Friday, 29 March 2024 CALL FOR ENROLMENT INTO MASTER AND DOCTORAL DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMMES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2024/2025
On 28 March 2024 the University of Primorska announces the Call for enrolment into master and doctoral study programmes in the academic year 2024/2025.
In the framework of the Call for Enrolment into master study programmes, the University of Primorska announces the following free enrolment places for 35 study programmes:
- 1.087 enrolment places for citizens of the Republic of Slovenia and EU citizens, of which 932 are for full-time study and 155 for part-time study,
- 50 enrolment places for Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship, 150 enrolment places for citizens of Western Balkans countries, with which the Republic of Slovenia has a bilateral agreement in the field of education (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia) and 72 enrolment places for foreign citizens of non EU countries.
- For the 1st year of study, there are also 56 enrolment places for candidates for parallel studies.
Six master study programmes are offered also in English language:
- Mathematical Sciences (UP FAMNIT),
- Data Science (UP FAMNIT),
- Sustainable Built Environments (UP FAMNIT),
- Economics and Finance,
- Management and
- Political science – international relations and economic diplomacy.
In the framework of the Call for Enrolment into doctoral study programmes, the University of Primorska announces 181 free enrolment places for 17 study programmes.
Six doctoral (PhD) study programmes are offered also in English language:
- Computer Science (UP FAMNIT),
- Conservation Biology (UP FAMNIT),
- Mathematical Sciences (UP FAMNIT),
- Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments (UP FAMNIT),
- Suicidology amd Mental Health (UP FAMNIT) and
- Management.
The first round application period for all candidates opens on 4 April 2024.
The list of study programmes with available enrolment places is available on:
>> for master study programmes<<
>>for doctoral study programmes <<
Friday, 29 March 2024 A 2-year postdoc position in Structural and Algorithmic Graph Theory (Koper, Slovenia)
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 Milanič, "Beyond Sparsity: Graph Classes and Width Parameters" funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency.
The Graph Sparsity Theory of Nešetřil and Ossona de Mendez is a highly active and rapidly developing topic in combinatorics and graph theory, with applications in many areas including algorithmic graph theory, complexity theory, and property testing. A recent focus of structural and algorithmic graph theory has been to extend the graph sparsity theory to dense graph classes. The proposed project aims at introducing novel ways and methods of addressing this goal. This will be done along the following two interconnected research lines:
- first, by advancing the recently emerging and fast developing theory of graph width and depth parameters through a general framework based on graph measures and an in-depth analysis of known and novel graph parameters;
- second, by developing a biparametric theory of hereditary graph classes in which some parameter is bounded by a function of another one, with the goal of identifying nontrivial structural and algorithmic implications. Our approach is expected to lead to an improved understanding of the boundaries of tractability for maximum independent set and several other practically relevant graph optimization problems. 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.
Terms and conditions:
- The position is for two years.
- 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 at most two courses per year in Mathematics or Computer Science programs at UP FAMNIT (depending on the candidate's background and expertise).
- 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 1680 EUR / month after tax, which can increase to about 1780 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 April 15, 2024.
The starting date is flexible, but preferably not later than October 2024.
To apply, please send the following documents in electronic form to razpisi@famnit.upr.si with the subject line "University of Primorska Postdoc 2024" 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 by email to Martin Milanič (martin.milanic@upr.si).
Thursday, 28 March 2024 ALUMNI UP WEEK 2024 15.–19. APRIL 2024
Registration for Alumni Week UP 2024
The applications will be open from the 26. March till the 10. April 2024
Alumni UP Week is designed to foster connections between generations, professors, researchers, students and community partners. A wide range of workshops, lectures and other creative and multi-disciplinary content will take place live and online. Join us!
DIGITAL MONDAY, 15. APRIL 2024
16:00 - 18:30 Cybersecurity
- Where: UP FTŠ Turistica (Obala 11a, 6320 Portorož), Lecture room 202 - 2nd floor
- Lecturers: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Janez Mekinc and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Blaž Markel
- Language: Slovenian
Join us for an expert colloquium with renowned experts to learn about key aspects of cyber security, including understanding cyber attacks, identifying scams such as phishing, and effective approaches to protecting electronic devices. The colloquium will feature an introductory lecture and discussion by eminent experts in the field of cybersecurity, followed by a panel discussion where you will contribute your own experiences, opinions and questions
13:00- 14:30 Uses and pitfalls of ChatGPT
- Where: Zoom (https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/84290571373?pwd=dnpVaGZ2YTh6UEVJWFdVOFNIaWwrZz09)
- Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Igor Rižnar
- Language: Slovenian
The topic of the workshop is the ChatGPT chatbot, its use and the pitfalls the user should be aware of. Chatbots give the user the feeling that they understand and answer questions in a grammatically correct and seemingly competent manner. They have evolved in a similar way to computer-aided translation tools. We will first briefly review the literature on artificial intelligence and large-scale language models, and then use a number of queries to check how reliable the answers are, paying particular attention to the pros and cons of using ChatGPT in an educational context.
HEALTHY TUESDAY, 16. APRIL 2024
9:00 - 10:00 Habits - forming new and quiting old ones
- Where: Online
- Lecturer: Luka Kejžar
- Language: English
Habits are something we encounter every day. They are a key part of our lives, as they are involved in our sleep, work, diet, exercise and many psycho-social aspects of our lives.
In this workshop we will learn how habits are formed, why they can be a double-edged sword and how we can change them using different tools.
12:00 -14:00 Nutritional consultation
- Where: UP FVZ (Polje 42, 6310 Izola), practice room 4 (ground floor, right corridor)
- Lecturer: Asist. Prof. Špela Bužinel
- Language: English and Slovenian
Participants will have the opportunity to take body composition measurements using a body analyser (i.e. a Tanita bio-impedance scale). Participants will get an insight into their body composition - body fat, lean body mass, muscle mass, etc. - and get these printed out. The results are briefly commented and explained to each group after the measurement (this means that everyone in the group waits until the last person in the group has finished, followed by a short 5-minute explanation of the results). At the same time, we briefly introduce the operation and the services that the nutrition counselling centre UP FVZ will soon be offering.
10:00 - 11:00 Using Simulation in Healthcare - Group 1
11:00 - 12:00 Using Simulation in Healthcare - Group 2
- Where: UP FVZ (Polje 42, 6310 Izola), practice room 3
- Lecturer: Jakob Renko
- Language: Slovenian and English
The workshop will include a demonstration of the Simulation Classroom and the High Fidelity Simulator. It will also present the possibilities of research using simulators and simulations.
SUSTAINABLE WEDNESDAYS, 17. 4. 2024
11:00 - 14:00 Q&A on investing and trading on the stock exchange
- Where: UP FM (Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper), Lecture room 10
- Lecturer: Asist. Prof. Dr. Jan Frančeškin
- Language: Slovenian
In recent years, the world economy has been put to the test. We have witnessed a global pandemic of COVIDA - 19 which turned into a period of elevated inflation in 2022. It is precisely this elevated inflation and the low interest rates on bank deposits that are forcing individuals and households to be exposed to riskier investments. This raises the key issue of financial literacy, which is a prerequisite for the prudent selection of a portfolio of slightly riskier investments.
16:00 - 17:00 Portorož villas - architectural heritage and tourism of quiet luxury at the turn of the 20th century
- Where: UP FTŠ - Turistica (Obala 11a, 3620)
- Host: Ma. Tomi Brezovec
- Language: Slovenian
The exhibition shows the rich architectural heritage of Portorož, with an emphasis on the flourishing of villas as a building object of the wealthier class, which coincides with the rise of Portorož as a monastic resort at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In parallel with the construction of hotels, villas began to dominate the Portorož Riviera at this time, adding a touch of luxury and exclusivity to the northern Adriatic spa resort with their architectural design and carefully landscaped surroundings. Leopoldina, Maria, Lidia and Amalia are just a few of the villas in Portorož, which are shown in the exhibition through architectural plans from the Koper Regional Archive (Piran Unit), as well as pictures and photographs of the sites. The exhibition is the result of the authors' collaboration in the study of the heritage of Portorož as a sustainable aspect of tourism development.
The exhibition will be on display in the Turistica Hall (ground floor of the Faculty of Tourism Studies, Obala 11a, Portorož) until 20 May 2024.
17:00 - 18:30 Roundtable: Sustainability Reporting and the new EU Sustainable Business Directives: challenges and practice
- Where: UP FM (Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper)
- Host: Prof. Dr. Roberto Biloslavo
- Language: Slovenian
Speakers:
- Vojko Rotar, Workers Director Luke Koper d.d.
- Maja Brvar, Dun & Bradstreet (UP FM studnet)
- Aleš Kranjc Kušlan, Institut Ekvilib
- Nataša Gabršček, Hidria d.o.o.
- Nataša Gladovič, Atlantic Droga Kolinska d.o.o.
