Arnold Sciberras, a student at the MCAST Institute of Agribusiness, will be representing Malta at the Belgian Science Expo to be held in Brussels between 26 April and 1 May, further to his successful participation in the National Student Travel Foundation Contest for Young Scientists IX which is held in collaboration with the Malta Chamber of Scientists, Air Malta and Tumas Group.

Arnold will be presenting a project entitled Observation on the endangered subspecies of the Maltese wall lizard of Selmunett island - Podarcis Filfolensis Keiselbachi”.

The Maltese wall lizard, Podarcis filfolensis, exists in a number of isolated populations, some of which have been given formal scientific names as subspecies.

In his research, special attention was given to the population of P. filfolensis kieselbachi, which is endemic to Selmunett island due to its rapid decrease.

On the same lines of the NSTF Contest for Young Scientists, the Belgian Expo Science is a contest of science projects and serves as a meeting ground for established and not yet so-established scientists.

It is an opportunity for science related companies to attract younger blood towards them and entice them to take up scientific careers.

In order to promote internationality the Belgian participants will be joined by young scientists from Mexico, Russia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany and Malta. All participants will have the opportunity to exhibit their scientific research to each other as well as to the visiting public. Furthermore a number of scientific workshops and lectures will be taking place.