HOUSE WITH METEOROLOGICAL MESONIN, OR SOME INFORMATION FROM RELIABLE SOURCES THAT CONTRIBUTES TO COMPLETING THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY

The article deals with the history of the institutions where meteorological and geomagnetic research originated and developed in the south of Ukraine in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries as well as their close ties with the history of the Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Novorossiysky University. Professors of Novorossiysky University V. I. Lapshin and F. N. Shvedov were those to whom the Department of Physical Geography owed its appearance. Teaching meteorological disciplines and scientific observations were initially conducted by the staff of the Department at the meteorological station of the University. In 1894, thanks to the efforts of prof. A. V. Klosovsky a special Meteorological observatory was constructed in the area of the Small Fountain of Odessa. In 1905, geomagnetic measurements were launched. Research works at the Magnetic Meteorological Observatory were carried out under the guidance of a number of scientists-geophysicists, M. A. Aganin, S. G. Popruzhenko, I. Ya. Tochidlovsky and P. T. Pasalsky being the most famous. In 1920, the University was closed and Observatory was transformed into an independent Odessa Geophysical Observatory. As soon as the Odessa State University was restored in 1933, the Observatory was given back to its Alma mater. However, since the postwar years it has been a part of the Odessa Hydrometeorological Center of the Black and Azov Seas.

On the History of the University Press in the 20s of the 20th Century

The research analyzed the biography of the editors of the newspaper of the 2nd Moscow State University "Za Leninym" as well as their role in the management of the publication. We used archival documents of the 2nd Moscow State University which have not been studied before. The newspaper "Za Leninym" was published from 1926 to 1930. Its editors were students and employees of the 2nd Moscow State University. In the 1920s of the twentieth century university mass media were established. There was an acute shortage of professionals who could help the large-circulation press to reach a professional level. The study found that media played an important ideological, informative, and educational role. The newspaper "Za Leninym" was no exception. The leadership of the 2nd Moscow State University was genuinely interested in publishing a newspaper, the editorial board was appointed, the issues of the newspaper and the content of "Za Leninym" were repeatedly discussed. The role of newspaper editors in its development and improvement of the quality of the content of materials and layout was also crucial. Especially it is interesting to learn about the editors who really made a big contribution into science and in the history of the country (Y. Uranovsky, A. Bagdasarov, Y. Bugaysky). Thanks to the editors the newspaper which they wanted to close at its very beginning really took off and was being published regularly until 1930 under the name "Za Leninym", and since 1931 under the name "Kultarmeets".

The paleo-lacustrine diatomaceous deposits of Monte Amiata volcano (Tuscany, Italy) and the Ezio Tongiorgi paleontological collection in the Museum of Natural History of the University of Pisa

At the foothillof Monte Amiata volcano (southern Tuscany, Italy), small extinct lake basins of late Pleistocene age are documented. These lake basins were characterized by the deposition of two very different types of sediment: a) derived from the authigenic precipitation of iron oxides (goethite) and exploited as earth pigments; b) biogenic siliceous sediment composed of fossil diatoms and named diatomaceous earth or diatomite. The lacustrine sediments of Mount Amiata volcano were widely exploited for various applications since ancient times. Literary documents begin in the 16th century, with the descriptions of Cesalpino, Gesner, Agricola, and Imperato. Specific references to the diatomites of Monte Amiata are quoted in the 17th century by Boccone and Bonanno. The quarrying activity was described by Micheli in 1733. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the diatomaceous earths of Monte Amiata are part of the important geological collections of Micheli, Targioni Tozzetti, Baldassarri, Campani, and Tommi. A particular significance has the collection of botanic and ichthyologic fossils collected by Ezio Tongiorgi, and now preserved in the Museum of Natural History of the University of Pisa sited at the Charterhouse of Pisa in the Calci village. These paleontological samples preserve the biological and physical testimonies of the environmental and climatic changes of the late Pleistocene and are now particularly valuable because they are the only remaining evidence of the diatomaceous lacustrine deposits of the paleo-lakes of Monte Amiata. For these reasons, they represent geological materials with a fundamental cultural value.

At the Forefront of Transport Education and Industrial Science in Russia: the 125th Anniversary of Russian University of Transport

The article is dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the founding of Russian University of Transport (MIIT), the largest transport university in the country. Over the years of its existence, the University has gone from an engineering school to a national-wide transport university, a leading center for science and education.The history of the University is examined through the prism of formation and development of schools of sciences. The University established world-known schools of sciences of structural mechanics and bridge construction, hydraulic theory of friction, bridge construction and welding, structural mechanics, design and operation of railways, design and thermal calculations of steam locomotives, etc.Over the years, the University has trained many tens of thousands of highly qualified specialists for the transport industry of the country. Loyalty to traditions, the ability to respond to demands of the time and work for the future allow Russian University of Transport to remain in the ranks of the leading universities in Russia.

