Radio Telescope

Malta now has a radio telescope. This is a great step forward for the University of Malta as it helps speed up research.

The Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and the Institute of Space Sciences & Astronomy (ISSA; both at the University of Malta) have just acquired a 5.3m dual-reflector parabolic dish, as part of a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project to extend postgraduate research lab facilities. The radio telescope will now allow students and researchers to study celestial objects such as the sun or the centre of the galaxy through the radio waves they emit.

Quick Specs
Dish diameter: 5.3m

Feed horns: L-Band and K-band

Gain: 44 dBi @ 4GHz

Observing modes: Continuum and line observation

Total weight (including pedestal): 1900 kg

Surface accuracy: 0.5mm

PC-based automated control unit

toolkit03

toolkit02When pointed to a radio-loud celestial object (an object which emits large amounts of radio waves, such as the sun), the telescope will receive radio waves from these sources and convert them to voltage readings in the feed. The converted signal is then transmitted to a digitiser that converts these signals into bits and bytes.

The digitised signals are then processed and broken down into the different frequency counterparts (similar to what a car radio does with the radio waves it receives from its antenna), which allows for continuum observation of the skies above. The telescope provides a test-bed for several research initiatives being undertaken at ISSA.

Some of its specialisations include improving the hardware and software processing back-ends for radio telescopes. The on-site telescope can speed up this sort of research immensely. ISSA is part of the largest radio telescope project in the world: the SKA (Square Kilometre Array).

PORN: How Do We Feel About It?

Around 13% of all internet searches can be linked to keywords related to erotic material, while by 2017 it is estimated that about a quarter of a billion people will be accessing pornography on mobile devices. While by far not a recent phenomenon, the widespread use and growth of the internet has made pornography common and easy to access. So why pornography? What more do we really need to know? And what is the point of such research anyway? From a psychological point of view, the visible increase of use needs to be studied, particularly in Malta, since very little research has been conducted.

Nicola Falzon (supervised by Dr Nicholas Briffa) focused her undergraduate research on the attitudes towards pornography; she looked into the literature regarding the effects of addiction, among other psychological implications. Despite the grave implications the field may imply, this study showed that not all effects are necessarily detrimental. University of Malta (UoM) students were found to have a fairly relaxed and liberal attitude towards it.

Raw data was collected through online surveys, of which 261 UoM students participated. The data was analysed using SPSS and data sets were compared between males and females, older and younger adults, and then compared to previous local and international research. Similar to information obtained through literature reviews, the results showed significant differences in the attitude towards pornography between men and women. Males were shown to watch pornography more frequently and had a more positive attitude, while females considered pornography to be harmful. However, both males and females answered similarly on the majority of survey statements.

Attitudes towards porn might be more similar than previously assumed. There were no significant age differences in the frequency of use or views of porn as harmful. Younger adults displayed a more positive attitude to porn than their older counterparts. Finally, while most female respondents agreed that access to pornography should be restricted, a strong majority did not agree it should be illegal.

So, what is the point of such research in the first place? Primarily, further studies into pornography can contribute towards the field of psychology, first by deepening the understanding of the phenomena, and secondly because it directly effects how treatment can be improved when porn causes a negative effect. Also, new methods of therapy and counselling could be developed to help with addiction that can cause relationship issues. Other problems include excessive masturbation that can lead to isolation from real life relationships and sexual practice. Research can also help influence changes in social policy, for example by including ‘Porn Literacy’ in sex education—currently absent. In Malta, 41% of 16- to 18-year-olds are sexually active; many learnt about sexual practices and pleasure from the internet, films, and video. It is no longer convenient to remain naïve at the expense of public health.

This research was carried out as part of a Bachelor in Psychology at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta.
by Nicola Falzon

Giving back to the research community

Wilfred Kenely, the Research Trust (RIDT) CEO, speaks to THINK about new initiatives coming to fruition thanks a new scheme.

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From Immigrants to Theology

Over 1.82 million migrants entered the EU in 2015 and this has triggered much dialogue across member states. In May 2015, the Archbishop of Malta, H.G. Mons Charles J. Scicluna, after the Vatican announcement of the Year of Mercy, reached out to the academic community to reflect on the immigrant phenomenon. This call set in motion The Mercy Project, which aims to create a set of reflections and recommendations around immigration.

The project has four stages. It first reflected on the issues of mercy and immigration within the Maltese context. During this stage, staff members from various University of Malta (UoM) faculties explored the local situation, reflecting on the terminology used, prevailing concepts and current practices. This was followed by a second stage. Academics held meetings to discuss various viewpoints and realities around migration. Those involved included members from the Faculties of Theology, Arts, Social Wellbeing, Laws, Education, and Health. At the third stage, a symposium on ‘Mercy and the Immigrant’ was held on 6 June 2016. The symposium brought together interested parties and agency representatives to reflect on the issue. This provided a platform for a dialogue between theologians and society. Rev. Dr René Micallef S.J. (Gregorian University in Rome) spoke about the mercy, justice, and policies needed to be considered by Malta and the rest of the EU.

