ASMALTA ESEARCHP CHPEOPLEU UNIVERI ITY ASMALTAR ESEARCHP HPEOPLEU NIVERCOVER STORIES
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A balancing act Motherhood and research: how to make them work?
Research matters reborn!
n the December 2011 issue of Research Matters, did I promise you that the University will continue to blow its trumpets? Well here we are again albeit piping a new tune. After only one issue, Research Matters has rebranded and is now Think! This rebirth heralded by our resident editor has created more space for a broad spectrum of articles illustrating what it is that we get up to on campus, but, this time the articles do not only feature one research project after another; they open a window on the experiences and challenges of our researchers, students, alumni, and professors. You will find, moreover, some short features covering interesting challenges, discoveries, and phenomena taking place around us. In short, Think is now more fun, human, and hopefully more appealing than ever. So take a journey from cocaine addiction, to how MEMS devices are deployed in microsystems that we use on a daily basis; from the impact of chatting on spelling, from dancing with the economy to the tune of market bulls and bears; from capturing the wind for energy generation, to the experience of a researcher juggling studies, work, and kids; from our participation in the creation of the largest telescope ever built, to our work on moving objects with our thoughts; from research on new compounds in the Mediterranean diet that can combat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, to the creation of routine monitoring techniques to continuously test computer systems to ensure that they work when needed and as intended. Just flick through the pages and read all about it, and more! I hope you find this issue interesting and if you wish to contribute to the growing research activity at the University of Malta, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always pleased to explore how we can collaborate to expand our horizons.
Juanito Camilleri RECTOR
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Looking up to the skies
How Malta is taking part in the continent spanning telescope: the Square Kilometre Array
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Targeting the tangled brain
Dr Neville Vassallo is finding novel treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
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Maps, Bots and a Neolithic site American and Maltese scientists use underwater robots to explore Tas-Silġ — a 4,000 year old site
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Researchers meet art this September
How Valletta will be transformed with a science and art festival 3