Announcements

Prof. Alain Blondy, professor of History at Université de Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), will be delivering a series of lectures in French aimed at promoting a better understanding of France's evolution in order to better situate its literature, philosophy and art in a historical context.

The lecture series, entitled Histoire de la France (History of France) start tomorrow up until March 5.

The lectures will be held between 4 and 6 p.m. as follows: Mondays and Wednesdays in Old Humanities (OH) building room 112, and on Tuesdays at the Mediterranean Institute room 127.

The general public is welcome to attend.

Erasmus programme applications

The call for applications for students interested in participating in the Erasmus programme during academic year 2008/9 will be launched on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the Vodafone Common Room, Student House.

The launch will be addressed by Omar Grech, International and EU Office director, Maureen Cole, rector's delegate for international students' wellbeing, and students who have benefited from the programme in the past.

For further information, contact Annhelica Scerri on tel: 2340 2804 or e-mail: annhelica.scerri@um.edu.mt.

Malta University Consulting courses

Stock markets and portfolio investment - This new 20-hour evening course by Silvio John Camilleri, which starts on February 11, offers a practical understanding of securities trading, various types of stock market participants and the salient features of trading systems and how they generate liquidity. It also provides an insight into various investment policies and the main features involved in creating a securities portfolio.

The course is mainly aimed at students and those interested in gaining a detailed overview of stock market activity. It also offers practitioners the opportunity to link their work experience with a broader knowledge of current trends, trader objectives, and theory.

The programme offers a comprehensive introduction to securities markets activity, the different types of trading protocols, liquidity and trader behaviour and salient features relating to portfolio investment. This course is accredited by the Malta Institute of Accountants and the Malta Financial Services Authority.

Solar water heating guidelines - Mario Fsadni, Robert Farrugia and Charles Yousif the Institute for Energy Technology are presenting another evening course on solar water heating technologies, starting on February 19.

The course's objective is to educate participants on how to make optimum use of the sun's energy for their everyday heating needs and how to make an informed choice of any solar heating system. It will highlight the benefits, issues and limitations of solar water heaters in the local context.

Topics to be covered include the solar resource potential in Malta, solar collector types and components, solar water heater applications and systems, and the economics and social benefits of solar water heaters.

The course is of interest to anyone interested in solar heating systems but particularly system designers and installers, engineers and architects involved in the building services sector, salesmen in the field of solar systems, environmental educators and students.

For further information and application forms, contact Charles Falzon on e-mail: charles.j.falzon@mus.com.mt.

Advanced design research presented

Jonathan C. Borg, head of Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, recently presented the results of two ongoing research projects in the area of advanced design techniques during the 2008 International Conference on Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ICADAM) which was held in Sanya, on the Chinese island of Hainan. The research is being executed by researchers of the Concurrent Engineering Research Unit (CERU).

Dr Borg also chaired one of ICADAM's sessions and attended a meeting of the EU Asia-Link project FASTAHEAD in which the department is involved.

The conference, which was attended by over 150 participants from 15 countries, also enabled Dr Borg to establish new links with other institutions working in the area of advanced design and manufacturing.

Lenten activities

To celebrate the start of Lent an Ash celebration will be held on Wednesday at 12.30 p.m. at the University Chapel.

During Lent, the Chaplaincy is also organising a week of guided prayer and a silent retreat for young people.

For more information, contact the Chaplaincy on tel: 2340 2341 or e-mail: chaplaincy@um.edu.mt.