Wednesday, 28 December 2022 Colleagues from UP FAMNIT and UP IAM take part in the UP Personal Growth project

The University of Primorska (UP) was successful in the public call for proposals "Strengthening the role of career centres in the integrated treatment of students". The subject of the call for proposals is the co-financing of the further operation and upgrading of the career centres of higher education institutions by promoting tailored forms of assistance for specific groups of students, and its aim is to improve the responsiveness of the education system to the needs of the labour market and the related matching of young people's skills and expectations, with the aim of promoting comprehensive high-quality career guidance throughout the entire study process, from enrolment to employment, and matching the acquired skills of students with the needs of the labour market, while promoting tailored forms of assistance for specific groups of students.

The call for the selection of operations is part-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund. The operation is implemented under the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, Priority Axis:

• 10. Knowledge, Skills and Lifelong Learning for Better Employability; Priority Investment:
• 10.1 Improving equal access to lifelong learning for all age groups in formal, non-formal and informal learning, updating the knowledge, skills and competences of the workforce and promoting flexible forms of learning, including through career guidance and validation of acquired competences, specific objective:
• 10.1.3 Promote flexible forms of learning and support quality career guidance for young people in education at all levels of the education system.

The project implemented at UP under the call for proposals is called Integrated Programme for Personal and Professional Growth at UP (short: UP Personal Growth) and is aimed at building on the integrated personal career management programme of the Career Centre of the University of Primorska, Centre for Lifelong Learning and Career Orientation (KC UP), with the involvement of other experts, in particular colleagues from the Department of Psychology at UP FAMNIT, the Department of Educational Sciences at UP PEF (Inclusion) and the Slovenian Centre for Suicide Research at UP IAM (Slovenian Centre for Suicide Research UP IAM).The aim of the project is to develop the UP Personal Growth Programme (KC UP).

KC UP has been continuously offering its users an integrated personal career management programme, which includes in-depth and informative career counselling, a Career Basket and opportunities to get involved in various activities from the UP Lifelong Learning offer, as well as activities aimed at getting to know the working environment and establishing contacts with potential employers. The project will also adapt the existing programme to the most vulnerable groups of students and graduates. By identifying and involving individuals from specific groups in the activities offered by the KC UP, a comprehensive career orientation throughout the entire study process for the most vulnerable groups will be ensured through tailored forms of assistance and integration, as well as improving the responsiveness of the education system to the needs of the labour market. Crucially, the project will pay particular attention to promoting the empowerment of specific groups of students.

The activities planned under the project are aimed at upgrading the functioning of the KC UP in the direction of integrated treatment and adapted forms of assistance for special groups of students, namely:

• by setting up a system of identification of special groups of students and identification of special groups of students;
• training of career counsellors in working with special groups;
• providing support in the form of counselling, training and other planned activities for the development of career, emotional and social competence.

Students and graduates are invited to participate in all the activities of the project, which are free of charge. In addition to the counselling and workshops offered at the KC UP within the Career Basket programme (published HERE), they are also offered the possibility of joining the Individual Counselling, which has a special focus on students from special groups, offering the possibility of individual help and support to individuals who need support in balancing their studies with other life circumstances. You are welcome to contact the UP Career Centre staff via e-mail: kariernicenter@upr.si to arrange a counselling session.

As the project continues, users will also be offered the possibility to join group sessions to strengthen personal resilience (mindfulness) and other forms of support for successful management and development of their personal career.

All activities of the UP Personal Growth project are designed to ensure their continuity and sustainability beyond the end of the project (after 30 September 2023).

Tuesday, 27 December 2022 Winners of Mathematical Advent Calendar 2022

This month, the seventh implementation of the Mathematical Advent Calendar took place, in which both elementary and high school students participated in solving mathematical tasks. For the 6th year, young mathematical enthusiasts have also been offered tutorials in English.

167 competitors have signed up for the quiz, where 31 of them were from abroad. Most of them come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by participants from North Macedonia, Serbia, Israel, Croatia, Slovakia and Hungary.

Practical tasks from everyday life were handled by participants from December 2 to December 21, 2022, with only one day available for each task.

The recipients of the awards are:

• Elementary school:  Lana Jelenič, Eva Šolinc, Andraž Čadež; 
• Secondary School, 1st and 2nd year: Žan Arsov, Emilija Mitrovic;
• Secondary School, 3rd and 4th year: Stanislav Sandler, Alina Jelenič, David Kovačič, Peter Andolšek.

We sincerely congratulate all the participants on their hard work and knowledge.

We hope that there will be many of them who choose to study mathematics!

Thursday, 22 December 2022 Assist. Dr. Nastja Cepak about online safety

Smart devices and online networks have become part of our everyday lives, especially during the holiday season, when we shop online and without any consideration share our data and our bank account. In doing so, we rarely think that this kind of activity might have a significant impact on our lives. 

Assist. Dr. Nastja Cepak, an expert in Cryptography, from the Department of Mathematics at UP FAMNIT, shared some advice about online safety: »The responsibility lies to a large extent with the individual itself, because they decide whenever they will share their personal information or not. The main problem is the lack of an elemental culture of behaviour, especially on social media. In general, the younger generation learns from older ones, but not in the digital era where the changes are very rapid. In this case, the Cryptography itself can't help us. It relies more on the social dimension of the internet, where our lives are directly related to digital, which we certainly can't ignore.«

The main task of cryptographers is to protect online information, data and confidentiality on the internet. In addition to theoretical and academic work, Assist. Dr. Cepak also uses her knowledge of codes and advises on what types of codes are applicable for different purposes, how to develop them and how to take care of keys so that safety would be optimal. Besides that, her work includes cryptographic modules and physical encryption devices, which are used for security performance in encryption and store keys. 

The advice of the expert?

Customers can have some difficulties checking whether their smart device is more or less safe, but what they can do is take precautionary measures to protect themselves against potential fraud. This can be done by securing the camera and avoiding the use of personal names and addresses. Instead of that, the user sets up an additional email which does not include any personal data. 

During the holiday season, when scams are more common, the expert advises the user to pay attention to -HTTPS, on S- and to overcheck the website, as there are many of them that end up as fake ones. In addition, she also advises against storing bank cards, even though the website offers to do so.

The priority of user protection is »to be aware of who is accessing digital data, because every post leaves a trace that cannot be completely erased,« summarizes Assist. Dr. Cepak.

Thursday, 22 December 2022 ACCREDITED NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY PHD STUDY PROGRAMME CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

University of Primorska (UP) obtained from the National Agency for Quality in Higher Education the accreditation of the new interdisciplinary PhD study programme Conservation Biology, at UP FAMNIT. With this, UP, together with the academic study programme Conservation Biology and the Master study programme Nature Conservation, completes the study vertical in the field of Biology.

Conservation Biology represents an important approach to dealing with biodiversity conservation problems. The main goal of Conservation Biology is to provide principles and tools for the long-term conservation of biodiversity and to prevent further fragmentation and loss of species, habitats and ecosystem functions.

The doctoral study programme will link various scientific disciplines, methods and tools, which contribute to the knowledge and protection of nature through the provision of basic knowledge. The study programme is in line with the new EU Biodiversity Strategy adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic and is a central element of the EU recovery plan. It will also contribute to building resilience to future outbreaks and providing opportunities for the recovery of the EU economy.

Wednesday, 21 December 2022 ESN PRIMORSKA BECOMES A FULL MEMBER OF THE ESN NETWORK

ESN Primorska was voted as a full member of the ESN network on 17 December 2022, after only 6 months of activities, as an ESN candidate section which is proof of the clear goal orientation, perseverance, and professional activity in the field of international students' care at the University of Primorska. Currently, ESN - Erasmus Student Network is one of the largest student associations in Europe.  

Erasmus Student Network (ESN) was established on the 16th of October 1989 and was legally registered in 1990 for supporting and developing student exchange. It is present in more than 1000 Higher Education Institutions from over 40 countries. The network is constantly developing and expanding. It has around 15,000 active members that are in many sections supported by so-called "buddies" mainly taking care of international students. Thus, ESN involves around 40,000 young people offering its help and support to around 350,000 international students every year. 

After being an "ESN Primorska Candidate Section (CS)" for 6 months, ESN Primorska CS has fulfilled all requirements to join and become a full member of ESN. This has been done officially last Saturday (17th December 2022), when the other three Slovenian ESN sections were voting for their membership.

Before they became ESN Primorska Candidate Section (CS), they were known as "Primorska Student Exchange Network (PSEN)". PSEN initially consisted of a team of four promising UP students who came together with a common vision to build an ESN team from the ground up to provide an active, organised, and most importantly memorable exchange for international students at UP. 

They currently have around 30 active international and Slovenian students, divided into three main groups: the board, the team, and the volunteers. Each group has its own tasks that contribute to the structure and workflow of the organization. By becoming a full member of ESN, they are planning to expand the team even more. They aid Erasmus students with finding accommodation, handling their documents and visas, and giving them advice on anything they might be curious about or solutions to anything they might need.  

Their aim is also to give other Slovenian students the opportunity to get to know Erasmus students, to connect and network with them, and to encourage them to go on exchange themselves! If UP students are interested in going on an exchange semester, the ESN Primorska team is definitely the right source of first-hand information for them.

ESN Primorska is an organisation that was created by students - for students, and their goal is only to grow in the years to come. 

Congratulations to our ESN Primorska team!

Wednesday, 21 December 2022 Happy holidays and a prosperous and healthy New Year!

Monday, 19 December 2022 DR. BOJAN KUZMA RECEIVES THE ZOIS PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN LINEAR ALGEBRA

On Monday, 19 December 2022, this year's Zois Prizes and Awards, the highest national prizes for achievements in scientific research and development in the Republic of Slovenia and Puh Prizes and Awards, the highest national awards in the field of inventions, technological and non-technological developments and the use of scientific results from all scientific fields in the introduction of innovations into economic and social practice, was awarded. They are awarded to researchers and innovators whose achievements have made a lasting contribution to the development of scientific research,  development, and innovations in the Republic of Slovenia. Among this year's recipients is Dr. Bojan Kuzma, a full professor and scientific advisor at UP, who received the award for his outstanding achievements in the field of linear algebra.

Prof. Dr. Bojan Kuzma is a full professor at UP Famnit and a scientific advisor at UP IAM (and a scientific advisor at IMFM). His work is distinguished by a strong international involvement - he is both a renowned researcher in the field of linear algebra, or matrix theory, which he often intertwines with other sub-branches of mathematics, and one of the leading experts in the theory of preservatives. A strong indication of his international influence is his editorship of the journal Linear and Multilinear Algebra, which is considered elite in the field of matrix theory.

He received the Zois Prize for his work in two key areas: the first is in the area of (in)commutativity between elements in different mathematical structures, one of the most important relations in many mathematical fields, and also for his understanding in quantum mechanics. In a number of papers (with co-authors), Dr. Kuzma has studied commutativity through the so-called commutativity graph, thus linking the problem to graph theory, drawing on matrix theory, operator theory, and abstract algebra, and thus studying (in)commutativity with tools that combine mathematical sub-branches. 

The second is conservation theory, a field that has been systematically developing over the last decades, and a typical problem requires the characterisation of all mappings on a given set (or vector space) of matrices/operators that preserve a given invariant. The use of characterisations is common in other branches of mathematics as well as in physics. Dr. Kuzma's contribution to the field is the invention of tools and approaches that are needed in the study of much more complex nonlinear problems since his methods go beyond the classical framework of linear algebra and often reach into other mathematical fields.

Last but not least, Dr. Kuzma's work is also important for the field of mathematics at UP from an organisational, professional and pedagogical point of view, as he is a long-standing head of the department at UP Famnit, coordinator of study programmes at both undergraduate and graduate level, and is responsible for the promotion of mathematics at the national and global level - the latter as editor of Image, a journal dedicated to the promotion of linear algebra, published by the International Linear Algebra Society.

We congratulate Dr. Kuzma and wish him many more successes!

Thursday, 15 December 2022 Dr. Elena Bužan proved that we can consider the Alpine ibex as a native Slovenian species

This October, the Slovenia Forest Service (ZGS) and the Triglav National Park (TNP), within the DINALPCONNECT project in the framework of the Interreg Adrion programme, organized the expert consultation: Alpine ibex in Slovenia yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The purpose of the project DINALPCONNECT is to implement the key activities to ensure the integrated management of the Alpine ibex in the cross-border pilot project between Slovenia and Italy. 

Due to the unclear native status of the Alpine ibex in Slovenia, which is in general considered a foreign species, experts presented current knowledge and facts about it in the consultation.

Part of the research group was also Prof. Dr. Elena Bužan from the Department of Biodiversity, UP FAMNIT, where, alongside with her team, she successfully isolated the DNA and with the comparison of genomes samples in gene banks, confirmed the match with the published genomes of the Alpine ibex.

The conclusions provide a starting point for further coordination with policymakers, which is related to the management of the Alpine ibex in the country. According to ZGS and the TNP, the resolution of the native status of the Alpine ibex in Slovenia is the main condition for the recognition and long-term conservation of the species in our country.

The experts will give a professional opinion based on the collective point of view, that the Alpine ibex can be considered with a high possibility as a Slovenian native wildlife species.

Slovenia currently has around 200 Alpine ibexes living in three separate populations, namely: TNP, Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the western Julian Alps. The species is facing various problems, from gams' scabies to potential inbreeding, which decreases populations and the vitality of individual animals.

     
                                                                            Prof. Dr. Elena Bužan

Wednesday, 14 December 2022 UP FAMNIT hosts a visit from Santa Claus for the children of all UP employees

December is also a time for children to come together, including the children of UP employees. This year, for the first time, a visit from Santa Claus was organised for the children of all employees at the same time - they gathered on two dates, Monday and Tuesday, in the festively decorated lobby of our faculty.

The visit of the good man, with a performance for children, was marked by the involvement of UP employees and students - the role of real and traditional Santa claus was kindly and excellently played by assoc. prof. dr. Stanko Pelc (UP FHŠ, UP PEF), and the theatre performance "The Magic Hat" was prepared and performed by UP PEF students, who engaged the children in active participation with the magical animals in the forest.

The event was also marked by charity, as the children brought contributions for the charity campaign of Radio Capris (Warm Heart Fridge), supported by UP - so they received and gave joy and completed the circle of December kindness.

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 We are exactly 4 months away from the prestigious European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad

With the press conference, which took place on Tuesday, 6 December 2022, at 11:00 a.m., in the library of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana, we officially announced the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO), which will be held in Portorož next year.

Between 13 and 19 April the Society of Mathematicians, Physicists, and Astronomers of Slovenia (DMFA Slovenije) will host this prestigious international mathematical competition, which since the first competition (2012) has been promoting young female scientists, increasing the proportion of girls in teams at the International Mathematical Olympiads (IMO), and also supporting social, cultural and interdisciplinary exchange between teenage girls around the world.

The event will be held with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. The letter of support to the organizer was signed by the University of Ljubljana, University of Maribor and University of Primorska.

At the press conference held last week at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana, we heard first-hand experience of last year's bronze medalist, and the conference was also attended by the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, dr. Igor Papič.

 
Press conference (FOTO: Ministry of Education, Science and Sport RS)

In Portorož, we expect around 250 female competitors from more than 60 countries from five continents and at least 120 advisors.

For the successful organization of the event, we are still collecting applications from volunteers, who will spend a whole week on the Slovenian coast, meet new people, acquire some new foreign words, network with potential employers and obtain a certificate. Applications are possible at this link.

We are convinced that EGMO in Slovenia could be an incentive for girls to choose careers in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), where unfortunately there is a great shortage of them. One of University of Primorska’s aims is to demonstrate the importance of the inclusion of girls in STEM fields and thus Slovenia's contribution to the New European Innovation Agenda, hence we are very proud to be actively involved in the preparation and implementation of the Olympiad.

All information about the conference is available on the website.

Monday, 12 December 2022 Successful conclusion of a Transnational meeting within the InCompEdu project

Today, on 12 December 2022, the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies held a Transnational meeting within the project InCompEdu "Innovative Competence in Online Higher Education."  

The InCompEdu project addresses the common challenges, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which relies on a rapid switch in the EU higher education institutions. The target group is the community of academic teachers and HEI Authorities responsible for study programmes, who have been forced to make rapid changes in course programs and teaching methods. 

Today's meeting provided information on new IT tools and the technical possibilities of the different platforms, where also use of individual tools were demonstrated in practice. During the meeting, they exchange views and build a common understanding among those who are responsible for the transition programs at the education system level and those who are responsible for activities and development at the university level. 

In addition to the University of Primorska (UP FAMNIT), other partners are involved in the project:

• The University of Gdańsk, Poland (Lead Partner)
• The University of Turku, Finland
• "1 Decembrie 1918" University of Alba Iulia, Romania
• The University of Rijeka, Croatia
• Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy

More information about the project can be found HERE.

Friday, 9 December 2022 An article by Simona Gomboc was selected among 16 in the Alternator online journal

Assist. Simona Gomboc from the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, has achieved remarkable success with the article Dunning-Krugerjev effect: when you don't know, that you know a little, which was selected among 16 articles in the Alternator online journal.

Alternator online magazine was launched in February 2020, when social life was being moved online, because of the spreading of the coronavirus. It is considered the first Slovenian web portal, which was created in an accessible and professional way by researchers from different scientific fields to bring the portal closer to the wider public.

The collection contains sixteen articles from 2020 to 2022, selected by the managing editors. Articles are thematically and methodologically diverse, bringing a range of different scientific approaches and disciplines, which sums up the purpose of the journal.

The publication offers a variety of topics from the fields of linguistics, philosophy, art history, psychology, sociology, law, biology, chemistry, physics, environment, and computer science. It also includes reflections on science as such.

"The consequences of the epidemic are not just a limited social life but also deepening our understanding of people's social and psychological experience. One of the many observations we can witness in private conversations and media reports is the impression that outsiders often have strong opinions, while the experts, on the contrary, are very cautious by that," concluded assist. Simona Gomboc in her article.

We sincerely congratulate our researcher for her achievement!

The full article is available at: Dunning-Krugerjev učinek: Ko ne veš, da malo veš | Alternator

Thursday, 8 December 2022 Together we are stepping UP for the fridge of Good Heart

Radio Capris is organising its traditional campaign Fridge of Good Heart to help families in need in our region. The cooperation between UP and Radio Capris has been successful for many years, this year we've formed an even stronger connection with the organisation of events for our students (Orientation days and StartUP). As their campaign connects the wider community, all UP members have decided to participate in this humanitarian action.

Last year, 10 tonnes of goods and €47,783 worth of funds were collected, and this year they are expecting an even greater need. The amount of goods collected is not important  – every donation is priceless. The following (non-perishable) goods will be collected:
- food products with a longer shelf life (pasta, rice, oil, sugar, breakfast cereals, etc.),
- treats for the festive season (chocolates, panettone, biscuits, jam, chocolate spread),
- hygiene products (shampoos, shower gels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap),
- cleaning products.

As they wish to make children more joyful during this festive season, sweet treats are particularly appreciated.

The collection boxes are located in the The collection boxes are located in the Famnit lobby, accompanied by our joyfully decorated tree. You can also make your donations at the events we will be organising for our employees and their children, adding a humanitarian touch to the warmth of this festive season.

Thank you for steppingUP. We wish you a warm and colourful December. 

Thursday, 8 December 2022 Jasna Prezelj's article among of the selected of Excellence in Science 2022

We are glad to announce that the article by assoc. prof. Jasna Prezelj, in the field of biotechnology, with the title "Quantitative evaluation of the risk of exposure of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) over different types of milk for the Slovenian consumer" was selected among the achievements of Excellence in Science 2022.

Excellence in science is a project, implemented by the Slovenian Research Agency to promote science. Its followed by European models where the increasing importance of science promotion is linked to the contribution of science to the development of a knowledge-based society. Build with awareness of the relationship and reciprocity between scientific research and the challenges of contemporary society needs to be built and strengthened.

The mechanism was made to stimulate the development and establishment of innovative communication activities for the promotion of Slovenian science. It was introduced in 2014 as one of the three strands of ARRS activities in the field of science.

The selection was made by the members of the Scientific Councils of the disciplines and approved by the Agency's Scientific Council.

We sincerely congratulate assoc. prof. Jasna Prezelj for her achievement!

Thursday, 8 December 2022 MOBILUP - UP 20TH ANNIVERSARY MOBILE WALLPAPER COMPETITION

The University of Primorska will celebrate its 20th anniversary in March 2023. On this occasion, we are preparing a special UP creative-graphic competition for our students, which opens today, on 6 December 2022:

mobilUP - UP 20th anniversary mobile wallpaper competition

Are you creative, good at graphic design and make really beautiful graphics? Do you enjoy the creative fun of turning graphics around in Canva, Adobe Express, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and other creative tools?

The University of Primorska, as a young, ambitious, innovative, and internationally engaged university, would like to encourage UP students - young creatives - to create unique UP mobile wallpapers, which both students and UP employees will be proud to have as their wallpaper throughout the year.

How to get started - more detailed instructions

There are two ways to participate:  

• You can create just one graphic or
• Create a set of four graphics (a set for all 4 year seasons)

The guiding principle: is the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the University of Primorska.

Who can apply?

• All UP students (undergraduate, postgraduate,...) who have a creative drive for digital creations can apply.

How do I participate?

• You can participate by sending us your (package of) graphic design solutions by 23 December 2022 at the latest to: szk@upr.si .
• Include your name, faculty, year, study programme.

Email subject: PARTICIPATING - UP 20th anniversary mobile wallpaper competition

Selection process: 

We will select 12 graphics from all the submissions, each of which will be published in the new month. The selection will be made by the UP Communication Office, which will communicate the results to the participants via e-mail. All the solutions that make it to the selection will be rewarded.

Let your imagination run free. Inspire us with your graphic solutions.

Wednesday, 7 December 2022 UP FAMNIT hosts the Transnational meeting of the project InCompEdu

The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Science and Information Technologies will host a Transnational Meeting in the framework of an InCompEdu project. The event will take place on Monday, 12 December 2022, at 9 am, in the lecture room VP-3 (UP FAMNIT).

The InCompEdu project "Innovative Competence in Online Higher Education" tackles the common challenges in the sudden switch to online teaching at the HEI in the EU, due to COVID-19, by identifying and sharing the good practices, knowledge and experience gained at the partner universities and beyond. The challenges include both mastering of new digital skills and the methodologies of creating and conducting online courses.

The target groups to be addressed are the community of academic teachers and HEI Authorities responsible for study programmes. These groups have been forced to make rapid changes in course programs and teaching methods. The project’s activities will focus on two aspects, that is, digital competence of academic teachers, and the development of new competences in creation and implementation of online/hybrid courses and innovative curricula.

In addition to the University of Primorska (UP FAMNIT), other partners are involved in the project, namely:

• The University of Gdańsk, Poland (Lead Partner)
• The University of Turku, Finland
• "1 Decembrie 1918" University of Alba Iulia, Romania
• The University of Rijeka, Croatia
• Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy

Wednesday, 7 December 2022 Amar Bapić, new Doctor of Science

Today, 7 December 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Amar Bapić, student of the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT has successfully defended his doctoral thesis Constructing new superclasses of bent functions and further constructions of cryptographically significant mappings outside M#, under the mentorship of Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD and co-mentorship of Assist. Prof. Samir Hodžić, PhD.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish him much success on his future journey in research!

Monday, 5 December 2022 NEW - CONVERTER OF HIGH SCHOOL AND ACADEMIC STUDY PROGRAMMES

At University of Primorska, we have prepared a converter that helps you check the compatibility of secondary school professional and vocational-technical programmes with UP academic study programmes.  

From the 2023/2024 academic year, new entry requirements for university degree programmes will apply to candidates who have completed secondary school with the vocational qualifications examination and one general baccalaureate subject. For the purpose of transparency, we have prepared a programme translator which can be used to check the compatibility of secondary vocational and vocational-technical programmes with UP's university degree programmes. 

This means that you can easily use the translator to check whether you can enrol in a university study programme at the University of Primorska if you have completed a vocational-technical secondary school programme. At the same time, you should pay attention to the entry requirements of each study programme, i.e. which additional matriculation subject you need to pass in order to enrol in the desired study programme.

Programme Converter includes all UP university study programmes that, from the academic year 2023/2024 onwards, offer admission to students (including) those who have passed the Vocational Baccalaureate. It provides an overview of the consistency of the programmes according to the four classifications (Klasius-P-16, FORD, ARRS, CERIF) by comparing the classification area of the selected study programme with the classification area of the secondary vocational or vocational-technical programme.

It allows you to search by a particular individual high school programme or by individual academic study programme.

It can be accessed >  HERE

Monday, 5 December 2022 ALUMNI UP AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES UP NEW YEAR'S TOAST

December is usually the month when we look back over the journey of the last year and 2022 was a landmark year for Alumni UP in many ways. At the same time, we would like to thank all members, colleagues and friends of Alumni UP for the exceptional support we have received.

At the end of this year, the Board of Trustees UP was formally re-established and this represents an important link between the university and the economic environment.

Therefore, on Thursday, December 8, 2022, starting at 5:00 p.m., we will gather in the lobby of the Armeria Palace (UP Rectorate, Titov trg 5, Koper) for a pre-New Year's  event and together we will toast to the year 2022 and welcome the year 2023.

Program of the event:

• 17.00 - Music performance
• 17.10 - Welcome address
• 17.15 - Music performance
• 17.25 - Presentation of the GDI project (Green, digital and inclusive UP) with opportunities for participation
• 17.45 - Discussion
• 18.00 - Toast and networking

We invite you to join us. We look forward to meeting you!

Registration for the meeting is available here.

Monday, 5 December 2022 WE HAVE A NEW STUDENT LEADERSHIP

UP FAMNIT Student council has elected a new leadership. At the constitutive session held on 30 November 2022, Mihail Filipovski, a student of Bioinformatics, was elected as President, Pavel Jolakoski, a student of Computer Science, as Vice-President, and Tilen Gimpelj, a student of Bioinformatics, as Secretary. In addition, the Student council of UP FAMNIT will be represented in the UP Student Council by Teodora Ilić and in the Senate of the University of Primorska by Jelena Pilipović.

We wish the UP FAMNIT Student council successful work!

                       
                                                                 Mihail Filipovski and Pavel Jolakoski

Monday, 5 December 2022 2-3-year postdoc position in Structural and Algorithmic Graph Theory

The Departments of Mathematics of the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (FAMNIT) of the University of Primorska, and Andrej Marušič Institute (IAM) of the University of Primorska, are seeking a top early-career researcher for a postdoctoral position in the area of structural and algorithmic graph theory, in connection with a research grant of Prof. Martin Milanic "Tree-Independence Number of Graphs" funded by the Slovenian Research Agency. 

The project will investigate several key problems within pure and algorithmic graph theory, with a focus on graph classes and graph width parameters, including the tree-independence number of graphs. Progress is expected to be obtained using an effective combination of various complementary concepts and techniques suitable for the study of graph classes, such as graph decompositions, structural characterizations of graphs in hereditary graph classes, graph minors and other inclusion relations, classical and parameterized graph algorithms and complexity, Ramsey theory, extremal graph theory, etc. 

The successful candidate will be part of the Departments of Mathematics at UP FAMNIT and UP IAM and will work under the guidance of Prof. Martin Milanič, PhD.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

• The position is for two years, with the possibility of renewal for a third year (depending on performance and budget availability).
• Applicants must possess (or expect to obtain shortly) a PhD in Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related area, and show evidence of excellence in discrete mathematics or theoretical computer science. Candidates who completed their PhD recently or will do so by next September are encouraged to apply.  
• Relevant expertise in structural and algorithmic graph theory is required, including a solid knowledge of various aspects of graph theory, algorithms, and computational complexity theory.
• The position will require teaching of at most two courses per year. 
• The postdoctoral researcher will have access to a certain amount of funding for travel, conferences, and visitors. 
• The compensation is set according to the academic title by Slovenian law governing higher education and is expected to be about 1630 EUR / month after tax, which can increase to about 1730 EUR / month after the first 6 months (if the tax residency status is obtained).

DEADLINE AND APPLICATION PROCESS:

Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, until the position is filled, beginning Jan 10th, 2023. The starting date is flexible, but preferably not later than October 2023.

To apply, please send the following documents in electronic form directly to Martin Milanič (martin.milanic@upr.si) with the subject line “University of Primorska Postdoc 2023" in the Subject field:

• Curriculum Vitae,
• Publication List,
• Research Statement,
• Copies of at most three recent papers or preprints,
• Names and e-mail addresses of two or three persons who can be contacted for reference (and who have agreed to be contacted).

Informal inquiries may be directed to Martin Milanič (martin.milanic@upr.si).

Friday, 2 December 2022 Rene Rodriguez Aldama, new Doctor of Science

Today, 2 December 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Rene Rodriguez Aldama, student of the doctoral study programe Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT has succesfully defended his doctoral thesis Generic constructions of minimal codes from special classes of functions over finite fields under the mentorship of Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD and co-mentorship of Assist. Prof. Nastja Cepak, PhD.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish him much success on his future journey in research!

Friday, 2 December 2022 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Amar Bapić

Amar Bapić, student of the doctoral study programe Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis Constructing new superclasses of bent functions and further constructions of cryptographically significant mappings outside M# under the mentorship of Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD and co-mentorship of Assist. Prof. Samir Hodžić, PhD.

The defence will take place on Wednesday, 7 December 2022 at 11 AM in FAMNIT-MP1 (UP FAMNIT) and on Zoom:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84774424318?pwd=MGpCSG5MbEZ3dWo2NDJvNU9lczNkZz09

Meeting ID: 847 7442 4318
Passcode: 359135

The doctoral disertation is available in the library at UP FAMNIT.

Monday, 28 November 2022 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Rene Rodriguez Aldama

Rene Rodriguez Aldama, student of the doctoral study programe Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis Generic constructions of minimal codes from special classes of functions over finite fields under the mentorship of Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD and co-mentorship of Assist. Prof. Nastja Cepak, PhD.

The defence will take place on Friday, 2 December 2022 at 10 AM in FAMNIT-VP3 (UP FAMNIT) and on Zoom:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/83971162925?pwd=YXlOTGJkK2JkeUg1bDA4WnlnSzJOUT09

The doctoral disertation is available in the library at UP FAMNIT.

Friday, 25 November 2022 We are inviting you to watch 1. st Famnits' Biological Evening

The first lecture of the Famnits Biological Evenings was " Restoring nature – from international commitments to local actions", given by Dr. Dagmar Hagen, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).

The presentation began with the lecturer giving a broad perspective on the need for restoration, and how ecosystem restoration has entered the international arena of policy, science and economy during the last years. She described and illustrate how to connect the global restoration targets with local planning, and how the solutions must be found on local scale. By using examples from restoration and mitigation projects in different nature types, the lecturer demonstrated how the input from ecosystem restoration can contribute to reduce the loss of nature and to the recovery of degraded land. The lecture demontsrated how the involvement of stakeholders, cooperation with local contractors, and integration of scientific and tacit knowledge produce measurable outcome for ecology, society and economy.

Wednesday, 23 November 2022 Mathematical Advent Calendar 2022

The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Science and Information Technologies invited all Elementary School students (8th and 9th year) and High School students to compete in solving problems as part of the Mathematical Advent Calendar.

The competitors are divided into three categories: 1st level (Elementary School, 2nd level (High School, first and second year) and 3rd level (High School, third and fourth year).

You will have fun with the Mathematical Advent Calendar from December 2 nd to December 21st 2022.

There is one day (24 hours) available for solving each of the problems (from midnight to midnight). In each category three awards will be given, each award will be a Famnits' backpack.

Only High School students and Elementary School students  (8th and 9th year)  are allowed to compete; they have to create an account here. Others can join here.

The rules of the quiz are available here.

Wednesday, 23 November 2022 Sustainable Development Ambassadors exhibition

InnoRenew CoE, together with elementary school Šmarje, Dušan Bordon, Škofije, Gimnazija Koper High school, Municipality of Koper and University of Primorska, organised the exhibition Sustainable Development Ambassadors.

The exhibition showcases the products that students did during the workshops held as part of the Sustainable Development Ambassadors project, funded by the Municipality of Koper.

The exhibition will be on display from 18 November 2022 to 2 December 2022 in the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska’s lobby.

After, the exhibition will travel to the participating schools.

You are kindly invited to visit.

Wednesday, 23 November 2022 FTP - Faculty Programming Competition

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

We invite all UP FAMNIT students to participate!

Start: 24/11/2022
End: 1/1/2023
FINALS: TBA

The official website: https://tekmovanje.famnit.upr.si/

Tuesday, 22 November 2022 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (»THREE-YEAR TENURE TRACK FACULTY POSITION«)

Faculty member: UP FAMNIT

The University of Primorska invites applicants for a three-year tenure track faculty position. We seek candidates with a PhD in Life Sciences (molecular biology, ecology, biology, forestry, veterinary, biochemistry etc.). Applicants with experience in wildlife genomics will have priority; postdoctoral and teaching experience are required. Work position is classified in 46th salary grade, from 1st April 2023 onward in 47th salary grade. Trial work is three (3) months. Expected starting date is February 2023.

The candidate will become member of the Molecular Ecology group at the Department of Biodiversity in the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies. The group uses molecular tools to investigate many different topics and species, from wildlife monitoring to adaptation, and from conservation biology to wildlife management. The group has a keen interest also in citizen science in wildlife monitoring.  

Your tasks:

A selected candidate will contribute to the management of national and international research projects and maintain and promote open science practices. The candidate will also teach a minimum of 1 course per semester, train, and supervise students. Work environment will include also international travel due to project meetings.

Your profile:

• A relevant university education with a completed doctoral/PhD degree and a strong potential in research.
• Experience with conducting population genomics analyses is preferred but not required.
• Exceptional organizational skills and strong ability to accomplish tasks independently.
• Teaching or supervision experience required.
  Excellent spoken and written English is required.

Application instructions:
Interested applicants are requested to send the application in electronic form to razpisi@famnit.upr.si and “Tenure-track position” in the object.

