to apply for this public call, and thus express their interest in joining the Fund.

The amount of the scholarship for the academic year 2024/2025 is at least 2.200,00 EUR.

In the case when the scholarships are awarded via UP, the scholarship amount is 2.200,00 EUR per academic year. In certain cases, a higher scholarship can also be awarded, namely:

  • for students enrolled in the 1st and 2nd cycle, who score from 80 to 89 points, the scholarship can be as high as 330,00 EU per month, respectively as high as 3.300,00 EU per academic year;
  • for students enrolled in the 1st and 2nd cycle, who score from 90 to 100 points, the scholarship can be as high as 550,00 EU per month, respectively as high as 5.500,00 EU per academic year;
  • for students enrolled in the 3rd cycle, the scholarship can be as high as 1.200,00 EU per month, respectively as high as 12.000,00 EU per academic year.

Scholarship contracts will be concluded between UP, Fund partners (employers), and students with whom there is a mutual interest in the conclusion of the contract. By signing the scholarship contract, the student agrees that in the case that they are offered employment by a partner of the fund (employer) they will accept the offer and, after completing their studies, work for the partner of the fund for at least as long as they received the scholarship.

Application deadline: September 15th, 2024. The application is submitted in due time if it is submitted between February 15th, 2024 to September 15th, 2024.

On the website of the Career Center of the University of Primorska (KC UP) you will find all details and the public call: UP Scholarship Fund 2024/2025 - PUBLIC CALL!

Contacts: Career Center of University of Primorska, Center for Lifelong Learning and Career Orientation

Address: Titov trg 4, 6000 Koper, Slovenija   

Phone: +386 5 611 76 36   

E-mail: kariernicenter@upr.si

PUBLIC CALL - 2024/2025

JP za pridobitev stipendije na UP za leto 2024-2025.pdf (233kb)

Public call UP Scholarship Find 2024-2025.pdf (199kb)


Wednesday, 14 February 2024 The third lecture of Famnits' excursion into the mathematical universe 2023/24

You are kindly invited to the third lecture entitled

»Königsberg: A Hidden Key to Graph Theory's Door,«

which will be held on Wednesday, 21 February, at 18:00, in the lecture room - VP3 and via ZOOM.

The lecture will be given by Dr. Blas Fernandez from UP FAMNIT and UP IAM.

Unnoticed within the pages of history rests the unfamiliar city of Königsberg. While modern maps may find it hard to precisely locate, one particular quirk in its geography has made it one of the most recognizable cities in mathematics. Right in the middle of this city, where the Pregel River flowed, lay two interconnected islands joined to the riverbanks by seven distinct bridges. Residents became captivated by a simple question: Could one traverse all Königsberg's bridges without retracing their steps? This innocent and curious question challenged the minds of mathematicians and forged the very essence of graph theory. Come with us as we discover the secret role that Königsberg had, unlocking the door to the amazing world where graph theory began. We will unravel the essential ideas behind graphs— visual representations of interconnected nodes —and dive into their wide applicability for solving all sorts of different problems.

Blas Fernandez, born in 1992 in Alberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina, finished his Master’s thesis in Mathematics at the National University of La Plata in 2018. Before defending his thesis, he was at the University of Primorska as part of the Erasmus programme. At the beginning of the academic year 2018/2019, Blas enrolled in the doctoral Mathematics study programme at the University of Primorska, where he made remarkable progress in the field of algebraic combinatorics. He is the author of twelve high-quality articles and has presented several results from his doctoral dissertation at international conferences and research seminars.


Tuesday, 13 February 2024 The successful conclusion of the COST Action CA18201 project - An integrated approach to conservation of threatened plants for the 21st Century (ConservePlants) - brought together researchers from 25 countries

The rapid changes in climate and the environment are more noticeable today than ever before, directly affecting plants that enhance our lives through various services. Despite the goals that domestic scientists strive to achieve, these have not bring the desired results. Therefore, the collaboration and establishment of a network of scientists and other stakeholders through the project have served as an excellent opportunity to explore and strive to improve the condition of endangered plant species throughout Europe.

Between February 12 and 13, 2024, the final conference of the COST Action CA18201 project - An integrated approach to the conservation of threatened plants for the 21st Century (ConservePlants) - took place in Izola, Livade 1.0 facility, which started in the fall of 2019.

   

The conference organized by the Department of Biodiversity UP FAMNIT brought together 74 participants from 25 countries, including Slovenia, Albania, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. 

Throughout the conference, various scientists and researchers shared their insights, contributing to the conservation of endangered plant species across Europe.

In the introduction, participants were welcomed by Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, the rector of UP, who encouraged all to continue their actions for the conservation of endangered species even after the conference.

   

Project manager, Dr. Živa Fišer from the Department of Biodiversity (UP FAMNIT), presented achievements that have been lined up until the very end, which serves as an excellent opportunity for further growth: "The concluding conference marks the end of a four-and-a-half-year period of our COST project, focusing on the conservation of endangered plant species. Throughout this project, we established a vast network of collaborators from more than 40 countries, providing us with a foundation for future collaboration."

The invited speakers of the conference are experts in ethnobotany and plant ecology, Silvia Castro, and Andrea Pieroni.

Andrea Pieroni obtained his PhD in 1998 from the University of Bonn, Germany, and is currently engaged in research on cross-cultural ethnobotany and traditional food in the Balkans and the Middle East especially among mountain pastoralists and ethnic and religious minorities and diasporas. In 2008-2010, Professor Pieroni also served as Vice-President and President of the International Society of Ethnobiology. He is also a founder and Chief Editor of the J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, and a member of the editorial boards of various international ethnological scientific journals.

He believes that this kind of cooperation is crucial for the conservation of endangered species, with a focus on raising people’s awareness of the importance of plant species. He shared his perspective in the following statement: "To Conserve Plants, we need to conserve people and their links to plants. Plants are not just plants but are also part of the history of the interaction between them and the human community."

