Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1035530
14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 OCTOBER 2018 CULTURE STUDENTS reading for a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Engi- neering at MCAST embarked on a two-day study visit to Gozo where they were exposed to the professional skills and problem- solving tools that enable them to tackle complex environmen- tal and sustainability problems. The two-day visit included intensive environmental sam- pling sessions which allowed the students to collect, analyse and evaluate data to deduce the state of different habitats and the environment, in rela- tion to a wide array of anthro- pogenic activities (human ac- tivities). Different habitats that char- acterise Gozo were also con- sidered, ranging from valley systems to the sea shore, and from fresh water bodies to coastal waters. The activities included measuring and com- paring the water quality by us- ing in situ (on-site) and ex situ (off-site) techniques, as well as habitat mapping of both aquatic and terrestrial envi- ronments. Besides learning and apply- ing different sampling tech- niques to different real-life case studies, the students were also encouraged to suggest mitigation measures to reduce the negative impacts related to human activities. This helped students appreciate the im- portance of sustainable meas- ures on a wide array of crucial ecosystem services (the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human wellbe- ing). The study visit offered the cohort an opportunity to ap- ply theoretical concepts dis- cussed in class, allowing them to develop and strengthen real-life skills that go beyond the lecture room which are also important for day-to-day professional activities in their field. According to Cedefop (the European Centre for the De- velopment of Vocational Training), 'Vocational Educa- tion and Training (VET) can play a strategic role in provid- ing the EU with a workforce ready for the challenges lay- ing ahead' (Cedefop, 2017). A combination of theory and practice applied to the real world makes the delivery of fundamental concepts related to the students' chosen profes- sion more effective. MCAST, the country's leading voca- tional and training institu- tion, strives to wed theory to practice and to relate learning to real world contexts. This helps students become active inquirers, tackle complex is- sues, critique alternative solu- tions from both technical and ethical perspectives, and par- ticipate with others to solve problems. The students were accom- panied by MCAST Institute of Applied Sciences lectur- ers Juan José Bonello, Eman Calleja and Stephanie Camill- eri Jones. This research is just one of many different applied re- search projects undertaken in Environmental Sciences at the Institute of Applied Sciences at MCAST. MCAST is offering environ- mental programs at levels 4, 5 and 6, which latter programs lead to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental En- gineering. MCAST environmental engineering students on two-day visit to Gozo A selection of contemporary art from the Fondazzjoni Kre- attività collection was recently exhibited at the European Court of Auditors in Luxem- bourg. The exhibition, entitled Id-Dinja M'Għadhiex Ċatta, and curated by Spazju Kreat- tiv Artistic Director Toni Sant, included a selection of photog- raphy, painting, drawing and mixed media and was on dis- play during September 2018. The exhibition was produced through an initiative led by Leo Brincat, Member of the Euro- pean Court of Auditors; Fon- dazzjoni Kreattività Chairman Rupert Cefai and other mem- bers of the Court of Auditors attended the opening on the 6th of September. Id-Dinja M'Għadhiex Ċatta referred thematically to glo- balisation and to the inter- national politics that perme- ate citizens' lives. The works exhibited all had a political dimension, which in most cases addressed these issues of a global nature from a lo- cal perspective. The cultu -ral conversations contained within them ranged from the hardship of displaced people, to the internal conflict of in- dividual identity politics. Artists exhibited were Mario Abela, Victor Agius, Alex At- tard, Jean Busuttil Zaleski, Lisa Falzon, Anna Grima, Jean Karl Izzo, He Ping, Dar- rin Zammit Lupi. All the art- ists have a strong connection with Malta but are also asso- ciated with realities in Africa, China and the United States of America, aside from vari- ous other European connec- Contemporary art collection exhibited in Luxembourg tions. Since its inception, Fondazz- joni Kreattività has received selected works of contempo- rary art from artists who ex- hibited their work through the centre. These works have entered the national art collection by virtue of the foundation's sta- tus as a public cultural organi- zation. Fondazzjoni Kreattività was established in 2000 as the legal entity responsible for Malta's national centre for creativity at St James Cava- lier in Valletta, now known as Spazju Kreattiv. This is the first time that works from the collection are being exhibited outside Mal- ta since they were acquired. However, further works from the collection will travel to be exhibited in Germany in 2019, in a collaborative initia- tive with Ostrale Biennale for Contemporary Art. Many of the works will also be exhibited at Spazju Kreat- tiv, St James Cavalier in Janu- ary 2019, as part of the Fon- dazzjoni's exhibition series and long-term research pro- ject featuring work from the permanent collection. Further information on the works shown has been com- piled in collaboration with the M3P Foundation and can be found here: http:// w w w . m 3 p . c o m . m t / w i k i / I d - Dinja_M'Għadiex_Ċatta. A view of the exhibition showing work by Anna Grima and Victor Agius Fondazzjoni Kreattività Chairman Rupert Cefai with members of the European Court of Auditors alongside ''I Love Great Wall'' by Alex Attard The Fondazzjoni Kreattività Collection