Please attach in pdf format:

• A cover letter explaining your interest in the position and how you fit the description
• a CV
• a list of publications highlighting the five most relevant ones.

Application deadline: 23rd December 2022

Monday, 21 November 2022 InnoRenew CoE successfully organized the International Conference 2022 on buildings and materials for a sustainable future is approaching

The research institute InnoRenew CoE and University of Primorska organized the InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2022, »Rethinking buildings and materials for a sustainable future«, which took place 17-18 November 2022, in the new InnoRenew CoE building in Izola, the largest wooden building In Slovenia.

Dr. Michael Burnard, InnoRenew CoE deputy director, opened the conference and welcomed attendees saying, »I am glad you are here today to discuss different fields and interdisciplinary topics related to buildings so that we can learn to better serve occupants, reduce climate impacts, and drive innovation in the field.«

  
Foto: InnoRenew CoE

The keynote address was given by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thomas Brudermann, a professor at the University of Graz with the doctoral degree in psychology. He spoke about rethinking the role of individual decision for a sustainable future: »We still don’t know enough about climate change, our knowledge is not accurate, and there are a lot of misconceptions. Often times we overestimate our skills and knowledge.«

Additionally he pointed out that »in order to reach a more sustainable society we need individual decision context in which it is easier to behave environmentally friendly.« Dr. Brudermann is sure that by generating more awareness and knowledge it is possible to  determine greater acceptance of sustainability measures.

Participants could attend several presentations, during four thematic sessions about environmentally friendly and energy-efficient materials and practices to improve the built environment, state-of-the-art solutions for building design and assessment, built environments for well-being and how to bridge the gap between research and society.

Moreover, a special workshop in the framework of the European Year of Youth entitled »Wood material flows modelling: issues, challenges, and a better future for our youth« was organized.

  
Foto: InnoRenew CoE

»This workshop presents our experience on data collection and collation from various data sources and in-person interviews in the scope of the E-LVO (Economic, environmental and social aspects of wood processing and its use and carbon sequestration) project,« said Dr. Balázs Dávid and added: »In addition to presenting the encountered obstacles and devised solutions, the workshop is intended as a discussion on this topic, trying to find a sensible suggestion how the available data collection system could be improved.« The E-LVO project is financed by the Slovenian Research Agency and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.

Dr. Esakkiammal Sudha Esakkimuthu held a workshop in the framework of the MSCA project about renewable material composite preparation and she showcased the modified lignin nanoparticles for composite and bio-aased/Cu packaging applications products.

Also this year the conference presented an opportunity to share and discuss emerging science and innovations in renewable materials that can be used in the built environment to enhance human and environmental well-being.

Friday, 18 November 2022 University of Primorska will employ 6 graduates UP in the new Alumni Office

UP is setting up a new Alumni Office, where 6 Alumni UP will be employed. The employment will be for a fixed-term, full-time contract until 30 June 2025. The Alumni Office will ensure interdisciplinary cooperation between alumni from different fields of study and the environment.

ALUMNI OFFICE UP:

The Alumni Office will be the main point of the University's cooperation with the environment, and will also cooperate with other departments and centers at the University. The content of the work will be varied and creative. The office will take care of greater involvement and cooperation of the university (e.g. for the organization of social, professional and other events) both with organizations and with graduates. She or he will take care of the current development of study programmes and the responsible operation of the university.

The Alumni office is intended to be the main point of contact for new university projects that will influence the university's development at the international and national level. While UP has already built a reputation as an innovative and internationally integrated medium-sized university, it still sees additional development possibilities in:

•  its sustainable operation (in accordance with the goals of sustainable development),
•  responsible cooperation with the environment (open science, development guidance, acquisition of projects),
•  technological development (transfer of practices, intellectual protection) and
•  the development of donations following the example of Western universities.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for very varied profiles, graduates of the University of Primorska who will develop new forms of activities for our Alumni and beyond. Since our university is embedded in an international environment, positions are also open to candidates from other countries. The working language will be English. 

The ideal candidate would be a candidate who completed his studies at UP and then spent part of his career in companies and organizations in Slovenia or abroad, and who now would like to transfer part of his experience into the academic environment. Also who is familiar with the working environment and understands what role the university should play as a driver of regional development, and who is also aware of the processes that an academic institution must go through in order to assume this role.

Professional future colleagues will be selected in such a way as to ensure content coverage of all study content developed by UP.

WE OFFER:

•  work in an international environment with the possibility of international exchanges,
•  professional and personal development, supported by training and professional mentoring,
• listening and openness of the team to introduce improvements and establish new processes,
•  if necessary, introduction with the help of international partners,
•  unlimited amount of new challenges.

REQUIRED SKILLS, COMPETENCES:

•  active knowledge of English,
•  excellent communication and organizational skills,
•  sense of responsibility and orientation towards results,
•  sense of time management,
•  positive attitude and perseverance,
•  networking skills,
•  public speaking and communication skills
•  flexibility and self-initiative,
•  knowledge of Microsoft office packages,
•  knowledge of performance marketing and social platforms

REQUIRED EDUCATION:

•  completed master study programme of the 2^nd level at the University of Primorska

WORK EXPERIENCE:

•  at least 3 years of work experience in the field of master's degree which was obtained at the University of Primorska

(*including experience from different forms of volunteering, associations, student work, etc.)

 THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP:

The employment relationship will be concluded for a fixed period from 1.1.2023 to 30.6.2025 for full-time work, 40 hours per week, with a trial period of three (3) months and is concluded for the needs of the project Green, Digital & Inclusive University of Primorska (GDI UP). The work position is classified in the 33rd salary grade.

INTERESTED?

Those who are interested should send a written offer with a CV, motivation letter, and proof of eligibility of the conditions by:

•  10th December 2022
•  to the e-mail address: kadrovska@upr.si  or

(or by post to the address: UP Legal and HR Department of UP, Titov trg 4, 6000 Koper)

Contact person: Martina Viler, UP Legal and HR Department of UP

E-naslov: martina.viler@upr.si,  telephone: (+386) 05/ 61 17 532

BECOME PART OF OUR TEAM AND CO-CREATE NEW FORMS OF COOPERATION IN THE SOCIETY OF THE FUTURE IN A YOUNG TEAM! TAKE THE FIRST STEP AND SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION!

Green, Digital, and Inclusive UP are three pilot projects focused on curricular renewal of professional higher education study programs at UP to support broader national reform for a green, resilient transition to Society 5.0. The GDI UP project is financed by Ministry of Education, Science and Sport within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and it is part of the national project "Pilot projects for the renovation of higher education for a green and resilient transition”.

Friday, 11 November 2022 First Famnits' Biological Evening

You are invited to the First Famnits' Biological Evening,

"Restoring nature - from international commitments to local actions"​

on Wednesday, 16 November, at 19:00,
via ZOOM

The lecture will be given by Dr. Dagmar Hagen (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research - NINA).

The presentation will begin with the lecturer giving a broad perspective on the need for restoration, and how ecosystem restoration has entered the international arena of policy, science and economy during the last years. She will describe and illustrate how to connect the global restoration targets with local planning, and how the solutions must be found on local scale. By using examples from restoration and mitigation projects in different nature types, the lecturer will demonstrate how the input from ecosystem restoration can contribute to reduce the loss of nature and to the recovery of degraded land. The lecture will demontsrate how the involvement of stakeholders, cooperation with local contractors, and integration of scientific and tacit knowledge produce measurable outcome for ecology, society and economy.

ABOUT LECTURER:

Dr. Dagmar Hagen works as senior scientific researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). She has a PhD in restoration ecology focusing on management and restoration of disturbed and degraded areas. Dagmar has more than 20 years of experience with restoration research and restoration interventions, with focus on the interface between social and natural sciences, and between science and on-the ground restoration. She is lead ecologist in the current two largest restoration projects in Norway. Dagmar Hagen is involved in the project ReNature, a EEC Norwegian Grant cooperation between Norway/NINA and Slovenia. NINA is the lead institution for applied restoration ecology in Norway, and currently run projects in a range of nature types and in cooperation with diverse groups of stakeholders and profession. Read more about restoration in NINA at Restoration Ecology (nina.no).

Friday, 11 November 2022 Dean Lipovac, the first PhD student to complete the studies at the Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments doctoral program

Today, 11 November 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Dean Lipovac, a student of the doctoral study programme Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments at UP FAMNIT, has succesfully defended his doctoral dissertation entitled Human preference for wooden materials and their role in restorative environments; under the mentorship of Assist. Prof. Michael David Burnard, PhD.

Dean Lipovac is the first PhD student to complete the studies at the Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments doctoral program.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish him much success on his future journey in research!

Thursday, 10 November 2022 Dean Lipovac, the first PhD student to complete the studies at the Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments doctoral program

Today, 11 November 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Dean Lipovac, a student of the doctoral study programme Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments at UP FAMNIT, has succesfully defended his doctoral dissertation entitled Human preference for wooden materials and their role in restorative environments; under the mentorship of Assist. Prof. Michael David Burnard, PhD.

Dean Lipovac is the first PhD student to complete the studies at the Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments doctoral program.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish him much success on his future journey in research!

Thursday, 10 November 2022 This year's autumn meeting of the Botanical Society of Slovenia was successfully hosted by the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT

Since 2011, the Botanical Society of Slovenia has been celebrating the Wraber Day (Slovene: Wraberjev dan) at its annual meetings. On Saturday, November 5, 2022, the UP FAMNIT Department of Biodiversity hosted the traditional autumn meeting in the Livade 1.0 object in Izola.

The Wraber days were named after the Slovenian botanist Tone Wraber, an honorary member of the Botanical Society of Slovenia.

At the event, current topics in the field of botany were discussed, among others we also answered questions about what DNA reveals to us about the evolution of carnivoran milkweed (Euphorbia carniolica) and how diverse sweet milkweed (Euphorbia dulcis) is.

Below we share some photo highlights from the event.

         
                                                                                    Foto: Jože Lango

                                                                                                       Foto: Jože Lango

       
                                                                                Foto: Jože Lango

        
                                                                                 Foto: Jože Lango

        
                                                                                      Foto: Jože Lango

        
                                                                                         Foto: Jože Lango

Thursday, 10 November 2022 Open Call for Erasmus+ Staff Mobilities for teaching in Partner Countries - Outgoing Mobilities

The Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes (CMEPIUS) has granted 20 outgoing mobilities for the purpose of teaching to Egypt, Israel, South Africa, Kenya and Uzbekistan (see the enclosure_1 Granted Mobilities) in the frame of Erasmus+ KA171 programme.

Mobility duration and conditions

The mobility length is 5 days with 2 aditional days for travel. Mobility for the purpose of teaching must include at least 8 pedagogical hours per week or proportionally more depending on the mobility duration.

Mobilities must be completed by the end of the project which is 31. 7. 2025.

Candidates can plan the mobility on one of the host institutions which is the partner institution from Egypt, Israel, South Africa, Kenya and Uzbekistan.

Partner universities are: 

Egypt

• Damanhour University

Israel

• Ben Gurion University of the Negev
• University of Haifa

South Afrika

• Stellenbosch University

Kenya

• Maseno University

Uzbekistan

• Bukhara Engineering Technological Institute
• Urgench State University

Before the mobility begins, the host institution must agree with the program of tasks which will be performed by the participant (Erasmus+ Mobility Agreement for Staff Mobility for Teaching).

All inforamtion for CALL according to action KA171.

• APPLICATIONS  (Enclosure 2)
• ENCLOSURE 1 Granted Mobilities
• ENCLOSURE 3  Mobility Agreement for Staff Mobility for Teaching

DEADLINE: The call is open until there are available places.

Wednesday, 9 November 2022 Andrés David Santamaría-Galvis, new Doctor of Science

Yesterday, 8 November 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Andrés David Santamaría-Galvis, a student of the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT has succesfully defended his doctoral dissertation entitled On partitionability and shellability of relative simplicial complexes; under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Russ Woodroofe, PhD.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish him much success on his future journey in research!

Monday, 7 November 2022 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Dean Lipovac

Dean Lipovac, student of the doctoral study programe Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis Human preference for wooden materials and their role in restorative environments under the mentorship of Assist. Prof. Michael David Burnard, PhD.

The defence will take place on Friday, 11 November 2022 at 3 PM in Sequoia (InnoRenew CoE, Izola) and on Zoom:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/86388284637

Meeting ID: 863 8828 4637

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

Friday, 4 November 2022 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Andrés David Santamaría-Galvis

Andrés David Santamaría-Galvis, student of the doctoral study programe Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis On partitionability and shellability of relative simplicial complexes; under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Russ Woodroofe, PhD.

The defence will take place on Tuesday, 8 November 2022 at 17:00 in Famnit-MP1 (Glagoljaška 8, Koper) and on Zoom:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84023181429?pwd=dDBMVlFnVTZGcmwzc09jQllNTlhCQT09

Meeting ID: 840 2318 1429
Passcode: 399720

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

Thursday, 3 November 2022 UP FAMNIT continues with the successful cooperation of the Department of Biodiversity with organizations from practice

On Wednesday, 26 October 2022, the Department of Biodiversity hosted an event aimed to exchange opinions and to present organisations, where students of the study programmes Conservation Biology (BSc) and Nature Conservation (MSc) had already taken their internship opportunities. 13 organisations responded to the invitation for his hybrid event, and 8 of them presented their activities to the students last week.

The meeting was organised to enhance the quality of the internship experience and improve the interaction with those organisations, which have an interest in working with our department and our students.

»We are very pleased to have been able to host such an event, because we believe that our students, besides getting the information about the internship opportunities offered by various organisations working in the fields of nature conservation, biology and education, also got the first impression of their potential employers and their mission,« said assist. Martin Senič from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT.

We would also like to thank all the present organisations and their representatives for their participation and looking forward for the future collaboration:

• Dr. Manja Rogelja – University of Primorska Science Center; Aquarium Piran
• Lilijana Rušnjak and Teja Melinc – National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food
• Erika Ražman – Health resort of RCS Debeli rtič
• Eva Šabec Korbar – Municipality of Pivka; Seasonal lakes of Pivka Nature Park
• Polona Pengal – Institute for ichthyological and ecological research REVIVO
• Stanislava Dešnik – Goričko Landscape Park
• Dr. Renata Rozman – The Škocjan Caves   
• Neža Hervatič – Municipality of Ankaran; Debeli rtič Landscape park

Tuesday, 25 October 2022 AWARD CEREMONY FOR THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF TUTORING WORK FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2021/22

The Tutoring system at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural science and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT) has been helping students with both academic problems and practical life challenges for many years. In the last academic year at UP FAMNIT, 27 students were part of it. Besides helping students, they contributed to the promotion activities of the Faculty with presentations for secondary school students, on information days and other events.

Among student tutors was also Matija Zagoranski, who is now a Master's student of Biopsychology, and also a tutor in the academic year 2022/23. In his speech, he highlighted the important role of tutors, which they have during the new arrival of freshmen students: »For new students, we are their best friends before they meet their best friends. «

UP FAMNIT highly appreciates the invested effort, which the student tutors devoted to other students. On that note, yesterday, on 24 October at 12:00, we presented them with a certificate of successful competition of their tutoring work for the academic year 2021/22.

19 active studentsreceived the certificates for successfully competed tutoring work for the academic year 2021/2022:

• MIHAIL FILIPOVSKI, student of the study programme Bioinformatics (BSc),
• INGA RAIČ, NADEEN AL HAWAMDEH, ELENA SPIROVA and PAVLE MIHAILOVSKI , students of the study programme Computer science (BSc),
• KAROLINA TRAJKOVSKA and MILAN MILIVOJČEVIĆ, graduates of the study programme Computer Science (BSc),
• DOROTEA REDŽEPI and NEVENA STOJNIĆ, students of the study programme Mathematics (BSc),
• AJLA ŠEHOVIĆ, graduate of the study programme Mathematics (BSc),
• SINOLICHKA NAUNOVSKA and EVA KREBL, students of the study programme Biopsychology (BSc),
• MATIJA ZAGORANSKI, student of the Master’s study programme Biopsychology,
• CITA JENKO, student of the Master's study programme Psychology,
• MARUŠA PENCA KOCJAN, MOJCA PUNGERČAR and ZALA HORVAT , students of the study programme Conservation Biology (BSc),
• LUKA DUNIŠ, student with a Master’s degree in Nature Conservation,
• ARSEN MATEJ GOLUBOVIKJ, student of the Master’s study programme Data Science.

We would like to thank all student tutors for their work and all the hours they dedicate to the students throughout the academic year and wish them every success in the future. 

Thursday, 20 October 2022 Žiga Velkavrh, new Doctor of Science

Today, 20 October 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Žiga Velkavrh, a student of the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT has succesfully defended his doctoral dissertation entitled Behavioral traits across time and countries: essays on indirect reciprocity, deception and nationality; under the mentorship of Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, PhD and co-mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Aljaž Ule, PhD.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish him much success on his future journey in research!

Thursday, 20 October 2022 Promotion of new Doctors of Science at the University of Primorska

On Thursday, 20 October 2022, the Rector of the University of Primorska promoted 11 Doctors of Science who defended their doctoral dissertations between March and October 2022 at a ceremony in the UP Armeria. 307 students have completed their doctoral studies at UP so far.

Among the newly promoted doctors of science is Aleksandar Tošić, assistant lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies. He defended his doctoral dissertation entitled »Tradeoffs in using blockchain technology for security, privacy, and decentralization: theoretical and empirical perspectives« under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Jernej Vičič and the co-supervision of Assist. Prof. Michael David Burnard.

Summary of the doctoral dissertation
The dissertation makes four scientific contributions to the field of distributed computing. The study sets theoretical and empirical results in using blockchain technology in various domains. The results include a new consensus mechanism based on verifiable delay functions, a new test for detecting anomalies in large network graphs, a framework for decentralized authoritative multiplayer games, and contributions to security and privacy in wireless sensor networks.

Sincere congratulations to all new Doctors of Science!

Thursday, 20 October 2022 Successful conclusion of the »Growth Mindset Teaching in (Higher) Education International conference« at UP FAMNIT

On Wednesday, 19 October 2022, the international conference »Growth Mindset Teaching in (Higher) Education« was held at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP Famnit). The conference was a part of Erasmus+ project GrowthMinds, whose lead partner is UP FAMNIT.

At the event university, primary and secondary school teachers, school counsellors and adult educators had an opportunity to learn about different methods, tools and good practices in teaching students of different majors, as well as to participate in various substantive discussions on the topic of growth mindset.

More about the conference program is available here.

What is a growth mindset and why is it important to develop it in students?

People with a growth mindset believe to a greater extent than those with a fixed mindset that their abilities can change, they are more likely to embrace challenges and persist for longer despite failure. Experience so far shows that the growth mindset of students can be developed in various ways.

Students with a growth mindset seek out better feedback, persist for longer, cope better with transitions, and develop better self-regulation skills. A growth mindset is also associated with well-being, lower stress levels, prosocial behavior and other favorable psychosocial outcomes.

Higher education teachers and others who provide learning experiences for students play an important role in creating a stimulating and inclusive environment for them. Teachers can use different approaches to help their students not only succeed, but also help them believe that their success comes from effort and the use of effective (learning) strategies.

The GrowthMinds project

The two-year GrowthMinds project is led by the Head of the Center for Positive Psychology, Assist. Prof. Kristijan Musek Lešnik and it started on 1 November 2020. The activities directly include university educators and university students as the main target groups.

The project’s lead partner is UP FAMNIT, in collaboration with STEP Inštitut Zavod za psihologijo dela in podjetništvo (Slovenia), Balıkesir University (Turkey), University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Târgu Mureş (Romania) and University of Klagenfurt (Austria).

GwowtMinds is co-financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ KA203 programme.

Monday, 17 October 2022 RECTOR'S DAY 2022

This year, too, we will celebrate Rector's Day (19 October 2022) with sports and social activities. UP employees will have a rich programme of workshops, hikes, excursions, and other activities on the day, to which students are also invited. 

PROGRAMME

SPORT

• Morning yoga with SportUP: (Difficulty: 2) 

Morning yoga to start your day. In the courtyard of the Armeria or in case of bad weather or too many registrants, the activity will be held at UP FM (P6) sport hall, at 8.00.  Apply here 

• Seafront walk from Koper to Izola(and back): (Difficulty: 1) 

A relaxed walk to Simon's Bay with the possibility of a guided tour of the Archaeological Park OR a relaxed walk to Simon's Bay with the possibility of a guided tour of the InnoRenew CoE building.  

The meeting point will be at the entrance to the gravel car park in Žusterna at 9.30.  Apply here 

• Seafront walk from Turistica to Piran (and back), with a visit to the Aquarium: (Difficulty: 1) 

A relaxed walk to Piran with the possibility of a guided tour of the Aquarium. Meeting point at the Turistica car park at 9.30.  Apply here

• Tinjan hike with SportUP: (Difficulty: 3) 

A circular walk along the trail to Tinjan. The meeting point will be at the cemetery parking lot in Dekani at 9.30.  Apply here 

• Cycling trip along the Parenzana from Koper to Piran (and back): (Difficulty: 3) 

Cycling trip from Koper to Piran, with the possibility to visit the Aquarium and back. Full equipment is required. The meeting point will be in front of the UP building at 9.00 (possible combination with yoga) and in Žusterna at 9.15. Apply here 

CULTURAL - SOCIAL

• Therapeutic Tea Party with Poetry Reading (from 9.00 to 10.30, Armerija UP lobby): the UP Book Club meeting will take the form of a tea party, where we will read and listen to each other, the purpose of the meeting is to spend some time in a café atmosphere... in the company of a book, of course. 
• UPreplet (UP Volunteering) workshop (from 10.30 to 12.30 in the foyer of the UP Armoury): "Rokavčki pomagački" are knitted or crocheted squares of 30 x 30 cm, which are then sewn into a tube and sewn with buttons and other decorations. They are intended for people with dementia, as they calm them and help with therapies, and their beneficial effects are certified by the Spominčica Association, which also accepts them on request. You can make the gloves all the time, you can start and then pass them on to the next person, or just stop and chat over a cup of tea and coffee. 
• Board Games Tournament (from 10.30 to 12.30 in the Meeting Rooms of the UP Armoury): there will be competitions in activities and tarok.  
• UPdate (from 10.00 to 11.00, various locations): you can sign up for a chat with your colleagues. After the registration closes, we will form groups and you will receive an email with the time and location of the meeting where you will meet and chat with 3 UP colleagues - be surprised. If the conversation doesn't go well, the conversation cards will help you.
• Ponovitev premiere PEF Teatra (od 19.00 do 20.30) v Centru mladih Koper. Napoved predstave: V premožni družini se prepletajo prijateljstvo, sovraštvo, ljubezen, ljubosumje in spletke. Po pretresljivem dogodku detektiv preiskuje primer in ga poskuša rešiti. Katera ženska ima dovolj velik motiv? Je zločin zakrivilo več žensk? Je sploh katera kriva?  Predstava je prirejena je po francoskem filmu z istoimenskim naslovom, pripravili pa so jo študenti UP PEF. Vstopnina: prostovoljni prispevek. Apply here 

LECTURES (ZOOM) AND CONFERENCE ;

• Luka, SportUP: About sleep: About sleep (workshop, from 13.00-14.00): This virtual workshop will teach us about the biological rhythms that have an important influence on the quality of sleep and consequently on our wakeful energy levels and long-term health. We will also learn about the different types of sleep and their importance.   Apply here 
• Growth Mindset Teaching in (Higher) Education International Conference. The event is free to attend and open to all higher education teachers. The programme is a full day, but you can attend only a few lectures. The conference programme is available here: More about the project > HERE <. 

The registration form > 

THE DAY AFTER: ADDITIONAL EVENT ON 20 OCTOBER 2022 

On the occasion of World Ethics Day on 20 October, the UP Commission for Ethics in Research Involving Human Subjects (KER) is organising an event aimed at raising ethical awareness. They want to highlight the topics that most often cause problems when submitting applications to the KER. The event is aimed at all UP employees, especially those who have submitted or will submit applications.

More >> HERE 

Thursday, 13 October 2022 MATCOS-22 – The Middle-European Conference on Applied Theoretical Computer Science

Today, October 14, 2022, the conference MATCOS-22 – The Middle-European Conference on Applied Theoretical Computer Science was successfully concluded at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT). The two-day event was organized by Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) and UP FAMNIT in cooperation with the research institute InnoRenew CoE.

MATCOS-22 was held as part of the 25th Multi-Conference on Information Society, which took place from 10 to 14 October 2022, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

                      
 MATCOS-22 participants were also welcomed by the dean of UP FAMNIT, Assoc. Prof. Ademir Hujdurović

For the scope of the conference, two goals were set - to come up with ideas and solutions from the field of theoretical computing, that can be directly used in real world applications, and to collect theoretical results based on some fruitful ideas, that may be useful to adopt for practical problems. Special emphasis was placed on applications such as simulation, bioinformatics, digital signal and image processing, data science, digital forensics, logistics, smart homes/cities and IoT (Internet of Things).

                       
                               Prof. Andrej Brodnik, co-chair of MATCOS-22 programme committee

 »This year too, just like last year, we introduced regular and short papers and in this way enabled a larger number of participants and mutual exchange of ideas. The program included a total of 32 papers (11 regular and 21 short), and the presentations were held in two parallel sections, so that the participants had enough time for discussion. We are glad that more than 40 participants, who contributed to the creative atmosphere of the event, took part in MATCOS-22« summed up Assoc. Prof. Rok Požar, chair of the MATCOS-22 Organizing Committee.

This year’s keynote speaker was Prof. György Turán (University of Illinois at Chicago and Research Group on AI, University of Szeged). In his keynote lecture titled »Interpretability of deep-learned error-correcting codes«, he answered questions about whether the error-correcting codes, today often created by deep learning, differ from the traditional ones whose existence was demonstrated by C. Shannon in 1948.

                 Group photo with MATCOS-22 organizers and participants

For more detailed information on the conference, please visit http://matcos.iam.upr.si.

Wednesday, 12 October 2022 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Žiga Velkavrh

Žiga Velkavrh, student of the doctoral study programe Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis Behavioral traits across time and countries: essays on indirect reciprocity, deception and nationality; under the mentorship of Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, PhD and co-mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Aljaž Ule, PhD.

The defence will take place on Thurdsay, 20 October 2022 at 15:00 in Famnit-VP2 and on Zoom:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/85053548014?pwd=RmIzdFY0cXI1SThDYk13TE96SGYzUT09

Meeting ID: 850 5354 8014

Passcode: 365102

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

Wednesday, 12 October 2022 DIGI-MAT: DEALING WITH MATHEMATICAL LEARNING CONTENT USING DIGITAL TOOLS

Yesterday, the »DIGI-MAT: DEALING WITH MATHEMATICS LEARNING CONTENT USING DIGITAL TOOLS« training, which took place between 1 and 11 October 2022, live on UP FAMNIT and via the ZOOM application, was successfully completed.

The education was part of the continuing education and training of professionals in education, which we carried out at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT).

DIGI-MAT professional training was divided into three topics, which were presented to the trainees by  Assoc. Prof. Ademir Hujdurović, Prof. Dr. Martin Milanič, Prof. Dr. Štefko Miklavič and Assist. Prof. Nino Bašić. 

The training was carried out in a combined format; two days of 5 hours live and two Zoom meetings of 3 hours.

         
             Lectures by Prof. Dr. Martin Milanič                                  Lectures by Assist. Prof. Nino Bašić

»This year, for the first time, the Department of Mathematics organized a seminar for primary and secondary school mathematics teachers »DIGI-MAT: Dealing with learning content using digital tools«, where the participants learned about the basics of cryptography, combinatorics and the use of the Python programming language. One of the purposes of education is the integration of mathematics teachers in the entire educational vertical - i.e. from primary school to faculty. In this way, we can change the experience, highlight potential problems and look for solutions. The first reactions of the participants were positive, so we are looking forward to future trainings«, summed up Dr. Ana Zalokar, DIGI-MAT programme coordinator.

According to the KATIS system (Catalog of further education and training programs for professional workers in education for the school year 2022/2023), participants received 1 point for the completed education.

Monday, 10 October 2022 SUCCESSFUL JUMP INTO THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR - ŠTARTUP

On Saturday, 8 October 2022, the second edition of ŠtartUP - a social and sporting event aimed at welcoming all University of Primorska students  - took place in the Žusterna Seaside Park.  

The event is aimed at introducing the students to older students and getting to know each other, as well as a more personal approach to the students, as the contact offices present, who are in contact with the students throughout their studies (international offices, student affairs offices), presented them with the content that will help them in their studies. Last but not least, the event was also attended by the teaching staff, so they were able to make personal contacts, which, due to the smaller groups, is an advantage of studying at the University of Primorska.   

Nataša, Head of the International Office at Turistica said that she considers such events "an excellent opportunity to connect and get to know students and employees, not only within individual faculties, but at the level of the entire university. It is an interesting and fun way to learn - especially through social, sports and board games - about the possibilities of involvement in the activities of the university and its members, as well as in the extracurricular activities offered by various associations. This is even more important and necessary after these last two years of the pandemic, during which we have almost become accustomed to this distance. We hope and wish that this year will finally be different and we will return to the old tracks when such events were held regularly." 

Associate Professor Dr. Mike Burnard, coordinator of the Data Science programme at UP FAMNIT, points out that "StartUP event are also an opportunity for professors and assistant professors to get to know their students and to strengthen the bonds between colleagues from member institutions." 

Alongside UP members, the University's centres and units were also presented, which are also dedicated to cooperation with the wider community and to linking the University's content with the environment.   

The UP Institute Andrej Marušič (IAM) presented the Cycle Around The Globe campaign, which aims to cycle the circumference of the Earth and thus raise awareness about suicide prevention. The event collected 200 km for the campaign and educated the participants about the signs and ways of recognising distress.

A new feature this year was the invitation to local associations and organisations to present themselves at the event - giving them the opportunity to showcase their activities, recruit new members or attract new visitors. We are extremely pleased that more than 20 local societies and organisations recognised the event as an opportunity to introduce themselves to students and to recognise the contribution that the student population in seaside towns makes. We also received a great response from local businesses that donated gifts for the raffle.

Stands were offered with a symbolic entry fee, which was fully and directly donated to the Association "Pomagalčica Pomagalčica", the event also had a humanitarian note. 

This year, more than 400 students visited the event and welcomed by more than 100 staff representatives of the associations,so the welcome was truly massive and enriched the events in the new Žusterna Seaside Park.

Naja, a student from UP FTŠ Turistica, pointed out "I really like the event, there is a lot going on, there are a lot of new things to learn". Lana from UP PEF complimented "... very good organisation of the event and all the prepared activities of the points where we collected stamps to participate in the UP Raffle". 

Katja Kosem, President of the UP FTŠ Student Council and President of the UP Student Council, actively joined the UP FTŠ stand at the event, which created an informative and fun quiz on tourism for students to test what they had learnt during the info days. "We also prepared a game where you have to pack a suitcase in one minute together with a card where you indicate your dream destination and what "non-material" you would take with you to that destination. It is the activity that has attracted the most students".

We wish all students a successful start, progress and conclusion of the academic year 22/23! 

Thursday, 6 October 2022 InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2022

About the conference

The InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2022, “Rethinking buildings and materials for a sustainable future,” will provide a forum to explore renewable materials and their use for creating healthy, sustainable buildings during five thematic sessions: 

• Environmentally friendly and energy-efficient materials and practices to improve the built environment 

Material processing and product design improvements for all stages of a building’s lifecycle to reduce harm and increase efficiency. 

• Sustainability in the built environment: Challenges and solutions 

Barriers and opportunities for building with renewable materials, from circularity to architecture to impact assessment and beyond. 

• State-of-the-art solutions for building design and assessment 

Technologies for building design optimization, sustainable construction management and service life monitoring, including building information modeling (BIM), digital twin, sensor technologies, internet of things (IoT), life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC). 

• Built environments for well-being 

Materials, designs, technologies and promotional activities to improve physical and mental well-being. 

• Bridging the gap between research and society  

Interdisciplinary research, case studies, knowledge transfer, acceptance studies, industry implementation, policymaking, communication strategies, and everything in between that forms practices to take society towards a sustainable future.  

A roundtable discussion about the European Year of Youth 2022 will also be organized as part of the conference. 

IRIC2022 is an opportunity to share and discuss emerging science and innovations in renewable materials that can be used in the built environment to enhance human and environmental well-being. 

Important dates

• Abstract submission deadline 31 Avgust 2022
• Registration deadline 1 November 2022
• Payment deadline 4 November 2022
• 17-18 November 2022 InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2022

Call for abstracts 

IRIC2022 welcomes 300-word abstracts for presentations in five thematic areas: 

• Environmentally friendly and energy-efficient materials and practices to improve the built environment 
• Sustainability in the built environment: Challenges and solutions 
• State-of-the-art solutions for building design and assessment 
• Built environments for well-being 
• Bridging the gap between research and society  

Please follow the IRIC2022 abstract template and submit through the conference portal.   

Abstract submission closes on 31 August 2022.  

Keynote speaker

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thomas Brudermann  

Thomas Brudermann is an associate professor at the University of Graz. He works in the interdisciplinary field of sustainability and innovation research, focusing on decision-making related to sustainability transitions and climate psychology. He holds a master’s degree in informatics and a doctoral degree in psychology. 

Thomas also works with national and international research institutions, including the International Institute for Applied System Analysis, the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and the University of Klagenfurt. He was a visiting researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan and a visiting faculty member at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. 

Venue

InnoRenew CoE will host IRIC2022 at its new building in Izola, Slovenia.  Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia 

Registration

• Full registration: €150  
• Student registration: €75  
• Conference dinner: €60 
• All prices includes VAT. 
• Registration will be open until 1 November 2022, 23:59 CEST.