    

Silvia Castro, from the University of Coimbra, views the COST action as a significant opportunity to connect with various researchers working on similar topics and to acquire new ideas over the past four years, as she states: "Today, I presented one of the projects focusing on nature conservation and the preservation of endangered plants, especially invasive species. In short, we brought together a diverse group of experts, including botanists, entomologists, and colleagues from various disciplines, who joined forces to sample these invasive species in the Mediterranean basin. So, we got this very nice picture illustrating the plant's capability to become invasive."

    

In addition to the plenary sessions, there were also 21 lectures by conference participants.

In addition to showcasing the project's key accomplishments, the collection of four children's books titled 'Stories of Endangered Plants' was presented. Crafted as part of the project's commitment to preserving endangered plants, these engaging and educational picture books aim to familiarize children with the importance of plant conservation.

Conserve Plants is one of the major COST actions, uniting 39 countries with over 150 members of working groups from academia, research institutions, and NGOs. They collaborate on diverse activities aimed at conserving endangered plants.

The book of abstracts and poster, are available electronically at the following link.

   

    

   

    

    

    

    


Monday, 12 February 2024 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE

The International Day for Women and Girls in Science is held every 11 February  at the suggestion of the United Nations. Its purpose is to draw attention to gender inequality, as there is still a large gender gap in all scientific disciplines worldwide, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Women are also increasingly represented in higher education, but they are still under-represented. According to UNESCO, fewer than 30% of all researchers are women.

The University of Primorska has 261 female researchers (51.8% of its workforce), working at six member faculties and one research institute. In the previous year, 21 young researchers were being trained, of whom 12 were women (57%).

In the last year, UP women scientists have been involved in various associations:

  • Prof. Dr. Elena Bužan  (UP FAMNIT) became a member of: the European University Association (EUA), within which she is part of the Expert Group on Open Science (EGOS); the Expert Council for Animal Protection (SSZŽ) MKGP RS and  and the Management Board of the European Consortium for the Protection of Animals (ERGA).
  • Prof. Anna Małgorzata Sandak  (UP, InnoRenew) was invited to be included as an expert in the database for outstanding women scientists (SWISS National Science Foundation) and published a scientific article in the journal Nature Reviews Materials.
  • Doc. dr. Valentina Brečko Grubar  (UP FHŠ) became a member of the Council for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Slovenia.
  • Assis. prof. dr. Anja Pirih  and Prof. dr. Mara Cotič< /strong> (UP PEF) became members of the Expert Council of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education.
  • Prof. Dr. Mara Cotič  (UP PEF) became a member of the Working Group for the preparation of the National Programme for Education for the period 2023-2033.

 They have also received various awards, such as:

Male researchers dominate the management of research programmes at our University (78% of leaders), as well as all adapted research and international cooperation projects (75%). 71% of basic research projects are also led by male researchers. Women dominate the ARIS projects (80%) only in the management of postdoctoral projects. Women dominate the management of Horizon projects (70%), including the largest project, the InnoRenew CoE, which is led by a female researcher. In other types of research and development projects (Erasmus, Structural Funds, other international projects), the gender balance in project management is fairly balanced, with women leading 58% of projects and men 42%. Women leaders are clearly predominant in projects funded by the Structural Funds (83%) and in projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (86%). Women leaders are also predominant in projects funded by the Structural Funds (83%) and in projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (86%)

This Women and Girls in Science Day, we focused on projects and research that, in their fields, contribute in part or in full to addressing issues related to women's issues.

Two focus on women's entrepreneurship - WE GREEN and AGRIGEP


Associate Prof. Dr. Patricia Blatnik highlights the main points of the project AGRIGEP - Assessment and implementation of Agriculture and Life Science Universities’ first Gender Equality Plans in widening countries (Horizon 2020), which addresses gender equality in research and educational institutions, with a special focus on agricultural and life sciences, which remain neglected in terms of equality within STEM.

 

"Our work on gender equality in AGRIGEP is crucial in higher education and science, as it addresses many issues specific to women and their position in society. Through the project, we are trying to tackle barriers to access to education, identifying the structural, cultural and other barriers that prevent women from having equal access to education. By exploring these barriers, we design and implement effective policies and guidelines to promote greater inclusion and success of women in education. In addition, it is a well-known fact that there are specific gender issues within certain fields of study where women are under-represented, so the project is particularly focusing on gender issues in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), developing specific action plans. Our work seeks to identify the causes of imbalances within these sectors, developing specific programmes and policies to encourage greater participation of women in these fields. The project is working towards the development of more inclusive curricula that promote gender equality and ensure that all students feel equal and included in the higher education environment. Through the project, we are providing new evidence that underpins the development of strategies and effective policies on gender equality in education and research institutions.

By providing reliable analysis and data, we influence all stakeholders and key decision-makers to take action to ensure equal opportunities for all. Our work not only highlights existing problems, but also helps to create and spread awareness about the importance of gender equality. Through education and awareness-raising, we aim to contribute to a gradual change in societal gender norms and expectations, with long-term positive effects on the position of women in society. By focusing on gender equality in education and research institutions, our work helps to ensure that women are better able to develop their skills and knowledge in a wide range of fields. This not only contributes to their personal growth and self-confidence, but also to their economic independence and strength in society. Our research work in this project thus serves as a foundation for building a fairer and more equal society where women can realise their potential without the constraints imposed by gender stereotypes or discrimination".


Urška GeričM.Sc. in Nature Conservation spoke about women's interest in studying in the field of bioinformatics and informatics:

"In the past, men dominated in technical professions, while women preferred biological, chemical, pharmaceutical,... However, in recent years, there has been an encouraging trend of increasing interest among women in studying bioinformatics, informatics and data science,.... This is reflected in the increasing number of female students enrolling in these programmes. There is also an increasing number of female researchers who are actively involved in research projects in these fields. However, there is still a shortage of women in positions such as professors and assistant professors in IT studies".