Moderator:
Prof. Dr. Roberto Biloslavo, Professor at the Faculty of Management and Director of the Postgraduate Programme in Sustainable Development Management
MEETUP, 18. APRIL 2024, Annual Alumni Meeting of the University of Primorska
17.00-20.00, UP Famnit Auditorium (Glagoljaška 8, Koper)
- Opening greetings by the Rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar and the President of the Alumni UP, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mirko Prosen
- Discussion with the guest, Assoc. Prof. Gorazd Sedmak
- Presentation of the Alumni UP Awards and Recognitions
- Socializing
FUN FRIDAY, 19. APRIL 2024
12:00 - 15:00 Polyglot Caffe
- Where: UP FM (Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper) - INNOlab (ground flore)
- Host: ESN Primorska
- Language: English
Join us at Pollyglot Caffe in the INNOlab at UP FM. We invite you to join us for a social gathering where we will enjoy a pleasant atmosphere and bring together different languages and cultures.
The event will last from 2 to 3 hours, full of fun, surprises and pleasant moments. Delicious snacks and refreshments will be provided.
All you need to participate in the event is a good mood and a desire to socialise and learn.
You are welcome to join us and let's create an unforgettable time together.
16:00 - 19:00 Scavanger hunt
- Where: Koper
- Hosts: SportUP
- Language: Slovenian and English
Get ready to discover the hidden corners of Koper and test your knowledge of the narrow city streets. The exact route will remain a mystery until the run.
19.00 - 21.30 Cinema visit: The Holdovers
- Where: Art kino Odeon (Kraška 1, 6310 Izola)
- Language: English (Slovenian subtitles)
The story follows a disgraced professor (Paul Giamatti) who is forced to stay on campus at a prestigious American school during the Christmas break, where he has to protect some students who have nowhere else to go. He eventually forms a bond with one of them - a troubled and cunning troublemaker (freshman Dominic Sessa) and the head cook at the school who has just lost her son in Vietnam (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). Three very different people will spend two weeks together, helping each other to understand that they are not bound by the past and can forge their own futures.
The project is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The project is implemented in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) under the development area Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, component Strengthening competencies, in particular digital competencies and those required by the new professions and the green transition (C3 K5), for the investment measure Investment F. Implementation of pilot projects, the results of which will serve as a basis for the preparation of a roadmap for the reform of higher education for a green and resilient transition to a Society 5.0: project Pilot Projects for the Reform of Higher Education for a Green and Resilient Transition.
Thursday, 28 March 2024 The doctoral thesis defence of the student Nuwan Tharanga Attygalle
Nuwan Tharanga Attygalle, student of the doctoral study programe Computer Science at UP FAMNIT will defend his doctoral thesis Improving interaction with radar-based gesture recognition when sensing through materials; under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Klen Čopič Pucihar, PhD and co-mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Matjaž Kljun, PhD.
The defence will take place on Tuesday, 2 April 2024 at 11:15 in Famnit-MP1 and on Zoom:
https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/85891946265?pwd=NzNJYjVTcUszM1dEMFd0Y1owTys3UT09
Meeting ID: 858 9194 6265
Passcode: 039315
The doctoral disertation will be available in the library at UP in the following days.
Cordially invited!
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 Young enthusiasts tested their programming skills at the Faculty Programming Competition - FTP
Yesterday, the Faculty Programming Competition (FTP) concluded successfully at UP FAMNIT. The competition gathered 22 young computer science enthusiasts who enjoyed testing their programming skills in a fun and engaging way between December 11, 2023, and March 1, 2024.
Throughout the competition, students developed a program (player) that played a turn-based game against other programs (players). The main goal was to develop a strategy that responds best to the strategies of other competitors without being able to see their source code.
The top spots were awarded to:
- 1st place: Jerman Blaž, Gimpelj Tilen (Team Bot)
- 2nd place: Petrov Ilija (Team Rakija)
- 3rd place: Vincek Aleks, Ahlin Jaka (Team BananaBurek)
The competition's organizer, Assist. Prof. Aleksandar Tošič from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies (UP FAMNIT), organizes the Faculty competition and further inspires young people for computer science through the conception, leadership, and organization of the programming competition.
A special thanks go to the following for the implementation of the event: InnoRenew CoE, Blockchain and Language Technologies Lab, and the University of Primorska.
We would like to sincerely congratulate all the participants!
Friday, 22 March 2024 Invitation to the defense of the Master’s Thesis - Mina Markovič (Biopsychology, 2nd cycle)
On Monday, 25 March 2024, at 12:00 in the classroom Famnit-MP2, Mina Markovič, a student of the master's study program Biopsychology, 2nd cycle, will present her Master's Thesis entitled Anxiety, disordered eating and perceived external pressure on body image.
You are all kindly invited!
Friday, 22 March 2024 ISOPS XI – This September we are hosting the International Symposium on Phlebotomine Sandflies
The Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT, in collaboration with the Society of Conservation Biologists (BIODIVA) and with the support of the CLIMOS project, will take over the organization of the 11th International Symposium on Phlebotomine Sandflies – ISOPS XI.
The event will take place between September 9th and 13th at the Faculty of Tourism Studies of the University of Primorska in Portorož, Slovenia.
The symposium will be dedicated to the latest achievements in the fields of parasitology, microbiology, and medical entomology. ISOPS XI will bring together leading world experts and researchers from the mentioned fields, with the aim of exchanging knowledge, innovations, and experiences that are of great importance for progress in human and veterinary medicine.
ISOPS alternates between Europe, Asia, and one of the countries in South or North America, and it is an exceptional honor for us that Slovenian entomologists have been chosen to organize the 11th symposium. The event, expected to host 200 leading biologists, pharmacists, physicians, and veterinarians from around the world, will contribute to a rich exchange of knowledge and encourage further development in research in the field of medical entomology.
The central location of the symposium will be in Portorož at the Faculty of Tourism Studies. During the event, an excursion to the Škocjan Caves will also be organized, the first monument in Slovenia inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as visits to Ljubljana and Bled.
Organizations can join in co-creating the symposium story through sponsorship partnerships. More information about sponsorship packages is available in the SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE.
Early-bird registrations are available until May 31st. You can register at this link.
For more information, please contact us at [e-mail: isops11@upr.si; Tel.: 00386 40 612 161]. We will be happy to answer all your questions and provide additional information about the symposium.
Official ISOPS XI website: http://isops11.si/
Thursday, 21 March 2024 EMPLOYEES 2.0 ALSO IN 2024
Celebrating UP's 20th anniversary on Wednesday, employees asked themselves how we can be an even better version of ourselves, a UP 2.0 version. This kind of reflection is not limited to round anniversaries, however, but also spurs us on, which is why the name for Wednesday's employee activities has been kept. We would like to thank all those who have made the effort to organise sports, educational and cultural activities, based on the wishes expressed in the employee surveys, for the beautiful act of building good and collegial relations.
A meeting on the book "Why are you silent, Hava?", by the young Copra author Selma Skenderova, took place in the Armeria's Lobby, where the participants of the Walk with the Artists (Friday, 22 March) will be guided through Koper, and at this event, the participants chatted about the book during the walk.
Various workshops were held for the staff - 5x 5 LANGUAGE TIPS - for the second time, by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vladka Tucovič Sturman, during which she gave a practical presentation of the most frequently observed language slip-ups that need correction. A WORKSHOP ON THE BASICS OF BUSINESS BONTON was held at UP FM, led by Dr. Simona Kustec, and was aimed at all those who want to learn and understand the key skills for successful appearance in the business world. EMPATHETIC TRAINING: STRENGTHENING CONCENTRATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE IN THE WORKPLACE (UP IAM SCRS) - the participants of the workshop discovered the power of empathy to improve concentration and psychological resilience in the work environment. UP COMMUNICATION OFFICE offered a workshop on DIGITAL COMMUNICATION - Karin Marinič, UP Social Media Editor, presented ways to optimise editing and traffic on social media, how to format posts and what to look out for when posting on different platforms. A workshop "WHY LEARN ARABIC?" was also held at UP FHŠ - with the help of Dr Polona Oblak, participants learned how to greet and introduce themselves in Arabic.
There were also lectures:
- PRESENTATION OF THE VOLUMES: REFUGEE STORIES AND GLOBAL FACES OF AGING (UP FM) - the event started with Dr Primož Štrbenc talking about migrant flows from the Middle East, the wider Muslim world and Africa, followed by Dr Majda Naji presenting the two volumes.
- OPTIMISATION OF SLEEP (UP FVZ, SPORT UP) - at the workshop, participants had the opportunity to learn about how sleep works, the impact of daily activities on sleep quality and practical tools they can use to improve the quality and duration of sleep and, consequently, their long-term health and well-being. The workshop was facilitated by Luka Kejžar (UP FVZ, SportUP).
- HOW TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY? (UP FAMNIT) - with Dr Vesna Jug, they touched upon communication filters and barriers, different communication skills (positions in communication, forms of communication, active listening, checking understanding, asking questions and strong questions), assertiveness, etc.
The exhibition Portorož villas - architectural heritage and tourism of quiet luxury from the beginning of the 20th century was opened at UP FTŠ Turistica. The exhibition shows the rich architectural heritage of Portorož, with an emphasis on the flourishing of villas as a building object of the wealthier class of the population, which coincides with the rise of Portorož as a fashionable resort at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The opening was followed by a one-hour lecture by mag. Tomi Brezovec.