Payment 

• Payment must be made by bank transfer to the InnoRenew CoE bank account. A copy of the transfer receipt must be attached to the registration form.  
• ACCOUNT HOLDER: InnoRenew CoE / Livade 6a, SI-6310 Izola, Slovenia 
• BANK: NLB d.d. / Trg republike 2, 1520 Ljubljana, Slovenia 
• SWIFT CODE: LJBASI2X 
• IBAN: SI56029220262173147 
• REFERENCE: 00-00 

Enter “InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2022” in the remarks field, and include the following information: 

• Participant name 
• Participant surname 
• Address for issuing/receiving invoice (it can be either a personal or institutional address, but if the invoice is issued to an institution, include the institution’s tax number) 

 The payment deadline is 4 November 2022, 23:59 CEST. 

An invoice will be provided after the conference.  

Accommodations and travel

Hotels in Izola:

• Hotel Belvedere (Cliff and Villa): Dobrava 1a, 6310 Izola  
• Hotel Haliaetum: Morova ulica 6a, 6310 Izola 
• San Simon Resort: Izola (multiple locations) 
• Hotel Delfin: Tomažičeva 10, 6310 Izola 
• Hotel Marina: Veliki trg 11, 6310 Izola 
• Hotel Keltika: Cesta v Jagodje 1, 6310 Izola  
• DeGrassi Boutique Garni Hotel: Drevored 1.maja 9, 6310 Izola 

Airports: 

• Trieste Airport (TRS), 55-minute drive from Izola 
• Ljubljana Airport (LJU), 1 hour 20-minute drive from Izola 
• Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), 2-hour drive from Izola 
• Treviso Airport (TSF), 2-hour drive from Izola 
• Zagreb Airport (ZAG), 2 hour 30-minute drive from Izola 

Shuttle service: 

The easiest way to travel to Izola from the airports above is to take a shuttle service like GoOpti transport. Reservation for transfer can be made directly to your hotel. Prices are lower if the shuttle is booked well in advance (1-2 months). 

Bus or train:

Travel by bus to Izola is possible. Once in Izola, public transportation is available to move around the city. 

You can travel by train from most European countries via connection to Koper (Slovenia), Trieste (Italy) or Ljubljana (Slovenia). From these locations, you need a bus transfer or other transport to reach Izola. 

Conference sponsors

Would you like to increase your visibility within the interdisciplinary field of renewable materials for healthy built environments? Become an IRIC2022 sponsor.

Contact us at conference@innorenew.eu for more details. 

Sponsorship-flyer

Scientific committee 

Richard Acquah, Mateja Erce, Niki Hrovatin, Albert Kravos, Dean Lipovac, Han Lei, Sasikala Perumal, Faksawat Poohphajai, Lea Primožič, Nežka Sajinčič 

Organizing committee

Elizabeth Dickinson, Gertrud Fabian, Lea Primožič, Amy Simmons 

Conference organizers

The conference is organized by the InnoRenew CoE and the University of Primorska.

Contact information

Please send questions or comments to conference@innorenew.eu.

Past conferences

• 2021
• 2020
• 2019

Thursday, 6 October 2022 How to encourage a growth mindset in students? Join the Growth Mindset Teaching in (Higher) Education International conference at UP FAMNIT

On Wednesday, 19 October 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the international conference »Growth Mindset Teaching in (Higher) Education« will take place in the lobby (Avla) of the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP Famnit). The conference is a part of Erasmus+ project GrowthMinds, whose lead partner is UP FAMNIT.

The event is intended for all university, primary and secondary school teachers, school counselors and adult educators.

The exact program of the conference is available here.

Participation is free, you only need to register at this link.

About the GrowthMinds project

The GrowthMinds international project, whose lead partner is UP FAMNIT, includes various activities with which pedagogical staff at the university level will be able to develop new competencies for the use of the so-called concept of growth mindset in their work.
The project aims to increase the quality of the learning process through the use of new learning techniques and is co-financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ KA203 programme.

The two-year project is led by the Head of the Center for Positive Psychology, Assist. Prof. Dr. Kristijan Musek Lešnik and it started on 1 November 2020. The activities directly include university educators and university students as the main target groups.

With a co-financed part of 171,459 EUR, the project will bring together the following partners: 

• STEP Inštitut, zavod za psihologijo dela in podjetništvo (Slovenia), 
• Balıkesir University (Turkey), 
• University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Târgu Mureş (Romania) in 
• University of Klagenfurt (Austria).

Monday, 3 October 2022 We are starting the academic year with the biggest generation of Famnit students to date

The academic year 2022/23 began with a traditional ceremony, which took place this year in the Livade 1.0 building in Izola, where the management of the university and its members, representatives of the municipalities of Slovenian Istria, representatives of the UP Student Council and the UP Student Organization (ŠOUP) gathered. The rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, was first to address the students in her speech.

In Izola, freshmen students of the undergraduate study programs Mediterranean Agriculture and Conservation Biology were also present, and after the official part of the event, they had meetings with the coordinators of the study programs in the modernly equipped lecture rooms of Livade 1.0.

In the morning, we welcomed other students from the other undergraduate programs in the Museum Park in front of UP FAMNIT in Koper. After taking a group photo, the students went to the lecture rooms, where together with the program coordinators, they watched the live broadcast from the event in Izola.

Via a recorded speech, the dean of UP FAMNIT, Assoc. Prof. Ademir Hujdurović, also shared his thoughts at the beginning of the new academic year.

UP rector's speech in Livade

Group photo of Famnit's freshmen students of the Mediterranean Agriculture and Conservation Biology study programs with the Dean of UP FAMNIT in front of the Livade 1.0 building

Group photo of Famnit's freshmen students and tutor students in the Museum Square, Koper

In the name of starting the academic year with a modern and greener approach to communication with students, we also presented the STUDO application, which is intended for all students and provides quick and easy access to key university information. Within it, as the first university in Slovenia, we are also presenting a digital student card, with which we step into a greener and more sustainable future.

After the meetings with the coordinators, there was a meeting with this year's tutors, who are available to the students to solve any problems and help them get started in student life.

The events at the beginning of the new academic year will continue on Saturday, October 8, when we will hold the Štart UP event at the Žusterna Park - a sports and social event for all UP students, where presentations will be made by various organizations from the University and from the local environment. Students will have the opportunity to win prizes for successfully completed activities at individual points throughout the day.

Some more statistics

At UP FAMNIT, we welcomed the 16th generation of students, this year again the biggest so far.

The final enrolment statistics for the academic year 2022/2023 will be definite by the end of this month, however, according to unofficial data, 933 students are enrolled at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, of which 440 come from abroad, which represents as much as 47 percent. Foreign students come from 27 countries: North Macedonia, Ghana, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Belarus, India, Montenegro, United States of America, Philippines, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Bulgaria , China, Bangladesh, Estonia, Brazil, Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Poland and Tunisia.

361 students are enrolled in the first year for the first time this academic year; 278 of them in undergraduate study programs, 68 in Master's programs, and 15 students are enrolled in the first year of doctoral programs.

We wish all students a successful, interesting and fun academic year!

Sunday, 2 October 2022 Young researchers visited us at the workshops on the occasion of the European Researchers' Night 2022

On Friday, September 30, 2022, this year's European Researchers’ Night took place, as part of which the University of Primorska prepared interesting workshops for visitors.

The European Researchers’ Night is an annual event, organized at the initiative of the European Commission. In 2022, it is financed from the HORIZON-MSCA-2022-CITIZENS-01 program, under the Marie Skłodowska Curie actions, and with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia. European Researchers’ Night 2022 (ENR2022) is implemented under the slogan ‘Science for all’.

The workshops were held from 8:00 a.m. until the evening hours at various locations in Koper (University of Primorska rectorate, Museum Square, UP Faculty of Humanities, UP Faculty of Management), Kozina (Mythical Park Rodik), Izola (Livade 1.0 building, InnoRenew CoE, Archaeological Park Simonov zaliv, UP Faculty of Health Sciences) and Piran (Science Center of the University of Primorska, Aquarium Piran).

In Koper, in the company of our UP Famnit researchers, they got to know the interior of the best-selling mechanical puzzle/toy in the world - the Rubik's cube. We also introduced them to regular polyhedra as well as to those, that are not regular, with an emphasis on symmetric objects, which are considered pleasing by mathematicians.

With the workshop 'I get myself' we strove to raise awareness about the importance of protecting mental health and a healthy lifestyle.

In the Livade 1.0 building in Izola, young enthusiasts together with Famnit's researchers unmasked invisible wild animals in our environment and learned about aromatic plants taking into account the environmental and ecological characteristics of the Mediterranean production area.

You can read more about the workshops prepared by UP Famnit researchers and the rest of the program here.

Below are some moments from the workshops 'Rubik's cube' and 'Meet the polyhedra'.

Friday, 30 September 2022 NEW! ADDITIONAL CALL FOR ERASMUS+ (KA131) STUDENT MOBILITY STUDY YEAR 2022/2023

An additional Erasmus+ Open Call for students for exchanges in the Academic Year 2022/2023 has been published.  The call enables applications for exchanges for the purpose of study and exchanges for the purpose of traineeship in the period from 1 June 2022 to 30 September 2023.

The application deadline is 10 October 2022. 

The Open Call and more information are available on this link.

• Instructions for applying are available HERE
• Possibilities of cofinancing the mobility
• Partner institution

You are invited to apply!

Friday, 30 September 2022 UP Famnit takes part in the ReNature project for restoring wetlands and meadows

The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies is one of the partners in the ReNature project - restoration of the network of wetlands and meadows important for Natura 2000 and other protected species and habitat types in the Karst, the basin of Reka river and the Pivka intermittent lakes Nature Park.

In addition to UP Famnit, the Municipality of Pivka, the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ljubljana and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) are participating in the project, whose leading partner is the Škocjan Caves Public Institute.

The Škocjan Caves Public Institute will, as part of ReNature, restore 8 wetlands and one vaulted spring, which is typical for the Brkini region. One of the most important activities of the leading partner is encouraging and organizing research work, as well as participating in it. 

After this year's successful start of the implementation of the ReNature project in May, in the middle of the previous month, between 12 and 15 September 2022, the project partners met at an official event in the Škocjan Caves area. In addition to the organization of the partners' work, the event was also aimed at visiting the project areas and getting to know the wider area of ​​Brkini, the valley of the Reka river, the Košana valley and the Pivka intermittent lakes Nature Park.

The €1,196,385.00 project will last two years, and its result will be the restoration of 45 ha of meadows and high-trunk orchards, as well as 8 wetlands and a well in the area of ​​Brkini, Vremščica and the Košana valley. It is co-financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway with the resources of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the Republic of Slovenia.

ReNature is implemented within the framework of the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation programme.

Purpose of the project and role of UP Famnit

We are losing grassland and wetland ecosystems very quickly. Since these areas are very effective carbon sinks and the habitat of Europe's important Nature 2000 animal and plant species, by restoring them in the ReNature project, we will contribute to mitigating the climate crisis and the crisis of biodiversity.

More than 10 ha of meadows in the area of ​​Vremščica will be restored by the Faculty of Veterinary Faculty in cooperation with the Gabrče Agrarian Society, while the meadow areas in the Košana valley will be restored by the Municipality of Pivka.

In the project, UP Famnit researchers (Department for Biodiversity) in the field of biology, ecology and nature conservation and partners from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research will map and list the ecosystem services (human benefits from the local landscape and nature) provided by meadow and wetland ecosystems. These areas perform various functions that are important for the life of various plant and animal species and human activities. Due to climate change (drought, evaporation, erosion, cracks, damage to ruins ...) and changes in use and the introduction of invasive non-native species of plants and animals, we are losing them very quickly, so the awareness-raising and educational activities, that the partners will carry out until spring 2024, are a very important part of the plan.

Together with other partners, our researchers strive to preserve the cultural landscape and thus the identity of our area, and new knowledge and the exchange of experience is a good starting point for new research on the effects of measures to adapt to climate change.

Friday, 30 September 2022 From the Treasure Hunt in Koper to the European Night of Researchers in Izola: ORIENTATION DAYS 2022

At the University of Primorska, we organize Orientation days for students from abroad at the beginning of each semester. The ones in September attended by both full time students and students on international exchanges (Erasmus+ exchanges).

Orientation days are an opportunity for foreign students to get to know their new environment as well as new people who will be part of their study life. This is how they first learn key information about the University of Primorska - both about the environment and studies. An important part of the reception is also help in preparing the appropriate forms and documents for the Administrative Unit.

Yesterday they met also the representatives of ŠOUP (Student Organization of the University of Primorska), who provided them with important information about extracurricular activities. They learned the first words in the Slovenian language and got to know tutors and representatives of ESN Primorska (Erasmus Student Network), who will support them by providing information during their studies.

Jelena, member of ESN Primorska and student of Biopsychology at UP Famnit, was among the volunteers who helped on the first day of Orientation days: "I helped for the first time in the organizational team at the Orientation Days and it was a truly exceptional experience. I am grateful for such a valuable an experience that will serve me in my further work and, of course, the opportunity to meet and work with such exceptional people."

Students got to know their surroundings both - through the traditional Treasure Hunt around Koper, during which they learn about the key points for living and studying in the city, as well as by visiting activities within the framework of the European Night of Researchers. The Saturday excursion to the Škocjan Caves will end the Orientation days.

Almost 230 students from 23 countries took part in this year's Orientation Days. The largest number of foreign students who have decided to study full-time at the University of Primorska come from North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among the students who will spend a semester with us in the frame of the Erasmus+ programme, most of them come from Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Portugal.

Video of the first day is HERE.

  
  
Photo moments from the Treasure Hunt

Meeting with the coordinator of undergraduate study programme Computer Science, dr. Branko Kavšek

Welcoming the international students of UP FAMNIT

We wish everybody a very successful start of the Academic Year!

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 University of Primorska with a prominent role in the new European project Biodiversity Genomics Europe

How to use genetics and genomics to slow down the decline of biodiversity around the world

The University of Primorska, as the coordinator of the Slovenian consortium ERGA, which is a part of the European Reference Consortium Genome Atlas (ERGA), participates in the Biodiversity Genomic Europe (BGE) project. The aim of BGE is to slow down the extinction of species and the decline of biodiversity worldwide using genetic and genomic approaches.

The Slovenian consortium connects eight Slovenian institutions working in the field of molecular ecology and nature protection: The University of Primorska, The University of Maribor, the University of Ljubljana, the Faculty of Environmental Protection in Velenje, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and of Art, the National Institute of Biology, the Forestry Institute of Slovenia and the Natural History Museum of Slovenia.

The University of Primorska also participates in a citizen science campaign, implemented within the Step Change project, funded by the Horizon Europe 2020.

The comprehensive application of genomic science to biodiversity research will fundamentally change conservation science and policy - with impacts predicted to be on a scale similar to those of the Human Genome Project in medicine, receiving the Nobel prize in medicine in 2002. The new pan-European Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) consortium, launched today, 28 September 2022, is leading the way.

Time is running out. An appalling one in four species on the planet are currently threatened with extinction, putting livelihoods, food supplies, and essential water and nutrient cycles at risk. Knowledge is of the essence in the fight to reverse this unprecedented loss of species and degradation of ecosystems - yet currently our understanding of how life on Earth functions and responds to environmental pressures is far from complete. Genomics provides crucial new tools to answer these questions, and the BGE consortium will cause a quantum leap in the use of genomics across the continent.

Despite centuries of scientific research, an estimated 80% of the world’s species still await scientific discovery and description. Even for described species, telling them apart is often difficult. Moreover, interactions within and among species, and between species and their environment, create a hugely complex picture from individual to planetary levels. Genomic science is our best hope for success in mapping these interdependencies and predicting how individuals and groups may respond to environmental change. By bringing together Europe’s key practitioners in two fundamental DNA-based technologies - DNA barcoding and genome sequencing - BGE will streamline the rollout of these methods across Europe.

What is DNA barcoding? DNA barcoding uses short sequences of DNA to discriminate between species - analogous to the way conventional barcodes distinguish products in a supermarket. With modern genetic sequencing techniques, DNA barcoding has the potential to dramatically accelerate the inventory of life on Earth, providing a basis for global conservation monitoring.

Foto: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The BGE project is worth more than € 20 million, and 29 countries participate in it. Slovenia, as one of the biodiversity hotspots – areas with an unusually high level of biodiversity, will be able to determine the entire reference genomes of more than 30 species as part of the project, which will be selected by researchers from members of the Slovenian consortium.

Prof. dr. Elena Bužan (University of Primorska), the BGE project manager for Slovenia and the coordinator of the Citizen Science Committee at ERGA, commented: "We are very proud that in a very short time we managed to connect all Slovenian institutions working in the field of genomics and nature protection in this consortium, and thus including Slovenia as a biodiversity hotspot. I believe that this is the beginning of remarkable cooperation in Slovenian, European and global arena, and among researchers that are working in the field of genomics and biodiversity. The project will also contribute to raising awareness among various stakeholders (ministries, industry, NGOs, citizens) about the importance of genetics and genomic biodiversity for acquiring new knowledge and development in the fields of bio economy, agriculture and medicine. It will also raise awareness on the importance of genetic design as an important factor in adapting species to upcoming environmental changes. New knowledge will greatly enhance the value of research, the connection between researchers and end-users, and, perhaps most importantly, trust between various stakeholders.”

Prof. dr. Elena Bužan

More information is available here.

Monday, 26 September 2022 6 new ARRS projects awarded to UP

Researchers at the University of Primorska have been successful in obtaining 5 new research projects (four basic projects and one postdoctoral project) within the Public Call for (Co)Financing of Research Projects for 2022 of the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS). Researchers from UP Famnit and UP IAM will carry out research work in the fields of Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Sciences and Psychology.

The leaders of the newly acquired basic projects at UP Famnit are Prof. Dr. Dušanka Janežič, Prof. Dr. Martin Milanič, Prof. Dr. Enes Pasalic, Prof. Dr. Vladimir Batagelj and Dr. Tina Podlogar with her newly acquired postdoctoral project. Assoc. Prof. Sabina Ličen from the Faculty of Health Sciences (UP FVZ) also obtained a new ARRS project. 

Basic research projects involve experimental or theoretical work, aimed primarily at gaining new knowledge about the fundamentals of phenomena and perceptual facts. Given that the criteria for evaluating these types of projects include the scientific merit of the researchers and the scientific, technological and innovative excellence of the project itself, this latest success is yet another confirmation of the outstanding researchers working here, at the University of Primorska.

The results of the public call are available here.

We sincerely congratulate all the researchers and wish them a successful work!

The following projects, led by researchers at UP Famnit and UP IAM, will be implemented by the end of the year 2025:

• Title: ProBiS-Fold approach for binding site detection for whole structural human proteome in drug discovery
• Research field: Computer-intensive methods and applications
• Project type: basic – small
• Leading institution: UP Famnit
• Leader: Prof. Dr. Dušanka Janežič
• Partners: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Maribor, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry

The ProBiS-Fold approach, on which the ProBiS-Fold web server is based, will enable for the first-time interactions between most human protein structures not limited to the Protein Data Base structures only, prediction of selectivity and ligand binding, and observation of conserved water effects and ligand binding sequence variants. This work will provide the scientific community with a freely available, versatile server that researchers and clinicians can easily use from the web to detect molecules that bind to the proteins under their study. Our ProBiS tools will allow to combine several otherwise unrelated research areas, such as graph theoretical approaches, genetic variation studies,protein structure studies and molecular dynamics simulations.

• Title: Tree-Independence Number of Graphs
• Research field: Mathematics
• Project type: basic – small
• Leading institution: UP Famnit
• Leader: Prof. Dr. Martin Milanič
• Partners: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Maribor, Faculty of Natural sciences and Mathematics, Faculty of Information Studies in Novo mesto

The initial results indicate that the tree-independence number is a worthy addition to the toolbox of structural and algorithmic graph theory. It not only forms a common generalization of treewidth and chordality, but is also related to the famous Erdős-Hajnal conjecture and to the flourishing theory of chi-boundedness. All these motivations lead to the main objective of the project: a thorough and continued study of the tree independence number with the ultimate goal of developing a theory of this novel graph invariant. We plan to investigate a number of relevant independence number, with the ultimate goal of developing a theory of this novel graph invariant. We plan to investigate a number of relevant questions split into two interrelated research themes (Theme 1: foundations of the tree-independence number, Theme 2: refinements of the tree independence number), each with a number of subtasks. We expect the proposed research to further demonstrate the usefulness of the tree independence number and related graph width parameters, resulting thus in increased understanding of structural properties of (treewidth, omega)-bounded graph classes and the computational complexity of various graph optimization problems on such classes.

• Title: Discrete combinatorial objects in the spectral domain - intersection analysis
• Research field: Mathematics
• Project type: basic – small
• Leading institution: UP Famnit
• Leader: Prof. Dr. Enes Pasalic
• Partners: University of Primorska, Andrej Marušič Institute

The main goal of this project is to provide further analysis regarding certain combinatorial objects that are of crucial importance in cryptography stemming from certain hard problems in discrete mathematics that involve discrete exponential sums. More precisely, there exist special class polynomials over finite fields that possess exceptional (optimal) properties with respect to two well established cryptanalytic methods difference and linear cryptanalysis. Our ultimate goal is to inve the behaviour of the component functions in the spectral domain and to develop theoretical results related to the design of both AB and APN functions.

• Title: Higher-level bibliographic services
• Research field: Information science and librarianship
• Project type: basic – small
• Leading institution: UP Famnit
• Leader: Prof. Dr. Vladimir Batagelj
• Partners: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Mathematics, Physics, and Mechanics

The objectives include the identification of potential higher-level services and development of several prototype bibliographic analyses and related tools, motivated by number of selected end-users. The development of methods and algorithms for high quality bibliographic entity resolution based on bibliographic network analysis. This will enable to implement processing pipelines that can be applied on bibliographic databases in order to obtain periodically refreshed high quality and up to date bibliographic data. Further development of methodologies and algorithms for analysis of bibliographic networks, based on our past research (2-mode networks, fractional approach, temporal networks and temporal quantities) motivated by specific types of analyses with emphasis on how the science is developing in “real-time”.

• Title: Exploring and facilitating the assumption of the role of gatekeepers among Slovenian teachers in the context of COVID-19 epidemic consequences
• Research field: Psychology
• Project type: postdoctoral project
• Leader at UP Famnit: Dr. Tina Podlogar 

The objectives of the proposed research project are to explore the existing interventions for teachers as gatekeepers and systematically gather the results of empirical studies about their usefulness and effectiveness. To study the role of general factors, related to the teachers’ willingness and competence to assume the role of gatekeepers (e.g. teachers’ own well-being, satisfaction with their work environment, mental health literacy, stigmatizing attitudes related to suicidal behaviour, experiences, specific trainings etc.) and specific factors related to the concurrent circumstances of COVID-19 epidemic and its long-term consequences (e.g. teachers’ experience of pandemic fatigue, changes in the frequency and quality of the teacher-student interactions, potential impact on mental health of children and adolescents as vulnerable groups as observed from the teachers’ perspective etc.), which may also be relevant in this regard. To develop and pilot implement an intervention for strengthening the willingness and competence of teachers to assume the role of gatekeepers. To evaluate the impact of the intervention by the means of objective and subjective measures. To prepare guidelines for further implementation of the intervention for teachers with the aim of strengthening their competencies and willingness to assume the role of gatekeepers.

Saturday, 24 September 2022 UP Famnit representative at the Erasmus+ 35th anniversary meeting

Erasmus+ is a European programme that supports education, training, youth, and sport in Europe. This year it marks its 35th anniversary, coinciding with the European Year of Youth. To mark the occasion, Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, invited 35 young people from different European countries to a meeting in Brussels on 20 September 2022 to share past experiences and future expectations for Erasmus+. Milan Milivojčević, a third-year student of the Computer Science programme at UP Famnit, attended the meeting as a representative of Slovenia. 

He himself has extensive experience of the programme, having spent his first year on an Erasmus+ exchange at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labe, Czech Republic. During his exchange he became active in the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), where he recognised the opportunities and, upon his return to his home university, made a proposal to re-establish the network, which was accepted as an excellent proposal by the management. He has gathered 30 volunteers around him to support the exchange students. They were initially known as the Primorska Student Exchange Network, as they received confirmation of their candidacy in June 2022. Their work provided daily support to students, bridged the gap between students and management and was a valuable source of information. This is what Milan Milivojčević presented to the Commissioner during the meeting in Brussels.

He summarised his impressions of the visit by saying: "The visit to Brussels was an excellent opportunity to meet the European Commissioner and Vice-President of the Commission, Margaritis Schinas. We discussed the current state of the Erasmus+ project, possible improvements and future plans and promotion. Each and every one of us, 35 representatives from European countries, had the opportunity to express our views and participate. An interesting part was the presentation of the origins and development of the programme, as we heard directly from the founding team members Hywel Cary Jones, Alan Smith, Angelika Verla and David O'Sullivan. I also had the opportunity to have a photo with Mr. Jones and express my enthusiasm and gratitude for the idea of Erasmus+."

The success of the programme at European level is reflected in the fact that the estimated budget of the programme for the period 2021-2027 is €26.2 billion, almost double the previous seven-year period (2014-2020). The renewed and strengthened programme places a strong emphasis on social inclusion, the green and digital transition, and promoting the participation of young people in democratic life. This is also part of the University of Primorska's efforts, visible in the project starting in October GDI: Green, Digital, Inclusive UP.

The Erasmus+ programme is therefore one of the key programmes for the University of Primorska in pursuing the goal of internationalisation and realising its vision. Since 1987, the programme has offered opportunities for mobility and cooperation in various fields (higher education, vocational education and training, school education, adult education, youth and sport). Over the 35 years of its existence, more than 10 million people have benefited from exchange opportunities (from the EU, other European countries, and beyond). In almost 20 years of its existence, 2,519 students from the University of Primorska have participated in exchanges with the UP and 1,398 students from the UP have visited abroad.

Erasmus+ brings new experiences, exposure to other cultures and sometimes means permanent relocation - according to European Commission statistics, 20% of people find love during their exchange.

Friday, 23 September 2022 GROW 2022 – mathematicians from University of Primorska, SDAMS and University of Ljubljana successfully implemented another international conference

In 2020, mathematicians from University of Primorska and  Slovenian Discrete and Applied Mathematics Society – SDAMS, in collaboration with Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana – FMF, obtained the privilege to organize the 10th Workshop on Graph Classes, Optimization, and Width Parameters – GROW 2022 which was held from 19 to 22 September 2022 at the University of Primorska in Koper.

The Workshop on Graph Classes, Optimization and Width Parameters (GROW) series of workshops bring together experts in both theoretical and practical issues to design new strategies for dealing with intractable graph problems. 

This year's keynote talks were held by:

• Marthe Bonamy (French National Centre for Scientific Research – CNRS in University of Bordeaux) with the talk »One graph to rule them all: forbidden structures and universal graphs«,
• Bart M. P. Jansen (Eindhoven University of Technology) with the talk »Search-Space Reduction Beyond Kernelization« and
• Bojan Mohar (Simon Fraser University in Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics – IMFM) with the talk »On the structure of crossing-critical graphs«.

The workshop was coordinated by Martin Milanič (UP FAMNIT and UP IAM) in collaboration with Sergio Cabello (UL FMF). The organizing committee also included Nina Chiarelli and Matjaž Krnc (both UP FAMNIT and UP IAM), Peter Muršič (UP FAMNIT), Clément Dallard (LIFO, University of Orléans) and Kenny Štorgel (UP FAMNIT and Faculty of Information Studies in Novo Mesto).

Left to right: Martin Milanič and Sergio Cabello

»The organization required a lot of effort and work, which was paid off by the scientifically extremely successful implementation of the event, which included three plenary lectures, 26 other lectures, and two open problem sessions. Furthermore, the 65 participants had a number of lecture rooms at their disposal during the workshop for discussions in small groups. A special edition of the international SCI journal Discrete Applied Mathematics will be dedicated to the event,« summarized Martin Milanič.

The lectures were held in the Tramontana lecture hall at the Faculty of Humanities. Gathering of participants outside the lecture halls was made possible during a welcome reception held on Sunday, 18 September at UP FAMNIT, a hike on the Karst edge from Črni Kal to Socerb on Tuesday, 20 September, and a workshop dinner on Wednesday, 21 September. The day after the workshop the participants also had lecture halls available at UP FAMNIT to work in small groups.

Reception of GROW 2022 participants

»The conference was very well organized and it was nice to see that everyone was interacting and connecting with people they haven't met before. Groups of people have started working on new programs at this conference and it is great to see that we have such a community, because you get a feeling that you belong to some bigger group as well as in terms of getting all this information that you don't access easily online or through e-mail,« said Marthe Bonamy, who was also impressed by Koper and its beautiful sunsets.

Marthe Bonamy

Bart M. P. Jansen highlighted the importance of the cooperation of the scientific community and the exchange of knowledge, and he also emphasized the beauty of the local environment: »After several years in which physical conferences were impossible, it was wonderful to reconnect with colleagues and to meet the new generation of junior researchers in person. To do effective research it is important to know what others are working on and how far they have reached, so that we can build on the combined knowledge of the entire community to advance the state of the art. GROW has a wonderful mix of high-quality lectures by top researchers in the field and opportunities for informal discussions. The hike on the Karst plateau offered great views of the seaside while bringing researchers into contact with each other on a personal level. The venue in Koper is ideal for a meeting of this form: it has large modern lecture halls while the compact old town makes it easy to meet up for meals.«

Bart M. P. Jansen

  
  
Moments from the hike on the Karst edge from Črni Kal to Socerb

»The fact that we have such highly qualified scientists here is very important, as it is a field in which only the most active people can take on the role of organizers of regular conferences. From this point of view, hosting the conference is also a confirmation of the mathematical and scientific results of our professors. In addition, it can be a great experience for local students, who have the opportunity to see how such a conference is run,« added Bojan Mohar.

Left to right: Nina Chiarelli, Martin Milanič, and Bojan Mohar

GROW workshops have been held since 2001, and the 10th edition was held in Koper.  The workshops are invitation-only, held every odd year - the last conference in 2019 was held by the research group at Technical University Wien.

The list of previous conferences is available here. 

Thanks for the successful implementation of the conference go also to the UP FAMNIT student volunteers (Ina Bašić, Sadmir Kudin, Andrej Perković, Dorotea Redžepi, Gregory Robson, Nevena Stojnić, Ajla Šehović, and Draženka Višnjić).

 Group photo with GROW 2022 organizers and participants

We are sharing some additional photo moments below.

Thursday, 22 September 2022 The last application period for enrolment into undergraduate and postgraduate studies at UP September 22-23, 2022

On Thursday, September 22 and Friday, September 23, 2022, the candidates have the opportunity to apply for enrolment into undergraduate, master and doctoral study programmes at the University of Primorska in the frame of the calls for enrolment into study programmes in the academic year 2022/2023.

The following application deadlines are open:

• fourth application term for undergraduate study programmes for non-EU citizens,
• third application term for undergraduate study programmes for EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship,
• second application term for undergraduate study programmes for persons displaced from Ukraine with temporary protection,
• third application term for postgraduate study programmes for EU citizens,
• fourth application term for postgraduate study programmes for non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship,
• fourth application term for postgraduate study programmes for persons displaced from Ukraine with temporary protection.

All information about the application procedure are available here.

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

Wednesday, 21 September 2022 Up Famnit students successfully host Biological-Psychological Student Conference for the second time

Last week, September 15th – 17th, 2022, the second edition of the Biological-Psychological Student Conference was held at UP Famnit. Both participants and organizers, who organized the event for the second year in a row, were satisfied with the high level of the programme.

 34 participants from all three public Slovenian universities and from Croatia (Zagreb, Pula, Zadar) were registered and attended the conference live, in the premises of UP Famnit. Those registered contributed with oral presentations and posters from the fields of biology and psychology, and some even successfully connected these two fields.

 In order to diversify and raise the quality of the scientific programme, the organizers invited four more guest lecturers to participate, who gladly gave the conference the atmosphere of a real scientific event. At the end of the conference, the organizers and all participants are very grateful to dr. David Gosar (Pediatric Clinic, UKC Ljubljana), dr. Nina Gunde-Cimerman (UL Faculty of Biotechnology), dr. Neven Iveša (Faculty of Natural Sciences, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula) and dr. Tina Tinkara Peternelj (UP Famnit).

Approximately 20 students, members of the Association of Conservation Biologists - BIODIVA and the Association of Biopsychology Students, participated in the organization. They were also helped by professors and assistants of UP Famnit, who participated in the scientific committee and thus ensured that the conference was organized at a high level. The result of the team’s hard work is the Book of Abstracts of the 2nd Biological-Psychological Student Conference, which is already published and accessible >>here<<.

Anja Klepac, president of the conference, described her experience as follows: "After 340 days from the first edition, the second Biological-Psychological Student Conference was once again successful. This time we focused our attention even more on the accompanying and social programme. With the support of the scientific committee, we listened to a variety of current scientific topics, which of course led to lengthy debates. Despite the many sleepless nights of the organizers, the satisfaction of the participants and the new friendships made outweighed all the effort.‎"

 Taja Pajmon Rak, the other president of the conference, told us that "We were very happy that this year we managed to organize the conference completely in person and that among the participants there were quite a few passive ones, which came to listen to the scientific programme. Last year we had to broadcast the entire program online, but this year we decided to organize the event in person, to encourage socializing and networking among students (and we are glad we achieved this goal). The organizing team got quite few younger students, even though they didn't know anything about organizing conferences. Thus, in the core organizing team, we have high hopes for younger, up-and-coming students who (with our help, of course) will continue organizing this conference for a long time, years after we are no longer here. Our hope of course, is for our conference to become permanent, kind of a tradition for students from all over Slovenia and abroad, in order for them to come to Koper every year." ‎

 The organizers are grateful to the Student Council of UP Famnit and the Municipality of Koper for the financial support of the project. A special thanks goes to UP Famnit for all the support and help, without it the event could not be held at such a level.

Tuesday, 20 September 2022 This year we »Cycle Around the Globe« for Suicide Prevention

Every year we celebrate the World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10^th of September, and this year, to raise awareness of the issue in Slovenia, the University of Primorska organised an event in Ljubljana's Cukrarna Gallery. It was aimed at informing the public about the activities on the occasion and to officially announce the hosting of the 32nd World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, organised next September by the University of Primorska and IASP.

