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 15th, 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!
PROGRAMME
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)
| 17.00 | Introductory greating of the rector of the Eniversity of Primorska, prof. dr. Klavdija Kutnar |
| 17.10 |
Round table »Creating Connections: The contribution of the Alumni Club to the development of the university and society?« Speakers: predsident of the Alumni UP, assoc. prof. dr. Mirko Prosen Tjaša Likar, Alumni UP FHŠ Marko Grgurović, Alumni UP Famnit Vasilij Žbogar, Alumni UP FM assoc. prof. dr. Sabina Ličen Alumni UP FVZ Ajda Zvonar, Alumni UP FTŠ Turistica Elen Stanič, Alumni UP PEF Moderators: Janja Spevan in Lovrenc Habe |
| 18.00 |
String quartet PRIMA (Nejka Čuk: 1. violin, Anika Ploj: 2. violin, Sara Štrancar: viola, Luka Mužina: cello) |
| 18.10–19.30 |
Networking |
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.
