Development of Master program "Waste management" at technical universities of Baikal region

The project implementation: 2006-2008

Implementation of the European project under the Tempus-III program "Development of a master's course" Waste Management "in technical universities of the Baikal region".

Another example of cooperation and knowledge transfer in the field of higher environmental education was the project “Development of a master's program“ Waste Management ”in technical universities of the Baikal region” under the European program TEMPUS-III, 2008-2010. More information on the project website: www.baikal-wasma.de in two languages (Russian, German).

The main European partners were three leading universities: the Technical University of Dresden, Germany; University of Agriculture, Vienna, Austria; Copenhagen Technical University, Denmark.

The implementation of the project made it possible to improve the qualifications of the staff of the Department of OPI and IE (head of the magistracy, professor E.V. Zelinskaya, project coordinator, associate professor Ulanova O.V., associate professor Ph.D. Starostina V.Yu., associate professor Ph.D. Fomina E.Yu.) in European universities, visit more than 30 Austrian, German and Russian waste disposal enterprises, equip an environmental laboratory at ISTU with modern analytical equipment (for more than 2.5 million rubles), publish 9 thematic books based on scientific and methodological sources of Germany, Austria and Denmark.

During the implementation of the project, more than 10 thematic seminars and coordination meetings were organized and held at partner universities, in which representatives of environmental ministries and departments, environmental organizations, heads of small businesses in the field of waste processing and disposal, including on the following topics, took part:

International seminar "The Bologna Process — the path to the development of sustainable engineering and environmental education in universities in Siberia", June 2008
International seminar European Waste Management System. Initiative 3-R “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, June 2008
International seminar "Environmental and Waste Management" for students of the KhM Faculty and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of ISTU, who speak German, June 2009
Ecological Product and Waste Cycles, TU Dresden, October 2008
German legislation and regulations for the protection of soils from chemical pollution in the TU Dresden, November 2008
EU-Russia: Transfer of knowledge and technologies in the field of waste management — NRU ISTU, November 2009
Needs and prospects for the implementation of the master's program "Waste Management" in the Baikal region, July 2009
International seminar “European and Russian waste management system. Common features and differences”, July 2009
Final workshop “Results of the two-year Tempus project”, November 2009

In June 2008, an international educational and innovative environmental center “Baikal Waste Management” was opened at NI ISTU together with European colleagues in order to integrate the international intellectual scientific, educational and innovative potential for the coordination of environmental projects. The head of the center is professor, doctor of technical sciences. Fedotov K.V., Deputy Head of the Environmental Center, Ph.D., Associate Professor Ulanova O.V.

Within the framework of the project, student mobility of students was carried out in the framework of academic exchange between partner universities. As a result, 3 students (A. Tulokhonova, K. Vlasova, A. Ageeva) were trained at the TU Dresden and the University of Agriculture in Vienna. Within the framework of the Tempus project, it was also envisaged that 2 students from EU partner universities will undergo a 3-month internship at ISTU. Within the framework of the project, 2 students from EU partner universities (Robert Glantz and Michael Haberland) took a 3-month internship at ISTU.

In April 2009, the "Agreement on interuniversity cooperation in the field of double diploma" was signed, providing for the receipt of two diplomas by students:

Diploma of ISTU "Master of Engineering and Technology" in the direction of 553500 "Environmental Protection" under the master's program 553505 "Utilization and processing of production and consumption waste"
Diploma of TU Dresden "Master of Science" in the master program "Waste Management"

The result of the project was the opening of a new interdisciplinary master's program “Waste Management”, which was absent in higher education in the Russian Federation. In June 2011, the first graduation of 15 masters of engineering and technology took place at the Department of OPI and IE.

The implemented Tempus project has significantly improved the quality of educational training in the field of waste management in Siberian universities, increased awareness of environmental relationships in the field of waste management and recycling in European countries, and contributed to the promotion of European best available technologies in the field of waste management in the Russian market. The project's activities were covered in the media in the Baikal region, Austria and Germany. The project participants have repeatedly presented reports at international conferences in Germany, Austria.