Strengthening Ties with Germany

Dr Ignat Ignatenko, head of the Department of Applied Geology and Mining at the Faculty of Mining and Resource Management, Dr Nikolai Tsybulya, Director of the Centre for Cooperation with Priority Regions of the World, and Yuri Banchuk, Director of the Department for Data Analysis, were shown round 'Terra Mineralia', Germany's largest collection of minerals, gathered from all over the world. Anna Dziwetzki, Director of the Exhibition, gave our colleagues an insight into the concepts that informed the collection, and the interactivity of the Exhibition space. They then met with Professor Klaus Spitzer, Head of the Institute of Geophysics, and Dr Tsybulya conveyed a message from Professor Oleg Polukhin, Rector of BNRU. Dr Ignatenko then spoke about his department, and the potential for cooperation. He stressed the mutual benefit of academic mobility and joint research, and hoped that students in the future might graduate with Double Diplomas. Professor Spitzer listened with interest. His colleague, Dr Frederick Rose, then conducted a tour of the Training Shaft and the University's Research Facilities.

After this, the BNRU delegation had a meeting with Ingrid Lange, the Director of the International Office, where an agreement was signed on a student exchange program, aided by funding from the Erasmus+ program.
The trip was concluded by a meeting with Professor Gerhard Heide, Head of the Department of Mineralogy, where they discussed joint applications for grants in geophysics, geoinformatics and geoecology. They also agreed on an exchange of minerals from both Universities collections.