Uudised

This year, traditional graduation ceremonies bringing together hundreds of people are not held at the University of Tartu, but ceremonies take place online. The university also makes a gift to the graduates: they now have their own tree and a bench in Tartu city centre. Also, the university main building and the sculpture on the Town Hall Square will be decorated.

In the absence of a vaccine for COVID-19, researchers across the globe are in pursuit of possible treatments for the disease. Now a team of Norwegian and Estonian researchers have established a cell culture that allows them to test antibody-laden plasma, drugs and drug combinations in the laboratory. A screen of 136 safe-in-human antiviral drugs and identified six promising candidates. One combination of two drugs was so effective that researchers hope others can begin clinical trials on the drugs now.

You have an idea or a question that needs a solution? But you lack the time and resources to implement it by yourself? Or you feel that you need a team that is willing to contribute?

The ERA Chair in Gas Fermentation Technologies (GasFermTEC) was established at the University of Tartu (UT), Estonia with EU-funds (~2.5m Euro) in 2019 with the aim to address global challenges of biosustainability through integration of gas fermentation technologies with systems and synthetic biology. This project builds upon the recently developed cutting-edge systems biology platform and state-of-the art gas fermentation facility at GasFermTEC enabling rational metabolic engineering of gas-fermenting acetogens.

University of Tartu researchers analysed the genomic sequences of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) taken from six Estonians. Compared to the initial virus strain that spread in China, researchers have identified eight mutations in Estonia that have been also found in other parts of the world and two mutations which so far seem to be unique to Estonia.

As a result of recent research, researchers of the University of Tartu and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have identified six compounds with an inhibiting effect on SARS-CoV-2. Researchers believe these antiviral compounds can benefit the whole world, as they can help the healthcare systems and the society to be better prepared for possible viral outbreaks in the future.

The University of Tartu (TÜ) and Selfdiagnostics, a medical equipment research and development company, are cooperating on developing a rapid SARS-CoV-2 test enabling the more rapid detection of the novel coronavirus at a lower price. The new rapid test will significantly increase testing capacity and deliver greater resource efficiency. The project has been awarded an EIT Health product development grant by the European institute of Innovation and Technology.

Researchers at the University of Tartu have discovered two mutations of the coronavirus which so far have been found only in Estonia. Eight more mutations which are also found in other parts of the world have been identified. All the strains belong to the SARS-CoV-2 group A2a, whose spread probably started in northern Italy and has spread mostly within Europe, Aare Abroi, virology research fellow at the University of Tartu said.

Admissions to the University of Tartu take place based on the schedule announced in winter. According to current plans, admission requirements will remain largely unchanged. The application period to Estonian-taught master’s programmes runs until 1 July. From 18 June to 1 July, applications are accepted to bachelor’s, professional higher education and integrated curricula, and from 1 May to 15 June, to doctoral programmes.

Teaching and studies at the university continue in online environments until the end of semester. To minimise the movement of students, we ask that all exams and pass/fail assessments be conducted online. If online classes are not enough for students to pass the course, face-to-face sessions are planned. In planning face-to-face learning, the following should be kept in mind:

On Tuesday, 5 May at 13:00, the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Aune Valk talked in a live webcast about when and how the university could resume regular teaching and studies, and what lies ahead of us before the end of the academic year. Among other issues, she discussed everything related to graduations; for example, graduation ceremonies, exams and theses. Watch the video with English subtitles:

The University of Tartu and the company Selfdiagnostics are cooperating on developing a rapid SARS-CoV-2 test enabling more rapid detection of coronavirus infection at a lower price. The new rapid test will significantly increase testing capacity and deliver greater resource efficiency. The project has been awarded an EIT Health product development grant by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

University of Tartu started a Feasibility Fund in order to support experimental project that have potential to reach a new innovative product or service. The fund started as a support method in Science and Technology field last year and since that, the focus has widened to the University as a whole. The fund received 49 apllications, of which ten were funded all together with 263 440 euros.

A Tartu laboratory brings new hope for a greener future by transforming harmful gases into eco-friendly fuels, materials and chemicals. There is too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and too much waste piling up in the world. At the same time, the need for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals is growing. These are some of the greatest challenges our planet is facing. It’s clear that we need to stop living in excess, but that’s not the only solution.

Prototron gathered smart ideas, many of which were aimed at mitigating the effects of the economic crisis caused by the global situation due the virus and facilitating people’s social lives. Among the 58 selected ideas and teams were also UT Institute of Technology researchers lead by Prof G. Anbarjafari.

Today, prototyping is a crucial part of the industrial product development process to remain competitive in the business. A prototype is a physical representation of a whole product or a component of a product that, although limited in some aspects, can be used for testing, design, and evaluation. Prototypes must be quickly and simply producible, easy and safe to recycle and as an impermanent object of product development, it should be economical.

Six tenants of UT residence hall confirmed to have coronavirus. In connection with this we publish the address of the Rector of the University of Tartu in both text and video. Today we have received alarming news both for the University of Tartu and the entire Estonia. Students of the University of Tartu, who are tenants of the residence hall in Raatuse street, have been infected with coronavirus.

The University of Tartu will not hold graduation ceremonies this summer because these events usually attract crowds of people and close contact is impossible to avoid. Graduates receive their diplomas in their institute/unit in the second half of June. Detailed information on the time and place will be sent to all graduates and posted on the university’s website. If necessary, you can authorise another person to collect your diploma, or have the diploma sent to you by mail.

Dear students and members of the teaching staff, On 15 April, several media channels wrote about the court case between a UT alumnus and a member of the teaching staff over an insulting comment in the confidential course feedback questionnaire. Understandably, this has shaken the trust in the feedback system and pointed to problems we want to avoid in the future. On the other hand, it is clear that the university cannot develop without substantial feedback.

All courses in which online teaching can be organised will continue in this format until the end of the semester. If coronavirus recedes, we hope we can resume classroom teaching for small groups, similarly to schools, in the second half of May. This concerns practical classes and, if necessary, exams – i.e. activities that are difficult or impossible to perform over the computer.