Dr. Urša Mars Bitenc, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesna Jug address research in the field of reproductive psychology:

"Research in the field of reproductive psychology is crucial for understanding and addressing different aspects of women's reproductive health and experiences. It provides insights into fertility and reproductive health, addresses different aspects of mental health during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and postpartum, and provides important information on family planning processes. Research can also address the psychological impact of infertility and assisted reproduction, explore the dynamics of parenthood and child development, and highlight gender differences and societal expectations of reproduction. Research findings can make an important contribution to policy-making and efforts to ensure women's reproductive rights and access to comprehensive health services, including psychological support and treatment. The field of reproductive psychology is therefore essential for promoting women's autonomy, well-being and reproductive justice."


The field of women's health is of great importance for the success of society as a whole, and it is in this context that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mirko Proseng, who in December was awarded the title of "Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery", is actively engaged. Fellow membership is offered exclusively by the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and represents one of the most prestigious professional qualifications awarded to nurses and midwives. Among the important projects he has led is the Cross-Border Network for Immigrant Women: Social Integration, Sexual and Reproductive Health (Integra) project.

"Women's health is undoubtedly the foundation of a healthy society. My work as a teacher and researcher at the UP Faculty of Health Sciences focuses on improving access to quality, woman-centred healthcare, particularly in the area of reproductive health. By supporting and implementing innovative research projects in the field of women's health and by educating future health professionals, taking into account the needs of women and their social situation in our study programmes, we can have a direct impact on improving the quality of women's lives and thus on society as a whole."

Free access to the digital science monograph "Women, Migrations and Health" (Sabina Ličen, Igor Karnjuš and Mirko Prosen).


The topic of equality was also presented at the Consultation on Gender Equality for an Inclusive University and Society, which covered the broader topic with its contributions.

Prof. Dr. Vlado Kotnik  (UP FHŠ) shares his thoughts on the International Day of Women and Girls.

"For a long time, gender has been a rather unthought of category in universities. And so have the exclusions, marginalisations and stigmatisations that have resulted from these unthinkings. Universities in the 21st century can no longer afford such unthinking, because gender (in)equality is also their heritage and therefore their eminent problem. The fact that women academics are willing and able to think beyond the problems of universities with ignorance, inequalities and inequities based on gender and because of gender is perhaps the only promise that universities can become better places to live out the principles of autonomy, integrity, collegiality, diversity, equity, inclusiveness, openness and knowledge."


Assoc. Prof. Dr. Karmen Medica ( UP FHŠ) summarises the research work on migration, focusing on the increasing feminisation of migration with the following effects:

"First of all, the stereotypical image of family migration, where women were mostly perceived as passive migrants following their husbands, is becoming less and less present. Research identifies how discourses and practices about women as independent protagonists of migration have come to life. They are increasingly present as active participants in decision-making in their own lives and in the lives of their families. Identifying the position and situation of women in migration processes helps to open up new opportunities, competences and better integration of women in the immigrant environment, increasing their employment opportunities and strengthening their social inclusion.

Research also points to problems and shortcomings in the local and family environment, and to the persistence of patriarchal patterns in many places. Work in this area is largely focused on stimulating and developing inclusive communication aimed at participation and co/creation of migrant women's lives in their new environment."


Monday, 12 February 2024 2-year Postdoc Position in Psychologically-informed User Modeling

The Department of Information Sciences and Technologies (DIST) at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (FAMNIT) of the University of Primorska is seeking a top early-career researcher for a postdoctoral position in the area of psychologically-informed user modeling under the supervision of assoc. prof. dr. Marko Tkalčič.

The project will explore how psychologically-informed features can be used to model users, items, infer user characteristics from digital traces, infer item characteristics, provide explanations and recommendations in the music and film domains. The methodologies will include user studies and machine learning. The selected candidate will work in a great team with Marko Tkalčič as part of the HICUP lab (https://hicup.famnit.upr.si/) in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Koper (the beach is only a 3 min walk from the office).

Details:

  • Full-time employment (40 hrs/week). Full social security.
  • The position is for two years.
  • The preferred starting date is October 2024 (negotiable).
  • The candidates must have (or expect to obtain shortly) a PhD in computer science or in an area relevant to the research topics.
  • The ideal candidate should posses expertise in the following areas:
     - recommender systems,
    - machine learning,
    - user modeling.
  • Expertise in one or more of the following areas will be appreciated
    - ML explainability,       
    - computational psychology,
    - computational social science,
    - media-related knowledge (musicology etc.).
  • The position includes a small teaching load (1 course/semester, 3-4 hrs/week).
  • The position comes with funding for travel (conferences, visitors).

Application Process:

The applications will be assessed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, send an email to marko.tkalcic@famnit.upr.si with the following documentation:

  • motivation
  • CV
  • list of publications
  • research statement
  • names and email addresses of two to three references


Tuesday, 6 February 2024 UP HERBARIUM GAINS INTERNATIONAL CODE AND JOINS A NETWORK OF MORE THAN 3,500 HERBARIA WORLDWIDE

UP HERBARIUM GAINS INTERNATIONAL CODE AND JOINS A NETWORK OF MORE THAN 3,500 HERBARIA WORLDWIDE

For many of us, our first association with a herbarium is a primary or secondary school collection of a few dozen dried plants, complete with names and a few details. For many of us, this is the first way to get up close and personal with the plants that surround us.

