Computer Science and Information Technology in Malta

On one of the sites we were mapping, we had the pleasure of meeting the head of the Engineering Department from the University of Malta and two students in order to let them view our data collection process. Erik and I got to interview them about our cultural research projects for our ethnic studies class.

My cultural research project is on the role of Computer Science and Information Technology in Malta. The idea of my project came from the startling fact that Malta has very few natural resources. One of the papers I was reading reported that there are "four extractive industries on which manufacturing might be built-- mining,forestry, fishing, and agriculture"[1]. It concluded that Malta has an insufficient environment for any of these industries[1]. Having few local resources for manufacturing severely limits what Malta's economy can do.

This challenged me to think of possible major industries for Malta. I came up with the idea that if the country couldn't base it's economy on making physical products then why can't it make information based products?

Upon talking to the students and the department head, I was informed that unlike Cal Poly, Computer Science is not part of Engineering but is part of their relatively new department of Information and Communication Technology. This didn't affect the quality of the information that they gave me.

They told me that there is heavy investment in Computer Science and Information Technology. In the latest Business Research and Innovation report from the National Statistics Office of Malta, they reported that 29.47% of all intramural research and development expenditures in 2004 were in computer and related activities[2].

Also, Maltese government research and development expenditures have increased from €4.1 million to €15.7 million in 2010[3]. Research and development specifically in Engineering and Technology has doubled since 2008 making it the most funded major field of science in Malta. This can be seen in the graph below.

The idea of heavy investment in Computer Science and Information Technology wasn't only reaffirmed by them but was also mentioned by Timmy Gambin who has been helping coordinate our research in Malta. He informed me that the University is constructing a building dedicated to Information and Communication Technology. Upon further research I found that the University was awarded a sum of €17.3 million for the project from the European Regional Development Fund[4]. It was said to be built because of the high demand for Information and Communication Technology graduates[4].

This is some of the information I have come across and I will be reporting on more very soon.

Works Cited

1. Young, B. S. "SocietyThe Maltese Islands: Economic Problems and Prospects for Industrial Development." Geographical Review 53.2 (1963): 263-86. Print.

2. Malta. National Statistics Office. Business Research and Innovation 2004-2006. 2008. Print.

3. Malta. National Statistics Office. Expenditure on Research and Development in the General Government Sector: 2008-2010. 2011. Print.

4. "New ICT Facilities Building at University of Malta." Gozo News. 17 May 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2012 .

Brent's Cultural Research Project

All the ICEX students from Cal poly are doing a cultural research project and my project is on Computer Science and Information Technology as a major source of national income in Malta. The topic came out of the startling fact that Malta has very few natural resources that it can base it's manufacturing sector on. My idea was that if Malta couldn't make physical products then why not make information based products?

In Malta I plan to talk to Computer Science and Information Technology professors to get their view of the current state of the industry and what they believe might happen in the future. The final product for my project will be a piece of writing explaining the findings of my research.

Cultural Update - Engineering Degrees in Malta

Hi everyone!

Last week in our ES410 class, we gave final presentations that detailed our ethnic studies research papers and how we would be collecting data. Seeing as our ICEX team is splitting off from the rest of the class in one week, we will be completing our projects while in Malta! This gives our team some exciting benefits such as the ability to conduct on-site interviews and publish a primary source document.

My research project is on the difference between the engineering educations offered at Malta's two main tertiary educational facilities: University of Malta and Malta College of Art, Science and Technology (MCAST). The final product of my research will be in two segments. I will have a formal document, and online information that will go up on our website that will discuss the similarities and differences between the two schools. I intend to include information from interviews (WHEW! what an alliteration!) with professors from both universities discussing the degree to which the engineering work at each school could be considered "hands on" or "strictly theoretical". I would also like to include information about the reason for the formation of MCAST back in the 1970s. Both parts of my research project will come into a more clear context once we take off for Malta, so for right now I will wrap this up by saying that I am very excited to have this opportunity!

Ethnic Studies Paper

For our Ethnics Studies class this quarter, we were required to write about the papers read in class and our overall impressions of what we had just learned about engineering and society and their impacts on each other. Following is my Response Paper for this assignment:

One of the first things I thought of when reading these sources was how cultures have changed over time and how people’s loyalty to tradition has altered. Yet, even though cultures are constantly changing, we have a stereotypical view of how certain cultures are. For example, if I were asked to picture a Japanese family, the first scene I would think of is a big family sitting in an Asian style home with a small garden and pond and all the family members wearing kimonos and socks with sandals and eating sushi. Now I know that this is not the typical outfit of modern day Japanese people, however it is the image that I’ve always thought of first when thinking about Japanese culture.

I began thinking about how cultures have changed over time and why they do. I remembered a story my grandmother told me about her grandmother. Her grandmother was born and raised in Germany and came over to the United States. Once, during World War II, she went to the grocery store, my grandmother was with her. Two women became very cold and mean towards them both, because of her grandmother’s German accent, even going to the point of spitting on her.

When I talked about this with my grandmother, she said that there were many families who came over to the United States and tried to erase all traces of their previous cultures, in order to fit in, especially during wars. My grandmother remembers, that none of her mother’s family members were allowed to speak German anywhere while they lived in the United States, even going to the point that the children were not fully allowed to learn the language. Due to the fear of not assimilating into American culture, my family lost the part of its history and culture that came from Germany when my great-great-grandparents immigrated.

Lucena states in his article, “Culture as Dominant Images,” on page 1, “Dominant images create expectations about how individuals in that location are supposed to act or behave.” In my family’s case, in order to become more “American,” they tried to erase all the dominant images that were connected to the country they were born in.

De Courtivron’s article, “Educating the Global Student, Whose Identity is Always a Matter of Choice,” page 1, states “Today, young urbanized American men and women of 20 … are likely to have more in common with young Japanese men from Tokyo or young Turkish women from Istanbul than with their own grandparents.” Traditions aren’t being passed down as much anymore. There are less and less people that are embracing the cultures of their parents and grandparents. I believe this is mainly due to a changing world. With new technology, new ideas, and new concerns, the dominant images that were so central previously now hold little say in the current world. “The weight of the world used to be vertical; it used to come from the past, or from the hierarchy of heaven and earth and hell; now it is horizontal, made up of the endless multiplicity of events going on at once and pressing at each moment on our minds and our living rooms.” (De Courtivron, page 1)

This quote makes me visualize a line connecting many different people. In the past, the line was vertical with newer generations at the bottom and looking up to the generations of the past and seeing how they lived and worked. Now, I imagine the line horizontal, with people looking to their left and right, seeing what their neighbors are doing and not considering how their ancestors lived as much. This change in the “connection of people” is the changing of cultures and shifting of lifestyles.

In Hiller’s article, “Understanding Culture: The Discovery of the YEKOH Ritual,” page 228, he describes the SNAIDANAC people’s “ritual ironically creates divisions within the society at the same time that it provides the basis for general society identity and cohesion.” This tells me that these people realize that their ritual and culture is what makes them unique and a special race; however, it is also clashing with different ideas that coincide with a planet that is changing, evolving and moving forward.

I think culture is an interesting way of looking into people’s lives and their history. It makes me wonder how the changing of technology and people’s connections, will change the cultures people have. Culture, to me, is what makes a group of people unique from another group. But as the world moves forward and people become more global, meeting new people, ideas, and traditions, what will happen to independent cultures?