The final forth step is underway. A publication of the project’s position papers is being prepared. This will make available to various sectors of the public some of the philosophical, social, legal, educational, and theological ideas which surfaced during the project’s dialogues and consultations. It will provide concrete recommendations for the University of Malta, State, and the Church. 

Dr Pauline Dimech and Rev. Dr Stefan Attard are the project co-ordinators.

Curiosity saved the cat

Since childhood Ian Zammit has always been curious about why things are the way they are. His curiosity has led him to work on a water recycling project from which Malta could potentially stand to gain. He speaks to Veronica Stivala.

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Galactic rotation dynamics in modified gravity

In the last 100 years, Einstein’s theory of general relativity has proven invaluable to explain the nature of the universe. That being said, Einstein’s model of gravity does at times fail to comply with what we actually observe when looking up at the night sky.

Galaxies offer one of the most impressive laboratories where general relativity just does not work. Stellar objects in galaxies tend to orbit the galactic centre of mass. General relativity predicts that as one goes further from the centre of the galaxy, these orbital speeds drop off. Observational data shows that these velocities tend to stay constant along the radius of a galaxy. However, dark matter can be artificially introduced to account for this. The other argument is that such failures indicate the inability of general relativity to fully explain how the universe works. If this is so, it seems necessary to construct what are called alternative or modified theories of gravity. Such theories would have to be capable of correctly explaining all observed phenomena including those that general relativity fails to produce.

Andrew Finch (supervised by Dr Jackson Levi Said) is looking into the new concept of treating gravity as a torsional dominated system instead of a curvature dominated one, which is the concept explained by general relativity. The new models are being developed with the intention of agreeing with galactic rotation curves while managing to explain everything that general relativity already does. It is only possible to vigorously test such models because of the large amount of freely available data which has been gathered on galaxies. As models are obtained, the cluster in the ISSA (Institute of Space Science and Astronomy) laboratory is being used in order to determine model parameters. Using this data, Finch aims to compare Einstein’s theory with the new model being developed. Will it improve on Einstein’s ideas? Only Finch will tell…

This research is being performed as part of a Masters Degree in Astrophysics being read at the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy, University of Malta.

Andrew Finch

Robots in the Classroom

Reuben Ferrante, a University of Malta Engineering graduate and founder of eeRoot, has developed a small robot called eeMod. eeMods are built from only two modules stacked on top of each other. The bottom module is a ‘sensor hub’ that can sense the environment around it. It does so through connections (wifi, bluetooth, USB, microSD card slot), several sensors (gyroscope, accelerometer, light sensors), and a bit more wizardry. The second module is the controller, or brain. Its programmable controller is entirely compatible with the Arduino platform—a standard used worldwide. A set of wheels let’s the eeMod zip around.

Because the robot’s brain is empty by default, it can be hooked up to a computer to upload data. eeMods understand complex instructions and can utilise their senses to act accordingly. Users can start programming by using a very simple Arduino compatible drag and drop interface, and later make the transition to writing their own code. Having all that technology in one sleek package is one of the their unique selling points. Although eeMods were originally designed to streamline the scientific workflow in robotics, it is receiving a lot of attention from educational institutions. The robot’s simplicity allows it to be uses in schools giving children early insight into robotics. Ferrante has received multiple requests to provide a syllabus paired to the eeMods and tailored to Malta’s educational system.

Sphero is another miniature classroom robot, but looks very different from an eeMod. The company SPRK provides a near indestructible ball that can move around via various motors at its core. Recently the developers made it possible to programme Sphero through a smartphone app. For some quick fun the ball can also be remote controlled using the same app. It can move across all kinds of surfaces, and even through water—the perfect classroom bot.

The robots approach education from different angles and target different age groups. eeMods are the perfect device to delve into the technology behind robotics and learn programming algorithms early, while Sphero is a nice toy to play around with, enabling even technophobe people to experience the miracle that robots are.

With an increasing presence in everyday life robots are here to stay, in one form or the other. Allowing children to get familiar with the technology early helps teach lifelong skills and inspire them for the rest of their life.

For more information visit the official eeRoots website.

This article first appeared in ‘Sounds of Science’ in the Times of Malta, May 22 2016.

Would you dare?

Would you dare going on a ghost hunt? Victoria Cutajar did, and talks to DARE magazine about her intense trip into the unknown. The third year communication students of the ‘Magazine and Digital Publishing’ study unit (Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences), collected people’s personal stories and crafted them into a well rounded, highly visual publication.

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Special Feature – The Maltese Genome

DNA is what life is made of. Found in every cell of the human body, it has sent criminals to jail and been the focus of controversial court cases. Dr Jean Buttigieg discusses these legal and ethical issues. DNA has also transformed the meaning of being human, with traits from disease to intelligence all linked to it. DNA is changing the world.

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