UP IAM and the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research already joined the "Cycle Around the Globe" campaign and started cycling the length of the Earth, or 40,075 kilometres, joined by cyclists from all over the world.

The campaign aims to raise awareness for suicide prevention efforts around the world in order to reduce the incidence of suicide and suicidal behaviour. We ask our global community to engage with each other and join together to spread awareness and to cycle any distance on any road, track or gym and help us work together to prevent suicide.

From 10 September – 10 October 2022, we are asking you to cycle with us and log your kilometres by filling in the online form. You can share your highlights from your cycling journeys with the community on the Prekolesarimo svet 2022 Facebook event.

Monday, 19 September 2022 MONDAY, 3RD OCTOBER – MEETINGS OF FRESHMEN WITH COORDINATORS

Dear freshmen!

Your first Academic year is about to start and we are warmly inviting you to take part of the activities of the first day! The meeting with the study programmes coordinators will take place on 2 locations: in Koper (Glagoljaška8) and in the Livade 1.0 building, Livade 6, Izola:

• KOPER – student gather at 9:30 in the park in front of the faculty, and from 10.00 to 11.30 there will be meetings with the study programme coordinators:
  • Mathematics (Slovene) and Mathematics in Economics and Finance: in classroom Famnit-MP1 (1st floor),
  • Computer Science (Slovene): in classroom VP3 (2nd floor),
  • Bioinformatics (Slovene): in classroom MP6 (2nd floor),
  • Biopsychology: in classroom VP2 (1st floor),
• IZOLA - student gather at 9:30 in front of Livade 1.0, and from 10.00 to 11. 30 there will be meetings with the study programme coordinators:
  • Conservation Biology: in classroom Famnit 3 (3rd floor),
  • Mediterranean Agriculture: in classroom Livade-Epsilon (ground floor).

Meetings with study programme coordinators for students enrolled in English programmes (Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Mathematics) will take place during Orientation days at UP (for more info please check: https://welcome.upr.si/en/arrive/orientation). You are kindly invited to apply, if you haven't so far.

We kindly ask you to come on time, as the meetings will start at 10.00 with the official welcome from the rector UP.

All courses will start on Tuesday, 4^th October – please check the schedule here (https://www.famnit.upr.si//en/student-pages/timetables).

All notices from Student Services (changes of the course schedule,…) will be regularly published on the website (https://www.famnit.upr.si/sl/obvestila), but we advise you to register for the news and notices for your programme, as you will be immediately notified of any change.

See you soon!

UP FAMNIT professors and staff

Monday, 19 September 2022 UNDERGRADUATE STUDY: Course schedules for Autumn Semester 2022/2023

We would like to inform you that the course schedules for all study programmes for the Autumn Semester 2022/2023 are published on our website (https://www.famnit.upr.si//en/student-pages/timetables). Lectures start on Monday, 3 October 2022 and last until Friday, 20 January 2023.

On this website you can also find a short clip that will show you how to check the course schedule.

Important information about the course schedule:

• Please check the schedule regularly, because weekly schedules can differ.
• The schedule might change until Friday, 30 September. Please check the schedule again before the beginning of the academic year.
• In some undergraduate courses, students are divided into groups for laboratory work. Students will receive the information about the group on their student university e-mail no later than Saturday, 1 October or on their personal e-mail if they are enrolled in the 1^st year of study.

The pedagogical process will take place also in the University Campus Livade in Izola. The location and classroom is marked in the course schedule.

Changes after that (from Monday, 3 October) will be published in the notices of Student Services. You will be able to find them here: https://www.famnit.upr.si/sl/obvestila (for each study programme separately). We advice all students to register for the news, as they will be immediately notified by email about any change.

Freshman will have meeting with the study programme coordinators on Monday, 3rd October. All information is published on our website. All lectures and tutorials start on Tuesday, 4^th October.

Students of the 2^nd and 3^rd year start with lectures and tutorials on Monday, 3^rd October (acording to the course schedule).

Meetings with study programme coordinators for students enrolled in English programmes (Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Mathematics) will take place during Orientation days at UP (for more info please check: https://welcome.upr.si/en/arrive/orientation).

In the beginning of October, study programme coordinators will meet all 2^nd and 3^rd year students. Exact terms will be published in the notices of Student Services.

Student Services UP FAMNIT

Monday, 19 September 2022 POSTGRADUATE STUDY: Course schedules for Autumn Semester 2022/2023

We would like to inform you that the course schedules for all study programmes for the Autumn Semester 2022/2023 are published on our website (https://www.famnit.upr.si//en/student-pages/timetables). Lectures start on Monday, 3 October 2022 and last until Friday, 20 January 2023.

On this website you can also find a short clip that will show you how to check the course schedule.

Important information about the course schedule:

• Please check the schedule every week, because weekly schedules can differ.
• The schedule might change until Friday, 30 September. Please check the schedule again before the beginning of the academic year.

The pedagogical process will take place also in the University Campus Livade in Izola. The location and classroom is marked in the course schedule.

Terms for the meetings with the study programme coordinators with the 1^st year students:

• Mathematical Sciences – Slovene (PMA): Monday, 3 October at 16.00 in Famnit-MP3 (Glagoljaška 8, Koper, 2^nd floor);
• Computer Science (PRIN): Monday, 3 October at 11.30 in Famnit-MP7 (Glagoljaška 8, Koper, ground floor);
• Nature Conservation (PBI):  Monday, 3 October at 15.00 in Livade-Epsilon (University campus Livade Izola, Livade4, ground floor);
• Biopsychology (PBP): Monday, 3 October at 12.00 in Brolo-B2 (Trg Brolo 12, Koper, 2^nd floor);
• Psychology (UPSI): Thursday, 6 October at 14.00 in Famnit-VP3 (Glagoljaška 8, Koper, 2^nd floor);
• Data Science – Slovene (PZ): Monday, 3 October at 15.00 in Famnit-MP2 (Glagoljaška 8, Koper, 2^nd floor).

Meetings with study programme coordinators for students enrolled in English programmes (Mathematical Sciences, Data Science) will take place during Orientation days at UP (for more info please check: https://welcome.upr.si/en/arrive/orientation).

In the beginning of October study programme coordinators will meet 2nd year students. Exact terms will be published in the notices of Student Services.

Changes after that (from Monday, 3 October) will be published in the notices of Student Services. You will be able to find them here: https://www.famnit.upr.si/sl/obvestila (for each study programme separately). We advice all students to register for the news, as they will be immediately notified by email about any change.

Student Services UP FAMNIT

Friday, 16 September 2022 Aleksandar Tošić, new Doctor of Science

Yesterday, 15 September 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Aleksandar Tošić, a student of the doctoral study programme Computer Science at UP FAMNIT has succesfully defended his doctoral dissertation entitled Tradeoffs in using blockchain technology for security, privacy, and decentralization: theoretical and empirical perspectives; under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Jernej Vičič, PhD and co-mentorship of Assist. Prof. Michael David Burnard, PhD.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish him much success on his future journey in research!

Tuesday, 13 September 2022 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Aleksandar Tošić

Aleksandar Tošić, student of the doctoral study programe Computer Science at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis Tradeoffs in using blockchain technology for security, privacy, and decentralization: theoretical and empirical perspectives; under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Jernej Vičič, PhD and co-mentorship of Assist. Prof. Michael David Burnard, PhD.

The defence will take place on Thurdsay, 15 September 2022 at 7:00 on Zoom: https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/89620819803.

The doctoral disertation is available in the library at UP FAMNIT.

Tuesday, 13 September 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Amar Bapić

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Constructing new superclasses of bent functions and further constructions of cryptographically significant mappings outside M# of the student Amar Bapić, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences.

The presentation will take place on Tuesday, 20 September 2022 at 14.00 on Zoom: https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/87358545922

Monday, 12 September 2022 THE FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION "G. J. MENDEL AND THE TANTALISING STORY OF GENES"

As part of the 200. years of G. J. Mendel, the founder of genetics we cordially invite you to the exhibition:

J. MENDEL AND THE TANTALISING STORY OF GENES

This exhibition, in the form of a comic strip by illustrator Lucie Seifert, presents the life of Gregor Johann Mendel from his birth, through his years of study in the Czech Republic and Vienna, his entry into a monastery, to his teaching practice. The focus is on his research activities, in particular his experiments in pea cross-breeding and his subsequent discovery of how hereditary traits are passed on from parents to child.

Mendel's (un)successful lecture on the results of his research is also presented. In addition the exhibition deals with his successors Hugo de Vries, Carl Erich Correns and Erich von Tschermak, who independently of each other confirmed his discoveries and conclusions in 1900. It also recalls the attitude of Nazism and Communism towards genetics and it summarises how the knowledge gained from genetics is being applied in various fields, including agriculture, forensic science, medicine and archaeology.

Gregor Johann Mendel, pioneer of genetics and a world-renowned scientist, was born in the village of Hynčice, in what is now the Czech Republic. His discoveries and work marked a certain historical period and made a notable contribution to the common good of mankind, which resonates even today.

The exhibition is under the honorary patronage of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Ljubljana, H.E. Ex. Juraj Chmiel and is hosted by Mendel University in Brno.

The exhibition will be on display from 13 September to 13 October 2022 in the lobby of the Armeria of the University of Primorska.

On the opening day, at 4 pm, the exhibition will be opened by dr. Klavdija Kutnar, Rector of the University of Primorska, dr. Andreja Kutnar Director of the InnoRenew CoE Institute and Mr. Jan Beneš, Deputy Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Ljubljan.

Monday, 12 September 2022 InnoRenew CoE and the University of Primorska successfully organised the international congress Woodrise 2022

The Woodrise 2022 congress was held in Bernardin on 6-7 September 2022 under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor. More than 200 international participants attended the congress to listen to lectures about the best examples of sustainable construction from around the world.

Among the keynote speakers was Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the mastermind behind the development of the New European Bauhaus, whose inspirational speech highlighted the urgency of action to mitigate climate change: “If we keep global warming below two degrees, which is very difficult to achieve, we can prevent many natural disasters. We can achieve this by fundamentally transforming the built environment and by using more wood, which is storing the carbon dioxide. We already have the first opportunity now, when it will be necessary to renovate Ukraine’s cities, ruined because of the war.”

                Hans Joachim Schellnhuber. Image: UP                             Woodrise 2022 roundtable discussion. Image: UP

All keynote speakers were also part of the roundtable discussion. They shared their thoughts and views on multi-storey timber construction, and current architectural and engineering developments. In particular, they focused on the renovation, rehabilitation and reconstruction of existing buildings using timber construction technologies.

The congress included thematic workshops where a number of research projects on timber construction and the latest developments in the performance of tall timber construction were presented. Additionally, research projects were presented in a poster exhibition. Further, the travelling exhibition “Women Ambassadors Creating the Future of Wood Science” was also part of the congress. Among the ambassadors is Dr. Andreja Kutnar, InnoRenew CoE director and University of Primorska’s professor.

From 8–9 September 2022, attendees joined the technical and business tours of the construction and wood processing industry in Slovenia and the surrounding region.

Woodrise 2022 is grateful to its sponsors – Securo AS, SHERPA Connection Systems, Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld, Langzauner, Sema Software, Rothoblaas, Beck Group, Hasslacher Norica Timber, iQwood, CBD, Jelovica hiše, M Sora and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.

Friday, 9 September 2022 First graduate of Undergraduate study programme Conservation Biology

On Friday, 2 September 2022, Luka Kostadinovski successfully completed the Undergraduate study programme Conservation Biology with the thesis &ldquo "Population status of false ringlet, Coenonympha oedippus (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera: Nymphalidae), on Cerje two years after fire" under the mentorship of assoc. prof. Jure Jugovic and assoc. prof. Martina Lužnik.

His research took place in the area of ​​Cerje, which was also hit by a severe wildfire in 2019. In this area, he compared the population status of false ringlets between 2020 and 2021. As he said, this is one of the most endangered species of butterflies in the whole of Europe. The results of the research showed that their population has increased by two times, and where also the habitat has been restored compared to 2020. 

"The field of Conservation Biology, inspired me from the very beginning, because due to the small group of students, professors can pay more attention. Through my studies, I also gained and upgraded my knowledge with theoretical and practical work. I am thankful to all professors and assistants, especially to asocc. prof. Jure Jugovic and assoc. prof. Martina Lužnik." he concluded. 

He would also like to express gratitude to all professors and assistants, especially to his supervisor asocc. prof. Jure Jugovic and co-supervisor assoc. prof. Martina Lužnik.

Luka Kostadinovski is the first graduate of the Undergraduate study program in Conservation Biology.

In the academic year 2018/19 changes occurred in the study programme, which include also the change of the study programme's name from Biodiversity to Conservation Biology.

Congratulations and good luck on his further research journey!

   
                                                                                   Luka Kostadinovski

Friday, 9 September 2022 MEET AND GREET EVENT FOR ALL UP STUDENTS - ŠtartUP

ŠtartUP – Meet & Greet event for all UP students will take place on Saturday, 8 October 2022, from 9am onwards in the new Žusterna Seaside Park, Koper.

An event full of sport activities organised by SportUP, socialising, meeting and making new connections among UP students, presentations of local organizations and activities organised by UP faculties will keep us entertained until late afternoon.

You must register for the event.

ŠtartUP 2022 event trailer HERE

BASIC INSTRUCTIONS:

• There will be drinking fountains with running water at the venue, so please bring your own water bottle for hydration (glasses will not be available).
• Lunch will be provided for all participants, but in the interest of "zero waste” sustainability we encourage you to bring your own cutlery and a deeper plate or bowl.
• At registration you will also receive an  activity card to collect stamps at the various presentation points. Each student with 20+ stamps (out of 30) will be entered into a raffle with generous prizes, so we encourage you to actively collect and participate.
• The location of the event provides ample opportunities for lounging in the sun, so keep a bath towel or picnic blanket in your rucksack or bag.
• Alcohol and other illegal substances are not allowed on site. Violators will be asked to leave by security.
• All participants are responsible for the order and cleanliness of the venue, so please dispose of your rubbish in the designated areas.

The EVENT SCHEDULE will be as follows:

• 9.00 - Registration for the event, at which you will receive a wristband, an activity card and a UP T-shirt. (open till 11.00)
• 10.00 - Official start of the event with a speech by the UP Rector Prof. Klavdija Kutnar
• 10.00-13.00 - SportUP sports and social activities, activities at different presentation points around the venue
• 13.00 - Lunch
• 14.00-17.00 - SportUP sports and social activities, activities at different presentation points around the venue

All those who have registered for the BUS SHUTTLE will receive the exact details in the next few days. Due to the high interest, we kindly ask you to stick to the announced times and instructions, otherwise we cannot guarantee your transport. For this reason, we recommend you to be on the bus 15 minutes before departure.

Departure times in the morning:

• 9.00 – PORTOROŽ (bus station in front of UP FTŠ Turistica)

• 9.30 –IZOLA (bus station in the center of Izola (by the Post office)

Departure times in the afternoon

• 17.00 – bus station Žusterna for IZOLA
• 17.30 – bus station Žusterna for PORTOROŽ

***If you are registered for a bus but do not need it, please let us know as soon as possible to the number +386 31 713 527 stating your first and last name, e-mail and where you will wait for the bus (Portorož or Izola). Also, if you have not registered and would like to take the bus, please let us know.

We have no doubt that this event will be a great start to the new academic year for you and for us.

***If you would like to join the event as a volunteer to help organise both the StartUP event as well as the Orientation Days for International Students, you are welcome to join us by applying here > https://forms.office.com/r/qrT2RJYbWU

See you on Saturday!

- ŠtartUP team.

Thursday, 8 September 2022 APPLICATION FOR ENROLMENT INTO POSTGRADUATE STUDY PROGRAMMES

In the frame of the Call for enrolment into postgraduate (master and doctoral) study programmes in the academic year 2022/2023, the University of Primorska is openinig on Thursday, 8 September 2022:

• the second-round application period for Slovene citizens and citizens of EU member states and
• the third-round application period for foreigners from non-EU countries and Slovenes without Slovene citizenship.

The application period will be open until Thursday, 15 September 2022.

The list of study programmes with free enrolment places is available:

• for master study programmes
• for doctoral study programmes

Thursday, 8 September 2022 UP Famnit Nature Conservation student presented the results of her research on the »Forgotten Catch of Small-Scale Bottom Set Nets in Northern Adriatic« at the European Congress of Conservation Biology

Hana Hanžek-Turnšek, student of the Master’s studies in Nature Conservation, took part in the 6th European Congress of Conservation Biology, which was held between 22 and 26 August 2022 at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague.

At the congress, the student presented the preliminary results of the research entitled »Towards Sustainable Fisheries: Forgotten Catch of Small-Scale Bottom Set Nets in Northern Adriatic«, which was carried out under the mentorship of assoc. prof. Bojan Lazar and assist. Matic Jančič, in collaboration with the co-authors.

The results showed, that the fishermen of northern Istria discard large amounts of the entire catch, and benthic invertebrates represent the majority of these discards. A large amount of waste could be problematic for the ecosystem, as organisms are subjected to many stress factors, such as barotrauma, exposure to air, physical injuries, etc. However, based on these results, it cannot yet be assessed, whether this branch of fishing has a significantly negative impact on ecosystems.

The European Congress of Conservation Biology was the student's first scientific event, where she presented the results of her research. »Participating in the congress was a great experience, as I had the opportunity to learn about many new topics and methodological approaches directly from respected European researchers and experts, who developed them,«said Hana Hanžek-Turnšek.

The congress, which aims to bring together practitioners and researchers of nature conservation, exchange knowledge and promote the biodiversity of Europe, is organized every two years by the European section of the Society for Conservation Biology. At the Czech University of Life Sciences, it took place again this year after 13 years.

Wednesday, 7 September 2022 Start of the study process in the University Campus Livade in Izola in the next academic year 2022/23

We inform all students that in the next academic year 2022/23, the pedagogical process will be again also in the University Campus Livade in Izola.

For three study programmes - Conservation Biology, Mediterranean Agriculture and Nature Conservation - the study process will be carried out mainly in Izola, and partly still in Koper.

Individual courses of some other study programmes will also be held at the University Campus Livade in Izola, namely:

• Bioinformatics (undergraduate): lab work and some lectures for biological courses;
• Biopsychology (undergraduate): lab work for one course in the the 1st and 3rd year of study;
• Biopsychology (Master's) and Psychology (Master's): elective course Molecular Basis of Neurodegeneration.

Detailed information for the first semester 2022/23 will be available when the course schedule will be published, presumably 2 weeks before the start of the new academic year.

Student Services UP FAMNIT

Tuesday, 6 September 2022 President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor inaugurates the Woodrise 2022 international congress

Yesterday, 5 September 2022, the President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor, officially opened the Woodrise 2022 international congress, which is taking place in Bernardin, Slovenia under the President’s honorary patronage. The InnoRenew CoE and the University of Primorska are organising it on 6-7 September 2022.

“It is my honour to address you as the President of the Republic of Slovenia and the honorary patron of the 4th Woodrise International Conference, the globally recognised conference in the field of contemporary sustainable construction,” said Borut Pahor, Slovenian’s president, in his opening remarks, and added: “I am pleased that Slovenia is hosting the conference as it is perfect for sustainable development. The raw materials needed for future sustainable development are abundant here. And we also have the services of people who know how to manage them responsibly. All of the above fills me with optimism that sustainable development is not perceived as a threat to current prosperity, but as a guarantee for a future in which we will all be able to enjoy a clean, peaceful, natural and safe environment.”

Dr. Andreja Kutnar, InnoRenew CoE director, said: “It is clear that the built environment needs to change, therefore I am very please that at Woodrise 2022 we gathered researchers, industry representatives and policy makers, under one roof, as I am sure that only together we can create a path towards new solutions that are needed in the built environment.”

            President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor
  at Woodrise 2022. Image: Daniel Novakovič/STA.              Dr. Andreja Kutnar. Image: Daniel Novakovič/STA.  

Dr. Iztok Šušteršič, President of the Woodrise 2022 congress and research group leader at the InnoRenew CoE, also addressed the participants: “Europe set a very clear goal of decarbonization. It went even further and established programs like the New European Bauhaus, which aims to create sustainable future. This is why this congress is important since word wide experts will share their experience how to use sustainable and natural materials, like wood, to renew and renovate the building stock from around the globe.”

                                                    
 Dr. Iztok Šušteršič. Image: Daniel Novakovič/STA.                                 Image: Daniel Novakovič/STA. 

The ceremony, moderated by Ms Breda Biščak, was also attended by the Mayor of Piran, Mr Đenio Zadković, who welcomed the participants, and Dr Štefko Miklavič, Vice-Rector for Research and Development at the University of Primorska, and other guests. The cultural programme was enriched by the musician Marina Martensson.

 
Dr. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Dr. Andreja Kutnar and
the president of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor. Image: Daniel Novakovič/STA.

The main part of the Woodrise 2022 will take place 6-7 September 2022 in the Congress Centre Bernardin, where the best examples of timber use for sustainable renovation of the existing building stock will be presented. Keynote speakers include Dr. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the mastermind behind the development of the New European Bauhaus, who will share with participants the urgent need to transform the built environment if we are to achieve the European Union’s ambitious climate goals.

Woodrise 2022 is one of the world’s most important congresses in the field of contemporary  sustainable construction, bringing to the Slovenian coast international experts in the field of multi-storey timber construction, who will present the latest architectural and engineering developments in this sector during the two-day event.

Woodrise 2022 is grateful to its sponsors – Securo AS, SHERPA Connection Systems, Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld, Langzauner, Sema Software, Rothoblaas, Beck Group, Hasslacher Norica Timber, iQwood, CBD, Jelovica hiše, M Sora and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.

Friday, 2 September 2022 OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 32ND WORLD CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION AND WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY

On 2 September 2022, an event was held at the Cukrarna Gallery to inform the public about the activities on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September and to officially announce a key event in the field of suicide prevention - tthe University of Primorska will host the 32nd World Suicide Prevention Day in September 2023.  This is a special honor and a testament to the excellent work of researchers in the field of suicide prevention who have been working at the University of Primorska since 2011 within the Slovenian Centre for Suicide Research at the UP Institute Andrej Marušič.   

In the first part of the program, moderated by dr. Vita Poštuvan, the participants were welcomed by dr. Klavdija Kutnar, Rector of UP, who emphasized that such large international events are proof of the University's excellent involvement in the international environment. Dr. Rory O'Connor, President of IASP, congratulated the organizers. Dr. Diego De Leo, Head of the Slovenian Centre for Suicide Research  and a world-renowned suicidologist, emphasized the importance of Slovenia hosting IASP because suicide is a key public health problem at the national level.  He handed over the floor to dr. Mojca Gobec, Head of the Disease and Injury Prevention Sector at the Directorate for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia. The announcement of the Congress was concluded by Ms. Wendy Orchard, Director of IASP,  who highlighted the importance of studying and preventing suicide.  

The second part of the event showcased the activities that have helped improve mental health in the past year and will support it in the coming year. World Suicide Prevention Day is now in its 20th year, this time under the theme ""Creating Hope through Action" ; - key activities include the lighting of candles on World Mental Health Day and the Cycling around the World campaign, which runs from 10 September to 10 October, World Mental Health Day. The activities were presented by dr. Vita Poštuvan alongside other activities of the Slovenian Centre for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Saška Roškar (NIJZ)  presented the activities and data of the National Institute, and Anamarija Zavasnik (representative of the Slovenian Association for Suicide Prevention / Psychological Counselling Centre "Posvet") presented the activities for people in need. More information on the activities is available in the press release > HERE.

The event was further enriched with a dance interpretation of hardship and mental health by dancer Lia Ujčič, who in a three-part performance took the audience through a depiction of physical distress, through the awareness of emotional adversity and to the final liberation.

If you are in need, please ask for help. 

SOS – Emergency phone

116 123: Confidental phone Samarijan in Sopotnik (24h/dan)  
116 111: TOM for children and young people (12-20h)  
01 520 99 00: Mental distress call (19-7h)  

Find out more about professional help > HERE. 

Tuesday, 30 August 2022 New position for a Research Assistant with a PhD at the project Horizon Europe BGE is available

The University of Primorska is seeking a Research Assistant with a PhD and experience in genomics and bioinformatics, in the area of whole genome sequencing. This position is full-time (40 hours per week) for 2 years with possibilities for extension. The successful candidate will mostly be involved in the EU-funded project "Biodiversity Genomic Europe" and in a national project on wildlife genomics.

However, the group they’ll be part of, the Molecular Ecology group at the Department of Biodiversity, uses molecular tools to investigate many different topics and species, from wildlife monitoring to adaptation, and from conservation biology to wildlife management, opening opportunities for additional collaborations.

Your tasks include contribution to:

• the management of research projects,
• maintaining and promoting open science practices.

Specific duties may include:

• genomic sampling,
• building DNA and RNA libraries,
• developing and applying bioinformatic pipelines,
• performing population genomic and related analyses,
• performing other data science and statistical analyses,
• documenting work performed; maintaining databases,
• contributing to research papers,
• resolving a diverse range of problems with creativity,
• teaching, training, and supervising students,
• coordinating the work,
• planning, establishing, and refining protocols,
• preparing reports,
• managing grant funds.

Depending on the applicant’s interest, some teaching could be included. Work environment will include also international travel due to project meetings.

Your profile:

• a relevant university education with a completed doctoral/PhD degree and a strong potential in research,
• proficiency in UNIX command line and high-performance computing,
• script writing skills in at least one language (R, Python or Perl),
• experience building population genomic libraries, developing bioinformatic pipelines, and conducting population genomics analyses is preferred but not required,
• exceptional organizational skills and strong ability to accomplish tasks independently,
• willingness to supervise graduation/master theses, and to promote young scientists,
• excellent spoken and written English.

We offer:

• The advertised position is for an initial period of 2 years.
• The position will be paid according to the category of the Collective agreement for employees at Slovenian universities.
• We offer a collaborative, supportive, and interdisciplinary work environment, opportunities to be involved in a wide range of international research projects, opportunities for learning and professional development, and the expectation of co-authorship on scientific manuscripts.
• At the end of the 2 years period, pending positive evaluation, the contract could be extended into an Assistant Professorship.

Application instructions:

Interested applicants are requested to send the application in electronic form to stepchange@famnit.upr.si, and with "Postdoc in bioinformatics" in the object.

Please attach in pdf format:

• a cover letter explaining your interest in the position and how you fit the description,
• a CV,
• a list of publications highlighting the five most relevant ones.

Application deadline: 15 October, 2022

Friday, 26 August 2022 August ends with the successful summer camp editions

We spent the last days of August in the company of young enthusiasts of mathematics and computer science, who participated in the summer camps Matematika je KUL and Orada RAčunalniška Delavnica. In this year's edition, 15 elementary and high school students joined us with a united desire to discover both mathematical riddles and computer science tricks.

During the lectures, which took place from 21 to 25 August at UP Famnit, the participants of the Matematika je KUL camp learned about the beginnings of cryptography as well as statistics, where they learned more about security keys and predictions such as who will win the election or what the next day's weather will be like. They acquired new knowledge about graph theory, the application of mathematics in biology and game theory.

Young computer science enthusiasts, who made up the curious group of participants of the Orada RAčunalniška Delavnica camp, had the opportunity to learn and create their own computer game with the Unity 3D tool and got to know the world of cryptocurrencies and secret codes, then and now.

Participants used the newly acquired knowledge in group workshops to prepare final products, which they presented to their parents on the last day of the camp.

The entertainment part was, of course, also taken care of, which the participants, as they themselves added, particularly liked. We hung out over various mind games and sports activities, tried out VR glasses and danced in body tracking suits.

UP FAMNIT organizes camps with the aim of popularizing mathematics and computer science, as we strive to show young people with examples from practice that these fields can be fun, interesting and, above all, useful. The participants who return to the camps are proof of the achieved purpose and success of the camps.

Thursday, 25 August 2022 Deadline extension for the Young Researchers' Training Programme at UP IAM

Friday, 19 August 2022 Today opens the 2nd application deadline for enrollment in undergraduate study programs for Slovene nationals, EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship

Today, 19 August 2022, is opened the second application deadline for the first year of study in study year 2022/23, for Slovene nationals, EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship. The application deadline is 23. August 2022. 

Aavailable places for EU citizens:

• Bioinformatics (UN) Slovene and English version
• Mathematics (UN) Slovene and English version
• Computer Science (UN) Slovene and English version
• Mathematics in Economics and Finance (UN)
• Mediterranean Agriculture (VS)
• Conservation Biology (UN)

Available places for Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship:

• on all undergraduate study programmes

The call for application and instructions for submitting the application are published HERE

Candidates can obtain additional information at the Student Services.

Thursday, 18 August 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Petra Horvat

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Knowledge management systems at the civil engineering research organizations and their impacts on scientific excellence of the student Petra Horvat, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, 24 August 2022 at 16.00 in InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, room Tilia and via Zoom on link: https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/85282887807

Tuesday, 16 August 2022 In collaboration with the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 a Web-based temperature regulation application was created

The Faculty for Mathematics, Natural Science and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT), hosted Assoc. Prof. Lionel Medini, who took part in a one-week ERASMUS + exchange, from 2 August to 8 August 2022, where he collaborated with Prof. Michael Mrissa.  

Prof. Medini is a researcher and associate professor of computer science from Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University in France.  

The purpose of the visit was both research discussion, knowledge transfer and lectures, which consisted of the first part about the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), a second part about Web of Things (WoT) development, and the third part about Web application development. 

Each lecture was combined with a practical session, where the students could experiment with the technologies and with physical hardware lent by Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, through which they were able to create a Web-based temperature regulation application.

The Web application dynamically detects users' activity and adjusts their minimum and maximum temperature preferences accordingly. 

More about the application can be read here. 

     
                                                               Lectures by Assoc. Prof. Lionel Medini

Tuesday, 9 August 2022 Slovenian team at the CEOI 2022 in Croatia

Tuesday, 9 August 2022 FAMNIT students once again successful at the 29th International Student Mathematical Competition (IMC)

The 29. International Mathematics Competition for University Students 2022 (IMC) was held between 1st and 7th August 2022, where, now traditionally, FAMNIT students competed among 667 participants from all over the world.  

This year, UP FAMNIT students performed with exceptional results. Ranking best was Diar Gashi (1st year, Mathematics), who received a bronze medal with 21 points, while the honorary mention went to Dren Neziri (1st year, Mathematics), Mirza Redzić (1st year, Mathematical Sciences) and Todor Antić (3rd year, Mathematics). 

We would also like to congratulate Dorotea Redžepi (2nd year, Mathematics) and Ajla Šehović (3rd year, Mathematics) who received a certificate of participation. 

After two years the IMC was finally held live. The competition was organized under the auspices of University College London and hosted by the American University in Bulgaria. Hybrid participation also allowed for online competition, where the final results are not published yet.

We congratulate our students for their achievements and wish them a lot of success in their future endeavours!

More information on the IMC, as well as problems and solutions, is available here.

      
                                                                     Achievements of our students

Friday, 5 August 2022 Active summer - we visited the All-Slovenian scouts’ event Taborniški Zlet 2022

At Famnit, we have an active summer despite the summer break. Our researchers and students took part in an All-Slovenian scout’event Taborniški zlet 2022, which hosted over 700 scouts and 300 volunteers from Slovenia.

It is the biggest event for young scouts in Slovenia organized by the Association of scouts, taking place from 29 July to 7 August 2022 at the Ski Resort Cerkno. The event is organised only every four years and it is an excellent opportunity to meet old friends, and at the same time to actively connect with nature and oneself, as the organizers wrote on their website invitation.

As the head of the Association of Campers of Slovenia added in his statement for the RTV Slovenia: “The main thread of the program this year is the code of visits to nature, which has various components, one of the main ones being that we are in nature and that we have a sustainable and positive impact on nature.”

As in the contribution of RTV Slovenia, the Association of Campers of Slovenia added that this year the basis of the program is the codex of visits to nature, which has various sections, one of the main ones being that we part of the nature and that we should have a sustainable and positive impact on it.

In the first part of the week, the scouts set off on a four-day journey. After their return, together with the volunteers, they co-created a camp at the top of the Cerkno Ski Resort, where they are spending the rest of the week socializing and engaging in various activities before returning home.

Afternoons at the camp are dedicated to workshops that are promoting science, some of which were organized by Famnit's researchers and students. Young participants had the opportunity to participate in various puzzle games and computer science workshops.

This is what Karolina Trajkovska, Famnit student of Computer scence had to say about participating at the event: "It was a lot of fun working with the children and showing them the work we do at Famnit and the HICUP Lab. I believe the event was enjoyed by the children as well. They were really interested in all of our activities. By participating, they also picked up some programming skills and some new Japanese words. Overall, I'd say it was a really successful day. It was an amazing experience that I would gladly repeat at any time."

Here are some more highlights from Taborniški Zlet

More about the camp

Thursday, 4 August 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Lea Primožič

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Communication of sustainable construction concepts based on scientific evidence tailored to relevant stakeholders of the student Lea Primožič, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments.

The presentation will take place on Tuesday, 9 August 2022 at 16.00 in InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, room Tilia and via Zoom on link: https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/87972240764

Wednesday, 3 August 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Lei Han

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Viscoelastic properties of thermo-hydro-mechanically (THM) densified wood of the student Lei Han, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments.

The presentation will take place on Thursday, 11 August 2022 at 10.00 in InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, room Tilia and via Zoom on link: https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/85190103585

Tuesday, 2 August 2022 Deadline extension for the Young Researchers' Training Programme at UP IAM

Thursday, 28 July 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Mateja Erce

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Addressing psychosocial needs with technology and building design of the student Mateja Erce, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, 10 August 2022 at 10.00 in InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, room Tilia and via Zoom on link: https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/83005355421

Wednesday, 27 July 2022 UP AND EUROPEAN GIRLS' MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD

The European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) is an international competition in mathematics, which addresses female high school students, whose commitment to mathematics goes beyond the usual school curriculum. To participate at the EGMO, the students have to qualify at the respective national competition. Together with their advisors, the students form the respective national delegation. The EGMO has been held since 2012, each year in a different country. The 12th EGMO will take place in Slovenia, from 13 April to 19 April 2023. We expect to host 60 countries, for a total of about 240 contestants.

