Many scientists have long concluded that the Earth is a single organism in which all living beings are interconnected, and the violation of these connections leads to disastrous consequences for all of humanity.
Oddly enough, but our planet is still not fully understood, as it is in constant development. Some species of living things disappear, others appear. Therefore, today you will not surprise anyone with specialties that would have been out of the ordinary 100 years ago. This is a bioecologist, biochemist, microbiologist, geneticist, biotechnician and others.
You can get such an education exclusively at the Faculty of Biological Faculty. BSU of Minsk provides such an opportunity to everyone who is interested in wildlife and all the changes that occur in it.
Faculty opening
Since biology is a science that comprehensively studies all living beings on the planet and their interaction with each other and the environment, the need for specialists in this field became a priority in the USSR at the end of the 1920s. In Belarus, it was decided to open the Department of Natural Sciences at the pedagogical department in 1922, and already the first enrollment amounted to more than 150 people. As biology as a science developed, new specialties appeared, and the number of people wishing to study increased every year, it was decided to create a separate training course, which later separated into a new department.
The Department of Biological Faculty at the BSU of Minsk was opened in 1931 and since then has been in constant development, as is the science that is being studied at it. If in the 40s and 60s the faculty consisted of only 5 departments, by today there are 9 of them, among which 4 are completely new areas in biology.
More than 450 applicants enter the various biology faculty of the BSU of Minsk annually, and in general almost 2,000 people study at the faculty annually.
The popularity of the department is caused not only by the demand for specialists in this field, but also by a well-equipped training base, which includes:
- Zoo museum.
- Botanical Garden.
- Research laboratory.
- Laboratory of Computer Engineering.
- Vivarium and herbarium.
Location of biofaci in Minsk
The Department of Biology had to go through a lot with the BSU during the Soviet period. So, during the war years, she was evacuated as a whole to the Skhodnya station, where teachers and students prepared logs and helped mend the railway tracks, and continued classes in short periods of rest.
After the war, they already had to participate in the restoration of the capital after the bombing and erect a new building for the biology faculty of BSU. Minsk at that time needed new specialists, therefore, as soon as it became possible, students again filled the classrooms, but for a long time they had to “huddle” in the old two-story building, which did not at all correspond to the scientific needs of the department.
Today, the address of the biology faculty of BSU of Minsk is Kurchatov Street, 10, where the Department of Biology moved in 1973. The need for a new building was brewing for a long time, since not only the number of new disciplines was growing, but also students. Currently, in its building are located not only classrooms, but also the Zoological Museum and the Botanical Garden, which invite young people to their work. You can write about the desire to cooperate at: biofac, BSU, Minsk, Independence Ave., 4.
What to do and what specialties
Today, the Belarusian Department of Biology can enroll in the following departments:
- Specialty: "biology", direction - "scientific and production" and "scientific and pedagogical activity", specialization - zoology, botany, genetics, physiology of man, animals and plants, molecular biology.
- Specialty: "biochemistry" with specialization in biochemistry of drugs and analytical biochemistry.
- Specialty: “Microbiology”, specialization - “applied” and “molecular biology”.
- Specialty: "bioecology", specialization - "general ecology".
In order to become a student and study one of the listed specialties at the biology faculty of BSU Minsk (feedback from applicants confirms this), you should have extensive knowledge in biology and chemistry, as well as an average score based on the results of the exam:
- For admission to the budget department - 284 points.
- On a paid basis, 212 passing points are enough.
The training lasts 5 years, the deadline for submitting documents to budgetary departments is from 12 to 17. 07, for correspondence students - from 12.07 to 04.08. There is no correspondence department at the biology faculty of BSU Minsk only in the specialty “biology” in the direction of “biotechnology”. At all other departments, both full-time and distance learning are provided. As the “lucky ones” who arrived at the university note in their reviews, the extra points that are awarded for participation and victory in biological olympiads and other training contests help to get ahead of competitors and provide a place in the budget department. You can find out if the applicant’s last name is on the list of students enrolled (biology faculty, BSU Minsk) by driving up to the university’s headquarters or by calling the hotline.
General ecology and teaching
This department trains not only teachers of biology and chemistry in schools, but also such narrow-minded specialists as the "environmental biologist." The opening of the Department of “General Ecology and Methods of Teaching Biology” took place in 1974 after the biology faculty of BSU Minsk moved to a new building.
To date, 10 teachers work at the department, of which three are doctors and four are candidates of biological sciences. The scientific disciplines that are studied in this department are:
- general ecology;
- biometrics;
- hydroecology;
- agricultural ecology;
- geography;
- nature management;
- methods of teaching biology and educational work.
The Department of General Ecology and Biology Teaching provides applicants with the opportunity to engage in full-time and part-time studies. Over the years of its work, more than 1000 certified highly qualified environmental biologists have been graduated. Students who graduated from this department speak warmly of its teachers.
Department of Botany
This department was opened when the biofacus was not yet in the BSU of Minsk. In 1924, on the basis of the Faculty of Education, a natural science department was opened, which included 3 biological departments: botany, zoology and animal physiology.
