News

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.

The First Annual Tartu Conference on Russian and East European Studies taking place from 12 to 14 June brings nearly 200 researchers and experts from around the world to Tartu to introduce the most recent research work in the field and discuss topical subjects, such as political and economic developments, culture and society in East Europe.

In the latest ranking of Eastern European and Central Asian universities by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), one of the world’s leading compilers of university performance ratings, the University of Tartu scored a high fifth place, maintaining the highest rank among Estonian universities. QS ranked the Eastern European and Central Asian region’s best universities for the third year in a row. The University of Tartu has figured prominently in the rankings in all three years, with fourth place in 2015 being its highest to date.

Airbnb, PayPal and Bitcoin are only some of the most common examples of where today’s market is headed. The current market is built on new platform-based contracts, the use of which raises questions regarding the finalisation of the contracts and consumer rights.

On 27 May, Swedbank’s Head of Career Centre Grete Kotkas and Head of Human Resources Ülle Matt visited UT to discuss entrepreneurial cooperation possibilities. On 2 June, the representatives of the Police and Border Guard Board visited the university. Partnership Programme Manager Kristel Reim introduced the options of the partnership programme to the guests. Both organisations are interested in development projects so they also met researchers and visited various university laboratories.

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.

Three University of Tartu Idea Lab teams were chosen for the international Network Globally, Act Locally programme to develop their business ideas. The programme begins today in Tartu, where the entrepreneurial youth from two USA universities have also arrived, and ends on 24 June in Nebraska, USA, where teams will present their business ideas to the local business people.

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.

Professor Emeritus at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies Rein Taagepera receives Karl Deutsch Award from the International Political Science Association (IPSA). As an award recipient, he is invited to the IPSA World Congress to present a prize lecture on July, 27 2016.

UT medical researchers, under the lead of Professor Sulev Kõks, received 700,000 pounds of funding to study the rare Wolfram syndrome. The research group has worked on this for already 13 years. Researchers believe that the funding provides an opportunity for an applicable breakthrough, which would be a ray of hope for the so far untreatable disease.

On 9 December 2016, at the University of Tartu’s initiative, the international business conference sTARTUp Day takes place in Estonia for the first time. Around a thousand guests from Estonia and abroad are expected to come and enjoy an eventful day with renowned performers from around the world. Registration and ticket sales have begun.

The winner of the University of Tartu business and project idea competition Kaleidoskoop was team Konku, whose web and mobile application (www.konku.ee) provides rental ads without estate agent fees. The winning team has kept in mind people looking for a home and apartment owners and uses a very personal approach in both cases.

French Ambassador to Estonia Michel Raineri awarded University of Tartu Professor of Estonian as a Foreign Language Birute Klaas-Lang the French National Order of Merit for promoting cultural and academic cooperation between France and Estonia.

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.

The 3-day mini festival starts on the 26th of May at the UT College of Foreign Languages and Cultures. At 12.30 the Ambassador Extraordinary of Georgia to the Republic of Estonia Tea Akhvlediani is opening a photo exhibition dedicated to the Georgian alphabet.

On 27 May 2016, fifteen teams compete in the University of Tartu business and project idea competition Kaleidoskoop to find the business ideas with the greatest potential and implement them with the help of development advisors. Ideas competing in the finals range from catering and computer games to new materials. The 15 finalists were selected from among 28 teams who represented the University of Tartu, Tartu Vocational Education Centre, Tartu College of Tallinn University of Technology, Tartu Art School and Hugo Treffner Gymnasium.