Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1279544
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 AUGUST 2020 NEWS TWO clean-ups organised by the Malta Airport Foundation brought together 49 divers, two snorkellers and several oth- er volunteers to rid part of the seabed in the south of Malta of marine waste. Over five hours, a group of vol- unteers at Birżebbuġa brought to the surface around 700 kilos of waste mainly consisting of plastic jerry cans and bottles, discarded pieces of mooring rope and broken boat parts. Another team at Wied iż-Żur- rieq collected numerous glass and plastic bottles, as well as an array of bulky items, includ- ing 53 tyres, a metal ladder, bollards, concrete sinkers and large metal pipes, amounting to around 900 kilos. "It is worrying that many peo- ple still fail to understand that careless actions, such as the in- correct disposal of waste, lead to altered oceans, seas and un- derwater ecosystems. Initiatives such as clean-ups highlight the dire need for better education on why it is important to keep our seas healthy," said Founda- tion Chairman Josef Formosa Gauci, whilst noting that oceans support 80% of life on our plan- et. The Malta Airport Foundation is committed to raising aware- ness about marine conservation and working towards improv- ing the quality of the waters surrounding the islands for the benefit of locals and tourists visiting Malta. Beaches and diving, in fact, consistently rank among tour- ists' top ten reasons for visiting the Maltese islands. Over the past six years, the Foundation has supported the production of two underwater documentaries, each one hav- ing a message of conservation, and procured two sea-bins for two localities in the vicinity of the airport: Marsaskala and Marsaxlokk. The Malta Airport Founda- tion would like to thank Ca- lypso Subaqua Club and Atlam Subaqua Club for ensuring that these two clean-ups were a suc- cess, as well as other entities involved in the proper disposal of the items retrieved from the seabed. Two clean-ups organised by the Malta Airport Foundation rid seabed of around 1.6 tonnes of waste DR Jonathan Young was presented with the BOV Prize in Medicine, an award presented to the student who attains the highest marks in the final qualifications in Medicine. Established by Bank of Valletta and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Malta, and now its 15th edition, this year's prize was presented to the winner through an online meeting in line with the current Health Authority recom- mendations. Young was presented with a commemorative certificate as well as a cash prize. Charles Azzopardi, Executive PR & Marketing at Bank of Vallet- ta congratulated Dr Young in the presence of Prof Stephen Monte- fort, Head of the Department of Medicine and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery within the University of Malta. "Particularly during these cha- otic times, the Bank is more com- mitted to acknowledging the effort and dedication shown by students, to serve as a motivation to excel in their areas of study," Azzopardi said. Montefort explained how the COVID-19 pandemic was challeng- ing for education from both student and faculty perspectives. In this re- gard, he thanked Bank of Valletta for once again recognising and sup- porting the achievements demon- strated by the education pillar. "As a department, we had to adapt to these turbulent moments, and Bank of Valletta have yet again supported this kind gesture. This prize inspires students to aim for excellence in their studies". Dr Jonathan Young wins award for 2020 Charles Azzopardi (left), Executive PR & Marketing at Bank of Valletta congratulated Dr Young