The EGMO promotes young scientists, increases the proportion of female students in IMO teams, supports the social, cultural and interdisciplinary exchange between teenagers from all over the world. This views correspond with values, goals and awareness of the University of Primorska, which wants to attract successful and potential female researchers, therefore we are very proud to be actively involved in the preparation and implementation of the Olympiad, hosted by the Society of Mathematicians, Physicists, and Astronomers of Slovenia (DMFA Slovenije).

All information about the conference is available on the website.

Special attention to girls and women in science was paid this year, as we prepared a series of  interviews with female UP researchers (#womeninscience) – between 11 February (International Day of Women and Girls in Science) and 8 March (International Women's Day).

Monday, 25 July 2022 UP IAM & UP Famnit researchers visit at ENS de Lyon

Friday, 22 July 2022 Stories of international cooperation and mobility of professors and researchers at UP FAMNIT

The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT) actively promotes international cooperation and mobility of professors and researchers. We are proud to present the experiences of our researchers, who have recently been actively involved in the international environment and received valuable experience. Among them are Assist. Prof. Maja Smrdu, Assist. Prof. Nino Bašić and Assist. Prof. Vida Groznik, who have shared some of their experiences with us.

Assist. Prof. Maja Smrdu a clinical psychology specialist from the Department of Psychology, attended mobility at the University of Haifa in Israel. During her exchange, she was a guest of Professor Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, head of the neurophenomenology laboratory, that operates within the university. At the university, she lectured on Microphenomenology and descriptive sampling of experiences. As she pointed out, she had the opportunity to work with a very diverse group of students who had the desire for knowledge and an excellent approach to science. Enthusiasm for work was present among professors, students and participants during her visit. »The exchange of knowledge and direct involvement in projects was the key motivator for the exchange,« said Assist. Prof. Smrdu.

During her research, she recognized the high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in Israel, which makes it a frequent subject to explore perceptions of our mortality, death, treatment with psilocybin and the impact of meditation on our consciousness. »All three months were quite intense and somehow gave me a confirmation of the knowledge we have in Slovenia and at FAMNIT, which we may not be aware of ourselves," she sums up.

She believes that we have a lot of research momentum, ideas and connections at the faculty. She hopes that will lead to long-term cooperation in the future and expand knowledge about who we are, how our experience is connected to the functioning of our brain and how we can improve the treatment of various mental illnesses.

Dean of the University of Haifa, prof. dr. Roza Leikin, Assist. Prof.dr. Maja Smrdu and Prof. dr. Aviva Berkovich-Ohana

Assist. Prof. Nino Bašić from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies participated in an international exchange at the University of Sheffield in Great Britain. As the primary motive for exchange, he highlighted the work with the prominent Professor Patrick W. Fowler, FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society), an expert in the field of theoretical chemistry, with whom he had already published two scientific papers during the exchange, while three more are in preparation.

In addition, Assist. Prof. Bašić lectured selected topics in mathematical chemistry at the visiting university. According to him, the ERASMUS+ exchange is an excellent opportunity to gain new knowledge offered by a new environment and he is looking forward to repeat the experience in the future.

Dr. Patrick W. Fowler and Assist. Prof. dr. Nino Bašić

Assist. Prof. Vida Groznik also from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies, took part in the teaching and research visit to the University of Cádiz in Spain, where she transferred knowledge on artificial intelligence to doctoral nanoscience students. Due to the interesting topic, students from other fields (medicine, psychology, etc.)  joined them, as the lectures and practical exercises were designed in such a way, that they were also suitable for students, who have no prior knowledge of computer science or programming.

She collaborated mainly with established researchers in the field of neonatology from the University of Cádiz and the Puerta del Mar University Hospital, where they focused on the use of artificial intelligence approaches for the early diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders in premature infants.

Assist. Prof. dr. Vida Groznik with researchers from the University of Cádiz

All three participants of the international exchange agreed that it was an unforgettable experience, which provided them with a lot of valuable knowledge, and that they would undoubtedly repeat it in the future.

Friday, 15 July 2022 Honorable mention for »Solids on Soli: Millimetre-Wave Radar Sensing through Materials« article on EICS conference

At the EICS (Engineering Interactive Computing Systems) conference, which took place in the last days of June in Valbonne, France, the article »Solids on Soli: Millimetre-Wave Radar Sensing through Materials« received an honorable mention. The award was accepted by one of the authors, Assoc. Prof. Klen Čopič Pucihar from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies UP FAMNIT.

The other authors of the article are assist. Nuwan T. Attygalle, Assoc. Prof. Matjaž Kljun (both from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies UP FAMNIT), Prof. Christian Sandor (University of Paris-Saclay) and Assoc. Prof. Luis A. Leiva (University of Luxembourg).

The award was given by Prof. Philippe Palanque (on the left) from Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse III).

EICS is a yearly international conference devoted to engineering usable and effective interactive computing systems. Most of the research work presented at EICS revolves around methods, processes, techniques and tools that support specifying, designing, developing and deploying interactive systems. The conference proceedings are published by the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) and appear in the ACM Digital Library.

Full article is available here.

Congratulations to all the authors!

Friday, 15 July 2022 The call for co-financing of staff mobility for teaching within ERASMUS+ for the academic year 2022/23 is open

OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR CO-FINANCING OF THE MOBILITY FOR TEACHING WITHIN THE ERASMUS PROGRAM + (KA131) FOR THE CONTRACT YEAR 2021

DEADLINE: until 5 September 2022

More information and application procedure in the Call.

APPLICATION FORM (choose option: ERASMUS+ mobilnost za namen poučevanja (KA131))

Instructions for submitting the application

ANNEX 1 – Partner institutions for UP FAMNIT_(E+Ka131-BA-UP-teaching)

ANNEX 3 – Mobility agreement for teaching

You are invited to apply!

Friday, 15 July 2022 Doctoral candidate position at the University of Primorska - Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments

LOCATION: IZOLA/ISOLA, KOPER/CAPODISTRIA, SLOVENIA

TOPIC: Development of bio-based materials and formulations from industrial by-products rich in aromatic compounds

Description:

The University of Primorska is seeking a well-qualified and highly motivated PhD candidate. The research field focuses on the sustainable valorization of lignin and other by-products of wood industry rich in aromatic compounds for high added-value applications. The researcher will be also employed at the InnoRenew CoE (additional 20%) in the Wood Modification Group (led by Assoc Prof. Anna Sandak) under supervision of Dr. Oihana Gordobil and become a doctoral candidate at the University of Primorska (PhD study program Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments). The candidate will also be partially involved in the ERC project “Bioinspired living skin for architecture” (ARCHI-SKIN), GA #101044468, funded by European Research Council. The work locations will be in Izola and Koper, Slovenia.

What are we looking for:

The emphasis of this position is on the design and development of new bio-based formulations through the valorization of undervalued industrial by-products. The applicant should be proactive and motivated to perform interdisciplinary research covering from the synthesis and functionalization of lignin-based materials and formulations to their application and performance evaluation. Experience in lignocellulosic biomass, chemistry, pharmacy, materials science and colloidal systems as well as expertise in chromatography, microscopy, spectroscopy, and use of other laboratory equipment is desired. The applicant should have a good knowledge of English, both orally and in writing.

What skills we expect:

The ideal candidate should possess master’s degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, biotechnology, pharmacy, colloidal science, material science or related fields, preferably with experience in biorefinery processes applied to lignocellulosic biomass and elaboration of bio-based materials and formulations. Further requirements include: excellent communication skills in English, ability to interact with the industry and other researchers, and ability to formulate and communicate new research ideas (research proposal preparation). The candidate is expected to have interest in interdisciplinary work and the capacity to work in an international environment. The applicant must also fulfil the requirements for doctoral students at University of Primorska. For more details, see: 

https://www.famnit.upr.si/en/education/doctoral/renew-mat

https://www.famnit.upr.si/en/education/enrolment

What we offer:

This position will be within University of Primorska and the candidate will work in close collaboration with InnoRenew CoE, which is focused on renewable materials use in sustainable built environments.

• 1 year contract with option for renewal (recommended duration for doctoral studies is 3 years)
• Competitive salary with possible performance-based raises
• Opportunity to be involved on a prestigious ERC project

Employment opportunities, admissions policies, activities, services, and the facilities of the University of Primorska and InnoRenew CoE do not exclude any person on the basis of race, colour, age, sex, gender, religion, national origin, or disability.

How to apply:

Interested applicants should send:

• curriculum vitae,
• motivation letter for this doctoral position (maximum one A4 page),
• summary (track record) of previous research experience (master’s thesis for example),
• certified copy of master’s degree certificate and official transcript of records, and their translations, if the originals are not in English.

All materials should be in English and submitted in PDF format no later than 5 September 2022.

For any additional information you can contact us by email: coe@innorenew.eu.

For further information about the research topic, please contact Dr. Oihana Gordobil (oihana.gordobil@innorenew.eu).

The expected start date is 1^st October 2022.

The InnoRenew CoE reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period, and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

Wednesday, 13 July 2022 Researchers from the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research at the ECP 2022

The 17th European Congress of Psychology (ECP2022), organised by the Slovenian Psychologists' Association and under the auspices of EFPA - European Federation of Psychologists' Associations, was held between the 5^th and 8^th July 2022 at Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana.

Researchers from the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research (SCSR IAM) and the Department of Psychology (UP Famnit) actively participated at the Congress, giving 13 individual presentations of their scientific findings and attending lectures by renowned experts from the field of psychology.

This year's main theme was “Psychology as a Hub Science: Opportunities & Responsibility”, which offered the opportunity to review research findings, professional practice and theory in the field of psychology in the light of both the opportunities and the responsibilities that psychology has as a hub science in contemporary society.

Nina Krohne, young researcher in training at UP IAM, said that attending the congress was a great experience: »There was a variety of topics, we listened to and met, many experts from different fields of psychology working all over the world. It was also a very unique opportunity to present the results of our work. We are all very grateful to be part of such a big event that was organised here, in Slovenia.«

Wednesday, 6 July 2022 Fields Medals 2022 for outstanding mathematical achievement have been awarded

The Fields Medals, which are awarded every four years at the International Congress of Mathematics (ICM) to scientists under the age of forty for outstanding mathematical achievements, were awarded this year to Maryna Viazovska (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne - EPFL), James Maynard (University of Oxford), Hugo Duminil-Copin (University of Geneva) and June Huh (Princeton University).

Maryna Viazovska is the second female recipient of this prestigious award after the late Maryam Mirzakhani, who received the Medal in 2014. Last year, Viazovska also received the EMS Prize 2020 at the 8th European Congress of Mathematics (8 ECM), which was hosted by Slovenia and organized by the University of Primorska under the auspices of the European Mathematical Society (EMS).

Upon receiving the award, in her interview with Andrei Okounkov and Andrei Konyaev, she also spoke about the question of whether mathematicians will be replaced by computers in the future: »I am still of the opinion that a computer is a tool. Meaning that computers don't get in the way of people — it's people who get in the way of themselves by using this tool. If you give a man a saw, he can cut firewood quickly, or he can cut off his own finger. If he saws off his finger, it's not the saw’s fault. The same thing applies to artificial intelligence. On the one hand, it certainly holds a variety of possibilities for mathematics and can complete many tasks which we would not be able to complete ourselves. The value of mathematics, on the other hand, is in being able to understand what's going on. To give meaningful tasks to the artificial intelligence and understand the answers. It's not like the computer will somehow think for me. Some people may be fascinated by the illusion of computer thinking, but it's just a tool.« She also shared her thoughts on the breaking point of receiving such a prestigious award, which has so far belonged to 64 mathematicians: »What am I going to do for the rest of my life? I'm just beginning to live, but I have already reached the highest point. I didn't like the idea of that at all. Then, of course, I also thought about how this imposes a great amount of responsibility on a person. It took me a few days to realize it all.«

James Maynard and Hugo Duminil-Copin have also already received the EMS prize, namely in 2016, at the 7th European Congress of Mathematics in Berlin

We sincerely congratulate all the Medallists!

Monday, 4 July 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Žiga Velkavrh

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Behavioral traits across time and countries: essays on indirect reciprocity, deception and nationality of the student Žiga Velkavrh, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 13.00 via Zoom on link:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84010213773

Sunday, 3 July 2022 10th anniversary of the PhD Summer School in discrete mathematics at Rogla

The last week of June marked the successful implementation of the 10th International PhD Summer School in Discrete Mathematics, which is traditionally organized by UP FAMNIT and UP IAM. 65 mathematicians registered for this scientific meeting held in Rogla, and they were able to discuss their research work and attend various lectures between June 26 and July 2.

As in previous years, mathematicians from all over the world applied. Two mini-courses were lectured by:

• Michel Lavrauw, Sabancı University, Turkey: »Algebraic and geometric methods in tensor theory« and
• Mikhail Muzychuk, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel: »Coherent Configurations, Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm and Graph Isomorphism Problem«.

While invited speakers were:

• Edwin van Dam, Tilburg University: »Pseudo-geometric strongly regular graphs with a regular point«,
• Robert Jajcay, Comenius University Bratislava: »Group based constructions of k-regular graphs of large girth and small degree«,
• Daniel Kráľ (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic): »Spectral method in extremal combinatorics« and
• Tamás Szőnyi, Eötvös Loránd University and University of Primorska: »On large minimal blocking sets in projective planes of square order«.

During the past ten years, PhD Summer School in Rogla has attracted almost 700 researchers and students from all around the world. Many of them keep returning year after year, which clearly shows both the popularity and the quality of this scientific mathematical meeting.

»Having the opportunity to listen to the most recent results in the field of Mathematics, from many extraordinary professors and students has been incredibly inspiring for me. Not only did I learn a lot, but I've made some amazing acquaintances and friendships. The beautiful scenery of Rogla is just a cherry on top. Events like this one help in widening the network in the professional world, opening new opportunities and just make learning fun«, said Ajla Šehović, one of the participants.

This year, the students also competed for the Best Student Talk Award. Recipient was decided by the committee members Ted Dobson, Aleksander Malnič and Russ Woodroofe and the award was given to Sam Adriaensen (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), for the talk entitled »Stability of Erdos-Ko-Rado Theorems in Circle Geometries«. He received free participation at the next year’s 11th PhD Summer School in Discrete Mathematics.

Russ Woodroofe, Ted Dobson, Sam Adriaensen and Aleksander Malnič

The committee awarded an honorable mention to Krisztina Szilagyi from Utrecht University for the talk entitled »Polynomial Kernel For Face Cover«.

As Rene Rodriguez Aldama, one of the participants, summarized, the conference was a great opportunity for students to present their work: »The Summer School in Discrete Mathematics aims to gather experts in the area and PhD students who can discuss different lines of research and expose their current works. This year, we had the privilege to presence eminent invited speakers: Edwin van Dam, Robert Jajcay, Daniel Král’ and Tamás Szőnyi. For me, the fact that students can present their work at such an international setting is a plus. The recreational activities were a success: pancakes, karaoke, dance and lots of fun. The cool weather and beautiful landscape at about 1500 m above the sea were just the extra added value to the conference.«

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

Thursday, 30 June 2022 Four positions are open for young researchers at UP IAM

University of Primorska has published a Public Tender for the selection of candidates for the Young Researchers training programme in 2022. Five PhD students will do research work with their mentors while studying and ultimately obtain a doctorate of science. All mentors were selected through a Public Tender published by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), namely at the Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) and the Faculty of Health Sciences (UP FVZ).

Mentors and research fields

At UP IAM, candidates may apply for four positions with selected mentors within scientific disciplines and in selected:

Enes Pasalic – research field: Mathematics; research programme: P1-0404 Mathematical Modelling and Encryption: from Theoretical Concepts to Real-Life Applications, UP Andrej Marušič Institute

Miklós Krész – research field: Computer science and informatics; research programme: P1-0404 Mathematical Modelling and Encryption: from Theoretical Concepts to Real-Life Applications, UP Andrej Marušič Institute

Dragan Marušič – research field: Mathematics; research programme: P1-0285 Algebra, discrete mathematics, probability and game theory, UP Andrej Marušič Institute

Bojan Kuzma – research field: Mathematics; research programme: P1-0285 Algebra, discrete mathematics, probability and game theory, UP Andrej Marušič Institute

Only one candidate can be selected per mentor. If several candidates apply to the public tender, they will be ranked according to their overall score under the selection criteria. The candidate with the highest score will be selected. If the selected candidate withdraws or fails to provide the necessary supporting documents by the deadline set in the public tender, the next candidate will be selected based on the overall score obtained.

The deadline for application is 1 August 2022.

The Public Tender, the application guidelines and all additional information are available on the website of the University of Primorska at the following link: https://www.upr.si/en/news-and-announcements/razpis-za-mlade-raziskovalce-v-letu-2022-

Wednesday, 29 June 2022 Sidra Aslam, new Doctor of Science

Yesterday, 28 June 2022, we welcomed another doctor of science at UP FAMNIT.

Sidra Aslam, a student of the doctoral study programme Computer Science at UP FAMNIT has succesfully defended her doctoral dissertation entitled Decentralized Data Privacy and Security for the Web of Things, mentored by Full. Prof. Michael Mrissa, PhD.

We sincerely congratulate the new doctor of science and wish her much success on her future journey in research!

Monday, 27 June 2022 SRNA: New app for monitoring wildlife

Monitoring (checking the distribution, numbers, etc.) of wildlife populations is fundamental for successful conservation or management plans of wildlife populations, whether we are talking about hunting or strictly protected species. Regular and systematic monitoring of several species is also required by Slovenian and European legislation. Not only researchers, but also nature lovers today can make an exceptional contribution for a better monitoring and understanding of wildlife populations and their needs.

To conduct easier, better and more systematic monitoring of selected species of wild animals, we developed an application called SRNA in cooperation with the Hunting Association of Slovenia and three research institutions (University of Primorska, University of Ljubljana and Faculty of Environmental Protection of Velenje). The app allows those interested to record the observations of different animal species in nature.

The SRNA app can be downloaded via QR code or this link.

Those observations will contribute to a better understanding of wildlife, but you can also simply test their wildlife identification skills through a quiz (English version will be available soon). The collected data will not only improve our understanding of wildlife, but also contribute to better management and protection of wild animals (large mammals and selected bird species) in Slovenia. The broad distribution of smartphones and the development of dedicates apps makes it now possible for everyone to contribute and the role of “citizen scientists" is becoming extremely important. By connecting citizen science data with large datasets obtained from environmental observations, researchers can now address aspects previously unattainable with their strength alone.

You too can become a Citizen scientist!

By recording observations of both common and rare or endangered species, you can contribute to the understanding of their distribution and numbers, which will help researchers identify their densities and how the population is doing. Such knowledge will make it possible to develop conservation and management strategies enabling a harmonious coexistence of all species.

The app is available for both smartphone and computer and only asks for a one-time registration by email. Despite allowing for multiple data to be recorded, the app is user friendly and guides you from the beginning to the end of entering an observation by internal links and transparent/clear menus. Through the app, you will be able to get a graphical overview of your own entries and the overall information for the whole country. Additionally, you will be able to contact the researchers in the team with questions related to the project or their observation by writing to: stepchange@famnit.upr.si. 

Researchers will keep you informed about the results and the most active participants will be rewarded. We will also reward the individuals with the most entries.

We kindly invite all of you to download the app and start recoding your observations of wildlife whenever you encounter one, doesn’t matter if it is during a challenging hike or during a stroll in the countryside!

Sunday, 26 June 2022 University of Primorska successfully hosted the EMS Council Meeting

The University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT), hosted the EMS Council Meeting, which was held 25 – 26 June, 2022 in Bled, Slovenia.

The event was following the 8the European Congress of Mathematics, one of the largest events in mathematics in Europe, that was held last June in Portorož.

The EMS Council is the governing body of the European Mathematical Society (EMS), the primary European organization dedicated to the development of mathematics in Europe. The Council meets every second year, at the meeting delegates to the council were elected for the period of four years by the following categories of members: Full members, Associate members, Institutional members, and Individual members. One of the four representatives for the Institutional members was Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, Rector of the University of Primorska.

The Council is also responsible for electing the President, Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and other members of the Executive Committee who are elected for a period of four years.

The election of the next EMS president, among other delegates, took place in Bled as well, since Prof. Dr. Volker Mehrmann, who is the current EMS president, is concluding his term in 2022. Delegates are elected for a period of 4 years, while the president can hold only one term. A full list of delegates is available here. 

»The meeting of the European Mathematical Society was very successful. Everything that we had planned, could be done in spite of some challenges. Among other, we voted for the new president, so we have new members, that we welcome. We reached success also concerning in-person attendance. It was particularly important for us to come back to in-person meetings, so let me take this opportunity to thank the colleagues from Slovenia, in particular colleagues from the University of Primorska, for organizing this in a very impeccable way,« concluded Prof. Dr. Barbara Kaltenbacher, EMS Executive Committee member from the Austrian Mathematical Society.

Thursday, 23 June 2022 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Sidra Aslam

Sidra Aslam, student of the doctoral study programe Computer Science at UP FAMNIT will defend her doctoral thesis Decentralized Data Privacy and Security for the Web of Things; under the mentorship of Full Prof. Michael Mrissa, PhD.

The defence will take place on Tuesday, 28 June 2022 at 9:00 in Famnit-VP3 (UP FAMNIT, Glagoljaška 8, 6000 Koper).

The doctoral disertation is available in the library at UP FAMNIT.

Thursday, 23 June 2022 UP FAMNIT researchers prove that working in virtual reality for a week has a negative impact on human productivity

A study conducted by UP FAMNIT researchers and colleagues reveals that working in virtual reality (VR) has a significantly more negative impact on people’s productivity compared to working in a physical office environment.

Maheshya Weerasinghe, Klen Čopič Pucihar and Matjaž Kljun from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at UP FAMNIT alongside with a research group including Verena Biener, Snehanjali Kalamkar, Negar Nouri, Eyal Ofek, Michel Pahud, John J. Dudley, Jinghui Hu, Per Ola Kristensson, Stephan Streuber and Jens Grubert, revealed important scientific findings that help lay the groundwork for further research by clearly highlighting current shortcomings and identifying opportunities to improve the VR work experience.

As part of the IEEE ISMAR 2022 Conference (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Conference for Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) 2022), the article entitled »Quantifying the Effects of Working in VR for One Week« will be published in the IEEE TVCG journal (IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics), which includes contributions in the field of computer graphics, information and scientific visualization, visual analytics, virtual and augmented reality, with emphasis on theory and algorithms.

In addition to publication in the prestigious IEEE TVCG, our researchers' article also attracted the attention of New Scientist, the world's most popular weekly science and technology publication, which covers international news from a scientific perspective and raises extensive questions about life, space and what it means, to be human.

»People working full-time in a virtual-reality environment have lower productivity and well-being, and increased anxiety, according to a new study. The research shows that, despite companies such as Microsoft and Facebook owner Meta investing heavily in VR and the immersive virtual world of the metaverse, the technology isn’t yet ready for widespread use in the workplace, while some people may never be able to use it effectively,« briefed Matthew Sparkes for New Scientist.

Source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2206.03189.pdf

Given the limitations of current technology and the fact that VR provides a virtual approximation of the real environment, the researchers did not expect that working in the VR environment would exceed the efficiency of working in the physical environment, which is also confirmed by the results. Already on the first day, two participants stopped participating in the study due to migraine, nausea and anxiety. On the other hand, the results of the study showed, that participants are gradually overcoming negative first impressions and initial discomfort, which can serve as a baseline for future optimization of VR systems.

The full article is available here.

The IEEE ISMAR conference attracts the world's leading researchers from both academia and industry, and this year's 21st in a row will be held for the first time in Southeast Asia, in Singapore, from 17 to 21 October, 2022, in a hybrid version.

In addition to the article »Quantifying the Effects of Working in VR for One Week«, IEEE TVCG will publish two more articles by UP FAMNIT researchers: »VocabulARy: Learning Vocabulary in AR Supported by Keyword Visualisations« (authors: Maheshya Werasinghe, Klen Čopič Pucihar, Verena Biener, Aaron Quigley, Alice Tonilo, Angela Miguel, Jens Grubert, Matjaž Kljun) and »Arigato: Effects of Adaptive Guidance on Engagement and Performance in Augmented Reality Learning Environments« (authors: Maheshya Werasinghe, Klen Čopič Puciigley, Aron , Alice Tonilo, Angela Miguel, Matjaž Kljun).

Congratulations to our researchers and other authors!

Monday, 20 June 2022 Fully funded PhD in Mathematics - Cryptography at University of Primorska

The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies at the University of Primorska (UP FAMNIT) is offering one fully-funded PhD scholarship at the Center of Cryptography.

We welcome applications from EU as well as International students who are enthusiastic about working as part of a multidisciplinary team focusing on mathematical cryptographic research in the following areas:

• Boolean functions with high nonlinearity (bent functions, AB functions, planar functions …),
• Linear codes,
• Cryptanalysis (classical and quantum).

The selected candidate will be offered a tailored research project at UP FAMNIT.

What does the scholarship include?

The selected candidate will receive a 36-48 month scholarship which includes:

• monthly payments of around EUR 1000 neto,
• tuition fees,
• research equipment and a working desk,
• yearly budget for other research costs for covering fieldwork and conference attendance.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates should demonstrate outstanding academic potential with a strong Master’s ang Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics or related subject. Good understanding of finite fields, vector spaces, algebraic and combinatorial techniques is desired. Familiarity with Sage, Mathematica, Magma or similar program packages is a plus.
Candidates must be born in 1994 or younger.

Candidate’s obligations

Besides the regular coursework required for the doctoral study programme (more information available here), 2 hours per week of teaching assistant work (e.g. running lab sessions, consulting students, drafting and correcting coursework, etc.). The teaching assistant work is only conducted during term time (32 weeks per year).

If coming from outside of EU the selected candidate will need a proof of fluent English language ability. Selected candidates will start their studies at the latest on 1st of October 2022. The selected candidate is expected to complete their doctoral studies in a minimum of 3 and maximum of 4 years.

How to apply?

Applicants for the scholarship need to include the following documents (if not in English or Slovenian all documents need to be officially translated and provided with documents in the original language):

• a motivational letter,
• a Curriculum Vitae (personal details, work experience, education and training, language skills, awards and recognitions, previous research work, publications) - maximum 4 pages,
• a certified copy of any previously completed higher-level education degrees: e.g. bachelor degree, master degree, etc.,
• course transcripts, GPA (grade point average) certificate of exams and tutorials,
• a reference letter,
• if you will need a visa to study in Slovenia, a copy of the page of your passport that gives your full name, passport number, etc.

Applicants should send this information in zip file to enes.pasalic@famnit.upr.si and nastja.cepak@iam.upr.si.

Application deadline is 30 July 2022.

For further information regarding application, enrolment and other administrative procedures please read the following, or contact Student Services.

Lead Supervisor: Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD

More information: Center of Cryptography

Members of the center (from left to right): Dr. Samir Hodžić, Dr. Nastja Cepak; Prof. Enes Pasalic, PhD, Sadmir Kudin, Rene Rodriguez Aldama, Amar Bapić

Thursday, 16 June 2022 Project ENGREEN completed

The ENGREEN project - a 29-month project for preservation of green infrastructure in the cross-border cultural landscape Italy-SloveniaI, in which UP FAMNIT, VeGAL - Agenzia di Sviluppo del Veneto Orientale, ZRSVSN and Municipality of Dolina also cooperated with the Škocjan Caves Regional Park, ended today.

As part of the collaboration UP FAMNIT researchers collected data on ponds in western Slovenia and in the part of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Through its activities, the ENGREEN project has achieved its purpose of preserving the biodiversity of the area and significantly contributed to the restoration of dry walls, ponds, small wetlands, glaciers and the preparation of joint guidelines and plans for an integrated strategy for biodiversity conservation and development.

According to the director of the Škocjan Caves Park, Mr Stojan Ščuka the project "significantly contributed to the inventory of ponds, wells and drywalls and their renovation, which will continue as part of new already acquired projects (ReNature) and projects that are still in preparation (ENGREEN 2)." He added that "cooperation with the University of Primorska had a significant impact on the results and exceptional success of the project through various field tasks and deepened the existing cooperation, which will continue with various activities outside the project and in all subsequent projects in their area«.

Director of the Škocjan Caves Park, Mr Stojan Ščuka

Assist. Prof. Martina Lužnik, from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT adds that "in two years they examined a large part of ponds (and other water bodies) in the Karst, Slovenian Istria and Brkini, collected data on the condition of ponds and the presence of amphibians, monitored karst grasslands and butterflies.". There was also monitoring of the recovery of the population of the extremely endangered butterfly False ringlet (lat. oenonympha Oedipus) after the fire (2019) in Cerje. By removing alien species, they have improved both the condition of ponds (removal of goldfish) and the habitat for False ringlet (removal of spider mites from grasslands), and the dissamination achieved with "ENGREEN" BIOLOGICAL EVENINGS with interesting, current and diverse biological topics.

Assist. prof. Martina Lužnik

As part of the project, UP Famnit also intensively included students - they even conducted 2 summer schools - where they were able to participate intensively in field research, and quite a few students chose this topic to prepare a final thesis in both 1st and 2nd level study programs.

The key activities of UP Famnit's cooperation within the project were:

• preparation of an overview of green infrastructure in the program area, and in particular the collection of existing data on ponds in western Slovenia and part of Friuli Venezia Giulia;

• survey of a large part of ponds (and other water bodies) in the Karst, Slovenian Istria and Brkini and collection of data on the condition of ponds and the presence of amphibians;

• review of karst grasslands and butterflies: monitoring the recovery of the population of the extremely endangered False ringlet butterfly after the fire (2019) in Cerje (2020, 2021, 2022);

• by removing alien species, they improved the condition of ponds (by removing goldfish from 8 ponds) and the habitat for False ringlet butterfly (by removing spider mites from grasslands), and

• great reach with "ENGREEN" BIOLOGICAL EVENINGS with interesting, current and diverse biological topics - more or less related to green infrastructure.

Members of the ENGREEN Project Team at UP Famnit, Assist. Katja Kalan, PhD, Assist. Prof. Jure Jugovic, Assist. Prof. Vladimir Ivović, Assist. Martin Senič,  Assist. Sara Zupan, Assist. Prof. Martina Lužnik

Friday, 10 June 2022 12th generation of UP FAMNIT graduates

Today, June 10, UP FAMNIT celebrated the twelfth generation of graduates - there have been 92 of them in the last year – that will enrich the broader national and international community with their skills and knowledge as: graduate bioinformatics, conservation biologists, biopsychologists, mathematicians, financial mathematicians and computer science and agricultural engineers, masters of mathematics, nature conservation, biopsychology, psychology, mathematics with financial engineering, data science,  computer science and sustainable built environments.

The 12th generation of graduates was addressed by the rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, as well as the UP FAMNIT Dean, Assoc. Prof. Ademir Hujdurović. Congratulations on the completion of the studies were also given by Tomaž Lešnik, Director of Business Development and Sales at Dinit d.o.o.

Two students shared their memories and thoughts at the end of their study experiences at the faculty: Cita Jenko, graduate of the undergraduate study programme Biopsychology and Aljaž Kosmač, graduate of the master’s study programme in Mathematical Sciences.

Foto: Pavel Fičur

Following the tradition, this year too, a few students received rewards of the Faculty for their outstanding study and research achievements and the development of extracurricular activities. Below we publish the recipients of rewards for the last two years.

Recipients of the Faculty rewards are:

• Maruša Penca Kocjan, undergraduate study programme Conservation Biology reward for study/research work,
• Marjana Tomažič, master's study programme Nature Conservation, reward for study/research work,
• Niki Hrovatin, doctoral study programme Computer Science, reward for study/research work,
• Ajla Šehović, undergraduate study programme Mathematics, reward for study/research work,
• Manca Vodopivec, undergraduate study programme Mathematics, reward for study/research work,
• Ines Knežević, undergraduate study programme Biopsychology, reward for study/research work,
• Cita Jenko, master's study programme Psychology, reward for study/research work.

Recipients of rewards for their active involvement in the development of extracurricular activities for students, based on the proposal of the UP FAMNIT Student Council:

• Inga Raič, undergraduate study programme Computer Science,
• Nadeen Al Hawamdeh, undergraduate study programme Computer Science.
• 
  Foto: Pavel Fičur

We sincerely congratulate all graduates and recipients of rewards and wish them success in their further study, research and careers.

Thursday, 9 June 2022 Successful conclusion of the ALTNLP conference

The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP Famnit) has successfully concluded hosting the ALTNLP conference (The international conference on agglutinative language technologies as a challenge of natural language processing) on Wednesday, 8 June 2022.

The two-day conference was co-organised by UP Famnit Information Technology Department with its partner institutions Urgench State University, and Universidad del Pais Vasco, Basque Center for Language Technology (HITZ).

The conference was opened with a welcoming speech by Assoc. Prof. Jernej Vičič and Assist. Prof. Branko Kavšek, the organisers and representatives of the DIST UP Famnit. All attendees were greeted and welcomed by Prof. Dr. Štefko Miklavič, Vice-Rector for Scientific Research and Development of the University of Primorska, and Prof. Dr. Eneko Agirre, Director of the HITZ Centre.

The ALTNLP conference brings together researchers in linguistics, language technologies and machine learning in the field of agglutinative and morphologically rich languages. This year's conference was held virtually and brought together experts from 12 countries to present their latest findings in their respective fields, and also to network for possible future collaborations in research projects.

More information about the conference is available here.

Wednesday, 8 June 2022 Students of the Dušan Bordon Primary School attended the Natural Science Day at Famnit

Yesterday, June 7, 2022, our faculty hosted students from the Dušan Bordon Primary School who attended the NATURAL SCIENCE DAY AT FAMNIT.

