On 20 February, science teachers from several Church schools toured some of the Faculty of Science laboratories, starting at the Department of Biology, and guided by the Head of Department, Prof. Joseph A. Borg, who gave a brief overview of the laboratories, together with the study and research opportunities that his Department offers. Teachers also visited some of the research laboratories of the Physics, Geosciences and Chemistry Departments, where they had the opportunity to meet researchers and discuss ongoing research taking place at the Faculty of Science.
Ms Stephanie Maggi-Pulis, Head of the Department of Physics at the Secretariat for Catholic Education (Curia), who helped in the organisation of the event, thanked the staff and researchers at the Faculty of Science for their input. This tour followed the training Seminar ‘Scientix and STEM Careers’ organised by SfCE. The programme included a presentation by Ms Jeannette Axisa from Transport Malta on STEM Careers presently available in Malta and another on the various degrees offered by the Faculty of Science presented by Dr Andre Xuereb. Training also informed teachers on Scientix 3 Project in Europe and the initiative ‘Pop Science at UM’ held in collaboration with Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Education for students in Year 9. Teachers were also involved in a workshop to develop project and initiatives to instil STEM Careers in the classroom.
Teachers were overwhelmed by the changes they witnessed since their time as undergraduate students, particularly in the Department of Physics, which has given rise to a new Department of Geosciences, and made significant advances in applied electromagnetics, astrophysics and quantum optomechanics, apart from establishing the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy.
The Dean of the Faculty of Science, who is also the Rector’s Delegate for Science Popularisation, stated that the Faculty is very keen to encourage future collaborations between science educators and the Faculty of Science. The local demand for scientists has been constantly increasing over the past decade, and the Faculty’s research effort has been responsible for generating significant demands for young researchers to sustain its growing research potential.