In the late afternoon, a lecture on self-improvement through fairy tales will be held at UP PEF, and a trip to the mathematical universe on the Sudoku game at UP FAMNIT.
Thursday, 21 March 2024 VICE-RECTOR PROMOTED FIVE NEW DOCTORS OF SCIENCE
On Thursday, 21 March 2024, a solemn promotion of Doctors of Science of the University of Primorska took place in the hall of the Armeria Palace in Koper. The Vice-rector of the University of Primorska promoted five new Doctors of Science, who completed their doctoral studies between October 2023 and by the end of February 2024. As of today, the University of Primorska has 336 Doctors of Science.
Dr. Katjuša Gorela, Dr. Katja Vrhunc Pfeifer and Dr. Niki Hrovatin were graduated at the ceremony and in the (excused) absence: Dr. Maheshya Weerasinghe and Dr. Željka Pećanin.
At UP FAMNIT are two newly promoted Doctors of Science.
Maheshya Weerasinghe defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies entitled »Instructional Guidance in Extended Reality for Learning« under the mentorship of izr. prof. dr. Matjaž Kljun, izr. prof. dr. Alice Toniolo and prof. dr. Aaron Quigley and co-mentorship of izr. prof. dr. Klen Čopič Pucihar and izr. prof. dr. Angela Miguel.
Doctoral dissertation summary
This thesis aims to contribute new knowledge on how Extended Reality (XR) technologies can be used to design and develop interactive, adaptive Experiential Learning (ExL) systems that can be integrated into future learning environments. This is accomplished by (i) presenting a comprehensive design space grounded in XR technology and the theoretical underpinnings of learning and instructional guidance, and by (ii) conducting three different user studies (VRNaV, ArigatŌ, VocabulARy), each focusing on an interactive experiential learning system developed based on a particular configuration of the presented design space.
Niki Hrovatin defended his doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies entitled »Enabling Decentralized Privacy Preserving Data Processing in Sensor Networks« under the mentorship of izr. prof. dr. Jernej Vičič and co-mentorship of prof. dr. Michaël Mrissa.
Doctoral dissertation summary
This thesis advances sensor networks by addressing privacy and centralization challenges. It introduces a unique privacy-preserving protocol using layered cryptography for arbitrary in-situ computation, and new efficient methods for distributing the processing load of machine-learning tasks across sensor network nodes. These innovations will lead to scalable, efficient, and secure sensor networks that can perform analytics in the network without the need for extra cloud facilities.
Katjuša Gorela defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Education entitled »Representation of poverty in Slovenian fairy tales and in reading books for the second educational cycle of primary school« under the mentorship of doc. dr. Barbara Zorman
Doctoral dissertation summary
The doctoral dissertation is a three-part research focused on the analysis of poverty in Slovenian fairy tales collected in the most relevant fairy tale collections and in reading books for grades 4, 5 and 6 of primary school. The doctoral dissertation argues that the school environment, and within it in particular the literature classroom and the treatment of Slovenian fairy tales, is the appropriate place to introduce and expose children to problematic issues such as poverty. A list of twenty Slovenian fairy tales thematising poverty from different angles has been created for this purpose. The list is intended for teachers and those who are committed to destigmatising and eliminating the social exclusion of the poor.
Katja Vrhunc Pfeifer defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Education entitled »The intervention competences of educators in residential treatment centres in crisis situations« under the mentorship of doc. dr. Nina Krmac and co-mentorship of prof. dr. Ivana Borić
Doctoral dissertation summary
The doctoral dissertation presents the first comprehensive analysis of crisis situations in Slovenian residential treatment centres faced by educators. It is also an analysis of the situation in the field of crisis intervention and thus the formulation of the necessary set of basic and specific competences that educators need for effective intervention. The research involved all residential treatment centres in Slovenia, and based on the information obtained, in addition to the competency framework, we have developed proposals for effective intervention, specific to each crisis situation.
Željka Pećanin defended her doctoral dissertation at the UP Faculty of Management entitled »A model of consumer buying behavior when deciding to purchase "superfoods"« under the mentorship of dr. Tina Vukasović.
Doctoral dissertation summary
Nowadays, there are more and more products on the market that meet consumer needs. In recent decades, it has been a great challenge for many manufacturers, retailers and, ultimately, marketers as well as advertisers to become familiar with consumer behaviour and the factors that influence people’s purchase decisions. We explored mutual correlations between selected purchasing factors and their impact on consumer purchase decisions when buying superfoods in Slovenia. We also presented superfoods and looked for substitutes among native foods, comparing their prices. With quantitative research we came to the conclusion that the leading factors in the purchase of superfoods is advertising. We also find that consumers who have a higher personal income need less exposure to advertising compared to consumers with a lower personal income in order to decide to purchase superfoods. In any case, it would be difficult to get consumers to decide to buy superfoods without an incentive, in this case advertising.
Wednesday, 20 March 2024 TEN FULL PROFESSORS INAUGURATED AT UP
On Tuesday, 19 March 2024, a solemn inauguration of full professors of the University of Primorska took place in the hall of the Armeria Palace in Koper. Vice-rector prof. dr. Štefko Miklavič, with Deans of UP FAMNIT, UP FVZ and UP PEF, handed over the decisions on the election to the title of ten new full professors of the University of Primorska.
Among the inaugurated professors are also colleagues of UP IAM and UP Famnit.
DR. DUNJA BANDELJ, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »PLANT PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR
Dr. Dunja Bandelj graduated in the field of agronomy from the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana in 1998. As a young researcher, she continued her doctoral training in the field of agronomic sciences at the Biotechnical Faculty, where she focused on research in the molecular genetics of olives. In 2008, she was employed as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Information Technologies and became head of the Department of Applied Natural Sciences. Since then, she has been employed at UP FAMNIT and actively involved in the management of the faculty, as the head of the Department of Applied Natural Sciences, coordinator of the Agronomy study program, a member of the faculty and university Senate. In 2016, she became vice-dean for student affairs.
After completing her PhD in 2005, she actively took a leading role in studying the genetic resources of the most important Mediterranean fruit species. Her research work was directed towards the development of microsatellite markers, which are an indispensable tool in studying the diversity and relatedness of plants at the DNA level, for the traceability of plant material on the market, for managing collections of agricultural plants, parental testing, and with DNA profiling, also for the accurate identification of varieties. Together with the research group of the University of Primorska, she was among the first in the world to develop a larger number of olive genic microsatellites and genomic microsatellites for studying figs and other species of the genus Ficus. In recent years, she has intensively researched the aromatic plant immortelle. With her research team, she was the first to sequence the genome and transcriptome of immortelle and developed a larger number of microsatellites, that contribute globally to the understanding of kinship relations among species from the genus Helichrysum, and are used to control the geographic origin and identity of the plants. Her significant achievements also include the published nucleotide sequence of the entire chloroplast DNA of Immortelle and the chloroplast microsatellite markers developed from it. Dr Dunja Bandelj's research is clearly application-oriented and aims to solve challenges in agriculture. At the University of Primorska, she was involved in the establishment of the most modern genetic-molecular laboratory, which enables UP researchers to participate competitively in global research. She was also involved in establishing the Conservation Biology from Molecules to Ecosystems research programme group.
To date, Dr. Dunja Bandelj has co-authored 49 original scientific articles, of which she is the first or lead author in 27 articles. She has also published five independent chapters in scientific monographs and three major professional monographs. Her works have been cited 464 times. She was the lead researcher of several national ARIS and CRP projects as well as international projects under the SEE-ERA and INTERREG programs in the field of genetics and plant production.
Dr Dunja Bandelj was involved in the accreditation of study programmes in the fields of agriculture, biopsychology and bioinformatics at UP FAMNIT. She is pedagogically involved in the study programmes Agronomy, Conservation Biology and Bioinformatics, where she teaches subjects in genetics, agroecology and plant production. She has mentored or co-mentored 20 graduate or master's students and mentored two doctoral students. In 2006, she received the Svečana lista (Certificate of Honour) from the University of Primorska for her research work.
DR. SIMONA KRALJ FIŠER, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »BIOLOGY« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR
Dr Simona Kralj Fišer's research is in the fields of behavioural biology, evolutionary biology and ecology, and focuses on various interesting aspects related to animal behaviour and life history traits. Her work is particularly distinguished by her research on sex differences in behaviour and morphology, investigating the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying these differences. Her research uses a combination of quantitative genetic and experimental approaches, including pedigree breeding, quantitative genetics, genomics and transcriptomics. She also studies mating strategies and systems and sexual size dimorphism, in particular the architecture of sex-specific traits and how maternal effects may influence phenotypic differences between the sexes. An important part of her research is devoted to the study of within-species differences in personality, examining how sexual selection influences personality traits, the genetic architecture of these traits and their sex differences. She collaborates with a wide range of researchers and institutions to publish her findings, making important contributions to our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological basis of animal behaviour.
Dr Simona Kralj Fišer has co-authored 52 original scientific articles, of which she is the first or lead author in 28, and two chapters in monographs, with a total of 852 net citations. Dr Simona Kralj Fišer is the leader of the programme group "Biodiversity: patterns, processes, predictions and conservation". She has led or participated in a number of research projects, working mainly with the Faculty of Biotechnics, the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (FAMNIT) and the National Institute of Biology.
