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FERTILE: Artful Educational Robotics to promote Computational Thinking in a Blended Learning context

Karolina.Mikova@fmph.uniba.sk — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 13:44:00 +0200

Main investigating organization: University of West Attica, Greece
Cooperating organizations:
Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia
Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
Universidad de Valladolid, Spain
Principal Investigator from FMPI CU: doc. RNDr. Zuzana Kubincová, PhD.
Investigators from FMPI CU: Mgr. Karolína Miková, PhD., Mgr. Lucia Budinská, PhD., Mgr. Jakub Krcho
Project funding: KA220-HED-Cooperation partnerships in higher education, Erasmus+ Programme
Grant agreement number: 2021-1-EL01-KA220-HED-000023361
Project duration Grant: 2021-2025
Project web-page: www.fertile-project.eu The integration of Educational Robotics (ER) in the educational practice is associated with the development of digital skills and Computational Thinking (CT), positively affecting students’ personal development. As ER has been deeply connected with classroom-based learning and face-to-face (f2f) interaction, the Covid-19 pandemic imposing online learning has abruptly discontinued robotics’ implementation in all educational levels from elementary to secondary education and universities. Although several initiatives on developing ER simulators appeared, which have recently been also released as a cost-effective solution in case robotic technologies are not available, their exploitation remains sparse. Moreover, no methodologies exist to support educators in designing and implementing blended or online robotics learning designs. So, in the post-pandemic era, it seems to open up opportunities for a digital transformation, exploring the potential of integrating ER in a meaningful blended learning context. The FERTILE project aims to support educators in designing for blended learning by integrating ER simulators and remote collaboration into the educational practice. It intends to stimulate innovative learning and teaching practices by promoting contemporary pedagogies that embrace cross-disciplinary learning by integrating ER with Arts towards cultivating Computational Thinking (CT) skills in a blended learning context. To this end, the main innovation of this approach lies in the way Arts are involved as a discipline with a great deal of CT e.g. creating art involves problem solving, representation of expression patterns (i.e. Chekhov pauses, storytelling techniques, animated characters), algorithm development (i.e. directing a choreography), grasp the main idea of a literary text (summary or interpretation). Robotics, physical or online, can be considered as a functional part of such processes; students create robots to represent behaviors, scenes, motifs of poems, or to describe a story in creative and out-of-the-box ways. The explicit target group of the project is educators following a mixed-status approach involving academic tutors, pre-service teachers and in-service teachers. To address the needs of educators teaching or using ER in elementary, secondary or higher education, the FERTILE project will:

Design, implement and evaluate the FERTILE methodology. A methodology for designing blended learning contexts that holistically cultivate CT skills by integrating f2f Artful ER activities focusing on artefacts construction with online activities. On line activities will be implemented through a community platform enabling remote collaboration for planning, reflection on the artefacts, programming and co-design through ER simulators.
Organise and implement training events for educators focusing on developing appropriate skills for implementing the FERTILE methodology in various educational contexts.
Establish a community of digitally competent educators able to design, co-design and share blended Artful ER projects through a community platform.
Provide open educational resources such as online training material for educators along with exemplar projects that will be available after the project completion.

Slovak scientists link enzyme to the risk of death from COVID-19

pr@uniba.sk — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 09:34:00 +0200

One worry during the pandemic was the uncertain prognosis of a Coronavirus infection. No sure-fire indicator was found that could predict whether the disease would have a severe course or even result in death, and doctors could not alert patients who might benefit from extra attention. Worldwide, researchers have been trying to discover risk factors correlated with a severe course of COVID-19. One of them turned out to be the plasma activity of butyrylcholinesterase. "It is an enzyme whose physiological role has not yet been described, and even healthy individuals sometimes exhibit no activity of this enzyme. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that these individuals were more susceptible to a SARS-CoV-2 infection, and a high mortality rate was encountered in the community of people in whom this enzyme is inactive,” explains lead researcher Anna Paul Hrabovská from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Comenius University. A Slovak study, conducted between October 2021 and May 2022 on 148 hospitalized patients showed that a decrease in plasma butyrylcholinesterase activity was associated with a negative prognosis of COVID-19, even when the patient's condition improved temporarily. On the other hand, an increase in its activity can predict an improvement of the patient's health. Enzyme activity provides this valuable information regardless of the patient's age, gender or body mass. However, the enzyme studied by the Slovak team could likely reveal much more. Butyrylcholinesterase activity is being studied intensively because it may be a valuable prognostic indicator for other diseases than COVID-19. In a study which recently appeared in the journal eBioMedicine, published by Lancet, butyrylcholinesterase activity was identified as a possible biomarker for sudden infant death syndrome. The activity of this enzyme has also been found to decrease in the elderly and during various fatal diseases. "I assume that butyrylcholinesterase activity reflects the overall clinical state of the organism and its prognosis, independently of the actual pathology," explains researcher Anna Paul Hrabovská. Therefore, she is designing a study which will focus on patients affected by other serious pathologies. She and her research team work on projects that might help to improve the identification of patients who require more intensive medical care, leading to a possible rapid improvement of their condition.

