Teaching students and developing a joint research programme between the sustainability centres of the two universities – Professor Mark Mifsud from the University of Malta spent two weeks at the University of Gdansk as part of the UG Visiting Professors programme.
This is not the first visit by a researcher from Malta in recent times. Prof Mark Mifsud already visited the University of Gdansk last November during the international conference ‘Science and Education for Sustainable Development’. This time, the Director of the Centre for Environmental Education and Research at the University of Malta was invited from 29 May to 9 June by UG Faculty of Social Sciences (WNS). The visit was supervised by Barbara Kijewska, PhD, Vice Dean for Student Affairs at the WNS.
Two main objectives were achieved during the visit. One was the teaching activities that the professor carried out with students of diplomacy. As part of a problem-based workshop, the students attended a lecture entitled. “Humans, Society and the Envorinment”.
“The unit I delivered was structured around the major local, regional and global land, water and air sustainability issues and the links with societal and economical health. The systemic approach adopted related socio-economic and political considerations to the biophysical processes so that students appreciate the intricate nature of sustainable development issues. Specific case studies were used to illustrate the principles and processes investigated. The students applied the skills and knowledge learnt by collaborating and going through a sustainability audit of the University of Gdansk within an SDG framework,” says Professor Mark Mifsud.
The second purpose of the professor’s visit was related to scientific research. The researcher was hosted by, among others, the UG Centre for Sustainable Development. During the visit, which lasted several days, a timetable and an overarching research framework were formulated, and the team to identify research priorities for the next three years is currently being formed.
“This collaboration will work reproduce high level research that can be applied in local contexts,” stresses Professor Mark Mifsud.
The result of another visit by Professor Mark Mifsud is greater collaboration with the Malta Centre for Environmental Education and Research (CEER), which has a rich programme of studies and courses dedicated to students, but also to policy makers and citizens.
As part of the third edition of ‘Visiting Professors’, the University of Gdansk will host twelve scientists from nine countries. You can read more about the programme here.