Dr Simona Kralj Fišer's pedagogical work includes teaching at the University of Primorska and at the ZRC SAZU Graduate School. At the University of Primorska, she works at the Department of Psychology at UP FAMNIT, where she lectures in Behavioural Genetics. She has been a mentor or co-mentor for more than 16 graduates or master students and a mentor and co-mentor for two PhD students. She is or has been involved in PhD student supervision committees at the University of Singapore and at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), and two of her students have been awarded prizes for the best thesis or PhD thesis for their work.
DR. MARKO OREL, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »MATHEMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR
Initially, the research work of Marko Orel involved preserver problems in matrix theory. Already during his PhD study, he started to combine preserver problems with a graph theoretical area that include the study of graph homomorphisms and cores. The intersection of the two research fields involved several mathematical structures over a finite field. In a more recent research work, he built some new bridges that connect matrix theory and graph theory one side and finite geometry and coding theory on the other side.
The research publications of Marko Orel are spread into 13 different research journals and books. Among them we can find journals as Linear and Multilinear Algebra, Journal of Combinatorial Theory - Series A, and Finite Fields and their Applications. In particular, he is the sole author of 11 scientific articles and one book chapter that combine in total for 279 pages of original research work. He served as a referee for 11 different journals with impact factor.
Marko Orel has teaching experience at the University of Primorska, University of Ljubljana, University of Nova Gorica, and at the University of Rijeka. In total he had 28 different course lectures and tutorials at 9 different faculties. Since he joined the University of Primorska, he had several leading and administrative functions. In particular, he is a board member of University of Primorska since 2011 and the vice-dean for science and research at UP FAMNIT since 2012.
DR. ADEMIR HUJDUROVIĆ, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »MATHEMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR
The research work of dr. Hujdurović is graph theory, primarily focusing on the study of the properties and characterization of graphs that possess a certain degree of symmetry. Some of the most important results of Dr. Hujdurović are the proof of the conjecture about the non-existence of non-trivially unstable circulants of odd order, as well as the solution of some open questions regarding the intersection density of transitive permutation groups.
Dr. Hujdurović has so far co-authored 34 original scientific articles in SCI-listed journals, with a total of 132 pure citations. As a researcher, he is a member of the program group Mathematical modelling and encryption: from theoretical concepts to real-life applications, within which he participated in numerous research projects in the field of mathematics. In 2019, he received the award for scientific excellence of the University of Primorska, and in 2023 the Kalman Visiting Fellow award of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Since 2023 he is a managing editor of SCI journal Ars Mathematica Contemporanea.
The pedagogical work of dr. Hujdurović includes participation in the implementation of study programs of all levels in the field of mathematics and first-level study programs in the field of computer science and informatics at UP FAMNIT. He was a mentor or co-mentor for three doctoral dissertations and three master's theses in the field of mathematics. Dr. Hujdurović was a member of the organizing committee of a large number of international mathematical conferences and summer schools, including a member of the organizing committee of the 8th European Mathematical Congress. He was an invited lecturer at international conferences and universities in Turkey, Austria, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, USA, South Korea, Hungary, New Zealand and Croatia.
DR. RUSSELL STEPHEN WOODROOFE, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »MATHEMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR
Dr. Woodroofe's first job after the PhD was at Cornell's medical college campus in Doha, Qatar, where he taught premedical calculus. In 2008, he began a postdoc with John Shareshian in the Department of Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis. He moved in 2012 to Mississippi State University as a tenure-track assistant professor of Mathematics. While at Mississippi State, he spent a semester in 2016 visiting the University of Miami; and he visited the University of Primorska several times on guest researcher grants. Dr. Woodroofe came to the University of Primorska in the fall of 2017 as an associate professor, and has been here since.
The research work of Dr. Woodroofe is broadly centered around combinatorics, group theory, and topology. He is an expert in the technique of shellability. He has built tools to shell lattices of subgroups and cosets, and similar lattices. He is perhaps best known for his work in combinatorial commutative algebra, which demonstrated to researchers in that field how to make good use of techniques from topological combinatorics and graph theory. His recent work concerns application of Smith-Oliver theory to posets of groups or cosets, and application of techniques inspired from algebraic geometry to Erdős-Ko-Rado problems.
Dr. Woodroofe has published 22 mathematical articles, including an article in the Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery and two articles in Advances in Mathematics. He also has a significant package of mathematical software, with his Gap.app computer algebra frontend and distribution.
At FAMNIT, Dr. Woodroofe has taught courses for mathematics, computer science, and bioinformatics students, in topics around topology, analysis, and combinatorics. He advised the PhD thesis of Andrés Santamaría-Galvis. He also advised two masters theses of students at Mississippi State, and has advised formal and semi-formal undergraduate research projects for eight students. In 2011, he received the Guido L. Weiss Teaching and Service Award from the Department of Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis.
DR. MIKLÓS KRÉSZ, FULL PROFESSOR IN THE FIELD OF »COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATICS« AND RESEARCH COUNSELLOR
Continuing his academic journey, Miklós Krész pursued a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Szeged, earning his degree in 2005. During this time, he joined the Department of Applied Informatics at the same university, where he has been a college professor since 2010. Between 2011 and 2018, he assumed the role of Department Head. Alongside his colleagues, he co-founded a research and development start-up whose main product was a network analysis software for risk assessment. This software found applications in leading banks, insurance companies, and telecommunication firms.
Since 2006, Miklós Krész has been actively involved in teaching at the University of Primorska. Initially, he served as an Erasmus teacher, and from 2009, he took on the role of lecturer in the Computer Science MSc program. In 2011 he was granted the title of assistant professor and since 2017, he has held the position of associate professor. In October 2017, Dr. Krész became part of the newly established interdisciplinary center, InnoRenew CoE, where he assumed the role of research group leader. Currently, he serves as the head of the Research Department Information Processing. Additionally, since March 2018, he has been a senior researcher at the Institute Andrej Marušič, University of Primorska.
Miklós Krész’s main research areas are industrially motivated discrete optimization methods, data driven industrial solutions and the integration of operations research and data science methodologies. Both fundamental and applied research in the above fields is in the focus of his interest. He has co-authored 75 original scientific articles, and four chapters in monographs, with a total of almost 300 pure citations. He was a leading expert in over 50 interdisciplinary and industrial projects. He was the Secretary General of the Hungarian Operations Research Society and currently he is the vice chair of SI MATH IN - Consortium for Industrial Mathematics (Slovenian network of EU-MATHS-IN: European Service Network of Mathematics for Industry and Innovation).
Dr. Miklós Krész has an extensive teaching background. At the University of Szeged, he covered a diverse range of subjects, including Formal Languages and Automata, Information Systems, Operations Research, Statistics, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Mining. At the University of Primorska he is actively involved in both the Computer Science and Data Science MSc programs. Specifically, he serves as the main lecturer for the courses Selected Topics in Theoretical Computer Science and Mining Massive Data. Additionally, he co-coordinates the Data Science Seminar course. Dr. Krész’s commitment extends to the Renewable Materials and Healthy Built Environment PhD program, where he participates in teaching various courses and the lecturer of the Design and Analysis of Experiments course. Furthermore, he also delivered specialized courses at the University of Turku, Finland, covering topics such as Algorithm Engineering, Optimization, and Data Mining. He has been a mentor or co-mentor of 15 MSc students and a supervisor or co-supervisor for four PhD theses.
dr. Lara Lusa, redna profesorica za področje »Statistika« in znanstvena svetnica
Raziskovalno delo dr. Luse zajema področje razvoja statistične metodologije za potrebe medicinske statistike. Najbolj odmevni so njeni članki s področja visokorazsežnih podatkov. Njeno trenutno raziskovalno delo se osredotoča na začetno analizo podatkov. Od leta 2016 je članica mednarodne pobude STRATOS (STRengthening Analytical Thinking for Observational Studies), ki vključuje strokovnjake številnih različnih področij biostatistike, kjer je sopredsednica delovne skupine o začetni analizi podatkov in članica delovne skupine o visokorazsežnih podatkih.
Bibliografija dr. Luse do sedaj obsega 85 izvirnih znanstvenih del v revijah s faktorjem vpliva, od tega je prva ali vodilna avtorica v 21 člankih, skupno število čistih citatov presega 2500 in njen indeks citiranosti h je 26. Ima tudi 14 člankov, ki so opredeljeni kot izjemni dosežek po metodologiji Javne agencije za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije. Za svoje raziskovalno delo je leta 2020 prejela Zoisovega priznanja za znanstvene dosežke pri razvoju metodologije medicinske statistike, leta 2021 je bila prejemnica nagrade za zanstveno odličnost Univerze na Primorskem. Svoje raziskovalno delo je predstavila z vabljenimi predavanji na mednarodnih konferencah in na univerzah v tujini.
Pedagoško delo zajema izvajanje predmetov s področja statistike in uporabne statistike na vseh nivojih različnih študijskih programih na Univerzi na Primorskem in na Univerzi v Ljubljani. V slovenskem prostoru aktivno sodeluje v dejavnostih Statističnega društva Slovenije, od leta 2013 je sourednica revije Metodološki zvezki – Advances in Statistics and Methodology, od leta 2016 pa predsednica programskega odbora mednarodne konference Applied Statistics.
