Uudised

At the meeting on 7 December, the council of the Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine elected Professor of Human Physiology Eero Vasar as the head of the institute. The head of the institute is elected for three years. The term of office will end on 31 December 2024.

On Thursday, 4 November, Tartu will host Gustavus Adolphus Day celebrations to mark the 389th anniversary of the founding of the University of Tartu. The programme includes laying flowers on monuments, a book presentation, a concert and a film premiere. Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus signed the foundation decree of Academia Dorpatensis (Academia Gustaviana) in 1632. The day dedicated to this event begins on 4 November at 15:20 with the laying of flowers on the monuments of Gustavus Adolphus and the University of Tartu’s first chancellor Johan Skytte.

The university aims to keep studies open as long as possible, which is why stronger safety measures are imposed. Safe distancing should be maintained between people during classes, in public rooms and all, including those who are vaccinated, must wear masks in the university buildings. Only protective masks, not scarves or visors, may be used to cover the nose and mouth.

To help promote vaccination in Tartu and Tartu County, on Saturday, the vaccination bus of Tartu University Hospital moves from Raatuse 22 to the city centre, next to Tartu Kaubamaja. On the bus, it is possible to get vaccinated from 10 to 16.

We'd like to start teaching and studies in the autumn as normally as possible and meet face to face in class, and therefore it is important that as many of our new and returning students and university staff as possible are vaccinated. The nearest vaccination locations can be found on the website vaktsineeri.ee.

According to the respondents, the University of Tartu diploma is highly valued in the labour market, and high-level research is done and excellent education is offered at the university.

In the new funding period of the KoroGeno-EST project, medical researchers of the University of Tartu are planning to sequence and analyse up to 6,500 full-genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in Estonia. An interactive environment to display the most important results of KoroGeno-EST-3 is also being created.

The graduation ceremonies of the University of Tartu are held from 15 to 30 June in person. In Tartu, the ceremonies take place on the square in front of the Old Anatomical Theatre. The graduation of Viljandi Culture Academy will take place as individual ceremonies that were well-received last year. In Narva, Pärnu and Tallinn, graduation ceremonies are held indoors.

The university’s orienteering month – May – is about to end, but as the initiative has attracted much interest, the orienteering course will remain open until 6 June. The university invites all employees, students, alumni and their families as well everyone else to orienteering in the city of Tartu. Come to discover places where the university family has done exercise and sports since the early 19th century!

Despite the government’s decision to allow face-to-face studies also in higher education starting from 17 May, the university continues work as previously planned. Decisions about the organisation of studies continue to be made by the head of institute in cooperation with the vice dean for academic affairs. The only change is that the requirement not to exceed 25% room capacity has been lifted. The allowed percentage of room capacity is to be decided by the head of institute.

Pregnant women and young children do not have many options to relieve pain or lower fever. The best known and most commonly used remedy is paracetamol. Medical researchers of the University of Tartu started a research project that is innovative in many ways and is expected to bring clarity to whether foetal/infant exposure to paracetamol affects brain development and behaviour in later life.

The Office of Academic Affairs in cooperation with the Student Union have chosen the new course registration start time. Based on the results of the survey conducted, registration will start at 21:00.

Recreational use of cannabis is increasing worldwide, including in Estonia. A study by medical researchers of the University of Tartu shows that the first use of cannabis in Estonia is taking place in increasingly younger age groups – more and more people try cannabis before the age of 16. From the point of view of brain development, this is too early.

In 2021, the anniversary events of the Faculty of Medicine will take place on October 7th- 8th. We invite everybody to submit abstracts to the scientific conference no later than June 30th.

While the use of probiotics is already an everyday practice in the food industry, their use in skincare products is still a novel direction, which is also studied by medical researchers of the University of Tartu. They are developing a probiotic skin product to help relieve the symptoms of atopic dermatitis and acne by supporting the microbiota of the affected skin.

Throughout May, the university invites all employees, students, alumni and their families to orienteering in the city of Tartu. The spring orienteering course, compiled by the university museum, focuses on places related to sports and recreation. Did you know that according to architect Krause’s initial floor plans there was supposed to be a fencing hall on the ground floor of the main building? If not, come orienteering and find out other exciting sports-related facts about the university.

Researchers from the University of Tartu and the Wellcome Sanger Institute (UK) carried out the largest and most exhaustive genetic study to date looking at Y-chromosome-linked infertility in men. Analysing the DNA of patients with spermatogenic impairment at the Andrology Centre of Tartu University Hospital, researchers found a previously undescribed subtype of the Y chromosome, which, in a substantial number of men of European ancestry, increases the risk of fertility issues nearly nine times.

The University of Tartu invites everyone to participate in a photo contest to get photos by talented amateur and professional photographers depicting the University of Tartu buildings, students, events, studies, and everything else related to the University of Tartu. The contest takes place from 29 March to 30 September and all participants enter a draw to win prizes.

In cooperation between Estonian companies and the University of Tartu and the Estonian University of Life Sciences, technology has been developed for producing nasal and throat spray based on antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Initial studies have shown that it may help prevent infection with the coronavirus.

From 1 to 5 March, the ENLIGHT European University network organised its official kick-off week. All students and staff of the University of Tartu, as well as the wider public, was invited. Recordings of some of the exciting international lectures and discussions about the environment, digital solutions, healthcare, equity, energy and teaching are available to watch on YouTube.