Study Forum «Digitalisation in the Study Process»

What will the study environment look like in five years time? Can digitalisation improve the study process and how? Why would it be useful to overcome the fears and prejudices of new opportunities and to learn and use them? The RTU Studies Department and the Student Parliament invite the academic staff and students to discuss these and other issues on March 5, when the RTU Scientific Library will be open from 10am to 10pm. 11.00 – 15.00 forum «Digitalisation in the study process».

Various digital tools are already available that can be used by faculty and students in the study process, making it more interactive and effective. Some of them will be available in the forum. Leonard Budnik, lecturer at the Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management at IEVF, will talk about his experience in using digital tools in the study process. He is not afraid to experiment, and his passion for diversifying the study process has proved his worth. In 2018, L. Budņiks received the “New Teacher of the Year honor” and has been repeatedly recognized by students as one of the best teaching staff by awarding the Student Parliament of the Year Award.

In order to inspire and encourage the use of modern methods and tools in the study process, RTU lecturers’ courses in the ORTUS e-learning environment will be demonstrated and positively evaluated by the students and the authors themselves as they improve study results and facilitate their work. In the practical part of the forum, those who are on the digital world with “you” will also be able to try different digital tools and make sure their use is neither complicated nor time consuming.

Forum Program:

10.30 Registration and Interactive Activity

11.00 Opening

11. 20 Summary of Interactive Activity

11.25 Students’ summary of the current situation in the ORTUS E-learning environment

11.55 Good examples of ORTUS E-learning environment

12.25 Why use digital tools in the study process?

13.00 Coffee break

13.30-15.00 Practical exercise

For attending the conference, participants will receive a certificate of professional development for five academic hours.

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RTU Career Day

Riga Technical University (RTU) Career Day, which will take place on March 6 at the International Exhibition Hall in Kipsala and will bring together 130 companies from 40 different sectors, is welcomed by students of all Latvian universities, especially RTU students, to meet employers, as well as participate in educational activities such as discussion, inspirational seminar and short interviews to find out how to get a very specific job offer.

RTU Career Day, which is the largest youth event in Latvia, will be attended by Latvian and four foreign companies this year, and Latvian and foreign students are invited to attend.

Career Day Exhibition – Meeting with Business Representatives in the Exhibition Hall 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., participation is free.

To ensure that all RTU students can attend Career Day, March 6, 12.30 students have canceled classes.

In the meanwhile to the activities in the hall, where young people will meet with business representatives, three educational and practical career education events will take place.

Seminar on the choice of profession “The future is in your hands” will be at 11.00 – 12.00 moderated by TV personality and actress Ieva Florence-Vīksne. The lecturer will share her experience of finding her profession, talk about obstacles, how to overcome them and use them for her own benefit. You will also learn where to find inspiration when you want to give up. To participate in the seminar, please register in advance.

Discussion on future skills and labor market challenges at 12.30 – 13.30, attended by Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science Reinis Znotiņš, RTU Vice Rector for Development Artūrs Zeps, Anta Praņeviča from Fontes, board member of RTU Alumni Association and CEO of MILZU . Each participant in the discussion will present his or her vision of the key issues of the labor market in terms. The discussion will be moderated by Ivars Svilāns, Director of Public Relations Department of RTU.

From 13:00 to 17:00 there will be a speed dating event featuring 50 companies, inviting students to a four-minute conversation during which both parties will be able to assess the potential for starting a job. If the parties’ interests coincide, young people will be able to receive very specific job offers after the event. After a short interview, students will have the opportunity to meet and speak with other companies. Time from 13.00 to 15.00 are open for talks in Latvian, and from 15.00 to 17.00 in English, allowing foreign students to attend the event. To participate in the speed dating event organized by the social enterprise «All Opportunities», you must register in advance and fill in the application form.We invite everyone to take the opportunity to find out what the labor market situation is today, what companies expect from their employees and what career opportunities they offer to students and graduates.

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RTU scientists help to improve the equipment of Latvian luge athletes

Latvian luge athletes this season, starting at home and on international tracks, carry the name of Riga Technical University (RTU), as the RTU logo appears on athlete’s sleigh. This confirms that the Latvian toboggan team’s sleds have been improved at RTU Design Factory with the support of RTU scientists. The RTU logo will be displayed on the sleigh on December 28, when luge athletes will fight for the Latvian Cup in Sigulda.

The Latvian Basketball Federation has been cooperating with RTU since 2017 in the development and technical development of sports sleighs and special equipment. During this time, 3D laser scanning and modeling has been carried out at the RTU Design Factory to improve the aerodynamics and mechanical properties of the sleigh, tailored individually for each athlete.