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 21ST UP SOLEMN ACADEMY
The University of Primorska celebrates its anniversary every year in the week around 17 March, since it was entered in the Court Register on 17 March 2003. Thus, every year, the UP Week takes place, and within it there is always a Solemn Academy, at which the UP awards prizes to all those who have contributed to the reputation, development and success of the University through their work or activities.
This year's Academy started with a special occasion - in the company of the first Rector, Dr. Lucija Čok, both Rectors - Dr. Rado Bohinc and Dr. Dragan Marušič, Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, who wore the current insignia during her first term, accepted the new insignia. The first Rector's insignia was donated by the designer Oskar Kogoj at the time of its creation, and now all those who proudly and responsibly wore it have put it in a commemorative frame with their signatures. With the new decade, the design of the new insignia was donated to the University by the academic painter Dr. Tilen Žbona, a teacher at the University of Primorska and the initiator of the establishment of the Visual Arts and Design art study programmes at the University of Primorska.
The participants were first addressed by the Rector of UP, Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, who emphasised in her speech: »Our university, which is still mostly portrayed only as the youngest and smallest public university in the Republic of Slovenia, is thus taking a leading role in shaping the future of the construction ecosystem in the European Union and is committed to the three core values of the New European Bauhaus: sustainability, beauty and inclusion.«
Lana Erjavec, President of the UP Student Council, gave a special greeting to the students: »I would like to thank all the students for your significant contribution to co-creating our academic community. I appreciate that you dedicate your free time and energy to improving the experience of all UP students. I am always impressed by how driven we are, eager for knowledge and willing to make the world a better place.«
Last year, we hosted the keynote speaker Mariya Gabriel, in her role as European Commissioner, who has made her efforts to strengthen higher education institutions a reality through the creation of ENIHEI - the European Network of Innovative Higher Education Institutions, of which UP is a member. This year, she was invited to be the keynote speaker, but had to limit her presence to a video address, due to her commitments related to the assumption of the Presidency of the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria. We will meet her in person at UP when she will be awarded the UP Honorary Doctorate for 2023. In her address, she emphasized: »I'd like to congratulate everyone at the University of Primorska and thank your fore being an active participant in key European initiatives in the areas of higher education. You are a concrete example, how by connecting the spheres of innovation and education we can encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation.«
The UP Prizes for 2023 were awarded.
Recipients of the University of Primorska awards for 2023
PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - PROF. RADO BOHINC
On the proposal of the Rector of UP, the 2023 title of Professor Emeritus of the University of Primorska is awarded to Prof. Rado Bohinc for his outstanding achievements in the development of his scientific discipline, for his dedication to teaching and supervising activities, and for his contribution to building up the reputation and visibility of the University of Primorska.
Dr. Rado Bohinc was the Rector of UP from 2007 to 2011, during which time he was also a teacher and researcher at UP. In almost 40 years of scientific activity (his first monograph was published in 1981), he has published 40 scientific monographs, 17 independent scientific papers or chapters in monographs, 52 original and 12 review articles. Dr. Rado Bohinc’s research interests have in many respects been characterised by his field of employment: business law, comparative corporate governance, social responsibility, economic democracy, social economics, property ownership, university and higher education, science and research, public governance (public administration, the public sector), EU law, political systems, human rights, and the media. He has been a long-serving lecturer in all three study cycles at both the University of Ljubljana and the University of Maribor. He was first employed at UP as a visiting professor, then in 2007 as Rector and later as a teacher at UP FM.
Dr. Rado Bohinc has always been active in governance bodies at various social and institutional levels. During his term of office at UP, he contributed crucially first to the financial rehabilitation of the University, then to the development of study programmes and faculties, especially the advancement of the University’s research activities and, last but not least, to its investment development. During that time, he was also the President of the Slovenian Rectors’ Conference and the Alps-Adriatic Rectors’ Conference (2010–2011). He made a significant contribution to the international standing of UP by concluding numerous international agreements. He served as Rector of UP and performed other academic leadership positions with responsibility, dedication and conscientiousness, striving to increase UP’s quality, excellence and international standing.
SOLEMN CHARTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - ASST. PROF. ALEKSANDAR TOŠIĆ (UP FAMNIT IN UP IAM)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and the UP Andrej Marušič Institute, the 2023 UP Solemn Charter is awarded to Assist. Prof. Aleksandar Tošić for his significant contribution to the development of UP in all of its activities and for his extremely successful integration of scientific research work with industrial projects.
Dr. Aleksandar Tošić received his PhD at UP, where he completed all three cycles of his studies. He works at the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at UP FAMNIT, where he regularly receives excellent evaluations as a lecturer. His scientific interest is distributed systems, especially distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) and blockchains. He has published several high-profile works, including 11 scientific papers in SCI-listed journals in the last three years, two of which were published in A’’ journals. The integration of his research with industrial projects is especially important, and is reflected not only in his successful work in industry but also in his applying for and supervising six Creative Pathways to Knowledge projects. These are aimed at introducing students to working on projects with companies, including projects with successful industrial applications. He is also extremely active in the popularisation and visibility of his research field: his smart floor innovation was exhibited at the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for several months. Lastly, he continues to inspire young people to get involved in computer science through designing, managing and organising the Faculty Programming Competition.
UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - ASSOC. PROF. ANNA MAŁGORZATA SANDAK (UP FAMNIT IN UP IAM)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies and the UP Andrej Marušič Institute, the 2023 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Assoc. Prof. Anna Małgorzata Sandak for her outstanding research in wood science and her leadership of a prestigious ERC project.
Dr. Anna Małgorzata Sandak completed her PhD studies in 2010 at the University of Poznan, Poland. She has been employed at UP since 2016, working as a researcher and transferring her knowledge to Master’s and PhD students of renewable materials and sustainable built environment at the Department of Applied Natural Sciences of UP FAMNIT. She is also head of the Materials research department at InnoRenew CoE. Since coming to UP, she has carried out scientific research, teaching and leading the way in popularising science and improving the visibility of UP. In particular, she has organised numerous international conferences and workshops, and is a member of the editorial boards of many international journals. She has published over 90 scientific papers, 7 of which were published in 2023. She is a world-renowned and internationally engaged researcher, which is demonstrated by the outstanding number of international grant projects she has been awarded, including the first ERC Consolidator Grant led by a female researcher. Her five-year ARCHI-SKIN project, titled “Bioinspired living skin for architecture”, worth almost €2 million, focuses on the development of a protective biocoating made from engineered living materials.
GOLD MEDAL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - ASSOC. PROF. JERNEJ VIČIČ
On the proposal of the Rector of UP, the 2023 Gold Medal of the University of Primorska is awarded to Assoc. Prof. Jernej Vičič for his particularly significant contribution to the development of UP by establishing IT support for the administrative processes underpinning educational, research and support activities.
Dr. Jernej Vičič completed his doctoral studies at the University of Ljubljana in 2012 and has worked at UP since 2001. His research interest is language technologies, particularly language and translation models of natural languages and distributed systems. He is head of the UP Distributed Systems and Language Technologies Laboratory – D(LT)^2, and has interdisciplinary links with the Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovenian Language at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts as well as with InnoRenew CoE. Particularly noteworthy is his leadership of the project Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Communities – European Digital Innovation Hub. In addition to conducting scientific research and teaching at UP, he is also responsible for the IT support of education and research. For many years now, he has been in charge of the Moodle learning platform at all the faculties. As head of the Centre for Application Design and Development (UP IAM CORA), he manages the development team of the UNIS personnel information system and the travel orders application – a unique open source integration system that allows the control and integrated use of information from different sources. The system also provides a comprehensive overview of the data of staff, research projects and other university projects, as well as extracts used in reporting, which is an essential element of the informatisation of the university.
SREČKO KOSOVEL AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - ANA KUDER (UP FAMNIT)
On the proposal of UP FAMNIT, the 2023 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Ana Kuder for her Master’s thesis Assessing cognitive sequelae of COVID-19 using telepsychological testing under supervisor Assist. Prof. Maja Smrdu and co-supervisor Assist. Prof. Bojan Rojc.
Ana Kuder has graduated from the Psychology MA programme at UP FAMNIT. She approached her excellent Master’s thesis with extraordinary independence, a remarkable ability for analytical thinking, use of the latest scientific sources and detailed familiarity with statistical analytical methods. Her work, which perfectly integrates various contemporary areas of knowledge in cognitive psychology and the use of psychodiagnostic tools, explores the cognitive functioning in people who have survived a mild or moderate case of COVID-19 and compares them with those who have not been affected or who had been affected more than a year before. Her research work includes setting up and carrying out Biological-Psychological Student Conferences at UP. She is also a member of SiNAPSA, the Slovenian Neuroscience Association, where she helps to organise the annual Neuroscience Conference. She has already published two scientific papers in indexed journals and presented her work at several conferences and symposia. Shortly after graduation, she completed her traineeship in healthcare and passed her professional examination. At the beginning of this academic year, she became a research assistant in clinical neurophysiology at University Medical Centre Ljubljana.
