The Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) participated in the AgriFair 2022, held at Malta Fairs and Convention Centre last weekend.

Students from MCAST’s Centre of Agriculture, Aquatics and Animal Sciences (CAAS) showcased and explained their work to visitors. Among others, they talked about their studies on growing fresh agricultural products and gave a demonstration on beekeeping and honey making.

Malcolm Borg, deputy director at the CAAS, said: “This initiative provided MCAST students with a chance to exhibit their work and explain to visitors the importance of the agricultural sector to the whole community.”

Members from the CAAS and the MCAST’s Applied Research and Innovation Centre (ARIC) also teamed up to create a cutting-edge technological system, to showcase the field and farm experience to visitors through the use of virtual reality.

The project, which took two months to complete, included the capturing of real-life agricultural experiences in diverse locations. These real-life experiences were then technologically adapted to create an immersive experience for users. MCAST plans to customise this type of technology in future and use it during lectures on campus, to allow students to grasp knowledge in an innovative manner while creating an engaging experience in the classroom.

Malcolm Borg (second from right), deputy director at MCAST’s Centre for Agriculture, Aquatics and Animal Science, with MCAST students.Malcolm Borg (second from right), deputy director at MCAST’s Centre for Agriculture, Aquatics and Animal Science, with MCAST students.

Clifford De Raffaele, director for the Research and Innovation Centre, explained how “through our innovation drive, we are constantly seeking to integrate novel and state-of-the-art technologies to provide our students with the best educational experience through EdTech at MCAST”.

The event also showcased research done by Steve Zerafa, senior lecturer at MCAST’s Institute of Engineering and Transport (IET), on an automatic hydration system. This industry-advanced system automatically captures data from satellite images and, based on the climate, the machine produces the right doses of nutrients and water for agricultural practices.

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