Opening of a new academic year

pr@uniba.sk — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:46:00 +0200

On Monday, 18 September 2023, the 105th academic year will officially be opened at Comenius University Bratislava. The ceremonial assembly of the academic community will include an opening address of the vice-rector of Comenius University for Education and Social Affairs Eva Viglašová, Rector Marek Števček will give a ceremonial speech, and the agenda will also include a musical performance. You are hereby cordially invited.

Central European Nursing Conference

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 08:22:00 +0200

Scientific Research and Education in Nursing on 7th – 8th September 2023.

One Year Scholarships Free State of Bavaria 2024/2025 - Jahresstipendien des Freistaats Bayern 2024/25

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 17:11:00 +0200

The Free State of Bavaria invites applications for its one-year scholarship program for students from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe for the academic year 2024/25 via BAYHOST / BTHA. Graduates from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine are eligible to apply.

The scholarships are meant to finance postgraduate studies (i.e. master’s programs) and PhDs at Bavarian higher education institutions. Annual scholarships can be extended twice for up to 3 years; the scholarship amounts to 934,-€ per month. One-year study sojourns in Bavaria as part of a PhD in the home country can also be funded.

Enclosed is our flyer and further information can be found on our BAYHOST-website (or the BTHA-website for applicants from the Czech Republic).

All documents must be submitted online; the application deadline for first time applications is the 1st December 2023.

CLASS SCHEDULE REGISTRATION FOR THE WINTER SEMESTRER OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 10:36:00 +0200

Class schedule registration for the winter semester will be open to the students from September 9,...

A VERY LONG TIME AGO THE TURIEC REGION WAS A LAKE WHICH DISAPPEARED WHEN THE MALÁ FATRA MOUNTAINS LIFTED UP

pr@uniba.sk — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 09:39:00 +0200

The lake that filled the Turiec valley in the Tertiary was land-locked and far from the ancient Pannonian Basin System. It had no significant rivers flowing out of it and its banks included wetlands, humid forests and low hills. The past existence of a lake in the valley is evidenced by sediments which include fossils of molluscs and water plants that have intrigued geologists for decades. So far, however, traditional methods were unable to prove the existence of a lake in the Turiec basin. "We applied a novel dating method using cosmogenic beryllium from the atmosphere, which ends up in rivers and seas as a result of rain and is deposited on the surface of grains in sediments. Knowing its radioactive half-life, we can calculate the age of the deposits. The method has great potential, because it can be used to analyse silt mud, the most common sediment on Earth," says Michal Šujan from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University, where the relatively new dating method is being developed. The authors of the research paper estimate that Lake Turiec existed between 10.7 and 6.7 million years ago. It disappeared about 6.7 million years ago when the Malá Fatra mountains lifted up. Sand and gravel washed from the mountains filled the lake and led to the creation of the Váh river catchment as we know it. The study of sediments in the valley also allowed a glimpse into the development of the Western Carpathians. "The sediments deposited in the paleo-lake document the landscape character of the Western Carpathians and their gradual uplift. Between 10.7 and 6.7 million years ago, when the Turiec Lake was in existence, the Tatry mountains and Nízke Tatry mountains did not yet exist as significantly elevated mountain ranges. If that was the case, sediments from them would fill up the lake earlier, hastening its disappearance," adds Michal Šujan. The research was carried out by an international team of researchers from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University, the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Slovak National Museum, France and Croatia. It is unique because the subject is not studied by any other research labs in the world. The research was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency through grants APVV-16-0121 and APVV-20-0120 and the Research Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (VEGA) under grant 1/ 0346/20.