Through various activities, lectures, experiments and workshops, they got to know the diverse world of science and had fun.

After the introductory greeting of the Dean and a walk around the faculty, dr. Alenka Baruca Arbeiter invited students to the world of research of medicinal and aromatic plants. As part of the workshop "Aromatic Plants and Distillation", they learned about methods for obtaining essential oil and hydrolate.

In the continuation of the science day, dr. Ana Zalokar explained, what the board game Snakes and Ladders and the movement of stock prices have in common. The workshop “From Snakes and Ladders to Stock Prices” gave them an insight into two examples of the Markov chain. They played board games and counted the routes, forecasting the weather and at the same time observing what was happening on the stock market.

Dr. Živa Fišer and students of Conservation Biology Lana Božič and Tinka Terčon presented to the students, how and in what way plants attract animals and how flowers differ to attract specific insects. The workshop "How and with what plants reward animals for spreading pollen?" Included a lot of work with practical aids, which the students were enthusiastic about: "We liked the most, that we could actually do something practical. It's best when we can test ourselves in something."

The science day ended with a workshop on mental health, where we talked about stress and the factors, that affect the feeling of stress and why it is important to seek help. Through the discussion and activities within the workshop "Are you ok? Ok!", Eva Sedlašek and Manca Kosmač from the Department of Psychology tried to introduce students to the concept of mental health and the factors that affect it.

"It's very important that we try to solve our problems. On the one hand, we have positive, protective factors that help us with our mental health, and on the other hand, there are risk factors that increase our distress. The number of factors is not as important as is the value on each individual factor," concluded Eva Sedlašek.

Tuesday, 7 June 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Aleksandar Tošić

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Blockchain application in existing systems and architectures: an empirical study of the student Aleksander Tošić, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Computer Sciece.

The presentation will take place on Thursday, 9 June 2022 at 11.00 on Zoom:
https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/2711197445?pwd=ZGk0ZDZQb1NkcG5yWnE4Z3Y4aS9Edz09
Meeting ID: 271 119 7445
Passcode: 826129

Monday, 6 June 2022 A successful 13th edition of the TRIPLE i in Suicidology Conference 2022

The TRIPLE i: Intuition, Imagination and Innovation in Suicidology conference successfully concluded on Wednesday, 1 June 2022 at the University of Primorska. The two-day event was organised by the Andrej Marušič Institute, Slovene Centre for Suicide Research (UP IAM SCSR) in collaboration with the De Leo Fund Onlus.

This year, the conference was held in a hybrid format - in the Zoom online environment and simultaneously at the premises of the University of Primorska. The in-person attendees were aspiring students of the Psychology and Biopsychology postgraduate study programmes, which are successfully implemented at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP Famnit).

Assoc. Prof. Vita Poštuvan, Deputy Head of the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research (SCSR), said about the hybrid format of the conference: »The online implementation allows the event to be attended by people from all over the world. At this year's 13th conference, we had participants from about 35 countries. Personally, I am most pleased with those accompanying us from low and middle-income countries, as they would most likely not be able to attend the classic form of the conference. With the online implementation of the event, we enabled all listeners to obtain high-quality first-hand information. Witnessing their satisfaction, and how they transfer what they have learned into suicide prevention practice, makes our work and the continuation of this event worthwhile.«

All attendees the were greeted by Prof. Diego De Leo, Head of the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research and Assoc. Prof. Vita Poštuvan, Deputy Head, and Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, Rector of the University of Primorska, who also welcomed the participants.

This year's programme included topics on suicide research and clinical work with suicidal people. Internationally renowned experts in the field of suicidology Prof. Stephen Platt, Prof. David Gunnell, Prof. Holly C. Wilcox, Prof. Danuta Wasserman, Prof. Kairi Kõlves, Prof. Lanny Berman, Prof. David A. Jobes, Prof. Nicola Veronese, and others contributed to the insightful and well-rounded programme.

Dr. Vita Poštuvan summarized her impressions with a final thought: »This year's programme once again offered an extremely stimulating debate. In addition to the classic topics addressing suicidal behaviour and risk factors, such as the covid epidemic, social factors, loneliness, groups of people at risk (adolescents) – this year's programme brought together important topics on research methods, ethics and assessment, and interventions in clinical situations. The programme was broad and the participants were extremely satisfied at the end. «

We invite you to visit the ŽivŽiv?! website, where experts and people with personal experience write about mental health and suicide.

For more photos check the Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM) profiles on Facebook and Instagram.

Monday, 30 May 2022 Second application term for undergraduate studies for non-EU citizens

Today, 30 May 2022, starts the second application term for non-EU citizens for the enrolment in the undergraduate study programmes at UP FAMNIT and it lasts until 27 july 2022.

There are available places for the study programmes listed below:

• Bioinformatics (Slovene version),
• Mathematics (Slovene and English version),
• Mathematics in Economics and Finance,
• Mediterranean Agriculture,
• Conservation Biology.

All information about the application procedure are available here.

For more information please contact the Student Services (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, tel. + 386 5 611 75 75) or the Admissions Office of University of Primorska at vpis@upr.si. 

Monday, 30 May 2022 TRIPLE i in Suicidology Conference 2022

We are pleased to invite you to the 13th TRIPLE i conference: intuition, imagination and innovation in suicidology. The conference will be held from 31 May to 1 June 2022 in the Zoom online environment and in person at the premises of the University of Primorska (Meeting room, Titov trg 4, Koper, Slovenia). The event is organised by Andrej Marušič Institute, Slovene Centre for Suicide Research in collaboration with the De Leo Fund Onlus.

TRIPLE i is an international annual conference organised by the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research (UP IAM SCSR) in memory of the late Prof. Andrej Marušič and is held each year around the time of his birthday. The aim of the conference is to promote intuition, imagination and innovation in research and prevention of suicide and suicidal behaviour.

The programme includes topics of suicide research and clinical work with suicidal patients (theory, research, prevention, and interventions in suicidology). Existing difficulties in both research and clinical work will be specifically addressed.

The two-day conference will host internationally renowned experts in the field of suicidology such as Prof. Stephen Platt, Prof. David Gunnell, Prof, Holly C. Wilcox, Prof. Danuta Wasserman, Prof. Kairi Kõlves, Prof. Nicola Veronese, Prof. Lanny Berman, Prof. David A. Jobes, and more.

For more information visit the platform ŽivŽiv?! available here. In case you have additional questions, please send an email to triple-i@upr.si.

Students, professionals, scholars, practitioners or others interested in the topic of suicidal behaviours from different fields and different parts of the world are invited to join the conference. Let the TRIPLE i be the opportunity to express and practice your intuition, imagination and innovative ideas.

Warm welcome!

Diego De Leo and Vita Poštuvan

Thursday, 26 May 2022 1st Famnit Hackathon – another successful event carried out by Famnit students

On 21 and 22 May 2022 GDSC Primorska - Google developer Student Club at University of  Primorska successfully carried out the 1st Famnit Hackathon!

A Hackathon is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and students from other programmes together to improve upon or build a new software program.

8 teams of 3 students from Computer science, Bioinformatics, Mathematics, Psychology and Management study programmes have participated in the event. The teams had been either formed on their own, or on the Hackathon Team Building event prior to the Hackathon.

3 main categories were represented:Solutions to the sea overexploitation (A), Responsible Consumption (B) and Health & Mental Wellbeing (C).

Category winners:

(A) Danilo Radonjić, Amar Bapić, Selma Crnkić
(B) Riste Micev, Dimitar Pelivanov, Damjan Dimitrov
(C) Amila Mirvić, Jaša Selinšek, Natalija Robič

The overall winners, who won in the Responsible Consumption category, took the main prize of 500 EUR provided by Dinit Card Services, while the best idea award went to Zhaneta Koceva, Berna Asanova and Marija Zhivkovikj.

Other teams also showed great effort and produced amazing solutions, moreover some of them were also invited to further meetings with sponsors to discuss possible internships.

We would like to thank all the companies and organizations, that have shown interest in networking with our students: Dinit Card Services, Trapview, Mistral, Aquarium Piran, InnoRennew CoE and HICUP Lab. Some of their representatives have taken on mentoring roles during the competition and formed the jury team for the final project evaluation.

»The hardest part of organizing was coming up with a competition concept, that would be interesting both to students and companies involved. Also getting sponsors, but we were glad to have had a lot of companies dedicate their otherwise free time to our Hackathon. What made us happy is that the company representatives were happy with the work Famnit students produced and we helped students network with potential employers,« said the GDSC representatives.

Google developer Student Clubs are groups of undergraduate or master's students at individual universities in the international environment working in the field of Google technology.

GDSC Primorska provides developers with a learning environment and in its circle invites students of all undergraduate and master's programs who strive to upgrade their knowledge and skills in the field of modern technology. Learning takes place in the form of interactive workshops and seminars, in which lecturers also participate, and members are equipped with their extensive knowledge and good practices.

Club members are also happy to accept ideas and suggestions to better the community. You can contact them at gdsc.primorska@gmail.com.

We also invite you to visit GDSC Primorska Facebook and Instagram profiles.

Wednesday, 25 May 2022 Online Info Week for Master's studies

If you are interested in studying at UP FAMNIT or you are still undecided about your postgraduate studies, join our Online Info Week for Master's study programmes from 26 May to 3 June 2022!

UP FAMNIT Master's study programmes are interdisciplinary and diverse, and offer to students everything they need: knowledge, project work, case study, research activities and well equipped laboratories.

You are invited to join the presentations of our study programmes, which will be held from 26 May to 3 June 2022 on ZOOM.

Study programmes coordinators will present our study and research activities as well as answer your questions.

Programmes that are held in English language will be presented in English.

There is a specific day and time of presentation for each Master's study program, so we invite you to see the list below. More information about our info events and Zoom links can be found here.

PROGRAMME OF THE WEEK

For more information: promo@famnit.upr.si

The CALL FOR ENROLMENT into UP FAMNIT postgraduate study programmes in 2022/23 is available HERE.

You are invited to join us!

Wednesday, 25 May 2022 Famnit student Diar Gashi achieved remarkable success on the Open International Internet-Olympiad in mathematics 2022

UP FAMNIT students have been competing at the Open International Internet-Olympiad in mathematics (OIIO) for many years and every time they are ranked among the best contestants.

Once again, they excelled at this year's competition.

The first round of the competition took place on February 25 where 6 Famnit students took part in the competition:

• Todor Antić (Mathematics, 3rd year),
• Jelena Glišić (Mathematics, 3rd year),
• Milan Milivojčević (Computer Science, 3rd year),
• Matjaž Madon (Mathematics, 2nd year),
• Lazar Marković (Mathematics, 2nd year),
• Diar Gashi (Mathematics, 1st year).

In the second round of the competition, which took place on March 26, as many as five students qualified (Diar Gashi, Milan Milivojčević, Jelena Glišić, Matjaž Madon in Todor Antić), among which Matjaž Madon and Milan Milivojčević scored the highest.

Diar Gashi ranked highest among Famnit students, advancing to the 3^rd, final round of the competition, which took part on May 12, occupying the excellent ^2rd place and receiving the 1^st prize.

Diar Gashi

We sincerely congratulate all contestants and wish them much success in future!

Tuesday, 24 May 2022 The programming team of Famnit students represented the University of Primorska at the CERC competition

After last year's successful participation in the University Programming Marathon (UPM), which has been taking place at three Slovenian universities at the same time for a quarter of a century (UL, UM and UP) under the auspices of ACM Slovenia, Famnit's students Ina Bašić, Jelena Glišić and Ajla Šehović also competed in the SCERC (Central Europe Regional Contest), which is an integral part of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), the largest and most prestigious university computer science competition in the world.

In cooperation with the ACM Slovenija association, the University of Ljubljana hosted the Central European Regional Programming Contest (CERC) for the first time in Slovenia on 23 and 24 April this year.

This year, Slovenia was represented at the CERC competition by four teams from the University of Ljubljana, two teams from the University of Maribor and one team from the University of Primorska, consisting of Famnit students.

Dr. Andrej Brodnik (competition leader) from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at UP FAMNIT also contributed to the implementation of the competition.

Congratulations to the competitors who represented the University of Primorska at CERC 2021!

                       
Ina Bašić, Ajla Šehović and Jelena Glišić

Monday, 23 May 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Kenny Štorgel

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Certain Graph-Theoretic Invariants and Decompositions: From Structure to Bounds and Algorithms of the student Kenny Štorgel, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, 1 June 2022 at 10.00 in the classroom FAMNIT-Avla Glagoljaška.

Monday, 23 May 2022 Project STEP CHANGE is in full swing – Steering Committee Meeting at UP FAMNIT

Last week, Faculty of mathematic, natural Sciences and Information Technologies hosted a Steering Committee Meeting for STEP CHANGE, an international project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

A three-year project, with a funding just over 2 million euros is coordinated by the researchers from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT. The project, launched in March 2021, will draw on the expertise of 11 partners from 7 European countries and Uganda Uganda (including Oxford University, Aarhus University in Denmark and Tor Vergata University in Italy), to increase the mutual responsiveness of science and society while boosting the capacity of scientific investigation over phenomena that cannot be completely seized within conventional disciplinary boundaries.

STEP CHANGE builds on the assumption that citizen science can play an even broader societal and scientific role than is generally acknowledged. The overall objective of the project is to explore the potential of citizen science and to formulate recommendations and instruments for better cementing this approach within R&I institutions as well as changing researchers’ mindsets on its value.

Through 5 Citizen Science Initiatives, the project partners obtain important information in the fields of health, energy and the environment. The project assumes active public participation in scientific or research projects - hence the term "Citizen science". In Slovenia, the initiative focuses on wildlife conservation in Slovenia, which will contribute to additional development of the Hunting Information System (HIS) and further the cooperation between leading researchers of game in Slovenia and the Hunting Association of Slovenia (HAS).

Representatives of all partner institutions attended a two-day meeting, held at UP FAMNIT, during which they reviewed current activities within all five initiatives and examined the public response in the countries where the initiatives are currently taking place.

"I am glad that after one year of online meetings, we were finally able to meet live in Koper. The meeting was an exceptional opportunity to get to know each other better and share invaluable experiences", concludes prof. Elena Bužan, the project leader.

The next STEP CHANGE Steering Committee Meeting will take place in November 2022 in Brussels, with participation of the European Commission representatives.

More information about the project: https://stepchangeproject.eu/

Thursday, 19 May 2022 The book »Symmetry in Graphs« by authors from the University of Primorska published by Cambridge University Press

The book »Symmetry in Graphs« was published by Cambridge University Press in the series Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics. Authors of this first full-length book on the major theme of symmetry in graphs are Ted Dobson, Aleksander Malnič and Dragan Marušič, researchers of the University of Primorska.

Books within the Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics series aim to introduce the reader to an active area of mathematical research. Besides being suitable for graduate students, the treatments are applicable for experts from other branches of mathematics, seeking access to research topics.

ABOUT »Symmetry in Graphs«

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

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

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

REVIEWS

»The book is an excellent introduction to graph symmetry, assuming only first courses in each of group theory and graph theory. Illustrative and instructive examples of graphs with high symmetry are given along with motivating problems. The theory of group actions is interspersed throughout the book, as appropriate to the development of the graph story, and there are separate chapters treating different research directions, for example, vertex-transitive graphs and their automorphism groups, the Cayley Isomorphism Problem, and Hamiltonicity. The book provides a seamless entry for students and other interested people into this fascinating study of the interplay between symmetry and network theory, with extensive lists of exercises at the end of each chapter, and important research problems on graph symmetry discussed throughout the book, and especially in the final chapter.«
Cheryl Praeger - University of Western Australia, Perth

»Dobson, Malnič and Marušič have done us a real service. They offer a thorough treatment of graph symmetry, the first text book on the topic. What makes this even more useful is that their treatment is detailed, careful and gentle.«
Chris Godsil - University of Waterloo, Ontario

»A book like this is long overdue. It brings together a vast array of important and interesting material about graph symmetries, and is very well presented. Congratulations to the authors on a fine achievement. «
Marston Conder - University of Auckland

More about the publication can be found here.

Tuesday, 17 May 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Nina Krohne

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation »Suicidal Behavior in Women: The Role of Intimate Partner Violence and Resilience to Suicidality« of the student Nina Krohne, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Suicidology and Mental Health.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 13.00 via Zoom on link:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/86243631813

ID: 862 4363 1813

Monday, 16 May 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation - Blas Fernandez

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation On certain problems related to Terwilliger algebras and distance-balanced graphs of the student Blas Fernandez, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 17.00 in the classroom FAMNIT-VP3 and via Zoom on link:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84794175297?pwd=Mp81hohK67WQyaIPHKjINaGOtZQL14.1#success

Friday, 13 May 2022 Famnit Hackathon: growing networks, meeting company representatives and making new friends

GDSC Primorska is organising a UP FAMNIT Hackathon on the faculty level!

A Hackathon is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and students from other programmes together to improve upon or build a new software program.

When and where?
21 and 22 May at Avla (Famnit, Glagoljaška 8).

Theme?
Sustainable development, health and wellbeing.

Students from all Famnit programs are invited to collaborate in interdisciplinary teams. A few days before the event, you will have the chance to form teams at our welcoming event. All teams should have 2-3 members from the Computer Science/Mathematics programme, out of 4, to ease the implementational part.

Apply immediately if you are willing to work with new people, have fun, grow your network, get in touch with the sponsoring companies, win and earn some prizes.

Application form: https://forms.gle/sK3BA8spYWxWb3ZW7

See you at the Famnit Hackathon!

Thursday, 12 May 2022 Forest Genetic Monitoring Training School in Kaunas, Lithuania

The Forest Genetic Monitoring Training School will be organized within the framework of ConservePlants COST Action (CA18201), with the support of International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and aims at training Postdoctoral fellows, Ph. D. candidates, early career scientists (M.Sc. Level or above), and practitioners (M.Sc. level or above) involved in genetic conservation actions.

Instructors: Prof. Filippos Aravanopoulos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Prof. Darius Danusevičius (Vytautas Magnus University), Dr. Darius Kavaliauskas (Bavarian Office for Forest Genetics), Prof. Om Rajora (University of New Brunswick)

Date: 5July – 8 July 2022

Place: Kaunas, Lithuania

Local organiser: Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Institute of Forestry, Kaunas, Lithuania

Local contact: rita.verbylaite@lammc.lt

The immediate objective of the Training School is to provide participants with knowledge about genetic and genomic aspects of Forest Genetic Monitoring and about how to start Forest Genetic Monitoring programs, including the selection, establishment and maintenance of plot; background information on indicators and verifiers; overview of fieldwork, laboratory and data analysis.

The mid-term objective is to foster collaborations, in research and training on FGM, and to establish a network of FGM Plots for different tree species.

Applicants should apply by 15 May using the form.

More about the programme can be found here.

Thursday, 12 May 2022 Call for papers for the conference MATCOS-22

The Middle-European Conference on Applied Theoretical Computer Science (MATCOS-22) will be held October 13-14 2022 in Koper, Slovenia. The conference is organised by the University of Primorska, Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM), and the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP Famnit) in cooperation with InnoRenew CoE.

MATCOS-22 will be held in conjunction with the 25th Multi-Conference on Information Society, October 10th - 14th, 2022, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

During the past years, other fields have used several subjects, methods and approaches of Theoretical Computer Science, and several results have been integrated into practical applications. Solutions for NP-hard problems, algorithmic-oriented AI and data science, new models and methods in system biology and bioinformatics, automata theory approaches in software and hardware verification, practical quantum computing solutions and the development of other prospective new models of computation are good examples to buttress the above statement.

There is a special emphasis on use in applications such as simulation, bioinformatics, digital signal and image processing, data science, digital forensics, logistics, smart homes/cities and IoT, computational social science etc.

Paper submission deadline is July 17th, 2022.

Papers must be in English and provide sufficient details to allow the program committee to assess their merits. The submissions of regular papers, as well as their final versions, are limited to 4 pages sharp and will be published in an Information Society multi-conference proceeding.

Only submissions sent in pdf format via EasyChair will be accepted (in the submission indicate whether you are submitting a regular paper or a short paper). The link is available here.

For more detailed information on paper submission, travel and accommodation information, and general info regarding the conference, please visit http://matcos.iam.upr.si.

All personal inquiries must be sent to matcos@iam.upr.si.

Wednesday, 11 May 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation - Sadmir Kudin

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Specifying bent functions outside M# and some results on correlation immune functions of the student Sadmir Kudin, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences.

The presentation will take place on Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 10.00 in the classroom FAMNIT-VP2.

Tuesday, 10 May 2022 Student Dren Neziri received the Golden award at the Jurij Vega Awards Competition

After a successful performance at the International Mathematical Kangaroo organized by the DMFA of Slovenia and receiving the Bronze award, Dren Neziri, a UP FAMNIT student, entered the national Jurij Vega Awards Competition, which took place on April 23 in Ljubljana.

At the 7th Student Mathematics Jurij Vega Awards Competition (also organized by DMFA), Dren Neziri took an excellent 3rd place and thus received the Golden award and 3rd Prize.

Dren Neziri at the Vojtěch Jarník International Mathematical Competition 2022

In addition to Famnit's student, Tamara Logar (UP FVZ) also took part in the national competition, which was attended by 35 students, and received a silver award.

The competition for students in mathematics was first held in the school year 2006/07 and covers two levels of competition: the school competition for the Bronze award and the national competition for the Silver and Golden awards.

In addition to popularizing mathematics, the organizers of the competition strive to deepen and expand mathematical knowledge over the complexity of the regular program in mathematics for higher education. Moreover, such an event is a good starting point for comparison between students and for discovering and encouraging mathematically gifted students.

The tasks for the school competition, which this year was attended by 402 competitors (21 of them from the University of Primorska), are prepared by the International Mathematical Kangaroo Competition Commission, and the tasks for the national competition are in the domain of the National Competition Commission.

»The school competition required a bit more coordination compared to the national competition, as students competed in several locations at the same time. Both competitions, school and national, are of the same format, but the tasks in the national competition are of course more demanding. Solving tasks with encirclement certainly facilitates the work of the commission, as the data processing process is easier and faster,« said dr. Nino Bašić from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at UP FAMNIT, Secretary of the National Competition Commission.

All the results are available here.

Friday, 6 May 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation - Rene Rodriguez Aldama

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation Generic constructions of minimal codes from special classes of functions over finite fields of the student Rene Rodriguez Aldama, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Mathematical Sciences.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, 11 May 2022 at 11.00 in the classroom FAMNIT-VP3.

Friday, 6 May 2022 EDUFarm project – invitation for participation for farmers in protected areas in Slovenia

Managing a farm in a protected area is a challenge in itself, as a well-balanced relationship between the economy and nature conservation must be upheld. The pilot project EDUFarm (Preservation of biodiversity of agricultural landscape through development and integration of educational model in agricultural activity) that is led by researchers from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT, focuses on developing an efficient and economically sustainable model of farm management conservation of biodiversity.

The project was created with the desire to raise awareness of farm owners and other target groups (schools, Universities, and general public) about the importance of conserving and protecting biodiversity in the agricultural and cultural landscape, identifying biodiversity indicators and developing an economically sustainable farm management model.

More information about the project and the research group, which also includes the Mahne Farm and the Lambergar Farm, can be found here.

Prof. Elena Bužan, PhD (project manager), >assistant Sandra Potušek and Aja Bončina have prepared a survey questionnaire, through which they want to gain insight and consider the perspective of the farmers in protected areas in Slovenia, and the importance of preserving biodiversity in the agricultural landscape.

The results gained from this survey will be the basis for the development of a decision tree, which will serve as a tool to improve the preservation of biodiversity on farms, while enabling them to make the best use of existing financial mechanisms i.e. government and EU support, available for biodiversity conservation.

The results will also provide an understanding for the reasoning behind potential non-use of these existing financial mechanisms. Subsequently, this would offer a more detailed insight into why the measures and financial support that is available for preservation of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape is not utilized systematically.

All farms in protected areas are invited to complete the questionnaire: https://1ka.arnes.si/a/ed095227

Friday, 22 April 2022 POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - PROJECT STEPCHANGE

POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA (UP FAMNIT) - PROJECT STEPCHANGE

Project description:

The University of Primorska is the coordinating institution of the Horizon 2020 project Step change focusing on citizen science for wildlife monitoring.

Field of expertise: wildlife monitoring, ecology, management, conservation, citizen scienc

Terms and conditions:

• Applicants must have a relevant university education with a completed doctoral/PhD degree and a strong potential in researc
• Relevant knowledge and willingness to work in ecological statistics
• Willingness to supervise graduation/master theses, and to promote young scientists
• Excellent spoken and written English is required. Slovene would be advantageous.

Your tasks:

You should be able to implement a comprehensive approach to combine spatial and presence information with fragmentation of the landscape, timeframe, ecological characteristics of the area etc. You are also expected to be able to run and test models to validate collected data and infer past and future trends and you are expected to contribute to project management. Good communication skills with stakeholder would be appreciated.

We offer:

• Contract of Employment for full time (40 hours/week) for period untill 30th April 2024
• The position will be paid according to category of the Collective agreement for employees at Slovenian universities

Application instructions:

Interested applicants are requested to send the application in electronic form to stepchange@famnit.upr.si, and “Postdoc in wildlife management” in the object. Please attach in pdf format:

• A cover letter explaining your interest in the position and how you fit the description
• A CV
• a list of publications highlighting the with five the most relevant ones.

Application deadline: May 15^th, 2022

Thursday, 21 April 2022 Call for Student Tutors for the 2022/2023 Academic Year is now open!

The new Rules on the tutoring system at the University of Primorska are in force, and as a result the new application deadline for student tutors is now open earlier.

We invite you to (re) apply for tutors in the upcoming academic year 2022/2023 and enrich your student experience and the experience of your younger colleagues.

What is tutoring?

Tutoring is an organized help to students based on a personal approach. The call is open for the following positions:

• tutors,
• tutors for foreign students,
• tutors to help students with special needs.

Who is tutoring intended for?

Student tutoring is intended primarily for first-year students who find themselves in a new living and educational environment. Tutors help them with important information and integration into the new environment.

Tutors for foreign students offer support to newcomers who come to UP for exchange or full-time study. Tutors help them integrate into the new environment as well as with administrative and language barriers.

Tutors for students with special needs enable students to adapt more quickly and integrate successfully into the student environment and study.

You can apply online through the Call for Student Tutors. The application deadline is Tuesday, April 26, 2022.

Introductory training for tutors will be organized in May 2022.

The organization and operation of the tutoring system is regulated by the Rules on the tutoring system at the University of Primorska (Pravilnik o tutorskem sistemu na Univerzi na Primorskem). An official English translation will be available shortly soon.

 For additional questions, please contact: promo@famnit.upr.si

Tuesday, 19 April 2022 Join the lecture »Strange presences in the Tuscan Archipelago, two study cases on alien (and invasive?) lizard and snake«

On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the eighth lecture from the series of  Famnitovi Biološki večeri 2021/22 will take place. The lecture entitled »Strange presences in the Tuscan Archipelago, two study cases on alien (and invasive?) lizard and snake« will be given by dr. Marco Alberto Luca Zuffi.

The event will take place via ZOOM at 7 p.m., in English.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

Zoogeographical aspects of reptile distribution in the Tuscan Archipelago (Northern Thyrrenian Sea) show remarkable interesting matters for many of the herpetological fauna. The recent unexpected presence of Podarcis siculus on the Gorgona island was described, including the putative continental origin (genetic data) and actual density and distribution on that island (N-Mixture model simulations). On Montecristo island, on the contrary, the supposed endemic viper (Vipera aspis montecristi, now Vipera aspis hugyi), has recognized as actively introduced in historical times, from Sicily, to be used as a theriaca component.

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Dr. Marco Alberto Luca Zuffi
Born on 1960, a degree in Natural Sciences in 1983, PhD in Evolutionary Biology in 2007. Curator of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at the Natural History Museum, University of Pisa, Calci (Pisa), Italy, since 1988. Founder of the Italian Society of Herpetology, member of the European Herpetological Society (past General Secretary). Expert in functional morphology, ecology and behaviour of Squamates and Chelonians. Author and coauthor of about 100 impact factor papers, and more than 150 other scientific papers (peer review, volume chapters, proceedings, etc.). Tutor of more than 100 students.

A video recording of the lecture will be available after the event here.

Wednesday, 13 April 2022 Presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation – Mariem Zouari

We invite you to the presentation of the topic of the doctoral dissertation "Biocarbon-based waterborne functional coating for integrated adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of indoor volatile organic compounds" of the student Mariem Zouari, enrolled in the doctoral study programme Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments .

The presentation will take place on Tuesday, 19 April 2022 at 16.00 at InnoRenew CoE (Livade 6A, 6310 Izola) and via Zoom:

https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/81337571310

Monday, 11 April 2022 Additional enrollment places for displaced persons from Ukraine with temporary protection

On 7 April 2022, the Senate of the University of Primorska approved additional places for candidates - displaced persons from Ukraine with temporary protection for enrollment in bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes at the University of Primorska for the academic year 2022/2023. University of Primorska (UP) offers to displaced persons from Ukraine with temporary protection additional places at all levels of study.

The application deadline for this category of applicants is 1 September 2022, at the national level for enrolment in undergraduate programmes, and for enrolment in Master's and doctoral programmes they are subject to the same application deadlines as Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship, foreigners from countries that are not members of the European Union.

As of today, an invitation is also open to investors in the UP Scholarship Fund, which has been providing scholarships since 2008, and this year they can also apply as donors. New this year is, an additional call for persons with recognised international protection or temporary protection of displaced persons, which will make it easier to apply for the enrolment call.               

Monday, 11 April 2022 Today starts the ALUMNI UP WEEK (11.–15. 4. 2022)

The Alumni Club of the University of Primorska (hereinafter Alumni UP) is an official association that unites graduates of the University of Primorska and the Alumni Clubs of the faculties of the University of Primorska. It represents an important connection of graduates, offers opportunities for networking and the promotion of further professional and personal development, lifelong learning, research and, last but not least, socializing.

Alumni UP Week is the result of previous efforts and represents a starting point for the further development of Alumni UP activities and activities planned by individual Alumni clubs of the University of Primorska faculties.

The long-term goal for Alumni UP is to develop as a community of members and friends of the University of Primorska who share inspiring stories, information, knowledge and skills, so we invite you to become a part of our story. You can find the application form HERE.

We will celebrate the first Alumni UP Week in the spirit of cooperation and creating new connections. You are invited to join us!

Monday, 11. 4. 2022, from 18.00 to 19.30, UP PEF
ALUMNI UP PEF: PEFcast live: Digital ADDICTION, Guest: Miha Kramli

Tuesday, 12. 4. 2022, from 18.00 to 19.00, Atrium UP PEF
ALUMNI UP PEF: Opening of the photo exhibition and performance of the orchestra

Wednesday, 13. 4. 2022, form 14.00 to 17.00, Great  hole UP FTS Turistica, Portorož
32. Graduation ceremony at the UP FTŠ Turistica

Wednesday, 13. 4. 2022, from 17.00 to 19.00, Armerija
ALUMNI UP: Creating Connections: The contribution of the Alumni Club to the development of the university and society? (social event with a round table)

Thursday, 14. 4. 2022, from 10.00 to 20.00, UP FM
24. Graduation ceremony at the UP FM

Thursday, 14. 4. 2022, at 19.00, zoom
ALUMNI UP FVZ: FVZvečer
ALUMNI UP FHŠ: Humanistic Days (all week) 

Monday, 11 April 2022 Enjoy the nature and help scientists at the same time: UP invites you to the spring cowslips hunting campaign

This spring, Europe is looking for spring cowslips!

Also this spring, Slovenia is joining the action of observing spring cowslips. We invite everyone who likes to spend time in nature and would like to contribute to real scientific research to participate.

The idea of ​​pan-European observation was born to researchers from Estonia who wanted to obtain as much data as possible about the spring cowslip in Estonia. They have taken an approach in which the role of researchers is taken over by amateur naturalists and is therefore called "citizen science". That year, in Estonia, with the help of children and adults who provided data on cowslips, they obtained data on as many as 200,000 plants.

What is it really about?

The idea is simple: we go to nature and find a place where spring cowslips (Primula veris) grow. We take a look at their blossom and send our observations along with some photos via smartphone to the researchers. After the end of flowering, when all the data has been collected, the scientists analyze the data and send feedback to all participants on their findings.

"Participating in this scientific research has proven to be easy and fun, which we don't hear so often," commented Dr. Tsipe Aavik, lead researcher of the Spring Cowslip project. Everyone can participate, as the work is simple and participants do not need additional training, in addition, researchers in Estonia have set up a website through which we can easily enter data. "In Estonia, many families and children took part in this campaign, which we started in 2019." During the pandemic, this action proved particularly welcome, as it encouraged people to spend time in nature. "Why not add a fun activity to a walking in nature, which also benefits scientists?" adds Tsipe Aavik.

Estonian scientists were positively surprised by the great response from citizens. With their help, they obtained important information about the state of the spring cowslip in Estonia and the results were published in the prestigious scientific journal Journal of Ecology. Therefore, they decided to expand the campaign in 2021 to more countries.

What did the research show?

A study coordinated by ecologists from the University of Tartu and the Estonian Nature Fund sought to examine whether drastic changes in the landscape, such as the loss of traditionally managed grasslands, led to deviations in the morphic balance of spring cowslip blossom. The spring cowslip has - like all its relatives, such as the trumpet - blossoms of two shapes: about half of them have blossoms with a short pistil and long anthers (briefly called "S blossom"), and the other half blossoms with a long pistil and short anthers ("L blossom"). Recent research has shown that grass loss can upset the balance in the frequency of S and L blossoms. This has important implications for cowslips as they affect the performance of populations. Data collected so far in Estonia have revealed the predominance of S blossoms over L blossoms. The deviation also turned out to be greater in smaller populations and in those areas where the human population density is higher.