But herbariums are not just collections of dried and labelled plants, they are institutions that collect and preserve material of scientific, educational and naturalistic importance. The oldest surviving herbariums date back to the 16th century and are of inestimable value, while more recent herbariums have also gained in importance with the development of genomics and the digitisation of biological data to facilitate their use for research purposes. Herbariums can hold millions of specimens, e.g. the largest herbarium of the Paris Museum of Natural History holds 9.5 million specimens, followed by the New York Botanical Garden herbarium with 7.6 million. The latter also maintains a global database, Index Herbariorum, which brings together more than 3,500 herbariums from around the world and assigns a unique code to identify herbaria. Since January 2024, the Herbarium of the University of Primorska with the code KP is also part of this network, which is also the first indexed herbarium outside Ljubljana, joining the other four indexed herbaria in Slovenia, namely the Herbarium of the University of Ljubljana, the Herbarium of the Natural History Museum of Slovenia, the Herbarium of the Forestry Institute of Slovenia, and the Herbarium of the Jovan Hadžija Institute of Biology of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences.


       
                                                                    The UP Herbarium Collection


The UP Herbarium Collection was started in 2008, in parallel with the study programmes and activities of the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT. In the framework of the teaching and research process, the Herbarium Collection grew. Today, the collection contains just under 6,000 specimens of seed plants, ferns, mosses and macroalgae. The largest collection is the collection of flowering plants and ferns, which comprises just over 5,200 specimens and has recently been arranged in pedigree folders and fully entered into the database. Geographically, the collection is focused on the western part of the Balkan Peninsula and the south-eastern Alps, with a particular emphasis on collecting and preserving material from Istria. As Asisst. Dr. Peter Glasnović, one of the key researchers responsible for the achievement, said: "By including the collection in the Index herbariorum, we aim to make UP and its herbarium part of the global scientific community and contribute to the development of botanical research in the region and beyond." Future goals are to organise and digitise the entire collection, which will make it easier to disseminate information to the wider public.

       
                                       Assist. Dr. Peter Glasnović, from the Department of Biodiversity (UP FAMNIT)


Monday, 5 February 2024 Students of Conservation Biology programme at the EcoFlor Conference in Portugal

Staša Simčič and Adela Horvat Conservation Biology students attended the EcoFlor conference in Coimbra, Portugal, on 1 and 2 February, where they presented their research work on the invasive Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae).

Within the conference, they presented the complex biology of species reproduction, with a focus on fluorescent microscopy of furrows with pollen grains and flower morphometrics. Their work is part of a large-scale research on this invasive species, involving researchers from 12 Mediterranean countries, led by the University of Primorska and the University of Coimbra. The research was developed as a result of cooperation within the COST project ConservePlants. 

The annual EcoFlor meeting brings together scientists from the field of plant ecology and evolution. The event encourages discussion, networking and creativity in science, while engaging students in an open and friendly environment.


    
     
    

Monday, 5 February 2024 LIFE BE-WoodEN Launches its Research Initiative for Sustainable Construction

In February 2024, we are commencing a two-year research work as part of the international project LIFE BE-WoodEN – Buildings and Education in Wood Ecosystem for the New European Bauhaus, carried out within the New European Bauhaus Academy Pioneer Hub for Sustainable Built Environments with Renewable Materials (NEBAP Hub).

The project is led by Prof. Andreja Kutnar at UP IAM, the project consortium is led by the Università degli studi di Genova, and other project partners include Regione Liguria, ART-ER-Società consortile per azioni, Università degli Studi di Firenze, FederlegnoArredo, Comité Européen de Coordination de l'habitat Social, and Politechnika Wroclawska.

The project is financed under the LIFE2027 initiative of the European Commission and aims to promote the decarbonization of buildings, improve circularity in the building sector, and overcome barriers hindering the widespread use of wood and bio-based materials. LIFE BE-WoodEN also aligns with the guidelines and values of the interdisciplinary initiative NEB (New European Bauhaus), which connects the European Green Deal with living spaces and experiences.

With capacity-building tools (NEBinars, webinars, field visits, and a summer school) designed to expand knowledge of bio-based materials in construction among wood sector professionals, the project aims to bring together local stakeholders, civil society, residents, and academics through a participatory and transdisciplinary approach to reimagine living spaces.

LIFE BE-WoodEN places a special emphasis on social housing that meets the needs of the elderly and fragile people. The ambition is to prepare professionals who meet market needs, overcome the fragmentation of the local supply chain, and assess the environmental benefits of using wood and bio-based materials in construction.


Friday, 2 February 2024 Nearly 200 students at the traditional Mathematics Day at UP FAMNIT

On Wednesday, 24 January 2024, and Thursday, 1 February 2024, two Mathematics Days brought together nearly 200 students from Gymnasium Koper and Piran. The students participated in lectures on the applicability of mathematics in everyday life.

       

On the first day, conducted on 24 January 2024, the students were welcomed by Dr. Marko Orel, Dr. Ademir Hujdurovič, the Dean of UP FAMNIT, and Dr. Bojan Kuzma, the Head of the Mathematics Department at UP FAMNIT.

The very diverse program offered a wide range of content, which the lecturers presented to the students interactively. 

In a lecture entitled 'Rubik's Cube: From Group Theory through Algorithms to Speed Solving,' conducted by Dr. Prof. Dr. Branko Kavšek, students delved into the Rubik’s Cube, its composition, the meaning of the permutation of the Rubik’s Cube, and how it can be described by mathematical group theory. The students also enjoyed board games during the lectures, counting routes, predicting the weather, and observing what was happening on the stock market. They got into all this in the lecture 'From Snakes and Ladders to Stock Price,' conducted by Assist. Dr. Ana Zalokar.

  

Assoc. Prof. Jasna Prezelj presented, at first glance, seemingly unrelated content - 'Soothing bubbles, chains, trulli, and the Cathedral of St. John Paul,' which, through a mathematical gaze, is transformed into special examples of the calculus of variations.

The lecture 'From the smallest squares to the operation of the CT machine' was given by Prof. Dr. Marko Orel, who presented the mathematical responsibilities for the operation of the first tomograph in a fun scientific way. In addition, Prof. Dr. Mihael Perman lectured on the importance of controlling roulette cylinders.


