History stages of
International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University
International Sakharov College on Radioecology
On January 20, 1992, the Decree of the Council of Ministries of the Republic of Belarus № 20 «On the opening at Belarusian State University named after V. I. Lenin, International Sakharov College on Radioecology» was issued. A. M. Lyutsko, PhD in Physics and Mathematics Sciences, Associate Professor became the head of the college.
There were the following tasks for the college to fulfill:
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Training and advanced training of specialists in the field of Radioecology, Radiation Safety, Radiobiology, Radiation and Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Technologies;
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Research in the field of Radioecology, Radiation Technologies, learn radiation disaster consequences;
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Take part in the preparation of information for enterprises, organizations, institutions, and the public on radioecological issues;
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International cooperation in educational and scientific issues of radioecology.
On January 27-28, the first meeting of the International Board of Trustees of the college held, the wife of A. D. Sakharov, E. Bonner was at the meeting.
First students were 65 people studying a three year program, who finished the second year of higher education institutions in the specialties of sciences and medical disciplines. To organize the educational process, the college was provided with 8 rooms in the building of Minsk Correspondence Polytechnic at Dolgobrodskaya str., 23/1. Student practice was held in Khoiniki, Gomel region, where the field station was created.
The academic year began on November 3, 1992. It was difficult to teach and learn because of the absence of special materials, established discipline programs, lack of space, study facilities, and high-qualified teachers.
The second enrollment was in 1993. The training program was made for four years. Applicants with secondary education were also admitted that year. The specialty «Radiobiology and Radiation Medicine» with the major «Medical Ecology» was opened at the end of the academic year. The whole building at Dolgobrodskaya str., 23/1 was transferred to the college. After the scientific research sector was opened the educational process stabilized, the material-technical base enhanced, research themes expanded.
There was the enrollment for a 5-year term in 1994. There were majors «Nuclear Physics and Radiochemistry», «Radiation Safety» («Environmental Monitoring and Audit», «Environmental Information Systems» later added) in the specialty «Radioecology». The specialty «Radiobiology and Radiation Medicine» had majors «Radiobiology», «Medical Ecology», «Immunology» («Radiation Hygiene and Epidemiology»).
International Sakharov Institute of Radioecology
On October 21, 1994, the college was reorganized to International Sakharov Institute of Radioecology by the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Belarus. Alexander Mikhailovich Lyutsko, PhD in Physics and Mathematics Sciences, Associate Professor was appointed Rector.
The first graduate of 38 specialists was in 1995. Postgraduate course in 9 specialties for training high qualified specialists was opened.
At the beginning of the 1997-1998 academic year, the chair of Philosophy, Sociology, and Economics, the chair of Environmental Monitoring, the chair of Radiobiology, the chair of Human Biology, the chair of Immunology were created.
On March 19, 1998, Alexander Antonovich Milyutin, Dr. in Biology Sciences, Professor was appointed Rector. Structure changes, material-technical base enhancement, scientific methodological support development of the educational process and research, expansion of international cooperation continued under his management.
International Sakharov Environmental Institute
In July 1999, International Sakharov Institute of Radioecology obtained certification of Republic State Inspection of Education System of the Republic of Belarus and was reorganized to International Sakharov Environmental Institute.
Main tasks for the institute were:
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Specialist training for national and international programs, projects in the field of elimination and prediction of radiation disaster consequences; the analysis of radiation and another technogenic factor impact on different ecosystems, diagnostics, prevention, caused by bad conditions; providing environmental monitoring and audition; and other joint fields;
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High qualified specialist training in environmental field specialties;
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Advanced training and retraining of specialists from Belarus, CIS countries, and other states in Radioecology, Radiation Safety, Radiobiology, Environmental Medicine;
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Provide fundamental and applied research in a wide range of problems in the prevention and elimination of disaster consequence, bad environmental condition impact on human health;
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The international cooperation in the field of educational and scientific activity.
Semen Petrovich Kundas, Dr. in Technical Sciences, Professor was the head of the institute from 2003 to 2012.
Valery Ivanovich Dunaj, PhD in Biology Sciences, Associate Professor was appointed Rector in 2013. Valery Ivanovich had been the head of the chair of Human Ecology of BSU before his appointment.