SREČKO KOSOVEL AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - DR. SARA ZUPAN (UP FHŠ)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Humanities, the 2023 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Dr. Sara Zupan for her PhD thesis The influence of geographic and ecological isolation of populations of the false ringlet butterfly Coenonympha oedippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on genetic structure and phenotype expression, under supervisor Assoc. Prof. Jure Jugovic and co-supervisors Prof. Elena Bužan and Assoc. Prof. Valentina Brečko Grubar.
Dr. Sara Zupan completed her PhD in Geography at UP FHŠ with an extremely extensive and multifaceted doctoral thesis, whose results have been published in five scientific papers. The PhD thesis excels at applying an outstanding interdisciplinary approach, in which the author combines elements of geography, genetics and ecology, thus providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the habitat and populations of the false ringlet butterfly (Coenonympha oedippus) in Slovenia, an endangered species of pan-European importance. Dr. Sara Zupan is employed at the Department of Biodiversity of UP FAMNIT, where she is active in both the scientific area and in education. Her innovative teaching and her involvement in the INOVUP project show her desire to improve the quality of higher education. She has also participated in several projects, helped organise conferences and brought together four institutions in the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Kras4us project application. She is an exceptional researcher and educator who exceeds high expectations in all areas of her work.
GOLD MEDAL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - UP FHŠ GROUP OF CO-WORKERS TO OBTAIN UNESCO CHAIR
On the proposal of UP FHŠ, the 2023 Gold Medal of the University of Primorska is awarded to a group of associates from the UP Faculty of Humanities for facilitating the establishment and acquisition of the first UNESCO Chair in the Humanities in Slovenia and the first at UP.
Specialist trends point to the need for an inclusive approach to heritage management. In August 2021, the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris approved the establishment of a new UNESCO Chair for Interpretation and Education for Enhancing Integrated Heritage Approaches at UP FHŠ, which became operational in 2022. It is only the fourth Chair in Slovenia and the first in the humanities. The Chair fills a gap in the existing UNESCO Chairs around the world, recognising that the key to sustainable heritage management lies in interpretation and education through integrated heritage approaches. The activities of the Chair are based on the world-renowned International Summer School of Museology and other educational and research activities of UP FHŠ, organised in collaboration with the Škocjan Caves Regional Park, Slovenia’s oldest UNESCO destination. The newly established Chair has thus put UP on the world map of the most prominent and excellent institutions in heritage studies, strengthening its reputation, excellence and visibility at the international level. The following people have made the establishment of the Chair possible through their long-standing heritage research and teaching: Prof. Irena Lazar, Assist. Prof. Neža Čebron Lipovec, Assist. Prof. Zrinka Mileusnić, Assoc.Prof. Katja Hrobat Virloget and Assoc. Prof. Alenka Tomaž.
SOLEMN CHARTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA - ASST. PROF. ŽIGA KOZINC (UP FVZ)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Health Sciences, the 2023 UP Solemn Charter is awarded to Assist. Prof. Žiga Kozinc for his significant contribution to the development of UP in all of its activities and for his incisiveness and excellence in scientific research.
Dr. Žiga Kozinc received his PhD from UP FVZ in 2021, having been employed there since 2020. Immediately after his PhD, he obtained an internal university postdoctoral project, and, this year, also an ARIS postdoctoral project. He has contributed to strengthening the international visibility of UP both through established collaborations with a number of experts from abroad and his scientific excellence in foreign journals, which is recognised in his appointment to both editorial and review boards. He is the author or co-author of 113 scientific papers, ranks 2nd among sports researchers with 2,863 points (SICRIS) and is a co-author of a patent in metrology. Moreover, he is an excellent teacher, being one of the most highly rated lecturers. He supervises students in their final theses in all study cycles (including those who have won some faculty- and university-level prizes) and in the publication of scientific papers. On his own initiative, several students have presented their papers at conferences. He has been involved in curricular renewal, has designed lifelong learning courses and co-authored a textbook. He is singled out by students as one of the best teachers – extremely accessible, responsive, professional and fair.
UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - PROF. ŠTEFAN BOJNEC (UP FM)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Management, the 2023 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Prof. Štefan Bojnec for achieving outstanding results in scientific research in the social sciences.
Dr. Štefan Bojnec completed his doctoral studies in 1988 at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Zagreb, and has worked at the University of Primorska since 2003. He is head of the Department of Economics at UP FM and a lecturer and teacher in seven courses. In 2023, he published a total of 19 original scientific papers, 9 of which were published in top international social science journals indexed by SCI, SSCI and A&HCI. His high-profile work is confirmed by the numerous citations of his publications – 1,696 in WOS and 2,112 true citations in Scopus in the last 10 years. He has also been awarded numerous projects, especially in the last few years. The most recent ones are AGRIGEP from the prestigious Horizon programme, WE-GREEN from the Erasmus+ KA2 programme and one ARIS basic project. He is also involved in three targeted research projects. His international engagement is evident in the five bilateral cooperation projects he has carried out in the last year and in his membership of the editorial boards of more than 20 international journals. He is also a member of around 10 international professional associations, an evaluator of Horizon 2020 projects and a member of the German Scientific Advisory Board of IAMO.
UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AWARD - PROF. ANDREJA ISTENIČ (UP PEF)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Education, the 2023 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Prof. Andreja Istenič for having achieved outstanding results in scientific research in didactics.
Dr. Andreja Istenič completed her doctoral studies in 2002 at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, and has been employed at the Department of Educational Sciences of UP since 2005. She is in charge of the in-house research programme Post-digital Learning Environment and Educational Technology for Innovative Learning and Career Paths. She is one of the leading researchers in education and has a high citation record (593 WOS citations and 847 Scopus citations), with 829 true citations and 138 citations for her most outstanding work over a five-year period. Her career is characterised by successful and dedicated teaching, supervising students in all study cycles, and by strong international engagement. For example, she has been appointed to a five-year term by the American Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) as a member of an expert panel formulating educational development policies in the USA. She is currently an editor at Taylor & Francis and has served as editor of various journals and special anniversary issues of foreign journals. Her good cooperation with foreign organisations is reflected in the extensive list of guest lectures and degrees awarded by foreign universities in Russia, Australia and the US.
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023 - ASSOC. PROF. ARMAND FAGANEL (UP FM)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Management, the 2023 UP Educational Excellence Award goes to Assoc. Prof. Armand Faganel for his outstanding educational work and for sharing both theoretical and practical knowledge with his students.
Dr. Armand Faganel completed his doctoral studies in 2015 at UP FM, where he has been working since 2003, currently as an associate professor in marketing. He is a lecturer and teacher of several courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He is a dedicated university teacher, a thesis supervisor and a long-standing head of the Marketing Department. His research interests include inter-organisational and consumer marketing, sales, service quality perception in higher education and brand management. His dedication to teaching is evident from the many reviews from his students, who describe him as a lecturer who approaches the subject in a way that is always new, innovative and exciting. In his work with students, it is clear that he wants to give the best experience possible since he constantly involves them in his scientific work, while at the same time familiarising them with the real-world working environment during their studies. He keeps in touch with his graduates, thus forming a bridge between theory and practice, which he understands very well thanks to his many years of experience as a manager in retail, wholesale and the automotive industry.
SREČKO KOSOVEL AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - MATEJ VREČIČ (UP FM)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Management, the 2023 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Matej Vrečič for his thesis The pitfalls of investing in cryptocurrencies under supervisor Assoc. Prof. Suzana Laporšek.
Matej Vrečič has graduated from the Management BA programme at UP FM. In his thesis, he dealt with the highly topical area of cryptocurrencies. Applying a clear theoretical background, he explained the existence and functioning of cryptocurrencies and the pitfalls of investing in cryptocurrencies for individual investors and society as a whole. The thesis demonstrates an in-depth and comprehensive knowledge of the chosen topic. At the end of the thesis, he even puts forward suggestions for improvement and specifically points out that the lack of regulation in this area may lead to crypto crime. He displayed remarkable independence and research curiosity when drawing up his final project thesis. The fact that this is an area where research is lacking and few sources are available confirms that the thesis is a particularly significant contribution to the profession and to raising financial literacy in cryptocurrency investing. His thesis is extremely topical, as it deals with one of the most exciting yet relatively poorly researched areas in the financial world. As one of the first in Slovenia, it represents an important step towards awareness and knowledge of the risks and pitfalls of cryptocurrencies.
UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA PRIZE FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - LANA ERJAVEC (UP FVZ)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Health Sciences, the 2023 UP Prize for UP Students is awarded to Lana Erjavec for her exceptionally active involvement in curricular and extracurricular activities at UP and for conveying the voice of the students.
Lana Erjavec has been actively engaged in the curricular and extracurricular life of the Faculty and the University since her enrolment at UP FVZ. She has become a role model for many students through her actions, commitment, motivation, her genuine empathy and self-sacrifice. She has thus contributed to building a community and a sense of belonging, which was lost among students in the post-COVID era, raising awareness of social responsibility among students. She has helped develop and promote the entire tutoring system and the UP FVZ and UP Student Councils. She has been involved in the launch of the student magazine Ad Salutem and helped break down taboos and stigma surrounding several social issues among students. She has also promoted the acquisition of informal skills and participation in the UP FVZ and UP Alumni Clubs. Since November, she has been the UP representative on the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Student Council. Besides competently handling many tasks, she is above all an admirable person, still finding time for voluntary work to which she has been committed for many years, at SOS telefon, a helpline for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Lana Erjavec proves that by being organised, determined and willing it is possible to successfully balance one’s studies and extracurricular activities.
UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA PRIZE FOR UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA STUDENTS - ALJA POLANEC (UP PEF)
On the proposal of the UP Faculty of Education, the 2023 UP Prize for UP Students is awarded to Alja Polanec for her active involvement in curricular and extracurricular activities at UP and her tutoring work.
Alja Polanec has shown outstanding dedication and commitment at faculty and university level. After having taken over the organisation of events for students, her work has developed into active participation in both the Student Council and the tutoring team. As the coordinator of UP PEF Tutors, she has monitored and advised students and new tutors, and has transferred her experience to the university tutoring system, which has gained new dimensions, success and momentum with her involvement. She has demonstrated versatility and the ability to handle a wide range of responsibilities, which she does with pleasure, great energy and conscientiousness. She is a member of the Faculty Student Council, Vice President of the University Student Council and a member of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Student Council. In addition, she is extremely passionate about acquiring new knowledge, as she is a student of Adult Education at UP PEF and Biopsychology at UP FAMNIT, and takes part in conferences both as a volunteer and as an active participant. Her work in different capacities reflects a high level of responsibility, organisational skills and an outstanding commitment to the student community.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA FOR 2023 - BLANKA PALČIČ (RECTORATE UP)
On the proposal of the UP College of Deans and Directors, the 2023 Acknowledgement of a Member of the UP Support Staff is awarded to Blanka Palčič for her conscientious work and successful stewardship of the important UP GDI project.
Blanka Palčič joined the UP team in December 2010. Today she is in charge of the sound operation of the Scholarship Fund, is a trustee of the UP Board of Trustees and has established the UP Alumni Office. She has been entrusted with the management of the important GDI UP project – Green, Digital and Inclusive UP, co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. Thanks to her effective organisational skills, she is in charge of the timely reporting and implementation of the project in accordance with the provisions set by the funding bodies. She demonstrates a high sense of protocol and precision in the organisation and high-quality delivery of various events and workshops. She has earned the respect and trust of the various stakeholders involved in her work and tasks by constantly reinforcing the reputation of UP, while also demonstrating a high level of loyalty to the University.
Friday, 15 March 2024 Königsberg: A Hidden Key to Graph Theory's Door: Video of the third lecture of Famnits' excursion into the mathematical universe 2023/24 is now available
The third lecture of Famnits' excursion into the mathematical universe 2023/24, titled "Königsberg: A Hidden Key to Graph Theory's Door" was conducted by Dr. Blas Fernandez from the Department of Mathematics UP FAMNIT. The lecture took place live and via video conference link on Zoom.
Unnoticed within the pages of history rests the unfamiliar city of Königsberg. While modern maps may find it hard to precisely locate, one particular quirk in its geography has made it one of the most recognizable cities in mathematics. Right in the middle of this city, where the Pregel River flowed, lay two interconnected islands joined to the riverbanks by seven distinct bridges. Residents became captivated by a simple question: Could one traverse all Königsberg's bridges without retracing their steps? This innocent and curious question challenged the minds of mathematicians and forged the very essence of graph theory. The lecturer presented the secret role that Königsberg had, unlocking the door to the amazing world where graph theory began. Dr. Fernandez unraveled the essential ideas behind graphs— visual representations of interconnected nodes —and dive into their wide applicability for solving all sorts of different problems.
Blas Fernandez, born in 1992 in Alberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina, finished his Master’s thesis in Mathematics at the National University of La Plata in 2018. Before defending his thesis, he was at the University of Primorska as part of the Erasmus programme. At the beginning of the academic year 2018/2019, Blas enrolled in the doctoral Mathematics study programme at the University of Primorska, where he made remarkable progress in the field of algebraic combinatorics. He is the author of twelve high-quality articles and has presented several results from his doctoral dissertation at international conferences and research seminars.
Friday, 15 March 2024 Open Call for Young Researchers at UP for 2024
The University of Primorska has published a Call for Young Researchers who will be trained over the next four years in a research and study programme. Each young researcher will carry out a research project under supervision, which will be structured within the framework of the specific research programme.
In 2024, there are four positions open for young researchers, with two positions available at UP IAM.
Candidates can apply to the call for the following mentors, in the following research fields and within the framework of the institution's research programmes.
Prof. Dr. Michel Lavrauw – research field Mathematics, research programme P1-0285 Algebra, diskretna matematika, verjetnostni račun in teorija iger, UP Andrej Marušič Institute (UP IAM),
Prof. Dr. Enes Pasalic – research field Mathematics, research programme P1-0404: Matematično modeliranje in enkripcija: od teoretičnih konceptov do vsakodnevnih aplikacij, UP Inštitut Andrej Marušič (UP IAM).
Candidates must have completed a second-level degree programme within the last four years and have an average grade in all final assessments and examinations, including the Master's thesis, of at least 8.
Only one candidate can be selected per mentor. The candidate will be offered a full-time contract for up to four years. If there are several applicants, they will be ranked according to their overall score. The candidate with the highest score will be selected. In the event of two candidates scoring the same number of points, preference will be given to the candidate from the under-represented gender in the specific research field, if the research field is characterised by a gender imbalance of researchers at UP (more than 60 %/40 % in favour of/to the detriment of one gender).
The submission deadline is 15 June 2024, by the end of day. Applicants should submit their applications and supporting documents in electronic format (scanned PDF documents) to the following e-mail address: razpis.mr@upr.si.
Thursday, 14 March 2024 Simulation of autonomous driving with dr. Toralf Trautmann
Toralf Trautmann, a distinguished physicist and professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Dresden (HTWD), presented a of autonomous driving and advancements in automotive software on March 14, 2024, in Izola.
Attendees gained insight into advanced automotive software and its development at the event.
Within his visit to UP FAMNIT, Dr. Trautmann shared his knowledge and experience also at the Monday computer seminar on March 11, 2024.
He focused on the development and testing of advanced driver assistance systems, surrounding sensors (Lidar, Radar, Camera) and data fusion, approval processes for autonomous vehicles, as well as the development of software and prototyping using Matlab/Simulink. At the seminar he presented the research, which emphasizes the necessity of sensor fusion for improving detection quality and addresses the physical limitations of sensors, proposing design adaptations for better visibility.
More about the current testing procedures and development activities of the Automotive Mechatronics Laboratory at HTWD is also presented in this video.
The video recording of the seminar is available at this link.
Thursday, 14 March 2024 Brain Awareness Week
How to enhance intimacy in romantic relationships? Is sexual education in primary school sufficient to fully understand sexuality? These and many other questions were discussed together with experts from various fields at this year's Brain Awareness Week at UP FAMNIT.
Brain Awareness Week is an international initiative that takes place every year in the third week of March. During this time, various educational events are held throughout Slovenia, aimed at raising awareness among the general public and professionals about the latest findings in the field of human brain and nervous system research. Under the auspices of the Slovenian Society for Neuroscience, SiNAPSA, a diverse range of lectures, workshops for younger and older audiences, roundtable discussions, and film evenings with discussions are organized.
A series of events was organized by students of biopsychology and psychology in collaboration with the Association of Biopsychology Students in Koper. In addition to the main events in Ljubljana, Brain Awareness Week took place at UP FAMNIT from Tuesday, March 12, to Friday, March 15.
Leila Winkler and Larisa Lara Pohorec, both graduates of Biopsychology at UP FAMNIT, were the coordinators of the group organizing the events at UP FAMNIT. Students of biopsychology, psychology, and young employees of UP FAMNIT actively participated in event preparation.
The common theme of this year's events revolved around topics related to sexuality, intimacy, and eroticism. During the lectures, participants gained insight into addiction to online pornography and how mindfulness can help us in dealing with these issues. Additionally, some myths that arose due to inadequate sexual education at home and in schools were clarified.
Thursday, 14 March 2024 Invitation to the defense of the Master’s Thesis - Katja Povše (Psychology, 2nd cycle)
On Tuesday, 19 March 2024, at 14:00 in the classroom Famnit-MP4, Katja Povše, a student of the master's study program Psychology, 2nd cycle, will present her Master's Thesis entitled Gratitude as a mediator of perfectionism and psychological wellbeing among students.
You are all kindly invited!
Wednesday, 13 March 2024 Invitation to the defense of the Master’s Thesis - Lara Gregorčič (Psychology, 2nd cycle)
On Monday, 18 March 2024, at 13:30 in the classroom Famnit-MP2, Lara Gregorčič, a student of the master's study program Psychology, 2nd cycle, will present her Master's Thesis entitled Leadership styles and self-efficacy in basic schools of the Goriška statistical region.
You are all kindly invited!
Tuesday, 12 March 2024 UP FAMNIT student won 1st place at the POPRI competition
Last week, at the Primorska Technology Park, the semi-final selection of the entrepreneurial ideas competition – POPRI, took place, bringing together young enthusiasts from all over Slovenia.