A week later, on Thursday, February 1, 2024, the students were divided into two groups and welcomed by Dr. Ademir Hujdurović, Dean of UP FAMNIT and Dr. Bojan Kuzma, Head of the Department of Mathematics at UP FAMNIT.

At the first lecture conducted by Prof. Dr. Rok Požar, he explained the human brain from a mathematical point of view. If we look at it closely, we see a lot of similarities with a mathematical object called a graph. Doc. Dr. Nastja Cepak then introduced the students to the operation of the data chain - blockchain, explaining how it works and where bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies belong in this story.

    

This time, Assist. Dr. Ana Zalokar explained what the board game Snakes and Ladders and stock price movements have in common. Barbara Boldin, PhD, took young enthusiasts to the world of nature, where animals compete and cooperate with other animals on a daily basis for their survival. The participants realized that animal decision-making in different situations can be presented in the form of mathematical games.

    

     


Friday, 2 February 2024 CALL FOR ENROLMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDY PROGRAMMES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

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

The first application period for enrolment will be:

  • for Slovenian citizens, citizens of the EU Member States and Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship from 17 February to 20 March 2023,
  • for foreign citizens from non EU countries from 17 February to 22 May 2023.

The list of UP FAMNIT undergraduate study programmes in the English language that are announced in the Call for enrolment 2023/2024:


Thursday, 1 February 2024 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Sead Jahić

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Sentiment Analysis of the Bosnian Language of the student Sead Jahić, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Computer Science.

The presentation will take place on Friday, 2 February 2024 at 11.00 on ZOOM, to which you can access here.

Cordially invited!


Thursday, 1 February 2024 The Slovenian representative, Milan Nikolić, a student of the Computer Science programme (UP FAMNIT) received the “Digital Change Maker” award at the closing ceremony of the “Seeds for the Future European Grand Finale” in Beijing

On Monday, January 29, 2024, at the closing ceremony "Seeds for the Future European Grand Finale", Huawei Europe showcased the joint achievements of young technology enthusiasts who had previously attended organized programs in their respective countries.

The program in Slovenia was successfully concluded in November, where its 4th generation from six Slovenian faculties participated, namely: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Maribor (UM FERI), Faculty of Information Studies in Novo mesto, Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT) of the University of Primorska, Faculty of Computer and Information Science of the University of Ljubljana and DOBA Faculty.

     

Huawei selected Milan Nikolić (UP FAMNIT student) from among all Slovenian representatives, who additionally went on an unforgettable experience at the international closing ceremony 'Seeds for the Future European Grand Finale' in Beijing, Chinawhere he also received the 'Digital Change Maker' award.

Milan believes that every student should consider applying to the Seeds for The Future programme, which serves as a great opportunity to meet new people, especially young enthusiasts, and discover new cultures.

"I would like to thank Huawei for the excellent organization of the program and emphasize their dedication to educating young people. The entire program and Tech4Good contest were truly amazing experiences for me. The experts involved in the various events were extremely competent and excited to share their knowledge, ideas, and experiences. I was also impressed by the positive energy and kindness of other participants who became friends. I am quite sure that we will meet one day on a social or professional occasion. I also had the honor of receiving another award from Huawei, the “Digital Change Maker,” which gives me the opportunity to attend the MWC in Barcelona. The whole experience will always remain in my memory, bringing me a lot of new knowledge and experience. I would recommend it to all students, and I also believe that every student should consider applying to the Seeds of the Future program." 

     

Seeds for the Future" is a global program for young technological talents that has been running since 2008, involving participants from more than 140 countries and regions. It was first organized in Slovenia in 2020. Students are trained in the fields of 5G technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. Additionally, the program introduces participants to leadership theories and Chinese culture. Those who successfully complete the program receive a certificate, a participation award, and an opportunity to join the global Seeds for the Future alumni club. This club provides them with further content and the chance to engage in global networking.


Thursday, 1 February 2024 New doctoral position available

The researcher will be employed at the University of Primorska in the Construction Engineering group and will enroll as a doctoral candidate at the University of Primorska within the doctoral study program Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments at UP FAMNIT.

***

We are seeking a dynamic and motivated PhD candidate to work on development and evaluation of deconstructable timber-concrete composite systems.

The employment relationship will be concluded full-time, 40 hours per week (100%), for a fixed period of one year with the possibility of extension, with a 3-month trial period, expected start of work from 1 October 2024.

Goals and Tasks:

This PhD research will aim to address the growing demand for sustainable construction practices by developing innovative solutions that consider circularity of buildings with focus on hybrid timber-concrete composite systems. This will be achieved by exploring ways to enhance the environmental aspects of hybrid timber-concrete systems through design for deconstruction and material reuse. The candidate will be responsible for:

  • Conducting literature review to understand existing methodologies and challenges.
  • Developing novel design solutions that prioritize and enable easy disassembly and material recovery.
  • Performing advanced experimental and analytical methods to assess the structural capacity and other implications of the developed solutions.
  • Disseminating research findings through publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at conferences.

What we offer:

  • No Ph.D. tuition fee,
  • Opportunity to participate in other ongoing prestigious European projects.

Employment opportunities, admissions policies, activities, services, and the facilities of the University of Primorska do not exclude any person based on race, color, age, sex, gender, religion, national origin, or disability. In processing your application, the GDPR will be respected and your information will not be shared outside of the relevant staff at the University of Primorska. By submitting your application, you agree that the data you provide be reviewed by these organizations.

How to apply:

The applicants should send the following documentation to the email address <razpisi.famnitiam@upr.si>:

  • Curriculum vitae (including short descriptions of all prior educations, qualifications, and research or work experiences)
  • Motivation letter for this doctoral position (maximum one A4 page)
  • List of publications (if applicable)

In the title (subject) of your email please write: PhD Hybrid Timber-Concrete. All materials should be in English and submitted in PDF format.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For further information about the research topic, please contact Assist. Prof. Mohammad Derikvand (email address: mohammad.derikvand@famnit.upr.si).

