Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1401709
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 AUGUST 2021 COMMERCIAL MCAST to celebrate student success in September graduations THE Malta College for Arts, Sci- ence and Technology (MCAST) graduations postponed last No- vember will be held in Septem- ber. The 2020 graduations were delayed because of COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings at the time. For the September celebrations, the College is rig- orously following the health au- thority's guidelines prioritising the safety of its community. AROUND 2350 graduands were invited to celebrate their success following last years dif- ficult decision to postpone the ceremony after careful consid- eration and consultation with the health authorities and the MCAST Student Council. Ap- proximately 440 students grad- uated at Masters and Bachelors levels, while 655 and 473 stu- dents have completed diplo- mas at levels 4 and 5. The MCAST graduation cer- emony highlights the College's academic year and the culmi- nation of the students' hard work and learning journey. In the words of Principal and CEO Professor Joachim James Calle- ja, "We know that students were disappointed last year when they were eagerly waiting to celebrate their success. The College wants to ensure that their efforts and success are acknowledged while organising everything in accordance with the current health regulations. This is a unique cohort, one that has persisted against all odds." The graduation mass at St John's Co-Cathedral will take place on 7 September, and the ceremonies will be spread out in individual sessions from 10 September. MCAST publishes the seventh edition of Journal of Applied Research & Practice MCAST'S Journal of Applied Research and Practice is a Gold Open Access Journal published twice yearly. Papers published provide insight into a broad spectrum of ongoing research at MCAST, executed by over 100 MCAST academics and chan- nelled through MCAST's Ap- plied Research and Innovation Centre. This latest issue of the MCAST Journal of Applied Re- search and Practice is the 7th issue and the most comprehen- sive and diverse. The issue in- cludes peer-reviewed research papers from all MCAST Insti- tutes and Centres, including the Institute for the Creative Arts, the Institute of Commu- nity Services, the Institute of Information and Communica- tion Technology, the Institute of Applied Sciences, the In- stitute of Business and Com- merce, the Applied Research & Innovation Centre and the Learning Support Unit. The research is applied and impact-oriented, looking to- ward finding real-world solu- tions to complex problems faced by industry and social organisations. The themes of this journal issue delve into employee well- being, student adaptability to- ward programming, MCAST library usage patterns, the impact of apprentices on the workplace, lean implementa- tion in Malta, hearing loss in Malta's adult population, tech- nology for healthcare in times of COVID-19, and more. As well as the full-text online journal access through its In- dex Copernicus platform, 500 printed copies of the journal are distributed with every issue. Recipients of the journal in- clude the authors and editorial team, MCAST key research- ers and leading academics, MCAST senior management, all Maltese ministries, a wide range of local industry part- ners, the Maltese chambers, the national libraries, and a wide range of international ac- ademic and industry partners. On 29th July, the MCAST Re- search Journal editorial team and MCAST Principal Profes- sor James Calleja paid a cour- tesy call on the Minister for Research and Innovation, the Hon Dr Owen Bonnici. During the visit, Dr Bonnici was pre- sented with a set of copies of the new journal issue. MCAST Principal Professor Calleja outlined how MCAST is "steadily evolving from a teaching institution to a com- munity college that supports and strengthens its teaching and skilling with impact-ori- ented research that is driven by industry and community needs." Minister Owen Bonnici stressed the vitality of en- couraging MCAST academics and partners to take on this applied, impact-oriented re- search because "it is the key to providing real world solutions and achieving greater levels of national sustainability and cross-organisational collabora- tion."