The Stingray water pipe, the work of an Industrial Design student Rok Kostanjšek at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana, became one of five winning design solutions at the international student competition for the Hansgrohe Design Prize 2016. This is one of the most prestigious international design competitions. It received over 11,000 competition proposals from around the world.
A team of scientists from the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, and the Institute of Chemistry with Prof. Simon Horvat as the leading research author and associates from the University of Edinburgh discovered a new gene called TST (thiosulphate-sulfur-transferase), which participates in the defence against obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The scientists expect that new and more effective medications could lead to the development of complementary new therapies for diabetes, which is related to obesity. The study was published in the Journal Nature at the beginning of June.
The Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, held the international Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering (CAiSE), which drew over three hundred participants/researchers from around the world. The underlying theme of the conference was information support for connecting people and the use of social media within the scope of information systems. The main part of the conference lasted three days and was accompanied by various events (seven workshops, three working conferences, a doctoral consortium and an industrial symposium).
The University of Ljubljana received an international award for its work performed in the study of natural disasters along with a possibility for further research work with the establishment of a UNESCO Chair for Water Related Disaster Risk Reduction. The concern for the work of the UNESCO Chair was assumed by the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering of the University of Ljubljana. The Chair will be able to continue its successful international cooperation in research related with water disasters for the next four years.