Application deadline March 15, 2024 

> Call for Applications <

      


Wednesday, 31 January 2024 INFO DAYS 2024

You are invited to join us at Info events, where the professors and students will present an insight into life on the Faculty and the benefits of the programmes. 

***

16 February - 17 February 2024 | from 9.00 am | 

More information about Info day > Here

The information about enrolment > Here

Materials for schools:


Tuesday, 30 January 2024 HICUB Lab at the 8th HCI SI Conference

The 8th edition of the HCI Slovenia Conference took place on Friday, January 26, 2023 at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics.

       

HCI SI is an annual gathering of experts in the field of human-computer interactions (HCI) in Slovenia and nearby regions, organized by Bled SIGCHI. This year's conference edition was co-organized by HICUP Lab (Humans Interacting with Computers at the University of Primorska).

At the conference, members of HICUP Lab presented numerous research papers from various projects conducted by the research group:

  • Nuwan T Attygalle presented the paper Towards Hand Gesture Recognition Prototype Using the IWR6843ISK Radar Sensor and Leap Motion,
  • Matjaž Kljun in Klen Čopič Pucihar presented the paper Manipulating and Augmenting Digital Content Through Physical Counterpart,
  • Karolina Trajkovska presented the paper Name and Face Recall Cognitive Failure: Presenting a Short Literature Review and System Design,
  • Nikola Kovačević presented the paper Retzzles: Do Jigsaw Puzzle Actions on Interactive Display Maps Increase the Retention of Map Information?,
  • Uroš Sergaš presented the paper Cross-country analysis on connection between Financial Lifestyle and Happiness,
  • Jordan Aiko Deja presented the paper Teach Me How to ImproVISe: Co-Designing an Augmented Piano Training System for Improvisation in
  • Marko Tkalčič presented the paper Ranking Footballers with Multilevel Modeling.

You can find more information about the conference and the laboratory at the following link: hicup.famnit.upr.si.

     

     


Monday, 29 January 2024 Authors, including UP FAMNIT researchers, propose new approach for monitoring genetic diversity in Europe to help species adapt to climate change

Genetic diversity is crucial if species are to adapt to climate change. An international study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution that includes researchers from the University of Primorska (FAMNIT) shows that current efforts to monitor genetic diversity in Europe are incomplete and insufficient. The study, proposing a novel approach, aims to identify and pinpoint important geographical areas on which to focus.

Distinguished from its fellow creatures by small differences in its hereditary material, every living thing on our planet faces challenges when the environment becomes unfavourable to populations of species, such as plants and animals. This genetic variability becomes crucial for enabling adaptation to new conditions, preventing extinction, or migration to other habitats.

In simple terms, gene diversity emerges as one of the keys to species survival. In 2022, the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) emphasized the increased need to protect genetic diversity found in wild species, a fundamental component of biological diversity that had been generally neglected before.

Already, global warming is exerting significant pressure on numerous species in Europe, especially those with populations at the climatic limits of their range. The survival of these species is contingent on their ability to withstand increased heat or drought, as well as the introduction of new species into their environment. In these critical borderline situations, the urgency to measure genetic diversity becomes paramount, allowing for an assessment of the species' ability to persist in the face of changing environmental conditions.

Through a comprehensive analysis of all genetic monitoring programs in Europe, the study has identified specific geographic areas that require increased monitoring efforts.


Geographic distribution of effort to monitor population genetic diversity (GME), for purposes of conservation or management, among COST full-member countries
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-02260-0

»Without better European monitoring of genetic diversity, we risk losing important genetic variants,« says Prof. Dr. Peter Pearman, lead author of the study.

Enhanced monitoring efforts would facilitate the identification of areas favorable to genetic variants, allowing for their protection. This is crucial in maintaining the genetic diversity essential for the long-term survival of species. Additionally, some of these threatened species play vital roles in providing valuable services to humans, including crop pollination, pest control, water purification, and climate regulation.

The full study, co-authored by Prof. Dr. Elena Bužan, also a member of the European Reference Consortium Genome Atlas (ERGA), and Laura Iacolina, visiting researcher, both from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT, can be found here. A summary of the findings is available here.

   


Friday, 26 January 2024 UP FAMNIT AT 15. INFORMATIVA 2024

UP was again present at Informativa, Slovenia's largest education and careers fair. At Ljubljana's "Gospodarsko razstavišče" exhibition centre, as last year, it brought the openness of the Mediterranean environment and approach to students, who could not only find information about studies, but also extracurricular activities or content related to student life. This time, the different areas offered by the UP members were also highlighted with signs.

On both Friday and Saturday, the "Little Secrets of Great Students" workshops were also offered - with a talk and practical examples, answering questions, students received excellent tools for their studies, regardless of their choice of faculty or field of study.

Students will also be able to find out more information about their studies at the official information days on 16 and 17 February,  where they will be able to arrive by special bus on Friday.


More information on other information events is also available on the webpage. 


Wednesday, 24 January 2024 CAPTURING THE DIGITAL FUTURE WITH SRC-EDIH

A press conference was held today at the Pretoria Palace in Koper, where speakers presented the services and personal experiences offered by the European Digital Innovation Hub SRC-EDIH project to companies and public institutions for the purpose of digitising their own work. The companies and public institutions involved in the project will receive an assessment of their existing digital developments, as well as the skills and services to use digital technologies to improve their business and production processes, products or services in the future.


Today, digital transformation is a necessary part of doing business successfully and achieving competitiveness, both in business and in the public sector. The transformation of business to digital environments requires the introduction of new technologies, changes in business processes, as well as in the culture and mindset of employees within organisations.