International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University
Today
The institute was renamed «International Sakharov Environmental Institute» and included in Belarusian State University in 2015. Sergey Alexandrovich Maskevich, Dr. in Physics and Mathematics Sciences, Professor, Director is the head of the institute.
The institute consists of three faculties: Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Medicine, Advanced Training and Retraining, Yerevan branch (the Republic of Armenia), joint faculty with Tajic National University in Dushanbe.
207 teachers (14 Professors, 23 Doctors, 109 Associate Professors) work at the institute.
1775 students, master students (full-time and correspondence), 31 postgraduate students (full-time and correspondence) and 1 doctoral student study at the institute.
Student training at full time form department provides the following specialties: «Nuclear and Radiation Safety», «Nature Protection Activity» (majors: «Environmental Management and Examination», «Environmental Monitoring»), «Energy Efficient Technologies and Energy Management», «Medical Physics», «Information Systems and Technologies (in public health)», «Information Systems and Technologies (in Ecology)», «Medical Biological Science», «Medical Ecology». Students obtain one of the following qualifications: «Engineer», «Ecologist. Environmental Protection Engineer», «Engineer-Energy manager», «Medical Physicist», «Programmer-Engineer», «Programmer-Engineer-Ecologist». «Biologist-Analyst, a Teacher of Biology», «Expert-Ecologist», «Biologist-Ecologist. a Teacher of Biology and Ecology».
The employment process begins on 3-4 year. On student practice distribution, Chairs take into account the possibility of future employment at their place of traineeship and graduating practice. For this reason, the Chairs always keep in touch with institutions and organizations which potentially hire graduates, agree contracts on cooperation. Therefore, on distribution, some graduates continue working at the organizations where they undergo training.
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The Faculty of Environmental Monitoring trains students in engineer specialties, which is connected to rational usage of natural resources, environmental safety, and protection. Students learn the methods of environmental monitoring, radiation monitoring, evaluation of the impact on the environment; data analysis to make a decision on environmental management, work on law and normative documents, nuclear and radiation safety essentials at APS, on ionizing radiation impact on personnel and population; medical physics essentials and the usage of radiation technologies in medicine, provide system energy analysis (energy audit) of enterprises, technological processes, and equipment, evaluation of their functional and economical, energy efficiency; energy efficiency estimation of the project solutions, their environmental safety evaluation. In 2020, the Faculty of Environmental Monitoring academic staff did 12 scientific research and development works; published 222 scientific works: 1 monograph, 50 articles in journals and source books, 153 thesis reports; edited 4 training manuals; the faculty academic staff participated in 45 conferences and the Round Tables, including 15 international ones.
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The Faculty of Environmental Medicine trains students to learn and evaluate external environment factors of bio, abiogenic origin impact on cell state, tissues, organs, and all body systems (cardiovascular, nerve, endocrine, immune). Students learn the methods of diagnostics of different types of pathology, evaluation treatment efficiency (immune correction, screening of immune reactive drugs), search methods of molecular marker impact on an organism of environmental factors and molecular markers of pathological processes, and also all the range of modern clinic diagnostics methods. In 2020, the Faculty of Environmental Medicine academic staff did 15 scientific research works; published 287 scientific works, including 2 monographs, 92 articles in journals, 179 thesis reports. Edited 8 training manuals (5 of which approved by the Ministry of Education), registered 3 electronic educational methodological complexes in the governmental information resource. The faculty academic staff participated in 115 conferences and seminars, including 110 international ones. According to the results of scientific research works the institute gained 2 patents, 2 patent applications submitted, 29 acts were made up to use the results of scientific research works.
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The Faculty of Advanced Training and Retraining works in three fields: preparation courses for applicants, preparation department for foreign citizens, advanced training and retraining of management staff.
IAEA courses in radiation protection and safety of ionizing radiation sources based on the faculty. The courses are provided on a model curriculum, developed by IAEA specialists and leading specialists of training centers of Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, India, Iran, Spain, China, Cuba, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Russia, Romania, Syria, Slovenia, the USA, Turkey, the Philippines, France, Croatia, Check Republic, SAR, Japan, and other countries.
The international activity of the institute aimed at more deep integration with the international community of universities, gaining additional opportunities for accelerated development and competitive advantages.
