Nicholas Gambin analyses Maltese cultural traditions that have stopped, remained, rebirthed, or changed in some way in today’s society.
Continue readingRevisiting Cultural Traditions With Open Eyes
Sniffing out pollution at sea
The maritime industry is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions. While newly introduced legislation helps control this hazard, it has significantly increased the burden for Port State and environmental authorities. Antónia Ribeiro interviews Nicky Borg, the founder of local start-up Marine Hound, to discover how their original smart buoys can help solve the problem.
Continue readingA View From Above
Satellite observation helps us understand our environment down on the ground. From tracking ocean currents to studying sinkholes, the applications are endless as long as the technology can keep up.
Continue readingWhiter than the Devil
The voices. I need to get them out. Just make them go away. The voices. They drive me insane. Always talking, talking, talking. They make me SCREAM!
Continue readingJuggling Jellyfish: How AI can improve citizen science projects
One of the largest citizen science projects in Malta, Spot the Jellyfish has helped record many interesting discoveries about marine life. But as the project grows, the team must expand their technology to cope with the influx of data. Prof. Alan Deidun, Prof. John Abela, and Dr Adam Gauci speak to Becky Catrin Jones about their latest developments.
Continue readingSmart insoles for diabetic patient monitoring
Local researchers from the DRIFT (Dense Recording of In-Shoe Foot Temperatures) project team are investigating foot health in patients with diabetes. In collaboration with Mater Dei Hospital, researchers are developing smart insoles, a system with embedded thermal sensors that measure foot temperatures. THINK got in touch with Chiara Modestini, podiatrist and researcher with DRIFT, to find out more.
Continue readingMaking Maltese Visible
It’s hard to imagine Maltese literature leaving a mark on the global stage. We might assume that there simply isn’t enough interest. But in a world that’s so increasingly globalised, is it fair to assume that a language that represents such a melting pot of identities has nothing to offer to the wider cultural market? The UK-based micro publisher Praspar Press, spearheaded by Kat Storace and Jen Calleja, is setting out to disprove that assumption.
Continue readingCommuters, Ahoy!
Travel time studies are important for transport geographers, especially on island archipelagos. Small islands like Gozo depend on outside links for their infrastructure. My (Marthese Cini) research study focused on Gozitan commuters working in Malta and the recent discussions on ‘connecting’ the islands. Specifically, I studied whether a ferry or a tunnel would be more suitable for their needs.
Continue readingHibernating Humans
As lockdowns spread worldwide and grounded planes crippled international tourism, humanity cut the environment some long-awaited slack. With the climate change debate heating up (proportionally to the planet’s temperatures), THINK investigates what would happen if humanity’s only chance to preserve our planet is a yearly 3-month lockdown?
Continue readingVirtual Assistants: 21st Century’s Towers of Babel?
Virtual assistants, such as Alexa or Siri, are gaining popularity and becoming our new family members. But these technologies are often designed with English in mind. How can we teach our virtual assistants other languages, such as Maltese? THINK’s Christian Keszthelyi speaks with Prof. Patrizia Paggio, Prof. Ray Fabri, and Prof. Albert Gatt from the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology (University of Malta) to find out more.
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