But new questions are opening up. Are similar deviations characteristic of other populations in Europe? What is the actual situation of populations elsewhere in Europe? And so the idea of ​​a pan-European cowslip observation campaign was born. The approach is the same - anyone who would like to add a pebble to the mosaic of this extensive research can join the observation.

The specially designed web platform https://cowslip.science/ now translated into many languages, including Slovenian, and allows easy data upload. In 2022, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Hungary, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The ConservePlants project, funded by the European Union and bringing together botanists from more than 40 European and other nearby countries, has also contributed to expanding the campaign to many European countries. The head of the ConservePlants project, Živa Fišer from the University of Primorska, says: “The goal of the ConservePlants project is to connect European and other researchers, as well as all others who strive to save endangered plant species with different approaches. The amateur science approach is also becoming increasingly important in the research of serious scientific issues, which has also been shown in the above-mentioned study of the spring cowslip in Estonia. That is why we were happy to join the Estonian colleagues' initiative as part of the ConservePlants project."

In Slovenia, the campaign is coordinated by the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies of the University of Primorska and the Botanical Garden of the University of Ljubljana, while the coordinator for Slovenia is Dr. Živa Fišer from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT. The campaign is also accompanied by other activities, such as the preparation of educational materials, short videos and promotion through social networks and other media.

More information:
https://cowslip.science/
Dr. Živa Fišer, Local Coordinator for Slovenia, University of Primorska; ziva.fiser@upr.si

Wednesday, 6 April 2022 After a two-year break, our students are returning with new successes from the Czech Republic

Between 31 March and 3 April, the 30th traditional Vojtěch Jarník International Mathematical Competition, the oldest mathematics competition for students in the European Union, which UP FAMNIT students have traditionally participated in for many years, took place in Ostrava (Czech Republic). This year's competition was held after a two-year break, and was again attended by UP FAMNIT students, who achieved outstanding results.

In the first category (for 1st and 2nd year students or under 22 years of age) Famnit was represented by Dren Neziri, Diar Gashi (both 1st year of Mathematics) and Dorotea Redžepi (2nd year of Mathematics). In the second category our faculty was represented by Ajla Šehović (3rd year of Mathematics).

Student Dren Neziri reached the best results, finishing 10th with 15 points, for which he also received a certificate.

All the results are available on the links below.
https://vjimc.osu.cz/j30results1
https://vjimc.osu.cz/j30results2

Among the competitive problems was also included the problem proposed by dr. Slobodan Filipovski. (Task 3, Category 2). All the problems are available here.

Congratulations to our students and we wish them many successful competitions ahead!

Friday, 1 April 2022 New success stories of international cooperation and mobility of UP FAMNIT professors and researchers

International cooperation and mobility of professors and researchers is one of the basic values of the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT). In this academic year, 44.1% of students from abroad are enrolled at UP FAMNIT, while 26.6% of foreign teachers and researchers are engaged in pedagogical activities.

Our professors have connected with professors and researchers from prestigious foreign universities who visit us regularly. In addition to longer visits, participation numbers in various events are also high, including traditional international conferences co-organized by UP FAMNIT. In 2021, the faculty also organized the 8th European Congress of Mathematics (8ECM), the biggest mathematical congresses to date according to the number of participants (1,771 mathematicians from 77 countries) and events organized in a hybrid form.

We promote mobility within existing schemes (Erasmus+, CEEPUS) and within bilateral agreements on different levels (national, university, faculty), as well as possibilities outside formal programmes, in individual arrangements . Often, teachers, researchers are students additionally participate as invited speakers and guest lecturers at universities abroad, at international scientific conferences, meetings and summer schools in various scientific fields.

Training as part of the Cost action ConservePlants CA 18201

Between 29 March and 1 April 2022 in Podgorica (Montenegro), UP FAMNIT, in cooperation with BGCI – Botanic Garden Conservation International (UK), Portuguese Botanical Societ and the Natural History Museum of Montenegro, participated in the training of plant classification assessors to the red lists by IUCN categories and criteria. The training was part of the Cost Action ConservePlants CA 18201 and involves 40 participants - mainly botanists working in different regions - from 14 different European countries. The aim was to train experts in workshops in the field of research and protection of plant diversity to plan and prepare both global and national red lists, which are key documents for ensuring an appropriate biodiversity protection plan. The training was also attended by dr. Peter Glasnović from the Department of Biodiversity UP FAMNIT.

ELBA (Establishment of training and research centers and Courses development on Intelligent BigData Analysis in Central Asia) Management Meeting

Within the ELBA Project (Establishment of training and research centers and Courses development on Intelligent BigData Analysis in Central Asia), last week our University representatives Ariana Ferfila, dr. Jernej Vičič and dr. Branko Kavšek successfully completed the 1st face-to-face Management Meeting at our Italian partners - Politechnico do Torino. As the last year of the project already started, they discussed the final steps and reporting activities needed to be carried out for the efficacious completion of the project.

In February this year, as part of the ELBA project, we hosted a 10-day international training of university professors in the field of intelligent data analysis at UP FAMNIT. More about the training, coordinated and carried out by dr. Branko Kavšek, is available here.

Thursday, 31 March 2022 Students of the University of Primorska competing in mathematics

At the International Mathematical Kangaroo Competition, organized by the DMFA of Slovenia, two students from the University of Primorska advanced to the national level, while seven students received the bronze award.

Dren Neziri (UP FAMNIT) and Tamara Logar (UP FVZ) will be entering the Jurij Vega Awards Competition, which is a competition in mathematics on a national level, taking place on April 23, 2022, in Ljubljana.

In the competition, which does not require knowledge of higher mathematics, but mainly the ability of logical thinking, 402 students participated nationwide, 21 of whom were from the University of Primorska. Most successful students received the Bronze award, while silver and gold awards, as well as some prizes, are awarded at the national level of the competition.

Students from the University of Primorska that received the Bronze awards are:

• Todor Antic (UP FAMNIT)
• Etian Križman (UP FAMNIT)
• Tamara Logar (UP FVZ)
• Dren Neziri (UP FAMNIT)
• Tadej Peršolja (UP FHŠ)
• Ajla Sehovic (UP FAMNIT)
• Dolores Ugrin (UP PeF)

We sincerely congratulate the students, and we wish the winners a successful continuation of the competition!

Monday, 28 March 2022 Call for enrolment into postgraduate study programs at UP FAMNIT

Call for enrolment into postgraduate study programs at UP FAMNIT in the academic year 2022/23 is now published!

Application terms for EU citizens:

• first application term: from 6 April to 24 August 2022,
• second application term: from 8 to 15 September 2022,
• third application term: from 22 to 23 September 2022.

Application terms for non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship:

• first application term: from 6 April to 12 August 2022,
• second application term: from 19 to 26 August 2022,
• third application term: from 8 to 15 September 2022,
• fourth application term: from 22 to 23 September 2022.

Candidates for enrolment in the doctoral study programmes must do the following:

• hold an interview with the study programme Coordinator after the submission of the application,
• choose a mentor and obtain his written agreement before enrolling.

Call and information for candidates regarding the application are published in this link.

Candidates can obtain all information from the Student Services Office (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, phone 05 611 75 75).

You are kindly invited to follow our info events page, where further information regarding the presentations of postgradute study programmes at UP FAMNIT will be published.

Friday, 25 March 2022 New postdoctoral positions in the field of mathematics or theoretical computer science available

A postdoctoral position at the University of Primorska – mentor Assist. Prof. Nino Bašić

The Departments of Information Sciences and Technologies of Andrej Marusic Institute (UP IAM) and Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT) at the University of Primorska, are seeking a top early-career researcher for a postdoctoral position.

Polyhedral self-assembly is a very appealing research field, both in the area of synthetic biochemistry and also mathematics. A great attention was paid to modelling self-assembly from a single-chain peptide. A mathematical model was established that heavily relies on the use of special double traces of graphs. A lot of research territory still remains open, for instance the study of multiple-chain self-assembly. Of course, the mathematical model has to be adopted accordingly to enable multiple chains. It has to take into account both parallel and anti-parallel dimers, as well as homo- and hetero-dimers. The research goal is to develop a model that is as general as possible, while still manageable. An important component of the project are computer simulations (including the use of computer clusters and multicore systems).

The candidate will also have the opportunity to be involved in research of other topics in chemical graph theory which are pursued by the local research group, such as spectral properties of molecular graphs, chemical hexagonal complexes, core and nut graphs, altans of chemical graphs etc.

The successful candidate will be part of the Departments of Information Sciences and Technologies at UP IAM and UP FAMNIT, and will work under the guidance of  Nino Bašić.

Terms and conditions:

• The position is for two years.
• Applicants must possess a PhD in mathematics or theoretical computer science (or closely related area) upon taking up the position (but not necessary at the time of the application).
• The position comes with a teaching load of 1-2 courses per semester on the Mathematics / Computer Science / Bioinformatics / Data Science study programs offered at UP FAMNIT.
• The starting salary is about 1550 EUR / month after tax (2286 EUR gross).

Deadline & Application process:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until May 1, 2022, or until the position is filled.
Starting date: negotiable but preferably not later than October 1, 2022.

To apply, please send the following documents in electronic form to Nino Bašić (nino.basic@famnit.upr.si) with the subject line "UP Postdoc 2022" in the Subject field:

• Curriculum Vitae,
• Publication List,
• Research Statement,
• Copies of three recent papers or preprints,
• Names and e-mail addresses of at least three persons who can be contacted for reference (and have agreed to be contacted).

Informal inquiries should be addressed to Nino Bašić (nino.basic@famnit.upr.si).

Thursday, 24 March 2022 The call for the dr. Uroš Seljak Award is open

The award is designed to encourage and support scientific publications of students in first- and second-cycle study programs in Slovenia, and to encourage mentoring students.

Candidates for the award can only be nominated by individuals who have the title of higher education professor or researcher. The proposed candidate must meet the following conditions: they must be enrolled in the first- and second-cycle study programs at one of the higher education institutions in Slovenia during the time of their research work that led to the scientific publication; their work needs to be published and not only submitted for publishing.

Application deadline is April 30, 2022, by 11:59 p.m.

The winner receives a certificate of recognition for the best scientific publication for the first- and second-cycle study programs and $ 10,000 in cash.

The mentor of the winning student receives a plaque.

The award winner will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated relevance of the publication, indicating further advances in science in a specific field in Slovenia or abroad,
• Notable importance of a scientific publication in terms of its innovation,
• High impact factor (citations).

More information and application forms available at this link (only in Slovene).

Wednesday, 23 March 2022 New postdoctoral positions in the field of computer science available

Postdoctoral position at the University of Primorska:
Data-driven optimization for sustainable network design, mentor Prof. Michaël Mrissa

Using networks to model real-world problems is a powerful tool, as they provide an efficient abstraction that can be used to analyse the structure of the task at hand. Sustainability plays an important role in the design of these networks when considering various optimisation questions. The focus of the research is to analyse the underlying structure of selected real-world problems and design efficient network representations for them. The researcher should maintain state-of-the-art knowledge of the relevant fields, publish research results in high-impact journals, and present research and development at scientific and professional conferences.

Required qualifications:

• PhD in computer science, operations research, applied mathematics, or related area
• Research record demonstrating expertise in related fields
• Solid background in algorithm design and discrete optimisation
• Strong command of at least one major high-level programming language (e.g. C++, Java, Python)
• High motivation to carry out interdisciplinary research projects
• Excellent communication skills, written and spoken English

Preferred qualifications

• Strong operations research background
• Knowledge of optimization and modelling software
• Knowledge of simulation software
• Experience in implementing graph algorithms
• Experience in grant writing, international project participation
• Experience implementing and working in interdisciplinary research projects

Deadline & Application process:

The deadline for submitting applications is April 30th, 2022.
Starting date: negotiable but preferably not later than October 1, 2022. The position is for one year.

To apply, please send the following documents in electronic form to Michaël Mrissa (michael.mrissa@upr.si) with the subject line "UP Postdoc 2022" in the Subject field:

• Curriculum Vitae,
• Publication List,
• Copies of three recent papers of preprints,
• Names and e-mail addresses of at least three persons who can be contacted for reference (and have agreed to be contacted).

Informal inquiries should be addressed to Michaël Mrissa (michael.mrissa@upr.si).

Tuesday, 22 March 2022 As many as 11 new projects of bilateral scientific research cooperation with the USA at UP FAMNIT and UP IAM

The Departments of Mathematics UP IAM and UP FAMNIT were once again successful in the public tender announced by the Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (ARRS) for co-financing scientific research cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and the United States of America in the period 2022-2024.

The University of Primorska has received a total of 12 new projects, 11 of which are in the field of mathematics. In addition, another bilateral cooperation project was acquired by Michael Mrissa, who works at the InnoRenew CoE Institute and the University of Primorska. At the Faculty of Management, the project was acquired by Tina Vukasović.

The ARRS public tender co-finances mutual visits of Slovenian researchers from the United States, which carry out joint scientific research projects aimed at strengthening cooperation with the USA and increasing mobility of Slovenian researchers as well as top US researchers coming to Slovenia. Additionally, the aim is to increase the number of submitted projects from Slovenian researchers, both for proposals of the EU Framework Programs, as well as other international calls in research and innovation programmes.

The co-funded projects led by UP FAMNIT and UP IAM employees are:

Title: Matroids with Transitive Automorphism Group
Institutions: UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and University of Mississippi
UP project leader: Edward Taucher Dobson
Field: Mathematics

Questions regarding the symmetry of combinatorial objects have a long history and are still very active research topics. Usually, these questions are asked about digraphs and graphs, sometimes about designs such as Steiner triple systems, and occasionally about error-correcting codes. We propose to consider these, and related questions, for matroids, a combinatorial object which is a joint generalization of graphs and linear algebra. 

Title: Certain structural properties of Cayley graphs
Institutions: UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and Kennesaw State University
UP project leader: Ademir Hujdurović
Field: Mathematics

We plan to investigate strong independent sets and strong cliques in Cayley graphs. Cliques in Cayley graphs are also interesting from the point of view of studying the intersection density of permutation groups, namely intersecting sets of a permutation group G correspond to cliques of the Cayley graph on G with the connection set S being the union of all point stabilizers.

Title: Computer Algorithm Development for Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Macromolecules
Institutions: UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and Kennesaw State University and National Institutes of Health (NIH)
UP project leader: Dušanka Janežič
Field: Mathematics

The goal of the proposed research is to introduce new improvements in molecular dynamics simulation of macromolecules that increase the accuracy and efficiency of present-day simulation approaches. Our goal is to develop new methodological solutions for prediction and study of protein binding sites, based on graph theoretical approaches, combined with molecular dynamics simulations. One of the goals of this project is to combine ProBiS web server with molecular dynamics methods into a new freely available web tool: ProBiS-ATLAS: Protein interaction atlas for prediction of genetic variations involved in drug interactions and disease development enabling the discovery of molecules, relevant to pharmaceutical research.

Title: Certain problems in hypergraphs, graphs, and games
Institutions: UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and Rutgers University, MSIS Department, RUTCOR
UP project leader: Matjaž Krnc
Field: Mathematics

In the course of this project, we plan to focus on the following: Problem 1: The Bi-SP conjecture. Problem 2: On the avoidable paths. A path is called avoidable if every linear extension may be extended to an induced cycle. Problem 3: An efficient characterization of threshold 3-uniform hypergraphs. A hypergraph is said to be threshold if there exists a linear weight function on the vertices separating the independent sets from the dependent ones. Problem 4: Deterministic graphical games with no Nash equilibria. We plan to analyze the existence of deterministic graphical games that have no Nash equilibria in pure stationary strategies, with respect to additive effective payoffs. Problem 5: Exact transversals in graphs and hypergraphs. We plan to study the related exact transversal hypergraph operator, study conditions under which it is involutive, and examine connections with strong cliques in graphs and related concepts.

Title: Preserver problems in quantum mechanics
Institutions: UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and  the Department of Mathematics, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
UP project leader: Bojan Kuzma
Field: Mathematics

Spectrum preservers on unbounded operators. In a mathematical formulation, quantum-mechanical observables (i.e., things that can be observed and measured) are modelled with (unbounded) self-adjoint operators acting on a complex separable Hilbert space. As part of the project, we intend to classify all additive transformations that map (unbounded) self-adjoint operators into themselves and preserve their spectrum. Isometries of complexified norms. Any real vector space can be complexified, ie. made into a complex vector space by extending the scalars; the procedure is unique. In contrast to this, for a given norm on a real space, we can define several different complex norms on the complexified space, all of which extend the initial real norm. Preserver problems in quantum information sciences. Tensor products play a key role in quantum mechanics and quantum information theory: In mathematical terminology, a quantum state is described by a positive-semidefinite matrix of trace-one; the tensor product of two (or more) states describes a joint bipartite (or multipartite) system.

Title: Computational aspects of some combinatorial games on Ferrer's diagrams
Institutions: UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and Rhodes College
UP project leader: Riste Škrekovski
Field: Mathematics

Combinatorial game theory is a large and growing field that includes in its scope a wide range of game types, generally focusing on two-player games in which both players have perfect information and there are no moves of chance. Sprague and Grundy introduced a method of quantifying game positions for impartial normal-play games, i.e., those in which both players have the same possible moves in each position. These Sprague-Grundy values are a generalization of winning and losing positions. 

Title: Chemical graphs on steroids
Institutions: UP Institute Andrej Marušič and University and The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)
UP project leader: Nino Bašić
Field: Mathematics

Fullerenes and benzenoids are important chemical compounds. In mathematical chemistry, they are modelled by fullerene graphs and benzenoid graphs. Much of the mathematical chemistry literature is concerned with their mathematical properties. The research will proceed in several directions. In the present project we will refine the notion of the Pentagonal Incidence Partition. Both of the topics will also be considered in relation to Clar and Fries numbers, two graph invariants of fullerenes and benzenoids. We also plan to investigate the computational complexity of determining the Clar number (and several associated values) in fullerenes and nanotubes.

Title: New bounds in extremal graph theory
Institutions: UP Institute Andrej Marušič and University and Mississippi State University
UP project leader: Slobodan Filipovski
Field: Mathematics

In this project we will establish new bounds on the maximum number of edges in K_r - free graphs in terms of the order n and the maximum degree d_1, in terms of the order n and the minimum degree d_n, and in terms of n and both d_1 and d_n.  Moreover, we will show that the bounds obtained in this project are better than the corresponding bounds of Mantel and Turán. More precisely, we show that the upper bounds on the maximum sizes of K_r -free graphs of specified maximum or minimum degrees given by our theorems are smaller than or equal to the upper bounds on the maximum sizes among all K_r -free graphs. 

Title: Distance-regular graphs with exactly three irreducible T-modules with endpoint 1, all of which are thin
Institutions: UP Institute Andrej Marušič and University and Seattle University
UP project leader: Štefko Miklavič
Field: Mathematics

Our research concerns a combinatorial object known as a graph. A graph is a finite set of vertices, together with a set of undirected arcs or edges, each of which connects a pair of distinct vertices. We say that vertices x, y are adjacent whenever x, y are connected by an edge. The concept of a graph is useful because mathematical, as well as intuitive notions, can be formulated in terms of adjacency. Our research concerns a type of graph said to be distance-regular.

Title: Studies in duality: graphs on surfaces and conformal hypergraphs
Institutions: UP Institute Andrej Marušič and Rutgers University, MSIS Department, RUTCOR
UP project leader: Martin Milanič
Field: Mathematics

The project will focus on the study of selected open problems in graph and hypergraph theory. Graph theory is a young branch of discrete mathematics that has developed rapidly in recent decades, largely due to many applications in the modern world in such diverse fields as computer science, sociology, biology, logistics, and so on. A graph is a combinatorial object consisting of a finite set of vertices and a set of edges each connecting two vertices. A hypergraph is a generalization of a graph where an edge can be formed by any subset of vertices. The project will address two central research topics related to two types of duality.

Title: Combinatorial structure and algebraic properties of a Q-polynomial graph for which the adjacency algebra is closed
Institutions: UP Institute Andrej Marušič and University of Wisconsin
UP project leader: Safet Penjić
Field: Mathematics

The alternating central extension of q-Onsager is generated by q-Onsager along with some extra central elements. This raises a question that the project leader plan to work on. Our problem is: Can we find any elements in our algebra \T, that are not in T, but commute with everything in \T? Such elements might be the missing generators for the alternating central extension of Q-Onsager or U^+_q.

Title: Decentralized communities for building monitoring
Institutions: InnoRenew CoE and Oregon State University
Project Leader: Michael Mrissa
Field: Computer Science

Nowadays, due to low cost sensors, mature data infrastructure and internet, monitoring data of mass timber buildings built in different parts of the world are made available. There is a huge potential in these data, especially if they are used in a federated way. However, there are multiple challenges. This project looks into some of the challenges and aims at developing a methodological framework to realize this potential. The objectives of this project are:

• To define lifecycle activities of mass timber buildings, decisions on which they depend, and the information required to support these decisions and the organizations in charge of them.
• To identify requirements and characteristics of an Information Management Framework (IMF) to ensure that (federated) monitoring data can provide needed information at the right time, to the right people with high-quality information.
• To define monitoring/measurement methodology/strategy (what sensors, what to measure, how to select spots for measurement, the required frequency of measurements, what the distance between sensors should be, how to communicate data, etc,) which would provide data with sufficient granularity in location as well as in time to be further used in IMF.

Congratulations to all our researchers!

Tuesday, 22 March 2022 After last year's success, UP FAMNIT students are organizing the 2nd edition of the Biological-Psychological Student Conference

We are pleased to present you the second edition of the Biological-Psychological Student Conference, organized by students of Društvo varstvenih biologov - Biodiva and Društvo študentov biopsihologije, with the support of the University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT) in Koper.  

The aim of the conference is to promote science, encourage students to get involved and participate in the scientific community, motivate them to pursue research, enhance their competencies in written and oral presentations of professional papers and connect young students and future professionals.  

Participants can present their final papers in undergraduate studies, master theses, dissertations, group projects, seminars or topics of their interest in the form of oral presentations or posters. Along with the application, participants are required to submit an abstract of the submitted topic, based on which the expert committee, consisting of professors and assistants from the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies in Koper, will select the researches which will be presented at the conference. For more proper evaluation the topics will be divided into two categories: undergraduate studies and graduate / doctoral studies (taking into account the degree of study during which the topic was covered).  

Upon participation, all abstracts will be published in the book of abstracts at COBISS (Co-operative Online Bibliographic System and Services, Slovenian Library Information System), and all participants will receive a certificate of presentation and a corresponding reference.  

The conference will take place in person on September 15th - 17th 2022, in Koper, Slovenia (University of Primorska, UP Famnit) and will be divided into two modules: biological and psychological modules.

The biological module refers to study programmes in the field of biology, environmental science, nature protection and similar study programmes.

The psychological module refers to study programmes in the field of psychology, biopsychology, psychotherapy and neuroscience.

Students from other study programmes (e.g. pedagogic study programmes) can also participate if they are applying with a research-based on a biological or psychological topic. Presenting at the conference is possible in Slovenian or English. Furthermore, all conference participants will have the chance to attend lectures by guest professors. 

The registration fee for participants is 40 euros and includes the book of abstracts (pdf), reference (COBISS), lectures by guest professors, coffee breaks, promotional material and social programme participation.

The application period is March 15th - April 15th, 2022. Registration is possible via the application form on the official website: https://bio-psi-konferenca.famnit.upr.si/en/registracija

It is also possible to register as a passive participant who would like to attend student presentations and lectures by guest professors, with the possibility of participating in the social program. The registration fee for passive participants is 10 euros. The period for registration of passive participants is March 15th - September 1st, 2022. Registration is possible via the application form on the official website: https://bio-psi-konferenca.famnit.upr.si/en/registracija

Due to the unpredictable situation around the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic, the conference will be organized in accordance with the prescribed epidemiological measures that will be in force at the time of the conference. 

All news related to the registration and participation at the conference will be published on the website in Slovenian and English. Information will also be available on the social networks Facebook and Instagram. 

For any additional questions, the organizers are available via the official conference email biopsi.konferenca@upr.si.  

We are looking forward to another successful conference!

Monday, 21 March 2022 Izleti v matematično vesolje: Prime divisibility of binomial coefficients by Dr. Russ Woodroofe

We invite you to this year's fifth lecture entitled »Prime divisibility of binomial coefficients« by Dr. Russ Woodroofe (UP Famnit), which will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, at 18.00, in VP3 (UP FAMNIT) and via ZOOM link.

How many ways are there to pick k objects out from a bin of n objects?  The answer is given by the binomial coefficient "n choose k".  We'll show you how to easily determine whether a binomial coefficient is divisible by a prime, even when the numbers involved are quite large.  We'll apply this criterion to a problem that arose in my work with John Shareshian.  The distribution of prime numbers will make an unexpected cameo appearance.

Russ Woodroofe received his PhD in 2005 from Cornell University in the USA. Since 2016 he has been an Associate Professor at UP FAMNIT. Prior to that, he lectured at Mississippi State University, at Washington University in St. Louis (both in the USA), and at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (Qatar). His research field is topological combinatorics, where he often combines geometry, symmetry and algebra.

The full program of this year's cycle of lectures is available here.

You are kindly invited!

Friday, 18 March 2022 Prizes and recognitions of the University of Primorska awarded to employees and students at the 19th Annual Academy

In 2003, on March 17 exactly,  University of Primorska was entered in the court register. Yesterday, March 17, 2022, we celebrated its 19th birthdday on the Ceremonial Academy in the Hall of St. Francis, where awards and prizes of the University of Primorska were presented.

In the introductory part of the ceremony, Klavdija Kutnar, PhD, Rector of the University of Primorska, greeted the visitors and highlighted the key achievements of the last year. Katja Kosem, Vice President of the UP Student Council, presented the students' wishes in regard to the covid-19 epidemic. The keynote speaker was Mag. Robert Ljoljo, President of the Management Board of Lek d. d., who stressed the importance of cooperation in mixed research teams, as they bring together different views. Among other, he mentioned a joint project with UP FAMNIT, which allowed mutual exchange of knowledge. 

The Rector, together with the Vice-Rector and the Deans, presented the awards of the University of Primorska, among them employees and students of UP FAMNIT.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jasna Prezelj

Nominated by UP FAMNIT and UP IAM, the Golden Plaque of the University of Primorska is awarded to Jasna Prezelj for her contribution to the development of the UP and for her important role in the successful realization of the 8th European Congress of Mathematics, which strengthened the reputation and visibility of UP in both the global university network and the wider Slovenian society.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jasna Prezelj is a higher education teacher in the field of mathematics who received her Doctorate in 2000 from the University of Ljubljana and is the leading expert of her generation in the field of complex analysis. She has been employed at UP since 2014. In addition to scientific research and pedagogical work, she also promotes the popularization of science and the visibility of the UP. She is the founder of the Mathematical Advent Calendar, which UP FAMNIT has created annually from 2015 onwards. As an extremely active member of the organizing committee of the 8^th European Congress of Mathematics (taking care of sponsorship and donor funds, organization of the contests, organization of the section in the field of complex and quaternionic geometry and of satellite conferences for representatives of Slovenian insurance companies and actuarial associations), she contributed to its successful implementation in 2021.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jasna Prezelj

Prof. Dr. Elena Bužan

Nominated by UP FAMNIT and UP IAM, the University Award for Scientific Excellence of the University of Primorska for 2021 is awarded to Elena Bužan for the publication of 10 original scientific articles in the Web of Science in 2021.

Prof. Dr. Elena Bužan received her Doctorate from the University of Ljubljana in 2007, and has been employed at UP FAMNIT since its establishment. Her research area includes a number of intertwined sciences, such as molecular ecology, biochemistry, conservation biology, conservation and the genetics of population and immunology. A special emphasis of her research is on the use of molecular biology techniques in basic and applied research in the fields of evolution, biogeography and conservation of natural heritage.

Her bibliography consists of 53 original scientific articles (10 of which were published in 2021) in the Web of Science database and includes 523 in-text citations. Among other things she is successful at obtaining international projects. She is the project manager of Horizon "STEP CHANGE: Science Transformation in EuroPe through Citizens involvement in HeAlth, coNservation and enerGy rEsearch", and has participated in the successful implementation of three more Horizon projects and in a number of other research projects.

The nominee is also a national coordinator of the European Reference Genome Atlas initiative and a member of the editorial board of the international scientific journal Ornitologia Neotropical.

Prof. Dr. Elena Bužan

Besfort Shala

Nominated by UP FAMNIT, the »Srečko Kosovel« award for students is awarded to Besfort Shala.

Besfort Shala, under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof.  Russ Woodroofe, wrote the final project paper titled “The Probabilistic Zeta Function of a Finite Lattice”. In the work, Besfort examines a definition of Ken Brown's 2000 article. The little-studied definition of this article generalizes the Dirichlet series, obtained from (the coset lattice of) a group, to a similar series obtained from any lattice. The original purpose of the task was for the student to try to calculate what happens to this series on simple cases, such as a partition lattice. The student was quick to notice that the partition lattice does not usually give ordinary Dirichlet series because rational numbers appear in the base. As a result, he continued to demonstrate a more cautious version of this as well as similar results for other types of lattices. A student research project is successful when a student tells a mentor something they do not already know. According to the mentor, this happened early and several times in this project. In fact, the student was quite independent, as several ideas for definitions came mostly alone. The result of the project is a well-written dissertation, which is almost a publication-worthy article.

Amar Bapić

Nominated by Student Council UP and UP FAMNIT, the Recognition of the University of Primorska for students of the University of Primorska is given to Amar Bapić.

Amar Bapić is a doctoral student of 3rd year Mathematical Sciences at UP FAMNIT. From 2018, he has been an active member of the UP FAMNIT Student Council and, from 2020, also its Vice-President. During this time, he actively participated in the organization of numerous events for students. He aims to equip students with as much useful information as possible, and at the same time he remains available to them for individual questions. He also manages the (graphic) creation of content by getting as close as possible to the students. Since 2019, he has been a representative of students on the UP Management Board. In the academic year 2020/21, he was the head of volunteers at the 8^th European Congress of Mathematics, hosted by our university in Portorož in June 2021. In addition to his role as a volunteer coordinator, he helped with the creation of a large pool of promotional materials and in obtaining databases to facilitate analysis of information about congress participants. He was also part of the technical support group for the operation of the Zoom videoconferencing system at the location and online. At any given opportunity he also promotes the UP on the international level (visits to primary and secondary schools, universities, presentations). Among other things, he toured the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Tuzla this past year, presenting the benefits of volunteering at 8ECM and study programmes at UP, and presented a system of cooperation of foreign students with tutor students at Erasmus Days 2021 organized by UP. His role as a tutor at UP FAMNIT began in 2021.

Amar Bapić

The list of award recipients and the justifications can be viewed here.

We congratulate all receipents of The University of Primorska awards!

Friday, 18 March 2022 This year again among the participants of the Open International Internet-Olympiad in mathematics 2022

UP FAMNIT students are once again traditionally participating in the Open International Internet-Olympiad in mathematics 2022 (OIIO 2022).

The first round of the competition took place on February 25, these are the 6 Famnit students who were competing:

• Todor Antić (Mathematics, 3rd year)
• Jelena Glišić (Mathematics, 3rd year)
• Milan Milivojčević (Computer Science, 3rd year).
• Matjaž Madon (Mathematics, 2nd year)
• Lazar Marković (Mathematics, 2nd year)
• Diar Gashi (Mathematics, 1st year)

In the second round of the competition, which will take place next Saturday, March 26, as many as five students qualified, among which Matjaž Madon and Milan Milivojčević scored the highest. The best placed in the 2nd round will advance to the third, final round of the competition, where they will compete for prizes in the final ranking.

UP FAMNIT students have been competing at the OIIO for many years and every time they are ranked among the best contestants. Last year, Laura Ogrin ranked highest among Famnit students, advancing to the 3rd round of the competition and receiving a 3rd prize.

We sincerely congratulate all contestants and wish them much success in the next rounds of this year’s competition!

Thursday, 17 March 2022 Scientific excellence at InnoRenew CoE and University of Primorska awarded with prestigious European Research Council grant

Dr. Anna Sandak, InnoRenew CoE research group leader and associate professor at UP FAMNIT is the first woman in Slovenia to attain a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant. Dr. Sandak and her team will use the €1.99 million award to develop engineered living materials that interact, adapt and respond to environmental changes. 

Dr. Anna Sandak is the first woman in Slovenia to successfully attain a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant. An InnoRenew CoE research group leader and associate professor at the University of Primorska, Dr. Sandak is dedicated to the science of renewable materials and biomimetic solutions for new materials design. Her research promotes the knowledge-based use of bio-inspired materials in modern sustainable buildings. 

The awarded project, Bioinspired living skin for architecture (ARCHI-SKIN), will use the €1.99  million ERC funding to develop a protective biofilm made from engineered living materials. Recognized as one of the most stable biological systems on earth, most biofilm studies focus on preventing their formation. The beneficial use of biofilms for protection has largely been unexplored. Dr. Sandak and her team aim to change this during the five-year ARCHI-SKIN project.

ARCHI-SKIN researchers will explore the design principles underlying fungal biofilm to advance knowledge about the biological system’s chemistry-structure-properties.  Mechanisms of biofilm formation, structure, function and performance will be studied. The ARCHI-SKIN project will use cutting-edge tools in life cell imaging, data science and machine learning. The idea is to develop a bioactive protective coating system that works in harmony with nature and benefits from the synergetic efforts of living fungal cells, bio-based ingredients and bioinspired concepts for materials design.

Dr. Sandak will develop a biofilm that protects biomaterial, concrete, plastic and metal surfaces. One remarkable functionality will be its natural self-healing property. ARCHI-SKIN’s novel approach to materials protection will advance the development of engineered living materials that can interact, adapt and respond to environmental changes. The project will provide a new dimension that has not existed for materials—life—and change how we perceive, experience, understand, design, use and transform materials. 