International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University has stable and effective ties with international organizations offices and programs which are functioning on the territory of the Republic of Belarus: the UN agency in the Republic of Belarus, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNESCO, Minsk International Education Center, German service of academic exchanges DAAD, etc. There is long term cooperation in the framework of the Baltic University Program (Sweden).
The institute takes part in the implementation of international projects in the framework of the programs: Erasmus+, cross-border cooperation programs, etc. In 2020, the institute continued to fulfill 8 international projects. Including: «Determine goals and instruments of peer review for medical education (health) », Erasmus+ program; «Development assistance of dual training in Belarusian Higher Education», Erasmus+ program. International activity of the institute also aimed at the integration of environmental education in the CIS countries and the development of new prospective specialties of the environmental field following world tendency.
Students traditionally considered International Sakharov Environmental Institute of BSU to be a fundamental higher institution of environmental major. From 2006 to 2020, the institute trained more than 500 students from the CIS countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). In 2020, International Sakharov Environmental Institute of BSU trained 187 foreign students (full time and correspondence), the citizens of the Russian Federation, China, the USA, Ukraine, Lithuania, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Iraq, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, the Republic of Kongo, Sri Lanka, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Kongo, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Nepal, Somalia, Burkina Faso.
Chronology of events
1992– The Decree of the Council of Ministries of the Republic of Belarus № 20 «On the opening at Belarusian State University named after V.I. Lenin International Sakharov College in Radioecology».
1992– The field station was created in Khoiniki, Gomel region, gained the status of Regional Training and Information Center in radiation safety problems.
1992 – The Students Guild creation.
1992 – The International Board of Trustees started to work.
1993 – Scientific research sector was created at International Sakharov College in Radioecology.
1994 – International Sakharov College in Radioecology was reorganized into International Sakharov Institute of Radioecology based on the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Belarus.
1994 – The Institute Council, the highest governing body of International Sakharov Institute of Radioecology started to work.
1994 – The specialty «radiobiology and radiation medicine» opened.
1995 – The creation of radioecology department; radiobiology and medical ecology department; humanitarian education department.
1995 – Postgraduate course in 9 specialties opened.
1997 – New Chairs created: philosophy, sociology, and economics; environmental monitoring; radiobiology; human biology; immunology.
1998 – The institute departments were reorganized into three faculties: radioecology; radiobiology and environmental medicine; advanced training and retraining.
1999 – Educational resources department opened.
1999 – International Sakharov Institute of Radioecology was reorganized into International Sakharov Environmental Institute.
2000 – International scientific conference «Sakharov’s Readings: environmental problems of XXI century» was established and held annually.
2001 – The creation of preparation faculty.
2001 – New specialties opened: «environmental monitoring, management, and audit», «medical ecology», «medical-biological science».
2005 – International Sakharov Environmental Institute gained the status of the essential organization in environmental education of the CIS countries following the decision of the government heads of the CIS countries.
2007 – Correspondence faculty opened.
2007 – To develop an innovative activity on implementation of energy-saving technologies with the usage of renewable energy resources, training complex «International Environmental Park «Volma» created.
2007 – The creation of the scientific-practical and information-analytical journal «Environmental Journal».
2011 – Training methodological community in environmental education created.
2011 – The foundation of the Yerevan branch (Armenia) in the specialty «medical ecology».
2013 – The specialty «medical physics» opened.
2015 – International Sakharov Environmental Institute was included in Belarusian State University and renamed into International Sakharov Environmental Institute of BSU.
2016 – The opening of ecology saving technologies faculty of TNU-ISEI BSU (based on joint technologies institute of Tajic National University and Belarusian State University (in Dushanbe, Tajikistan), it provides training in the specialties of the 1st stage of higher education: energy-efficient technologies and energy management, nuclear and radiation safety, medical-biological science.
2017 – Supplementary education chair at the faculty of advanced training and retraining created.
2017 – The laboratory of environmental biotechnology opened.
2018 – The training methodological laboratory of innovative technologies; the training methodological laboratory of environmental education opened.
2020 – A new specialty at the master course – bioinformatics opened; new majors in the specialty ecology – urban ecology; environmental biotechnology created.
2020 – A new specialty at postgraduate course – clinic immunology, allergy study opened.
