Two new Boeing 737 MAX airplanes crashed with the loss of 346 lives because Boeing did not install a pair of redundant Angle-of-Attack (AoA) sensors in addition to the original two AoA sensors that are on both sides of the 737 MAX nose. This assertion has been presented on June 22 at DSN 2021, the 51st Annual IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks that is being held virtually from Taipei, Taiwan on June 21-24, 2021. The author is Algirdas Avižienis, Ph.D. (U. of Illinois, 1960), who is a Senior Researcher and Rector Emeritus at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas, Lithuania as well as Distinguished Professor Emeritus of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Florian Rabitz, a senior researcher at Kaunas University of Technology working on global environmental governance, emerging technologies and international institutions.

Organic solar elements with the self-assembling molecular-thin layer (SAM) of hole-transporting material, the technology, which was used in producing a record-breaking tandem solar cell, achieved 18.4 power conversion efficiency. The invention of Lithuanian chemists working at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), commercialized by several global companies proved versatile and applicable to different solar technologies.

A 10-thousand-euros yearly scholarship fund has been distributed among the ten KTU graduates of 2021, who were analysing the artificial intelligence (AI) application-related topics in their final projects. A total of 42 KTU student final projects were evaluated. The competition was open to undergraduate, graduate and professional students of all study fields and areas.

On 22 June, the Senate of Vilnius University (VU) made a decision, ruling that the study process and its activities will be once again planned in a non-remote manner in the autumn semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. For this reason, the auditoriums, laboratories, libraries, courtyards and campuses will reopen in September.

A team of scientists from Kaunas University of Technology and Lithuanian Energy Institute proposed a method to convert lint-microfibers found in clothes dryers into energy. They not only constructed a pilot pyrolysis plant but also developed a mathematical model to calculate possible economic and environmental outcomes of the technology. Researchers estimate that by converting lint microfibers produced by 1 million people, almost 14 tons of oil, 21.5 tons of gas and nearly 10 tons of char could be produced.

From 25th to 31st July, the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius University is planning to hold the 18th edition of its annual summer school of linguistics (Academia Grammaticorum Salensis Duodevigesima) at Salos Manor, Municipality of Rokiškis, Lithuania.

On 16 June, during the General Assembly, European Consortium for Research Infrastructures (ERIC) for Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) took place. Lithuania is one of the founder of the so-called "laser CERN", the world's leading consortium of laser research infrastructures. The ELI ERIC consortium was established by Lithuania along with the founders of two international powerful laser centres in the Czech Republic and Hungary, which were later joined by Italy.

Following the last meeting in November 2020, the rectors of the seven Arqus universities have come together once again in an on-line meeting to take stock of the first period of the Alliance’s activity and discuss future plans.

We are very happy to inform you that the Graduation Ceremony will be held in the amphitheatre in the territory of VILNIUS TECH’s Faculty of Environmental Engineering on 17-23 June.