Already at that time, the training of students was not exclusively theoretical, since they were connected to the research work carried out by the teachers of the department. Naturally, the lack of a practical base affected the scale of the educational process, but it was at that time that the idea of ​​creating the Zoological Museum and the Botanical Garden was born and gradually came to fruition.
Today, the main line of work of the Department of Botany is the training of specialists who study and assess the state of plants growing in Belarus in various biomes and zones.
The main educational disciplines of the department:
- plant morphology;
- systematization of higher plants;
- plant growing;
- geobotany;
- pharmacognosy and others.
Not so long ago, a branch of the Department of Botany was opened at the Institute of Experimental Botany. V.F. Kuprevich, which allowed students to study in modern scientific laboratories equipped with the latest equipment. In their reviews, students note that this opportunity helped them to study their future specialty more deeply.
Cell Biology and Bioengineering
This department was opened at the BSU of Minsk in 1928, when there was a shortage of workers who qualified in the field of plant physiology and their biochemistry. Since its foundation, nearly 1700 specialists have been graduated from this department, which indicates the demand for specialists involved in the development of increasing the yield of agricultural plants, predicting environmental threats and ways to prevent them.
Among the studied disciplines:
- plant physiology;
- occupational Safety and Health;
- xenobiology;
- introduction to systems biology and others.
The department provides education and training of specialists in the following specialties:
- Biology (scientific activity).
- Biology (pedagogical activity).
- Bioecology.
- Biochemistry.
- Microbiology.
- Plant physiology.
Graduates of the department are engaged in teaching and conduct scientific research in the reserves and reserves of the country. Most of them have the most pleasant reviews and memories of their years of study at their favorite faculty.
Department of Genetics
Genetics is a relatively “young” science, but so rapidly developing that a scientific department, leading training and scientific activities in this direction was opened at the Belarusian State University in 1947.
Initially, the department conducted development in the direction of studying the genetic characteristics of the alkaloidity of lupine, then, already in the 60s and 70s, specialists in geneticists and cytologists began to be trained at it. Along with academic education, the department carries out scientific developments in the field of molecular genetics of bacteria.
Over the entire period of the department’s work, among its graduates, 10 people became doctors of science, and more than 70 became candidates. Currently, students in this department receive stationary and correspondence education, as well as master's and postgraduate courses.
To enter the Department of Genetics, you should contact the selection committee located in the central building of the university, and not the biofaculty of BSU in Minsk. How to get to Independence Avenue, 4? From the bus station, a minibus No. 1 goes to him. From the central building directly to the biofac building at 10 Kurchatova street, bus No. 47 goes (it also goes from the railway station).
Department of Biochemistry
The study of chemical processes in the cells of plants and living organisms is carried out by biochemists. This science considers not only the interconnections and elements that make up their composition, but also observes the mechanism of the occurrence of certain diseases in order to eliminate them.
To become a biochemist, one should enroll in the biology faculty of BSU Minsk. Feedback from graduates suggests that, despite the difficulty in studying such disciplines as biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering and others, the process of obtaining theoretical and practical knowledge is very exciting.
The Department of Biochemistry was opened in 1965 and to this day two new directions in specializations have appeared on it: “Biochemistry of Medicinal Products” and “Analytical Biochemistry”. The training lasts five years, and the passing score for admission to the budget department is 316.
Specialists in such fields as nanobiotechnology, medical biochemistry, pharmacology and others are trained here.
Science at the Biological Faculty
This faculty stands out against the background of applied departments in that its staff and students are constantly in scientific research, since there is a well-equipped laboratory at the research institute, its own Botanical Garden, the Naroch Biostation, and the SNIL.
Every year, scientific papers and books are published based on the results of practical experiments conducted jointly by teachers and students. It’s not at all difficult to get into the literary lists of the biology faculty of the Belarusian State University of Minsk and pass for a person with a scientific mindset, if you seriously approach the writing of a term or diploma work.
Working at the SNIL (student research laboratory), future specialists in molecular biology are trained in:
- cultivation of microorganisms and bacteria,
- molecular cloning
- DNA sequencing
- the construction of transgenic organisms.
and much more, which subsequently helps them find work in the best laboratories in the country or participate in international biological projects.
student life
But not only teaching and science are students of the biology faculty of BSU Minsk. Talented young people are happy to participate in the productions of the Bio Theater, which has been successfully operating since 1976. Not only student skits and KVNs are held here, but also stage performances based on scripts written by students and teachers.
The faculty also has scientific circles, where students share their best practices and discuss the works of their academic colleagues.
No less active is sports life at the university. Biofacus students participate in competitions in volleyball, table tennis, chess and other sports.
Finally
The Faculty of Biology of BSU in Minsk is a living organism, a huge world, which hundreds of young people dream of getting into every year. This is due to the fact that biofaculty graduates are successful specialists in their chosen industry, which is possible only if there is an excellent material base and a high-quality teaching methodology.