edward duca Archives – THINK Magazine

Mobile Air Quality Laboratory (MAQL)

The Mobile Air Quality Laboratory (MAQL) is the first of its kind on the Maltese Islands. Run by a team of geoscientists at the University of Malta, the MAQL can assess the quality of the air by continuously monitoring particulate and gaseous air toxics.

The particulates it can detect vary in size. The finer particles (PM₁ and PM_2.5) are usually the most dangerous respirable fraction but the instrumentation can also measure coarser sized particles (PM₄ and PM₁₀). The suite of gaseous pollutants that can be checked are sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, ozone, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), organic and elemental carbon, and radon.

Mobile Air Quality Laboratory (MAQL)

Quick Specs:

Power consumption (including cooling system):
2.5 kW
Particulate limit of detection: 1 ug/m³
VOCs measurement frequency:
1 sample/30 minutes
Gaseous pollutants measurement frequency:
1 minute
Gaseous pollutants limit of detection: < 0.5 ppb
Cost: €0.60 million

The MAQL is able to compare the air in indoor and outdoor spaces while recording meteorological conditions onsite. The comparison helps scientists understand from where the pollution originates. Is there so much pollution in our environs because of all the cars outside our window? Or is it because of the new sofa the family next door just bought? Or perhaps it is a result of the redecoration the building down the road recently underwent. Such data is vital for scientists to be able to figure out the root of a problem, to create a model of personal exposure to the pollutants, and to develop safer measures for the general public.

The MAQL facility will help scientists develop a clearer picture of the indoor air quality across the Maltese Islands. It will help other scientists interpret older data, and enable them to design new studies. Medics can match such data with population studies and assess disease rates around Malta. The MAQL can determine the sources of pollution inside buildings with the help of lifestyle and meteorological data, providing enough information for the construction of dwellings which have cleaner and safer air for everyone.

Malta Global Game Jam

Indie games are seemingly unstoppable. As mainstream blockbuster AAA games stutter, new niches are opening up with nearly half of gamers being female and mobile revenue increasing rapidly. In Malta, an important piece in the indie game developer puzzle is the Malta Global Game Jam, which brings coders, designers, artists, writers, and other creatives together to create a game from scratch in just 48 hours.

Run in Malta by the Institute of Digital Games since 2013, the yearly event has grown considerably since its inception, pulling an international crowd from all over Europe. The January event this year included London-based games and pop-culture writer Philippa Warr and Milan-based indie design duo We are Müesli.

After keynotes and workshops to hone participants’ skills, 14 different games were created. The worldwide theme was ‘ritual’. In third place was the create-your-own-god game, Godowbows, and the self-explanatory non-fun game, IKEA supply assistant. In second place the beautifully designed The Passage immersed players into an ancient temple’s rite of passage. Hashtag Master Race won the local event with a game about angels and demons. Internationally over 28,000 people participated.

Apart from a fun weekend, the event is an opportunity for one to practice and learn skills, to build networks and, in a few cases, build promising new IP (Intellectual Property). Participants form a small indie development team every year. Back in the 2013 Malta Global Games Jam, the game And Then We Held Hands saw success and as it was distributed internationally following a $60,000 Kickstarter campaign. The experience can be used to help those already in the industry, or for those wishing to enter the industry, gain confidence to make more indie games or for them to join a big company with proven experience.

Intense events like this play a vital role in the building of a local game development scene that can soon see Malta join its international peers in producing top-notch, international and lucrative games.

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What can Malta learn from Singapore?

By Dr Andre Xuereb and Dr Edward Duca

Singapore is Asia’s success story. It has a landmass just over twice that of Malta but produces over 30 times its economic output. Singapore has invested heavily in quantum technologies, turning itself into one of the world’s leading industrial economies. Though poor in natural resources, Singapore’s investment in knowledge has resulted in it becoming one of the world’s healthiest industrial economies.Continue reading

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Atomic: The First War Of Physics And The Secret History Of The Atom Bomb: 1939–49

Dr Edward Duca reviews Jim Baggott’s book.

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The Science Issue: 100 reasons to love science

Science is everywhere. Understand science and you will see the world differently. The sun becomes a giant nuclear reactor full of beautiful equations keeping us alive, while Facebook can be transformed into maths that describes you and your friends. Whilst the most amazing scientific phenomena are happening inside you right now.

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Tesla: Inventor of the electric age

Nikola Tesla is everywhere. We have Tesla AC power generation and supply, remotely operated vehicles, and he inspired radio and wireless power. In this book historian W. Bernard Carlson meticulously goes through the thought processes of how Tesla came up with these inventions, but also examines his great failures and repeated dips into depression.

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Mecon

Mecon is an ongoing research project for the 2015 edition of the IASS EXPO, themed Future Visions which is to be held in Amsterdam between June and August 2015. The project is to design and build a structurally innovative, deployable pavilion in a bid to celebrate Future Visions in the field of engineering design and innovation. Mecon is the solution created by a team of five recently graduated architects.

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Of Mice and Microscopes

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MALTA – Stockholm Syndrome (or why we love the British)

Between 1798 and 1800, Malta changed hands twice. The feudal Knights were easily replaced by Napoleonic France, whom the Maltese initially welcomed, then revolted against a mere 82 days later ushering in the British Empire. ‘Why?’ is a mystery lost in the history books that gloss over the period demonising Napoleon while exalting the British who ruled Malta as a colony till independence in 1964. The Editor met Dr Charles Xuereb to find out.