WEBINAR: Residence and employment of foreign university students in Slovakia

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:15:00 +0200

Coming to study in Slovakia but unsure about what type of residence/visa to apply for? Already a...

Lucy: The First Mission to the Trojan Asteroids – Dr. Joel Parker (11.9.2023)

Juraj.Orszagh@fmph.uniba.sk — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 22:44:00 +0200

Dr. Joel Parker (Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA):
Lucy: The First Mission to the Trojan Asteroids Abstract:
The Lucy mission launched on October 16, 2021 to begin a 12-year journey to explore the Jupiter Trojans, the last major reservoir of Solar System small bodies not yet explored by spacecraft. The Trojans are a key dynamical class that likely have remained stable in their distant orbits for billions of years, containing a sample of bodies from different parts of the Solar System captured after migration of the outer planets. As such, they can be considered as well-preserved "fossils" of the early epoch of planetary formation. I will present an overview of the Lucy mission and spacecraft, the science motivations and what we currently know about the Trojans, and what has happened so far in the first two years of the mission.

Unique Kidney Biopsy Performed at University Hospital Martin

milos.hrabovsky@uniba.sk — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 14:07:00 +0200

The Transplant Center at the University Hospital Martin is not only focused on transplantations but also on clinical nephrology for non-transplanted patients. In cases where there is suspicion of a disease in a patient’s own kidneys, often glomerulonephritis, a biopsy is the only way to confirm the diagnosis and tailor appropriate treatment. "Biopsy is an invasive procedure that has its risks, including bleeding, and in rare cases, it can even lead to the patient losing a kidney," explained Head of Department Prof. MUDr. Ivana Dedinská, PhD. Because of these risks, biopsies are usually not recommended for patients with a single kidney. However, an alternative is a transjugular biopsy, performed via a large neck vein. "The risk of bleeding is lower with this method, but there is a high probability that the sample taken will not be representative and the pathologist will not be able to evaluate it," noted Nephrologist Ivana Dedinská. Despite the challenges, the medical team at the University Hospital Martin managed to successfully obtain a representative sample from a patient with a solitary kidney. "The patient had a congenital condition – born with only one kidney. He developed health complications, and there was suspicion of rapidly progressing autoimmune disease, where the body's own cells were attacking the kidney, which could lead to complete failure," shared MUDr. Karol Graňák, PhD., Nephrologist from the Transplant Center, who is responsible for clinical nephrology at the center. Taking a sample via the transjugular route proved to be much more challenging than the standard biopsy method. "In a transjugular biopsy, the challenge is to get through the venous system to the kidney's venous system. Even more complicated is that the sample is taken almost 'blindly.' When inserting the biopsy tool, it is not visible under the X-ray where the biopsy needle is heading, unlike with the standard method," explained MUDr. Karol Graňák. Working in collaboration with MUDr. Martin Vorčák, PhD. from the Radiology Clinic at the University Hospital Martin, the team successfully obtained the sample. "The procedure is performed under sonographic and skiaskopic control by introducing an introducer into the neck vein, followed by instrumentation through the heart, through the inferior vena cava to the kidney veins," detailed Radiologist Martin Vorčák. "The transjugular kidney biopsy is usually performed from the right kidney. The peculiarity of this case was the condition of the patient with a single independent left kidney, where the procedure is technically more demanding due to the different venous anatomy. The procedure went without complications, with successful collection of a representative sample," he added. The pathology examination confirmed a severe type of kidney involvement, allowing doctors to quickly administer the correct treatment and get the disease under control. According to Prof. Ivana Dedinská, there are many patients with a solitary kidney, due to congenital developmental anomalies or loss of a kidney due to a tumor or other disease. "We are always trying to move forward and bring various new diagnostic and treatment options. Patients with one kidney are generally not consulted in centers regarding biopsies; their treatment is practically set blindly and they are not always treated correctly. Now they have a chance to get the right treatment," concluded Professor Ivana Dedinská. In the Transplant Center at the University Hospital Martin, patients with non-transplanted kidneys make up to 70 percent of annual hospitalizations. Since its establishment, the medical staff has performed more than 90 biopsies of native kidneys using the standard method.