To support businesses and the public sector in making the change towards digital performance, the European Union has established the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) network, which includes 151 hubs in 31 EU countries, and the SRC-EDIH is one of two in Slovenia. The University of Primorska's Centre for Knowledge Development and Transfer, with its researchers from the Faculty of Management and the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, is one of the main project partners in Slovenia. The coordinator of the SRC-EDIH project in Slovenia is the Development Centre Novo mesto.

Over the next two years, SRC-EDIH will support over 100 organisations and more than 1000 employees in acquiring digital skills and competences in Slovenia. All organisations and institutions involved in the project will have access to technical and professional knowledge, over 100 different training courses and access to 11 test environments to test advanced digital technologies before investing in them. Funding advice services and access to the innovation ecosystem are also available. All project services are 80-100% subsidised.

SRC-EDIH in Slovenia consists of a consortium of 16 partner organisations and their experts, who will use their knowledge and experience in various digital technologies to promote the digital transformation of organisations in Slovenia in the coming years. The consortium is made up of the following regional development agencies, colleges and universities, municipalities, chambers of commerce and industry, and various interest groups:

  • Novo mesto Development Centre
  • Novo mesto Municipality
  • Faculty of Industrial Engineering Novo mesto
  • Faculty of Information Studies Novo mesto
  • Municipality of Ajdovščina
  • University of Primorska
  • Chamber of Commerce of Dolenjska and Bela krajina
  • Faculty of Applied Social Studies in Nova Gorica
  • Development and Information Centre Bela krajina
  • Koofr, d. o. o.
  • CadCam Lab, d. o. o. o.
  • University of Nova Gorica
  • Mikrografija, d. o. o.
  • Development Agency ROD Ajdovščina
  • Association of Employers of Slovenia
  • Association of Regional Development Agencies GIZ

The work of the Hub is supported by both the European Commission and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, which co-finance the SRC-EDIH project.

The Rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, in her opening address highlighted the importance of the SRC-EDIH project for the University of Primorska and its integration into the broader social environment in the municipality, region and country.

"The SRC-EDIH project is one of the most important strategic projects for the University of Primorska in the current development period. The Republic of Slovenia has set itself the goal of being among the ten best performing EU countries as measured by the European Innovation Index. Although there has been improvement in recent years, we are still among the moderate innovators. In order to successfully realise this national strategic objective, it is important to implement measures to raise the value of individual indicators in the European Innovation Index. Among them, many address digitisation and the use of information technologies in society. We are convinced that the Republic of Slovenia, also with the help of the SRC-EDIH project, will significantly improve the above-mentioned European Innovation Index The SRC-EDIH project thus represents one of the key projects for the University of Primorska, through which the University carries out its social mission in the local and wider environment," emphasised the Rector of the University of Primorska.

Franci Bratkovič, Director of the Novo mesto Development Centre, stressed the necessity of digitisation of organisations for their future success and competitiveness. "It is rational and necessary to use the opportunities of the Hub, as it offers comprehensive support in learning about and implementing digital technologies. The first step of the digital transformation process with SRC-EDIH is to conduct a digital maturity assessment of your organisation, based on which the next steps of your digital transformation will be determined. These steps are usually the acquisition of digital competences, the testing of technologies and their subsequent integration, and the search for financial resources and partners to carry out the integration. All these steps can be carried out with the support of our Hub. Close cooperation and support from the European Commission and the Ministry of Digital Transformation are key drivers for our success and the realisation of Slovenia's digital transformation vision. While the project ends in September 2025, we expect that, based on the good results and the needs in society, the cooperation will continue beyond the end of the project," he explained. 

"As a rule of thumb, if you don't know where you are, you don't know where you are going. That we want and need to move towards ever more digitalisation is clear. And that digital transformation is going in the right direction and in the right way is a good thing, including the fact that we are comparing ourselves with others. All these are the guiding principles of the Municipality of Koper in the digital transformation of its operations," said Andrej Erzetič.

Marko Krnec, CEO of K2PACK, which is already actively involved in the SRC-EDIH project, summarised his experience of the project so far in the following assessment

"We decided to participate in the project because we have just completed our first investment in digital tools in 2023, which was co-funded by the P4D call. We wanted to see where we are strong and where we still need to work. We also wanted to see how our digital maturity compares to other companies in Slovenia and Europe. Our previous participation in the project has also helped us significantly in our change of internal work organisation, when we gave digital development an extra work boost and recruited a new person for the purpose of this work in the company," says the CEO of K2PACK.


Tuesday, 23 January 2024 Invitation to the defense of the Master’s Thesis - Urška Pobega (Nature Conservation, 2nd cycle)

On Friday, 26 January 2024, at 15:30 in the classroom Livade-FAMNIT 3, Urška Pobega, a student of the master's study program Nature Conservation, 2nd cycle, will present her Master's Thesis entitled Genetic variability and body masses of introduced European mouflon populations in Slovenia.

You are all kindly invited!


Thursday, 18 January 2024 D010001 ASSISTANT - ASSISTANT ON THE PROJECT TRANSPLANT

UP Member: UP FAMNIT

    

The employment relationship will be concluded full-time for 40 hours per week (100%), for a fixed period of 12 months, with a three-month trial period, with the possibility of extending the employment contract. The expected start date of work is April 1, 2024.

Conditions for performing work:  

  • a Master's degree in the field of Biology and Ecology (second Bologna level) or

  • higher education university education (previous) or specialization after higher education (previous),

  • active knowledge of a world language (English).

Additional functional skills required:

  • computer skills,

  • knowledge of basic computer tools (Microsoft Office, basics of GIS (basics of geographic information systems), basics of statistical data processing),

  • organization skills,

  • ability to work in a team,

  • independence,

General description of works and tasks:

  • cooperation in the implementation of domestic and international research projects, programs and tasks,

  • making statistical, chronological and bibliographic reviews and aids for own and wider use,

  • writing contributions in the field of research and professional work for publication, reports on publications and consultations for publication,

  • participation in scientific-research and professional consultations and meetings,

  • cooperation in the work of professional bodies and in joint projects and tasks,

  • performing other duties as directed by superiors.