Book Projects on the 100th Anniversary of Belarusian State University

The article provides an overview of the books published in the Republic of Belarus for the 100th anniversary of the Belarusian State University. Four books prepared in the form of essays by faculty members of several departments (history, international relations, mechanics and mathematics) and the Fundamental Library. The greatest attention is paid to two such works. Peer-reviewed jubilee editions give a comprehensive idea of the history of the university, its structure in different years, the current state, and faculty potential. It has been established that the editions are based on rich source material. In this aspect, the work titled Unknown V.I. Picheta is especially significant, as it acquaints the reader with a previously unpublished book Review of the Activities of the Fist Western Committee by the first rector of the Belarusian State University, an outstanding historian, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the BSSR Academy of Sciences V.I. Picheta. The article point out that this book, supplemented with several dozen letters from Picheta’s correspondence with twenty colleagues, students (mainly from the time of the book’s composition), will arouse great interest in the scientific community of Belarus, Russia, and other countries. The review briefly analyzes the structure and content of the book, published in 2019, for the 130th anniversary of the university philosopher, vice-rector and dean S.Z. Katzenbogen. It is concluded that all publications do not only celebrate the anniversary of the first university in Belarus but also, taking into account their scientific component, contribute to the deepening of the study of the history of the development of Belarusian science and culture of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

The history of transport education in the exhibits of the Museum of the Russian University of Transport

One of the oldest transport universities in the country — the Russian University of Transport (RUT (MIIT)) — is 125 years old. The history of the university and transport education in general is reflected in the expositions of the university museum.The main historical periods of the development of the museum, starting from 1896, are noted: tsarist Russia, the soviet period until the Great Patriotic war of 1941-1945, the war and post-war years, the post-soviet period.The RUT Museum (MIIT), being the same age as the university, today is one of the oldest museums in Moscow. The collections of items collected in its funds are striking in their diversity and uniqueness. The museum has over 12,000 items, 7,000 of which are on permanent display for visitors. All cultural heritage sites are inextricably linked with the rich history of the university and the history of Russia. Most of the museum's collection is traditionally collected thanks to the help and support of the university staff, as well as its graduates from different years, who honor the traditions of the Alma mater and carefully preserve the history of the university for posterity.Taking into account the specifics of the museum, it is obvious that the number and themes of its expositions will only expand over time, which means that it will not lose its relevance for a very long time and will be of interest to guests of all ages and professions.

Theology, the Fairy Queen

Scholars of religion today understand that the scientific basis of religious studies lies in the fact that religion is a multifarious historical phenomenon accessible through empirical research, and that this study therefore differs fundamentally from theology premised on the acceptance of supernaturally revealed truths and faith traditions. Meanwhile, it has been broadly believed that theology once occupied the preeminent position in the medieval university, as expressed by the well-known sobriquet “queen of the sciences.” By surveying the early history of the university, this article shows that most medieval universities did not have a theology faculty until the fourteenth century. With the notable exception of Paris and its immediate offspring (Oxford and Cambridge), the relation between theology and the university was far more tangential and temporizing than is generally assumed—a point worth bearing in mind as we consider the question of the secularization of learning, which is said to have taken place since the early modern period.

Introduction: Nicolaus Steno and earth science in early modern Italy

A group of scientists interested in history of science and fascinated by the figure of Nicolaus Steno (1638-1686) gathered in Florence for the 350th anniversary of the publication of his De solido intra solidum naturaliter contento prodromus dissertationis. A public conference held at Palazzo Fenzi on 16 October 2019 and a geological fieldtrip on the following day were occasions to discuss different points of view on the last published work of the Danish natural philosopher, dedicated to "solids naturally enclosed in other solids" (De solido intra solidum naturaliter contento, or De solido in short). The title of the gathering, "Galilean foundation for a solid earth", emphasized the philosophical context that Steno found in Florence, where in 1666-1668 he established tight human and philosophical bonds with renowned Italian disciples of Galileo Galilei and members of the Accademia del Cimento. For participants to the 2019 gathering, the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence, hosting some of Steno's geological specimens, and the region of Tuscany itself, formed the perfect location to discuss the phenomena that Steno had observed from 1666-1668, the motivations for his research, the methodology of his discovery and, generally stated, the European scientific context which informed his inquiry. Some of the talks given in that meeting are included within this volume, kindly hosted by Substantia, International Journal of the History of Chemistry published by the Florence University Press. In addition some of the invited speakers who were unable to attend, also contributed a paper to this publication. The collection is about earth science in the early modern period, when the study of minerals, rocks, and the fossilized remains of living things did not yet form a distinct path to knowledge about earth history, but was an integral part of the wider "philosophy of nature".

The University of Groningen in the World

The University of Groningen has been an international university since its foundation in 1614. The first professors formed a rich international community, and many students came from outside the Netherlands, especially from areas now belonging to Germany. Internationalization, a popular slogan nowadays, is therefore nothing new, but its meaning has changed over time. How did the University of Groningen grow from a provincial institution established for religious reasons into a top-100 university with 36,000 students, of whom 25% come from abroad and almost half of the academic staff is of foreign descent? What is the identity of this four-century-old university that is still strongly anchored in the northern part of the Netherlands but that also has a mind that is open to the world? The history of the university, as told by Klaas van Berkel and Guus Termeer, ends with a short paragraph on the impact of the corona crisis.