Matic Bončina, a 1st-year student in the Computer Science program (UP FAMNIT), together with Matej Aleksov from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana, successfully identified a problem and received an excellent 1st place for their solution.
He's shared his first thoughts on the entire process of development of the Repono online service, of which he is very proud: "We are very proud that our solution to mandatory relocations, which causes trouble for students every year, has been recognized. We are excited about participating in the final in Nova Gorica. With the funds that we have already obtained, we are keen to improve the product and achieve the ultimate mission of making the academic years the best years in students' lives."
What is Repono? Repono is an online service that serves for the safe storage and relocation of students' belongings during holidays or items they don't need outside the season. This allows students to focus on things that truly matter - studying, gaining work experience, and enjoying a carefree summer.
This year, compete almost 30 percent more young people in the national competition for entrepreneurial ideas, which means 607 participants who have developed 203 innovative business models. About half of them managed to reach the semi-finals, and the best will contest in the final, held on 4 April 2024 in Nova Gorica.
Popri competition is organised by the Primorska Technology Park with the cooperation with Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, SPIRIT Slovenia Business Development Agency, the Slovene Enterprise Fund (SEF), which also provides the prize pool of the competition. Other organizers are the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, the City Municipality of Nova Gorica, and the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba.
Congratulations on the first place and good luck in Nova Gorica!
Friday, 8 March 2024 THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE INNORENEW COE AMONG FINALISTS FOR THE NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS PRIZES 2024
The European Commission selected the research institute InnoRenew CoE, out of 530 applications, as one of the finalists for the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024. Today the public voting for the prizes started.
The application prepared by InnoRenew CoE experts stood out from over 530 applications for its quality, alignment with NEB values and principles, and potential to promote beauty, sustainability, and inclusion.
“InnoRenew CoE became a hub for a future-oriented scientific and industrial community focused on sustainable building with renewable materials,” said Eva Prelovšek Niemelä, InnoRenew CoE architect and Head of Creativity & Society research department, and added: “We have successfully brought new hope and knowledge to the city of Izola, a former industrial city in Slovenia, with many events, trainings, conferences, scientific projects, designs, and collaborations.”
The research institute InnoRenew CoE not only designed and constructed the largest wooden building in Slovenia following restorative environmental and ergonomic design (REED) principles, but at the same time created the building to serve as a research object itself. The institute’s researchers can therefore deploy, test, and demonstrate new solutions, technologies, and systems to assess building materials, construction systems, occupant wellbeing, and social engagement. At the same time they are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and innovative approaches with the wider community. Since the official opening of the building in 2022, it has gathered, hosted, attracted and been visited by over 30.000 people. Thus, they are inspiring people to use wood for buildings, furniture, and other objects of daily use. Additionally, the building is the headquarters of the NEB Academy Pioneer Hub for Sustainable Environments with Renewable Materials. The NEBAP Hub activities will provide training, led by the University of Primorska, to accelerate the decarbonisation of homes and buildings across Europe and beyond.
Designing the largest timber building in Slovenia had a complex task beyond the design itself, as it had to demonstrate how the physical transformation of a post-industrial place could bring new spirit and sociotechnical development by creating an engaging scientific hub.
“With the construction of the InnoRenew CoE building we successfully created a new science hub that brings collaboration between research institutes, universities, private companies, vocational trainers, schools, and the local, national, and international community, and it became a special landmark and place to be in Slovenia,” emphases Eva Prelovšek Niemelä. Further she pointed out the pleasure that the excellence and ambitions of InnoRenew CoE were recognized also by the New European Bauhaus community and the European Commission.
The InnoRenew CoE decided to apply for the prize as they believe that the institute itself is an example of good practice, demonstrating a beautiful, sustainable and inclusive environment. From today, 6 March at 12:00 CET until 27 March 2024, at 18:00 CET, the public voting of finalists for the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024 is possible at the NEB Prizes platform.
Two out of the 20 winners of competition will be determined by the results of public voting, while others will be selected by an expert jury. Winners of the NEB Prizes 2024 will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place during the second edition of the New European Bauhaus Festival, in Brussels. The Festival will bring together people from all across the globe to share their vision about a sustainable future. Among them will be also dr. Andreja Kutnar, InnoRenew CoE director, who will present the story and the process of creating the NEB Academy at the University of Primorska and the planned activities of the NEBA Alliance, also led by University of Primorska.
The New European Bauhaus prizes are meant for projects that demonstrate its core principles and values in practice, and encourage the younger generation to develop new concepts and ideas.
You are kindly invited to take part in public voting and support the InnoRenew CoE project!
Thursday, 7 March 2024 Live demonstration of an AEB vehicle
We are pleased to invite you to a seminar and a live demonstration of an AEB vehicle featuring Toralf Trautmann, a distinguished physicist and professor of Automotive Mechatronics at the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (HTWD).
During the Monday (RIN) seminar, Prof. Trautmann will share insights into his extensive research in the field and unfold the fascinating journey of how he and his group developed an Autonomous Vehicle.
Additionally, Prof. Trautmann will give a live demonstration of an AEB vehicle on Thursday, 14 March 2024, at 3 pm, in the parking lot in front of the Livade 1.0 building in Izola. The event is open to all enthusiasts interested in Automotive Software and its development.
His research areas include the development and testing of advanced driver assistance systems, surrounding sensors (Lidar, Radar, Camera) and data fusion, approval processes for autonomous vehicles, as well as the development of software and prototyping using Matlab/Simulink.
Presentation of the current test procedures and development activities of the Laboratory for Automotive Mechatronics at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTWD) is available HERE.
Tuesday, 5 March 2024 LIFE BE-WoodEN project kick-off meeting
University of Primorska's researchers attended the kick off meeting of the LIFE BE-WoodEN – Buildings and Education in Wood Ecosystem for the New European Bauhaus project. It was held 27-28 February 2024 in Genoa, Italy.
The two-day meeting was the first in-person meeting between researchers at the University of Primorska, the project coordinator Universita degli studi di Genova, and other project partners – Regione Liguria, ART-ER Universita degli studi di Firenze, Federazione Italiana delle industrie del legno de IT, Comite Europeen de Coordiantion de l'habitat social aisbl and Politechnika Wroclawska.
The meeting began with an opening address by the University of Genoa’s rector, Mr Federico Delfino. Later participants reviewed the overall content of the project and presented the establishment of the NEB Academy Pioneer SUD Hub. A special focus was on the presentation of the planned communication and dissemination activities with external stakeholders. A timetable for the implementation of various seminars, the autumn school and the podcast were adopted. They held also the Steering Committee meeting.
Prof. dr. Andreja Kutnar, the project leader at UP IAM, presented the process of establishment of the New European Bauhaus Academy Pioneer Hub for Sustainable Built Environments with Renewable Materials (NEBAP Hub).
The following day, the project coordinator organised a tour of Imperia and ARTE Imperia, where participants took part in the first press conference and visited the pilot project for the building restructuring in Imperia. The municipality bought the building to carry out a sustainable renovation, where 18 social housing units and two common areas for the elderly are planned. They will renovate the building by using wood and other natural materials, test innovative methodologies and include on-site demonstrations.
The project is financed under the LIFE2027 initiative of the European Commission and aims to promote the decarbonization of buildings, improve circularity in the building sector, and overcome barriers hindering the widespread use of wood and bio-based materials.
Monday, 4 March 2024 Prof. Ademir Hujdurović was awarded the Kalman Visiting Fellowship to the University of Auckland
Prof. Ademir Hujdurović, Dean of UP FAMNIT, was awarded the Kalman Visiting Fellowship to the University of Auckland. This Fellowship is named after John Kalman, who was a professor of Mathematics at the University of Auckland from 1964 to 1993, and a leading promoter of New Zealand mathematics. The Fellowship is generously supported by a grant from the Margaret and John Kalman Charitable Trust.
This Fellowship is awarded each year to an early career academic to enable them to visit the University of Auckland for a period of several weeks. The Kalman Visiting Fellow would be a faculty member of another University. The purpose of the Kalman Visiting Fellowship is to enable successful mathematicians to visit the University of Auckland and to participate in the intellectual life of the University. The Visiting Fellows participate in and contribute to research activity, give seminars and engage in informal discussions on research topics with staff and students in the Department of Mathematics (and other Departments within the Faculty of Science and University as appropriate).
As part of the fellowship, the Dean of UP FAMNIT visited the University of Auckland this February and held a seminar titled "The Erd˝os-Ko-Rado property of transitive permutation groups".
Prof. Ademir Hujdurović and Assoc. Prof. György Kiss from the Department of Mathematics at UP FAMNIT also attended the Symmetries of Discrete Objects conference (SODO 2024 Auckland) at the University of Auckland, which took place from 12 to 16 February. They contributed with the talks titled "Stability of Cayley graphs" (by Prof. Ademir Hujdurović) and "Geometric constructions of small regular graphs with girth 5 and 7" (by Assoc. Prof. György Kiss).
Prof. Ademir Hujdurović at the SODO 2024 Auckland conference
SODO 2024 Auckland conference participants