Detailed description of tasks:

  • assistance in the organization and implementation of communication activities on the project,

  • establishing and maintaining contacts with project colleagues,

  • cooperation in publishing the results of research and professional work.

Other required conditions:

  • election to the corresponding scientific title (assistant) or fulfillment of the conditions for election to the said title at the University of Primorska,

  • category B driving test and own car,

  • preference is given to candidates with fieldwork experience and an interest in botanical subjects.

About the project:

The project TransPlant - Integral cross-border conservation of Natura 2000 plant species is aimed at the preparation of conservation guidelines and measures for three Natura 2000 plant species: Cerastium dinaricum, Arabis scopoliana and Klasea lycopifolia. These species thrive in the cross-border area between Slovenia and Croatia, and for their long-term preservation there is a need to provide common conservation strategies based on active in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures, knowledge of the distribution of the species and understanding of the impact of climate change in the future. In doing so, we will focus on knowledge of biology, population genetics and the reproductive biology of populations. We will develop the strategy in cooperation with stakeholders, i.e. users of the space and the wider public. The project, which will be led by the Natural History Museum of Rijeka, was prepared in cooperation with eight partners from Slovenia (Škocjanske Jame Regional Park, University of Primorska, Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts)  and Croatia (Natural History Museum Reka - leading partner, Istrska County, Matulji Municipality, Risnjak National Park).

Candidates can send written offers with a CV and proof of meeting the conditions to the e-mail address: vanessa.pobega@famnit.upr.si 

Application deadline: 31 January 2024  


Thursday, 18 January 2024 Erasmus+ Study Exchange: Application Procedure and First Steps

Regarding the new open call for Erasmus+ study exchanges in the academic year 2024/2025, we invite all students interested in participating in a study exchange to join us for a presentation on the application procedure and the initial steps toward the successful realization of your exchange.

As part of the meeting, we will gladly answer all questions and explain any uncertainties.

The meeting will take place via Zoom in two terms, namely:

  • on 23 January 2024, and
  • on 30 January 2024.

The meeting will be held at 1:00 PM in Slovenian, followed by a session in English at 2:00 PM.

 Both meetings will be accessible via the following  > Zoom link.

This is your chance to get answers to all your questions about Erasmus mobility!

         


Thursday, 18 January 2024 Final conference of COST Action ConservePlants

As part of the COST action CA18201 - An integrated approach to conservation of threatened plants for the 21st Century (ConservePlants), a final conference will be held on February 12 and 13, 2024, in the Livade 1.0 building in Izola.

In addition to the review of the most important achievements of the project, a presentation of the series of science picture books »Stories about endangered plants« will be held on the afternoon of February 12. The collection was created as part of the project and the authors of all four books will be present at the event.

The exact program of the conference is available here.

The main objective of the ConservePlants campaign is to improve plant conservation in Europe by establishing a network of scientists and other stakeholders dealing with various aspects of plant conservation, from plant taxonomy, ecology, conservation genetics, conservation physiology and reproductive biology to protected area managers. It is also important not to forget social scientists, who are crucial when dealing with the general public.

The project manager is dr. Živa Fišer from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT.

The official ConservePlants website can be accessed here.


Monday, 8 January 2024 European Commission highlights InnoRenew CoE as an example of best practice for intersectoral mobility

The European Commission published the report »Incentives and Skills: Focus on Research Talent. Mutual Learning Exercise on Knowledge Valorisation – Focus on Skills, Intersectoral Cooperation and Incentive Systems«, which is focused on how to cultivate research talents, essential for effectively harnessing knowledge.

The research institute InnoRenew CoE is presented in the section dedicated to the best practices, as it fosters a dynamic collaboration environment that promotes intersectoral mobility. One of the main topics in the report addresses also the importance of providing incentives to researchers and their teams through funding opportunities, career progression, and visibility, which are essential for advancing knowledge valorisation efforts.

Read the whole report here.


Friday, 5 January 2024 The full video of 3rd Famnits' Biological Evening is now available

The third lecture of the Famnits' Biological Evenings titled “To be stressed or not to be stressed – Antioxidants for plants and humans," was given by Anna Gasperl,  Institute of Biology, University of Graz. 

             

Antioxidants help us stay healthy and prevent damage. This may sound familiar to you. In advertisements for improving the immune system, such statements are often used. Antioxidants are chemical compounds with the power to neutralize free radicals. Free radicals can grab an electron from other molecules, which may help in cellular communication or, if they exceed a certain limit of tolerance, lead to damaged DNA, leaking cells, and other serious problems. The human body can produce some antioxidants, such as glutathione, and others need to be taken up by food. In the first part of this lecture the lecturer explained how plant antioxidants work in plants and humans. In the second part, Anna Gasperl explained how antioxidants can be detected in plant cells and how relocating antioxidants between cell compartments helps plants deal with unfavorable conditions.

About lecturer: Anna Gasperl is a plant physiologist and external lecturer at the Institute of Biology, University of Graz. She has been a university assistant in the Stress- and Cellbiology of Plants group (2018-2021). She graduated from the University of Graz in 2006 in Biodiversity and Ecology, obtained her Master’s degree in Botany in 2009, including field work in South Africa (Stellenbosch University) and completed her doctoral studies in adaptation of perennial ryegrass‘ sugar metabolism to cold and hormonal treatments in 2017, with research stays in France (University of Caen). She worked in science education for the Botanical Garden Graz, Natural History Museum Graz, Frutura Fruit and Vegetable Academy. Maria Müller and Anna Gasperl study plant stress tolerance to changes in light or water supply and pathogens (Zucchini yellow mosaic virus) and how plants physiologically adapt to unfavorable conditions. These adaptations include information exchange (signaling) and relocation of antioxidants between cell compartments.