Smith O'Neil Presents at the Al Qattan Foundation
Dr. Maryvelma Smith O’Neil offered a presentation on her Webster University, Geneva
research, “The Illés Relief Digital Mapping Initiative,” at the Al Qattan Foundation
(Ramallah) symposium, Palestine Seen from Above, (7 Dec. 2019). The seminar explored
how Palestine’s topography has been looked upon as visual text that supported the
shaping of politics, culture, economy and ideology. Further investigation will take
place during an exhibition at Al Qattan in Aug. 2020.
Arese Visconti Presents at the CREAM symposium hosted by the University of Westminster
On Thursday Dec. 12, Francesco Arese Visconti, Head of the Media Communications and
Photography department, presented his last research findings at the CREAM symposium
hosted by the University of Westminster. Arese Visconti discussed the visual representation
of Italian seasonal workers on the Swiss-based magazine L'Illustré during the years
between 1960-1970.
Indjikian at the Euromoney Global Grain Geneva 2019 Conference
Professor Rouben Indjikian, who is teaching his seventh annual course on commodities
was invited to moderate a session on the Black Sea grains export infrastructure and
logistics at the Euromoney Global Grain Geneva 2019 conference.) He was previously
the moderator of the same session at Global Grain 2018. He invited panelists from
Russia and Ukraine to discuss the challenges of further developing infrastructure
and logistics, which continue to lag behind expanding production and export capacities.
For example in Ukraine warehouse networks and rail and road logistics need to be upgraded,
while current river navigation falls far behind the historical records in that sector
of logistics. Russia also needs to further develop internal stockage and transportation
of grains to meet the expanding capacities of Russian ports to handle bigger volumes
of shipping. The Black Sea hub is becoming increasingly important in the international
trade in grains supplying first of all importers in the Middle East and Africa. Meanwhile
the high cost and limited availability of domestic sources of financing and limited
access to international finance at competitive terms remain the main challenges. While
Russian exporters have a possibility to benefit from the support measures of the government,
Ukrainian exports are supported more by investments of major international trading
houses active in the Ukrainian market or other investors working closely with local
companies. The major international trading houses are also present in the Russian
market. After the presentations Prof. Indjikian moderated an interesting interactive
discussion, which helped to better understand the role and potential of the Black
Sea hub in global grains trade flows.