Üliõpilaste TEadusliku Ühingu osa üliõpilasteaduse organiseerimisel Tartu Riiklikus Ülikoolis 1948-88

Abstract

The role of the Students’ Research Society in organising students’ research

Toivo Hinrikus, Ain Raal

UT Institute of Pharmacy

The Students’ research Society was established at Tartu University in 1948. Students’ research in pharmacy started already in the period of Czarist Russia when in 1807 the research of Jakob Ludvig Kagel’s on the composition of coal was awarded with the gold medal. Since that time, under the supervision of lectures, the students made a big number of scientific presentations and written papers for the research contests, many of which were awarded with prizes at the university, Estonian and the all-Soviet Union respective contests. In the present overview the development of students’ research at the university in the Soviet period is discussed. The development of the Students’ Research Society (SRS), the organisation’s structure, the regulations for work, the requirements for the conference and contest papers, the conferences in the pharmacy circle under the auspices of the Students’ Research Society are presented. The activities of the SRS died down in connection with the great changes in society and also at the university when Estonia became independent. All the teaching staff then and in the period immediately after that had been the members of this society. After the period of student research serious research and the active supervision of the students’ papers followed. Consequently, to counterbalance, some Soviet traditions deserving criticism the positive role of the SRS in developing young teaching and research staff should be underlined.