Uudised

University of Tartu placed 347 in the QS World University Rankings—this is the highest position an Estonian university has held since the first ranking was published in 2012. Last year UT placed 400 in the ranking. This year UT improved its position for five of the six QS indicators, including academic reputation which improved 22 places, employer reputation which improved more than 50 places and citations per faculty which improved two places.

On 7 and 8 September, coordinators of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) space science and robotic explorations Professor Alvaro Giménez Cañete and Dr Fabio Favata will visit the University of Tartu, Tartu City Council and Ministry of Education and Research to discuss the future of new European space missions.

The opening ceremony of the new academic year begins on 29 August at 10am in the UT assembly hall. In the new academic year more than 3,900 new students, incl. nearly 700 international (visiting) students, begin studies in all study levels at UT.

From 27 August to 1 September the UT Institute of Physics organises Vibronic Coupling and Electron-Phonon Interactions in Molecules and Crystals: XXIII International Symposium on the Jahn-Teller Effect.

Marta Tarkanovskaja, doctoral student of materials science at the University of Tartu and University of Turku and the best young Estonian scientist, was one of the 400 young people representing 80 countries who participated in the reputable Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. This year’s Lindau Meeting was dedicated to physics. In six days young scientists over the world had the opportunity to participate in inspiring lectures, master classes and meetings in an informal atmosphere with more than 30 Nobel Laureates.

On 26–29 August, the international game developing event Ludum Dare 36 brings to Tartu people with a desire to learn about game development and find a long-term development team with whom to continue working. The event takes place at the same time also in France, Spain, Malaysia, Brazil and the USA. In Estonia the meeting is organised by UT Institute of Computer Science together with Tartu Art School’s 3D specialisation which are united by the organisation for computer game development enthusiasts APT Game Generator.

Because human activities and their impacts do not stop at national sea borders, there is a need for coordination among national Maritime Spatial Plans and planning processes. With this in mind relevant Maritime Spatial Planning authorities will cooperate over the coming three years within the two sister projects “NorthSEE” and “Baltic LINes”, funded through Interreg. University of Tartu Estonian Marine Institute is one of the partner of the projects.

The Estonian Bar Association and the University of Tartu IT Law Programme announced the competition in order to develop solutions that would make it easier for specialists, and for people not practising law, to find answers to questions regarding legal matters.

On 15 July 2016, the lists of students admitted to the University of Tartu’s 2,342 bachelor’s and 1,417 master’s study places were published. 425 of Estonia’s best high school graduates, students who finished with a gold or silver medal, are on the lists, incl. 350 students who finished high school this year. By now the applicants have received the first results regarding the UT admission. All those who exceeded the admission threshold were guaranteed a study place.

The University of Tartu Rector invites all golfers who appreciate the beauty of the game to the traditional University of Tartu Rector’s Cup Golf Tournament, which takes place on 21 August 2016 at the Otepää Golf Center between the hills of South-Estonia. Players compete in individual class and, for the first time, also in the faculty competition. It is an open tournament and in addition to alumni, students and lecturers all competitive golf enthusiasts are welcome.

An international Cyber Security Summer School for doctoral students and young researchers titled “Digital Forensics – Technology and Law” is held in Tallinn from July 3-8, and brings together leading cyber security and IT law practitioners to Estonia from all over the world.

University of Tartu Estonian Marine Institute is participating in an international project to identify the biodiversity dynamics of the Baltic Sea, its causes and management implications. The annual meeting of the project takes place from 27 to 30 June in Tallinn, with workshops on topics where Estonian researchers have the leading role in the project—spatial and temporal dynamics of zooplankton and invasive round goby.

Until 22 June, UT students of Computer Science will, as the only Baltic team for the second year in a row, compete in Frankfurt at the international student cluster competition. The student team feels strong because the experience of the previous competition has taught a lot.

In recent years, engineering has strongly made its way into biology, enabling to create systems with completely new qualities. Several herbs, fuels and medication are produced with the help of such technologies. The Centre of Excellence for Molecular Cell Technology, led by UT Professor Tanel Tenson, works in this field.

The IEEE Distinguished Lecturer Prof. Hamid Krim is going to deliver a speech on Friday, Jun. 10, 15:30 - 17:30, in the Auditorium (room 111) of the Computer Science Department, located at Juhan Liivi 2, 50409 Tartu. The event is organized by the University IEEE Student Branch, and sponsored by the iCV Research Group. The speech will be followed by free discussion and refreshments. Two attendants will win prizes each being worth a one-year IEEE student membership.

Imagine redesigning a city in only 2 days. That’s exactly what American and Estonian students did last week, when they participated in an exciting 48-hour urban planning challenge as part of a laboratory practicum led by Dr. Daniel B. Hess, Visiting Scholar in the Centre for Urban and Migration Studies at the University of Tartu and Marie Skłodowska- Curie Fellow. UT students in the Department of Geography were joined by visiting American students to develop new schemes for redeveloping Tartu city center.

The University of Tartu’s new laboratory of computer graphics and virtual reality provides computer scientists and students with world-class hardware to conduct various research projects related to computer graphics and neuroscience. For example, the laboratory creates environments which differ from reality as much as possible to study how the human brain reacts in an unusual situation.

One of the most important tasks of the centre of excellence planned in Estonia is to accelerate the development of new ICT technologies and applying them in the industry by including the private and public sector. On 30 May in Tallinn, during the ICT Week, the public sector, enterprises and university representatives discussed the future plans of the ITEE Centre of Excellence in Digital Connected Economy.

The energy and resource conservation competition Negawatt for students elected its winners: recycling plastic, quitting cups and saving heat. The first place went to the UT team “Box Spinners” who make the boxes of pipette caps used in labs into thread for 3D printers.

UT Institute of Chemistry and engineering design and consultation company NT Bene begin cooperation to develop the production of hydrogen—fuel of the future. By the end of 2018, the first hydrogen refuelling and production station in Estonia will be established in Pärnu. The idea is to apply unique solutions which enable to fuel buses and automobiles with hydrogen.