Friday, 22 July 2022 Stories of international cooperation and mobility of professors and researchers at UP FAMNIT
The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT) actively promotes international cooperation and mobility of professors and researchers. We are proud to present the experiences of our researchers, who have recently been actively involved in the international environment and received valuable experience. Among them are Assist. Prof. Maja Smrdu, Assist. Prof. Nino Bašić and Assist. Prof. Vida Groznik, who have shared some of their experiences with us.
Assist. Prof. Maja Smrdu a clinical psychology specialist from the Department of Psychology, attended mobility at the University of Haifa in Israel. During her exchange, she was a guest of Professor Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, head of the neurophenomenology laboratory, that operates within the university. At the university, she lectured on Microphenomenology and descriptive sampling of experiences. As she pointed out, she had the opportunity to work with a very diverse group of students who had the desire for knowledge and an excellent approach to science. Enthusiasm for work was present among professors, students and participants during her visit. »The exchange of knowledge and direct involvement in projects was the key motivator for the exchange,« said Assist. Prof. Smrdu.
During her research, she recognized the high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in Israel, which makes it a frequent subject to explore perceptions of our mortality, death, treatment with psilocybin and the impact of meditation on our consciousness. »All three months were quite intense and somehow gave me a confirmation of the knowledge we have in Slovenia and at FAMNIT, which we may not be aware of ourselves," she sums up.
She believes that we have a lot of research momentum, ideas and connections at the faculty. She hopes that will lead to long-term cooperation in the future and expand knowledge about who we are, how our experience is connected to the functioning of our brain and how we can improve the treatment of various mental illnesses.
Dean of the University of Haifa, prof. dr. Roza Leikin, Assist. Prof.dr. Maja Smrdu and Prof. dr. Aviva Berkovich-Ohana
Assist. Prof. Nino Bašić from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies participated in an international exchange at the University of Sheffield in Great Britain. As the primary motive for exchange, he highlighted the work with the prominent Professor Patrick W. Fowler, FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society), an expert in the field of theoretical chemistry, with whom he had already published two scientific papers during the exchange, while three more are in preparation.
In addition, Assist. Prof. Bašić lectured selected topics in mathematical chemistry at the visiting university. According to him, the ERASMUS+ exchange is an excellent opportunity to gain new knowledge offered by a new environment and he is looking forward to repeat the experience in the future.
Dr. Patrick W. Fowler and Assist. Prof. dr. Nino Bašić
Assist. Prof. Vida Groznik also from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies, took part in the teaching and research visit to the University of Cádiz in Spain, where she transferred knowledge on artificial intelligence to doctoral nanoscience students. Due to the interesting topic, students from other fields (medicine, psychology, etc.) joined them, as the lectures and practical exercises were designed in such a way, that they were also suitable for students, who have no prior knowledge of computer science or programming.
She collaborated mainly with established researchers in the field of neonatology from the University of Cádiz and the Puerta del Mar University Hospital, where they focused on the use of artificial intelligence approaches for the early diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders in premature infants.
Assist. Prof. dr. Vida Groznik with researchers from the University of Cádiz
All three participants of the international exchange agreed that it was an unforgettable experience, which provided them with a lot of valuable knowledge, and that they would undoubtedly repeat it in the future.
