Almost two hundred local Year 7 students could directly experience the new class of innovative digital tools which have come on stream in recent years during an invited visit to the Malta National Aquarium.
The visit was organised by , Malta’s Ocean Ambassador and the Oceanography Malta Research Group within the of the , within the framework of the CORALLO project, an EU-funded project coordinated by the same research group.
One of the highlights of the carousel of digital tools on show at the Aquarium was Pepper the Robot, an interactive humanoid robot which can interact with users by answering questions and by providing titbits of information, in this case on marine life, as trained by , resident academic within the same research group.
Holograms projected realistic 3D renditions of marine life whilst the fully immersive experience ensued with the screening of Virtual Reality (VR) underwater clips. Two of the most insidious pressures currently facing our waters – namely, marine alien species and microplastics – featured within the carousel of attractions.
In fact, replicas of the most common marine alien species in our waters were on show at the Aquarium, whilst the extraction of microplastics from beach sand as well as their analysis were also on display. Students could also observe, through a state-of-the-art stereomicroscope, different life forms sampled in the waters around the Aquarium and these were also magnified on a 65-inch TV screen for viewing by the audience.
Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, who participated in this event, explained that children and young people are protagonists in the collective effort to safeguard our rich marine biodiversity. Through awareness initiatives such as Saving our Blue, the Ministry is regularly involving them in activities promoting important issues affecting marine life, especially to fight the problem of single-use plastics and littering.
Through other regulatory developments and environmental investments, the Government is working to continue protecting the seas around Malta, with an increased commitment in marine protected areas. Also in attendance were the Italian Ambassador to Malta, as well as delegations from the French embassy and from the IOI (International Ocean Institute) and the Head of the Geosciences Department .
The three-year CORALLO project will run till the end of next August, with a total budget of slightly over €1.5 million. In previous years, the project participated prominently within the Science in the City event held at Fort St. Elmo in Valletta, organised photographic and videographic competitions for students and even presented HE President George Vella with a commemorative trophy.
The 3 Maltese partners on the project (the University of Malta, the ERA and Heritage Malta) have a combined budget exceeding €800,000.
Further information on the CORALLO project can be gleaned from the whilst the salient moments of this flagship event at the Aquarium were captured by within this short clip uploaded on the .
