Uudised

The Center of IT Impact Studies (CITIS) is the only institution in Estonia which does quantitative assessment and modelling of the impact of public e-services and technology. CITIS trains e-state developers, but they also use the data from the e-state to develop new services.

On 29 February, University of Tartu Rector Volli Kalm and Sven Nuutmann, Chairman of the Management Board of Eesti Meedia, signed a cooperation agreement. The parties’ mutual interest is to promote the University of Tartu’s research and development activity, studies, continuing education of Eesti Meedia personnel and to contribute to Eesti Meedia channels with content and ideas.

On February 29, the e-classes offered by the online course “EU-Russia Relations: Between the Vilnius and Riga Eastern Partnership Summits” will officially start.

On 23 February, on the eve of the 98th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves will bestow state decorations to 99 people for their services to the country. Four UT people are among those to receive the award. "The purpose of decorations is to acknowledge Estonian people and our supporters in foreign countries for their determination in their activities and loyalty to principles that modern Estonia relies upon – openness, democracy, knowledge, innovation," wrote President Ilves in the introduction to his resolution.

The accession of successful young local entrepreneurs with innovative ideas proves that Estonia is the perfect place for changing the world. ReLaDe, GoWorkaBit, Sportlyzer, Psycho Bus and many other businesses of the new generation will encourage young people to get involved in entrepreneurship on 18 February at the Athena Centre at the UT Idea Lab opening event “Idea storm. 100 ideas that will change the world”.

A new study by researchers at the University of Tartu found that 32 percent of Estonian children and young people experience sexual abuse, but that only a small percentage of them ever turn to a specialist with the problem. Postimees reported that the study also found that slightly more than half of the children and young people affected tell someone about it, but they usually tell a friend, and later on perhaps their mother or a brother or sister, but not the authorities, a social pedagogue, a teacher or a therapist.

Starting on 1 January 2016, the Institute of Government and Politics and the European College of the University of Tartu merged and formed the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies. The new Institute will be remarkable in its integration of advanced teaching and research methods in both Estonian and English.

The 9th CEECOM conference ”Media and communication studies: bridging disciplines, bridging countries”, taking place at the University of Tartu Institute of Social Studies on 15–18 June 2016, calls the participants for abstracts until 8 January 2016. The conference will provide a forum to exchange ideas and experience on inter- and transdisciplinary approaches in media and communication studies.

The professional qualifications committee of health care and social work gave the University of Tartu the right to award the professions of physiotherapist and speech therapist and thereby recognised the correspondence of the curricula to the needs of the labour market.

On Tuesday, 1 December, the University of Tartu celebrates the 96th anniversary of the national university with the traditional ceremony, torch-light procession and ball. Two honorary doctorates and 112 doctorates will be conferred at the ceremony and the University of Tartu Contribution to Estonian National Identity award will be presented. The ceremony is broadcasted live on www.uttv.ee.

On 9 November, the electoral compass Societly.com was launched in the USA for the presidential elections. The electoral compass has been developed for the American presidential elections in cooperation with partners from Europe and the USA.

The University of Tartu’s teacher education action plan for 2016–2020, which was adopted last week, sets development goals and is an important source document for further cooperation in teacher education at the University of Tartu

The quick development of information technology has brought the development of several geographic regions and created knowledge–based peripheries and centres. On 9 November at 14:15 in the University of Tartu’s assembly hall, Professor Mark Graham of the University of Oxford will talk about uneven geographies of power and participation in the internet era and ask why the digital divide has not been reduced more.

During the 10 years that e-voting has been conducted in Estonia, it has constantly been updated to meet the demands of the changing environment. On November 5-6, 2015, a high-level forum to discuss the Estonian electronic voting experience, its challenges and solutions, will be held in Tartu.

On 28 October, the ceremony to celebrate the 70th birthday of rector emeritus of the University of Tartu Peeter Tulviste took place in the university assembly hall and it was followed by the opening of a bench to his name at Toome Hill. At the ceremony, Tulviste was given the highest award of the Defence League—the White Cross I class decoration.

The Institute of Government and Politics of the University of Tartu opens a photo exhibition “Cultivating Democracy beyond the EU” to introduce the role of electoral observers and the organization of elections in different parts of the world. The exhibition is unveiled on Tuesday, November 3 at 16.00.

Do you have a science-based business idea but you do not have any money to start? Do you want to help to launch next revolutionary product or service? Vega fund, created in co-operation between SEB bank and the Universiy of Tartu, supports early stage science-based innovative business ideas with 36 000 euros. Applications are opened to: 1. A team of students or scientists who already have an innovative science-based solution to a common problem.

On 6 October 2015 in Riga, the Joint Jury of the Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature, the Arts and Science awarded Eva-Clarita Pettai, Senior Researcher at the University of Tartu, and Vello Pettai, Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Tartu, with the Prize for Science for the book “Transitional and Retrospective Justice in the Baltic States”.

On October 7th 2015, 14.00-16.00, Ülikooli 16-102 guest lecturer Charlotte Hagström from Lund University will give a public lecture “Wheels of Change: Reflections on Doing Applied Cultural Analysis at Lund University”. Bicycle is not just related to doing sports or getting from the point A to B. Cycling is culture, even more – it is a variety of cultures at different times and places.

The Idea Lab starts their autumn season and invites students from all specialisations to the workshop “Kick-off Ideation” on Friday, 9 October at 16:00 (at Narva mnt 4) where Amid Moradganjeh, interaction designer with international experience, will give advice on how to recognise ideas with potential and how to find suitable team members.