Dr. Sandak has a doctorate in wood science and a master’s in biology. She was born in Poland, but her professional career took her to Japan for five years. She then moved to Italy, where she worked at the National Research Council – Trees and Timber Institute (CNR-IVALSA). In 2017, she moved to Slovenia, where she currently leads the Wood Modification research group InnoRenew CoE. She is also an associate professor at the University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies. 
InnoRenew CoE and the University of Primorska are proud to have an ambitious and dedicated international team aiming at scientific excellence. Obtaining this prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant from competitive EU funding will support scientific and research activities that enable breakthroughs in green solutions for a sustainable society. 

The European Research Council (ERC), established by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organization for frontier research. The ERC funds creative researchers of any nationality and age on projects across Europe. The ERC is part of Horizon Europe, and in this round of funding, 313 projects, for a total of €632 million, were supported.

Tuesday, 8 March 2022 Women in Science on International Women's Day

Between 11 February (International Day of Women and Girls in Science) and 8 March (International Women's Day), the University of Primorska presented women researchers who have achieved important milestones in their research work in the last year.

Among them were also reasearchers from UP FAMNIT, who shared their thoughts on the position of women in science.

Dr. Vita Poštuvan, Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology at UP FAMNIT, receiver of Zois recognition for important scientific achievements in suicidology and mental health, Deputy Chair of Slovene Centre for Suicide Research, received a core project »Humans in the grip of Covid-19: Psychological consequences of the epidemic and preventive protective measures to stop the spread of infection« (ARRS) last year. In her interview for UP, she said that what always amazed her about gender relations is that men predominate in positions of power in her profession as well, nevertheless, she never felt any particular differences at our university.

 
Dr. Vita Poštuvan

One of the main principles of our faculty is interdisciplinarity, which is highly appreciated by dr. Elena Bužan, Professor and Vice-Dean for Quality Assurance at UP FAMNIT, leader of the »STEP CHANGE« project (Science Transformation and Europe through Citizens Involvement in HeAlth, conservation, and energy research) of Horizon 2020, which began in 2021. Dr. Elena Bužan is also the »BGE - Biodiversity Genomic Europe« (a € 20 million project, that will start on 1 September 2022) manager for Slovenia.         

  
Dr. Elena Bužan              

»Changing the mindset of people is not easy to achieve and especially not quickly. The mission of scientists is to share new discoveries with society. At our university, we strive to communicate about our work in various ways and, above all, to pass on knowledge to students who are our future,« said dr. Andreja Kutnar, the director of the InnoRenew Institute, which completed the construction of the largest wooden building in Slovenia in 2021, and Professor at the Department of Applied Natural Sciences at UP FAMNIT. She has acquired an important basic project with Austrian partners (»Development of wood composites with higher protection against impact sound to improve the quality of life«), funded by ARRS.   

            
               Dr. Andreja Kutnar                           

On the field of plant studies, their conservation in the natural environment and reproductive biology, dr. Živa Fišer, lead of the COST action »An integrated approach to conservation of threatened plants for the 21st Century« and Study Programme (Nature Conservation) Coordiantor at UP FAMNIT, has provided a lot of scientific contributions. In her work, she strives to implement reasearch projects, that would help to preserve species, that are tied to specific habitats and are threatened with local extinction, although she is aware that sometimes researchers do not have the last word on this.                

  
         Dr. Živa Fišer               

Concluding thoughts on the WOMEN IN SCIENCE CAMPAIGN were given by dr. Klavdija Kutnar, researcher, professor at UP FAMNIT and rector of the University of Primorska: »We came to the Times THE list, we received a Marie Curie scholarship, many new projects of the Horizon program, in Slovenia we were two and a half times more successful in obtaining projects than last year and I could go on and on. I am very proud of our successful researchers. In 2021, we were more successful in obtaining national projects compared to previous years, and many of these projects, which we acquired as a leading institution, were acquired by researchers, young researchers, so there is no need to fear for the future of our university.«

Following her response to the invitation to join the international organization of the Association of Women Rectors, the University of Primorska will also be on the list of women-led universities in the world.

Dr. Klavdija Kutnar

Full interviews are available on the University of Primorska media centre website.

Happy International Women's Day!

Sunday, 6 March 2022 Researchers at UP FAMNIT gained another Horizon Europe project

Thursday, 3 March 2022 Representatives of the US Embassy in Slovenia visit the University of Primorska

Assoc. Prof. David B. DeVallance, Vice-Rector for Internationalization at the University of Primorska received the guests today at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, where they presented two programs to students and staff.

The Student Entrepreneurship and Internship (SEI) program is especially interesting for undergraduate and master's students since every year it enables internships for 20 students in companies that are part of the AmCham Slovenia network.

"During the two-week program, which will take place from 11 to 22 July this year, students without any experience in entrepreneurship and economy will have the opportunity to attend guest lectures on entrepreneurship, visit Slovenian institutions in banking and economy sector (Bank of Slovenia, Slovene Chamber of Commerce, etc.) and work on their own project, which they will bring from a basic idea to a sales pitch for potential investors. As part of the SEI program, students will, later on, join companies within the AmCham network, where they will complete a paid two-week internship and gain valuable experience as well as professional opportunities,” explained Charlotte Taft from the US Embassy.

The deadline to apply for the SEI program is 11 March. If you missed the morning presentation, you can join another info session online this afternoon, March 3, at 5 p.m. Registration is required to participate: https://sforce.co/35kfkmD

Following this, Špela Sušec, exchanges coordinator at the US Embassy, ​​presented three Fulbright programs intended for Slovenian doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers visiting the USA and for American citizens visiting in Slovenia. In this year's call, which is expected to be open from March until the end of June, candidates will be able to apply for a visit at their chosen institutions in the United States for the academic year 2023/24, either for 1 or 2 semesters, depending on the program.

Some of the former Fulbright scholars at the University of Primorska also attended the meeting, namely Prof. Dragan Marušič, Prof. Dušanka Janežič, Safet Penjić, Ph.D. and the Rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, who welcomed the participants at the beginning of the presentation.

Prof. Dušanka Janežič from the Department of Applied Natural Sciences at UP FAMNIT pointed out the importance of participating in the program: “The Fulbright Scholarship provides doctoral students and researchers not only with full financial support for studying abroad, but also with administrative assistance in transitioning to a new environment, such as health insurance, relocation of family members, and other support. «

Prof. Klavdija Kutnar, who was a Fulbright Scholar at Ohio State University between 2010 and 2011, further emphasized the distinguished opportunity to become a Fulbright Scholar, having visited several US institutions and working with top experts from her research field herself and thus gaining invaluable experience.

Safet Penjić, Ph.D., an assistant at UP FAMNIT and a Fulbright Scholar in 2018-2019, said that the overall experience was very positive, and recommended that doctoral students get acquainted with the program already at the beginning of their studies.

More information about Fulbright programs is available here.

After the presentations, the guests from the US Embassy also visited the new InnoRenew building in Izola.

Wednesday, 2 March 2022 New Horizon Europe project at the University of Primorska - The Biodiversity Genomic Europe (BGE)

Biodiversity Genomic Europe (BGE) is a project that connects 33 partners from continental Europe, the UK, Canada and the USA.

It brings together two large consortia, the first one is the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA; https://www.erga-biodiversity.eu), which is an important part of the Earth Biogenome Project (EBP; https://www.earthbiogenome.org). The aim of ERGE is to modernize laboratory and bioinformatics tools for sequencing the reference genomes of European species and thus make an important contribution to the cataloging and characterization of the genomes of the entire eukaryotic biodiversity of the Earth over a period of ten years.

The second consortium is BIOSCAN (https://ibol.org/programs/bioscan/), a part of the International Barcode of Life (IBOL; https://ibol.org) network that aims to determine the DNA bar code sequences of global biodiversity as a new tool for taxonomic identification of species. The DNA barcodes will be placed in the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) - a repository that includes a reference library of DNA barcodes that can be used to assign identities to DNA sequences of unknown origin.

The University of Primorska participates in the BGE project as the coordinator of the Slovenian consortium ERGA, which connects eight Slovenian institutions working in the field of molecular ecology and nature protection: The University of Maribor, the University of Ljubljana, the Faculty of Environmental Protection in Velenje, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and of Art, the National Institute of Biology, the Forestry Institute of Slovenia and the Natural History Museum of Slovenia. As a hotspot for biodiversity, Slovenia will be able to determine the entire reference genomes of as many as 80 species as part of the project, which will be selected by researchers from members of the Slovenian consortium.

The University of Primorska also participates in a citizen science campaign, implemented within the Step Change project (https://stepchangeproject.eu), funded by the Horizon Europe 2020. The project leader is Prof. Elena Bužan, who is also the BGE project manager for Slovenia and the coordinator of the Citizen Science Committee at ERGA.

The € 20 million project will start on 1 September 2022 under the coordination of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center from the Netherlands. The aim of the project is to identify over 800 reference genomes of European species and over 10,000 DNA bar codes.

Prof. Elena Bužan commented: "We are very proud that in a very short time we managed to connect all Slovenian institutions working in the field of genomics and nature protection in this consortium, and thus including Slovenia as a biodiversity hotspot. I believe that this is the beginning of remarkable cooperation in Slovenian, European and global arena, and among researchers that are working in the field of genomics and biodiversity. The project will also contribute to raising awareness among various stakeholders (ministries, industry, NGOs, citizens) about the importance of genetics and genomic biodiversity for acquiring new knowledge and development in the fields of bio economy, agriculture and medicine. It will also raise awareness on the importance of genetic design as an important factor in adapting species to upcoming environmental changes. New knowledge will greatly enhance the value of research, the connection between researchers and end-users, and, perhaps most importantly, trust between various stakeholders.”

Congratulations to our researchers!

Friday, 25 February 2022 Tilen Genov received the Prometheus of Science Award for Excellence in Communication

The Slovene Science Foundation has announced this year's recipients of the Prometheus of Science Awards for Excellence in Communication, which has been awarded since 2003. Among them is Assist. Tilen Genov from the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT.

Tilen Genov

As the pioneer of scientific research and study of marine mammals in Slovenia, Tilen Genov is also the founder and president of the Morigenos society, and has been leading and directing its activities for two decades.

Morigenos – Slovenian Marine Mammal Society is an independent, scientific, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that combines scientific research, monitoring, education, public awareness, capacity building and management, to achieve effective conservation of the marine environment and biodiversity.

The scientific publications of the Morigenos Society are an important contribution to the science of marine mammals internationally and and Morigenos team members are actively participating in several research projects and organisations all over the world, for example the European Cetacean Society. Besides that, Morigenos is the only Slovenian organization with the status of a partner organization to ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Neighbouring Atlantic Area), of which Slovenia is a contracting party.

Although the beginnings of his research were not easy, Tilen Genov made an important contribution to raising awareness and educating the general public on this topic. “It started with a great deal of curiosity. There is a lot of doubt and disbelief on the part of others, including the profession. No funding, no serious support, no one at the time believed that someone in Slovenia could seriously deal with this and develop the matter, not even some 'kid' (I was still a high school student at the time). It literally started by taking the train or hitchhiking to the coast, equipped only with my grandfather’s binoculars. I slept in hostels or even on the boats of some people who came towards me. Long hours of staring at the sea from different hills and occasional going out to sea with a fisherman or individuals who saw something good in it. I remember how people laughed at me when I told them we were trying to study dolphins here. The general perception was that these animals do not exist in our country. that they appear occasionally,” Tilen Genov said in an interview with the Regional Obala portal.

Receiving the award, he emphasized the importance of the contribution of new scientific findings at the global level: “For example, the temporal separation of dolphin social groups, which we have described in our country, is unique at the global level. We have also developed a new method of identifying dolphins by faces, which is also a novelty at the global level."

The full interview in Slovene is published here.

Congratulations!

Friday, 25 February 2022 Applications for the SEI internship are open, and more information on the Fulbright program

AmCham Slovenia, in cooperation with the US Embassy in Slovenia, connects study and business paths through the Student Entrepreneurship and Internship (SEI) program for eleven years.

It is a program that connects study and business paths, while enabling Slovenian students to gain their first work experience under mentorship, increased employment opportunities, and at the same time provides them with an introduction to understanding business and coming up innovative business concepts. There are 20 places available in the program in 2022. Slovenian students, aged between 19 and 28, in their second or higher year of undergraduate or master's studies can apply. The application deadline is March 11, 2022!

More details about the program will be presented by Charlotte Taft from the US Embassy on Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 10.00 at UP FAMNIT (Famnit VP3 Lecture Room, Second Floor, Galgoljaška 8, Koper). The presentation will also be attended by SEI Alumni, who will be available for any additional questions.

For those who will not be able to attend the live presentation, there will be another session available on the same day via Zoom, from 17.00 to 18.00. Registration is required, registration form is available here: https://sforce.co/35kfkmD

After the session on the SEI programme, Špela Sušec will present the Fulbright program, designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The presentation is planned for both Slovenian doctoral students and employees who are interested in studying and doing research in the United States. More information about the program is available here. Former Fulbright Scholars of the University of Primorska will also share their experiences. The presentation of the program starts at 10.45 in the lecture hall Famnit VP3.

We look forward to welcoming you at both presentations!

Tuesday, 22 February 2022 UP Scholarship Fund 2022/23 - Public call for obtaining scholarship

The Scholarship Fund of the University of Primorska (hereinafter the Fund) is based on a partnership between the University of Primorska (hereinafter UP), 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 2022/2023, 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 e-application deadline is September 15th, 2022.

You can find more information at Career center of the University of Primorska, Center for Lifelong Learning and Career Orientation website.

Monday, 21 February 2022 Orientation days - Welcoming Erasmus students at UP

On Friday and Saturday (18 and 19 February 2022) both Koper and Škocjan Caves were filled with young international energy from students, that will attend lectures at our University during the spring semester. Orientation days welcomed more than 70 students from 23 countries – most come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, and Turkey.

They were greeted by international offices as well as volunteers who decided to be a part of it because of their own experience: “We were inspired by the memory of our Orientation days, that was a great inspiration and a great experience, as we got to be out and around all day, meeting new people from different countries and it made the day really fun.” (Volunteers Marko from  Macedonia and Luka from Serbia)

On Friday, they first got to know the University, the forms for the Administrative Unit, and a few words in Slovene. PSEN and ŠOUP gave them information about the system for student subsidized food and social activities. After refreshments with typical local food, they discovered Koper through the traditional Treasure Hunt.

We would like to thank the Primorska Exchange group who took over this Treasure Hunt this time. Their representative Inga was happy to help: “We are so happy that our participants explored Koper, interacted with locals, broke communication barriers between themselves and between locals, and had a fun time overall! It was a pleasure to organize, thank you to our volunteers for all their help and collaboration and to our university for supporting us."

The event was also well received by students, who, in addition to a helping hand for their beginnings, were given a great opportunity to meet and make new friends in a new environment. This is certainly not an easy task as the tasks of treasure hunting were not easy either: “The most difficult game was the one in which we had to combine pictures with dishes - even the Slovenian participants did not know them. I really don’t know how we managed to win, probably just because we were fast. The tasks were not easy, but they were certainly a lot of fun.” (Alessandro from Italy) 

Pantelios from Greece also shared his impressions: “I liked the whole experience, it was nice to get a little better familiarity with the streets of Koper. It was also nice to meet new people and share the experience. The tasks were hard enough to challenge you, but not too hard to be too much Even though we didn't win, it was a great experience.” 

Saturday was the time for students for an excursion to the Škocjan Caves Park, not only the only monument in Slovenia inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List but also a partner of the UNESCO chair of interpretation and education for enhancing integrated heritage approaches with the University of Primorska – which will be marked wit inauguration meeting on 22 February 2022.

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 InnoRenew CoE celebrates grand opening of its new building in Izola

InnoRenew CoE celebrated the grand opening of its new building in Izola with a ceremony attended by the institute’s partners and special guests, including Dr. Mitja Slavinec, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Danilo Anton Ranc, Director-General of the Wood Industry Directorate at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, and Danilo Markočič, Mayor of Izola.

InnoRenew CoE celebrated its fifth anniversary with the grand opening of its newly built home in the Livade district of Izola (Slovenia) on 15 February 2022. With this, the institute has acquired a unique facility for research and innovation in the field of renewable materials and healthy living environments. Tuesday’s ceremony marked the culmination of five years of strong collaboration between InnoRenew CoE, founding and project partners, policymakers, industry, and other important stakeholders.

“When we started the construction two years ago, we together built the wooden tree,” Dr. Andreja Kutnar, InnoRenew CoE director, said. “Today, we are sitting in our new home, reaping the fruits of our strong joint efforts.”

Participants at the event received wooden apples made from Slovenian wood by Jože Koželj, a Slovenian craftsman, symbolizing the fruits of collaboration and looking towards new ideas and discoveries, just as the Newton apple helped to discover gravity. 

The InnoRenew CoE building was made possible through infrastructure investment co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund. Dr. Mitja Slavinec, Republic of Slovenia’s State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, and Danilo Anton Ranc, Director-General of the Wood Industry Directorate at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, were in attendance to remark upon this outstanding achievement.

“As you know, we have recently adopted a modern scientific research law with a large consensus of stakeholders, and we are striving to create conditions for your successful and stimulating work and research environment,” Secretary Slavinec said. “We believe that the entire investment is a very good opportunity, especially in connecting science and economy.”

“The work of InnoRenew CoE in the field of wood research and use of wood contributes greatly to the development of the woodworking industry in Slovenia,” Danilo Anton Ranc added. “Slovenia is the third most forested country in Europe, and wood is one of the essential elements in the transition to a low-carbon society. It is important that we look for ways to add as much value as possible to our strategic raw material and, at the same time, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This project of building the largest wooden building in Slovenia is an excellent example of good practice, which will greatly contribute to achieving these goals, and the new building will put the Slovenian wood industry on the world map.”

A hybrid combination of timber, concrete and steel, the InnoRenew CoE building is a unique example of sustainable construction within the country, representing the transfer of research knowledge into industrial practice.

Eva Prelovšek Niemelä, InnoRenew CoE architect, who designed the building with Aarne Niemelä and the collaboration of InnoRenew CoE scientists, gave a video presentation about the building’s design and construction process. She highlighted the integration of ongoing research and monitoring by the institute’s researchers. The wooden section of the building took 850 cubic meters of wood, the humidity of which was measured in 400 places during construction. Construction from cross-laminated timber proceeded quickly, being completed in just five weeks. The building is also equipped with permanent sensors that will further research to determine wood durability and analyze the effects of wooden construction on human health and well-being.

VG5, a leading construction company, and its partner Marles hiše Maribor, along with Projekt and Proplus, supervision companies, are responsible for successfully constructing the InnoRenew CoE building—the largest wooden budling in Slovenia.

The grand opening ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, building tours, and viewing of the “Papiro-logía – Circular Design and the Use of Paper in Interior Design” exhibition. Created within the InnoRenew project framework by the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region from paper donated by the Pulp and Paper Institute, this exhibition highlights continuing cooperation between the project partners. DS Smith d.o.o. and industrial designers from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana, collaborated in the exhibition.

This important achievement would not be possible without the support and rewarding cooperation of InnoRenew CoE’s project partners—the University of Primorska, Fraunhofer WKI, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, University of Maribor, Pulp and Paper Institute, Zavod eOblak, National Institute of Public Health, Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region and InnoRenew CoE.

(Cutting the ribbon, from left to right: Bogdan Božac, Danilo Anton Ranc, Eva Prelovšek Niemela, dr. Andreja Kutnar, dr. Mitja Slavinec, Uroš Kodelja, Miha Brlan)

(From left to right: Danilo Markočič, Danilo Anton Ranc, dr. Mitja Slavinec, dr. Andreja Kutnar, dr. Zdravko Kačič)

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 Considerable interest in Famnit study programs during this year’s Info Days

Last Friday and Saturday, Virtual Information Days for future students were held at all Slovenian universities. Similar to last year, we recorded considerable interest in UP FAMNIT undergraduate study programs.

The students were able to follow the presentations online, prepared by the coordinators and professors in study programs: Mathematics, Mathematics in Economics and Finance, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Conservation Biology, Biopsychology and Mediterranean Agriculture.

Saturday afternoon was reserved for presentations in English for students coming from abroad who are interested in studying Mathematics, Computer Science or Bioinformatics.

Both Friday and Saturday, Famnit’s undergraduate and graduate students were available for questions, while answering high school students ’questions for a good hour. If there are any questions still left unanswered, we invite you to send your queries to the UP FAMNIT Student Council at studentski-svet@famnit.upr.si or contact the FAMNIT student-tutors directly, who are happily available for any additional information. The list of student-tutors is published here.

For questions related to the application and enrollment procedure, you can contact the Office of Student Services (referat@famnit.upr.si) or the Admissions Office of the University of Primorska. The University's website also contains material with all the information regarding the application and admission procedure for enrollment in the study programs of the University of Primorska.

If you are interested in attending the lectures before coming to study at UP FAMNIT or other faculties of the University of Primorska, you will be able to attend the Open Lectures Weeks, which will take place between 21 February and 4 March 2022. The full program of lectures and other events is published here. We will be announcing all events during the coming weeks via our website and on UP FAMNIT social networks via Facebook and Instagram.

Tuesday, 15 February 2022 First application term for undergraduate studies at UP FAMNIT in 2022/23

Today, 15 February 2022, starts the first application term for the enrolment in the undergraduate study programmes at UP FAMNIT.

Non-EU citizens can apply for enrolment in undergraduate study programmes from 15 February to 23 May 2022.

EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship can apply for enrolment in undergraduate study programmes from 15 February to 18 March 2022.

The call and additional information regarding the application for candidates are published on this link.

Candidates can obtain all information from the Student Services Office (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, phone 05 611 75 75).

Thursday, 10 February 2022 Virtual Info Days 2022

Are you thinking about studying at UP FAMNIT?

Join our Virtual Info Days on Friday and Saturday, 11 - 12 February 2022!

We have prepared many different online activities that will provide you with all the necessary information about living in Koper and studying at the University of Primorska. Future freshmen will have the chance to (virtually) enter the Faculty, learn about working in modern laboratories, and meet with assistants and professors. All the while, students will be available for chatting and answering questions about study obligations, extracurricular activities, accommodation, and everything that is related to the study experience at UP FAMNIT.

A detailed event schedule and ZOOM links are available below. All general presentations of study programs will be held in Slovene, however, for study programs that are also implemented in English, presentations will be held in English as well (12 February, 15-16:30).

FRIDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 2022

SATURDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2022

Wednesday, 9 February 2022 Erasmus+ (KA131) Open Call for Academic Year 2022/2023 published

Erasmus+ Open Call for students is published. Applications are now open for exchanges for studies or traineeship in the period from 1 June 2022 to 30 October 2023.

The application deadline is 28 February 2022.

The Open Call and all documentation are available on this link.

You are invited to apply!

Wednesday, 9 February 2022 An international academic alliance established to advance innovative mass timber building research

Climate change is increasing pressure on the built environment and building sector to transform from a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central solution. The development of mass timber technology and the use of wood to construct mid to high-rise buildings can serve as a pathway to a more sustainable future, meeting a rapidly growing global urban population needs while decreasing carbon emissions and increasing human health benefits.

International networking and collaboration with researchers at the cutting-edge of mass timber technology, wood science and data-driven infrastructure safety is key to achieving the much-needed breakthroughs to advance innovative mass-timber buildings.

InnoRenew CoE and Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies at the University of Primorska is partnering with researchers at The College of Forestry at Oregon State University and Faculty of agriculture and forestry at the University of Helsinki to create an international, informal alliance to share mass timber technology data related to structural health monitoring. Structural health monitoring refers to analyses of data generated from sensors and information technologies that observe and monitor changes over time in buildings.

For a wide and systematic use of data from mass timber buildings, there remains a need for standardization and collaboration among researchers. The alliance will utilize first-hand data from three mass-timber projects, the George W. Peavy Forest Science Center (PFSC) in Corvallis, Oregon, USA, InnoRenew CoE in Slovenia, and the Hyytiälä forest station in Finland (University of Helsinki), to help create standards for structural health monitoring. The alliance will collect unique and innovative structural systems data, develop benchmark data for further applications, and cross-reference with other projects.

The PFSC is a three-story building completed in 2019 at Oregon State University and utilizes mass-timber structural elements. These include self-centering, rocking, cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear walls, CLT-concrete composite floor systems, a mass plywood panel roof system, and glulam beams and columns. To determine if the building is performing under static, dynamic, and environmental loads as expected, the PFSC serves as a full-scale living laboratory equipped with sensors. The sensors monitor outdoor and indoor climate conditions, heat and moisture transfer in CLT assemblies, moisture content of structural elements, movement of CLT floor and wall panels, tension losses in CLT shear walls, and global dynamic behavior of the structure.

The InnoRenew CoE’s building, the biggest wooden building in Slovenia, is a hybrid combination of timber, concrete and steel. It was designed according to state-of-the-art principles of contemporary sustainable construction following the principles of REED (Restorative Environmental and Ergonomic Design) based on research outputs from the InnoRenew CoE.

In Finland, four new mass timber buildings at the Hyytiälä forest station, Faculty of agriculture and forestry of the University of Helsinki, are under construction and will be completed in 2022. The structures and walls are CLT, while flooring and roofs are laminated veneer lumber (LVL) based. The buildings are 1-2 story comprising a large catering and studying/conference hall and three accommodation buildings with studio-type rooms. Wooden (walking) bridges and platforms connect the facilities. Two of the buildings will be used to collect data, research structure and material characteristics, and monitor indoor air quality. The buildings offer an opportunity to research human health and well-being, both perceived and experimentally measured.

The academic partners agree to cooperate in exchange for the mutual advancement, support and development of joint projects, publications and scholarship opportunities. Partners will develop standard practices for future structural health monitoring projects by creating standardized data collection, processing and management protocols, and establishing a common methodology for reporting project outputs. To inform transparent governance, ownership and regulation, the network will develop a repository and website with information about projects, data and outputs.

The alliance aims to further expand by attracting researchers from around the world to contribute to new knowledge and future developments in the field of built environment.

For more information about joining the alliance, contact:

InnoRenew COE and University of Primorska:
Andreja Kutnar, andreja.kutnar@innorenew.eu

Oregon State University:
Mariapaola Riggio, mariapaola.riggio@oregonstate.edu

University of Helsinki:
Ritva Toivonen@helsinki.fi
Laura Alakukku@helsinki.fi

Friday, 4 February 2022 University of Primorska is co-creating opportunities for staff development in Central Asia

A 10-day international teacher-training in the field of Intelligent Big Data Analysis is concluding at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska (UP FAMNIT). The training is a part of the ERASMUS + project ELBA, where highly profiled specialists from universities in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are participating. The purpose of this training is to implement a multidisciplinary package of module-based courses for bachelor and master students at the 10 partnering universities in Central Asia.

According to participants, the seminars are very informative and the project itself is very engaging. “We are learning about the importance of the Intelligent Big Data Analysis (IBDA) models and extracting the information,” adds Shokhjakhon Abdufattokhov from the Department of Control and Computer Engineering at the Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

“The lectures are general in content and not limited to certain areas, so we can all apply the knowledge to our specific research areas and university study programmes. The plan is that once we finish this training we will be able to implement the knowledge in developing new courses on IBDA for our students in undergraduate and master’s study programmes, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The primary reason for our visit is to take the theory and knowledge that will help us build a curriculum on IBDA”, says Abdufattokhov.

His research field is artificial intelligence, a technology that enables a machine to simulate human behaviour. Machine learning is a subset of AI which allows a machine to automatically learn from past data without programming explicitly. The goal of AI is to make a smart computer system that solves complex problems.

But how does the IBDA fit in all of this?

Intelligent data analysis reveals implicit, previously unknown, and potentially valuable information or knowledge from large amounts of data. Intelligent data analysis is also a kind of decision support process. Rule finding is working out rules contained in the data set by means of certain methods or algorithms.

“I am applying machine learning to control theory. To put it simply – I am now working on projects of smart buildings where we have sets of big data available to us. To process this data, we have to choose the right algorithm and features, this is IBDA. We can also use it to analyse business intelligence or do market analytics to find out about consumer shopping habits. Some of the colleagues here are interested in building models for the coal mining industry or for predictions in civil engineering. You can extract some really useful features that can give you very exact predictions”, explains Abdufattokhov.

International guests had the opportunity to meet with the Dean of UP FAMNIT, Assoc. Prof. Ademir Hujdurović, and the Rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Klavdija Kutnar. During their free time they also had a chance to visit Koper: “To tell you the truth, we really like Koper”, they add. “We’ve had a historic tour of the city centre and it was very interesting. The town prompts you to visit Koper, not just once in your life, but again and again.”

The training that was coordinated by Assist. Prof. Branko Kavšek from the University of Primorska is ending on 4 February 2022, however, the project is far from being concluded. Another training will follow at the one of the other partner institutions in Europe, after that IBDA centres will be established in universities across Central Asia and multidisciplinary packages of module-based courses will be implemented in universities’ curriculum.

In the meantime, UP FAMNIT continues providing great research and establishing international cooperation, as well as offering excellent study programmes in the field of Information technologies. To find out more about studying Computer Science (at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral level) and Data Science (at master’s level) at Famnit, we invite you to visit the upcoming Information Days on 11 and 12 February. More information available at www.famnit.upr.si.

Wednesday, 2 February 2022 Call for enrolment into undergraduate study programs at UP FAMNIT

Call for enrolment into undergraduate study programs at UP FAMNIT in the academic year 2022/23 is now published!

Application procedure for enrolment in the first year of study

Non-EU citizens and Slovene nationals without Slovene citizenship can apply in four terms:

• first application term: from 15 February to 23 May 2022,
• second application term: from 30 May to 27 July 2022,
• third application term: from 12 August to 5 September 2022,
• fourth application term: from 22 to 23 September 2022.

EU citizens can apply in three terms:

• first application term: from 15 February to 18 March 2022,
• second application term: from 19 to 23 August 2022,first application term: from 15 February to 18 March 2022,
• third application term: from 22 to 23 September 2022.

Call and information for candidates regarding the application are published in this link.

Candidates can obtain all information from the Student Services Office (e-mail: referat@famnit.upr.si, phone 05 611 75 75).

You are kindly invited to join our info events, where further information regarding the program specifics and application process will be available.

Thursday, 27 January 2022 Gimnazija Koper high school students attend the UP FAMNIT Mathematics Day

Yesterday, the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies hosted the traditional Mathematics Day, which was organized for third-year students of the Gimnazija Koper by professors of mathematics at UP FAMNIT.

Accompanied by mathematics teachers, 95 students were divided into three groups and listened to lectures on the applicability of mathematics in everyday life.

Prof. Marko Orel, PhD, explained to the students the connection between mathematics and the operation of CT devices, as it was mathematics that contributed to the development of the first tomographs, which provided a more accurate insight into the human body. Students learned that with the help of mathematical equations, such devices can separate our bones and organs from the air and plot what is going on in our body.

Prof. Aleksander Malnič, PhD, presented three classic ancient Greek problems - how to construct the side of a cube with twice the volume of a given cube, how to divide a given angle into three equal parts and how to construct a square with the same area as a given circle. On the topic of game theory asist. Žiga Velkavrh explained how we can use mathematics to research strategic decision-making in theory and practice.

Mathematics is also often used in biology, especially to understand complex processes in nature, using mathematical models. The useful value of mathematics in biology was lectured by dr. Barbara Boldin. Dr. Nastja Cepak presented the field of cryptography and the use of ciphers in the past and today. Cryptography dates back more than 1,000 years, and with its help we can securely communicate through unsecured channels.

Finally, assoc. prof. Mihael Perman, PhD, explained why we probably encounter many situations in which there are several conflicting statements, which at first glance are all correct. These are paradoxes in probability, and with the students they examined if they were real or apparent.

      
Lecture by dr. Nastja Cepak

"When teaching mathematics at school, students mostly calculate and use formulas that they have to learn by heart, sometimes it is difficult to imagine the usefulness of mathematics in real life," says Neva Ećimović, professor of mathematics at Gimnazija Koper.

"Theory and good basics are important, so students can upgrade their knowledge, but at the Mathematics Day, which is prepared every year by FAMNIT, they have a very good opportunity to learn mathematics in a different way and get additional motivation to learn, which is sometimes lacking in learning about theory. ” She adds that students are enthusiastic about Mathematics Day every year, because in this way they learn about the usefulness of mathematics.

The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies of the University of Primorska offers six undergraduate study programs, including Mathematics and Mathematics in Economics and Finance. More information about study programs and studying at Famnit can also be found at the upcoming Information Days, which will take place on 11 and 12 February 2022.

Friday, 21 January 2022 An International Teacher Training as part of the ELBA Project

Between 24 January and 4 February, UP FAMNIT will host a 10-day international teacher training as part of the ERASMUS + project ELBA - Establishment of training and research centers and courses development on intelligent big data analysis in Central Asia.

The project ELBA is aimed at creating opportunities in training of highly profiled specialists in the field of Intelligent Big Data Analysis (IBDA) with different multidisciplinary backgrounds, and enabling the access to highly efficient modern IBDA instrumentation based on EU expertise and technologies which will contribute to sustainable development of educational institutions, local business enterprises and society at large.

The aim of the project is to improve academic capacity of professionals through developing and implementing multidisciplinary package of module-based courses for bachelor and master’s students, as well as professionals from the field of engineering of Intelligent Big Data Analysis (IBDA) in Central Asia countries, with collaboration with the industry.

To this end, training courses will be held over the next two weeks, attended by 28 teachers from four partner countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan).

The training programme for the Machine Learning and Data Mining on Big Data is published here.

UP FAMNIT has already hosted a similar training in September 2018, as part of the ECCUM project.

Monday, 17 January 2022 Announcement: Lectures during the week of 17 - 21 January 2022

All lectures and tutorials for UP FAMNIT study programs will take place remotely during the week of 17 - 21 January 2022. Exceptions are seminars and laboratory work that must be carried out in the practice room (lecture room FAMNIT-Museum2), and colloquia.

The decision was made due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections and consequent isolations and quarantines, which can significantly affect the implementation of the examination period (January 24 - February 18, 2022). It is planned that the exams will be held entirely on the faculty premises.