The RTU Design Factory also prints out individual parts mounted on sleighs and acting as vibration damping elements using 3D printers. “It helps athletes to maintain stability on the track, and makes sleighs easier to control during the ride and, thus, more accurately steered,” says Martins Rubenis, Olympic medalist and now Latvian national team coach and mechanic.

Ultrasound tests have been carried out with Kaspar Kalniņš, a scientist at the RTU Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Materials and Structures, to optimize the interaction of sleigh construction materials. RTU has also tested various materials that may be more suitable for sledge jointing.

Latvian sledging team RTU improved its equipment also in 2018 in preparation for the start of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. At that time, the Design Factory created the so-called penguins – special needle caps that are attached to gloves at the tips of the fingers to help athletes kick off the ice more forcefully.

The sleigh RTU is continuously improved, even during the same season between races, as each improvement gives athletes a hundredths of a second, which is crucial for athlete performance.

The next step, together with scientists from the RTU Institute of Design Technology, is to begin developing customized overalls for athletes, using a body scanner and creating accurate patterns.

Sandris RUČEVSKIS has elected as the correspondent member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences

On Wednesday, December 18, Sandris RUČEVSKIS was elected as the correspondent member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

Brief biography of newly elected correspondent

Sandris RUČEVSKIS – Dr.sc.ing. (2010). Senior Researcher, Institute of Materials and Structures, RTU Faculty of Civil Engineering.

Research areas: structural damage identification and technical condition monitoring, machine learning and artificial intelligence, composite materials mechanics, numerical calculations and optimization.

Published works: more than 40 scientific articles, incl. 32 publications indexed in SCOPUS database, H index – 7.

Pedagogical work: scientific supervisor for 1 defended doctoral thesis, 4 lecturer.

Scientific projects: participation in more than 10 scientific projects, incl. ES IP5, IP6, H2020, ESF, ERDF, MERA-NET, National Research Program: 6 Project Leads, 2 Project Managers.

Organizational work: Member of the Promotion Council “RTU P-06”, Member of Latvian National Mechanics Committee, LZP expert, member of scientific committees of international conferences and editorial boards of scientific journals.

Acknowledgments: LAS Young Scientist Award (2004), Swiss Baltic Net Alumni Award RTU (2003)

On May 17, 2019 at 15.00 the Doctoral Thesis Defense

On May 17, 2019, 15:00 pm  Mechanical Engineering Promotion Councils “RTU P-03” sessionin an open  at Riga Technical University  Riga, Paula Valdena Street 1, Room 101, RIMS JANELIUKŠTIS will defend the doctoral thesis “Identification of structural damage based on self-contouring shapes and supervised machine training” for a doctorate in engineering sciences.
Reviewers:

– Dr.sc.ing. Jānis Andersons (Institute of Polymer Mechanics, University of Latvia);

– Dr.habil.sc.ing. Andrzej Katunin (Silesian University of Technology, Poland);

– PhD Manuel Chiachio Ruano (University of Granada, Spain).

The doctoral thesis can be found at the RTU Scientific Library (Riga, Paula Valdena Street 5), the National Library of Latvia (Mūkusalas street 3) and the website http://www.rtu.lv (Science> Doctoral Studies> Doctoral Thesis> Doctoral Thesis).

Participate in space technology competition

Invitation to participate in Space Technology Competition 

Scientific institutions and companies can apply by 1 May to participate in European Space Agency (ESA) projects in space technology. Participants are not Latvia in collaboration with ESA expert and potential innovative and internationally competitive value-added offers. The ESA program has available funding of 2 million. euro.

Information on the competition can be obtained on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES). Information on Latvia’s participation in ESA projects can be obtained by contacting Kaspar Karoli, Senior Expert of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, kaspars.karolis@izm.gov.lv or 67047996.

March 21 at 8.30 pm A seminar will be held at the National Library of Latvia, Mūkusalas Street 3, where it will be possible to get more information about this competition.

RTU students are calling for a wafer tower building competition

Riga Technical University (RTU) Faculty of Civil Engineering (BIF) Students’ Self-Government organizes traditional waffle tower design competition “Wafer Engineer 10”, to be held on Thursday, March 7, at. 16.00 at the International Exhibition Center in Kipsala, Kipsala Street 8.

The competition will take place in two categories – the “Supreme Tower” and the “Design object” – and there will be a wafer tower or a design object from six wafer plates and one chocolate bar. The team that will build the highest and most durable construction will win.

The tower will only be built from wafer plates and chocolates issued by the organizers. The team that will build the tallest tower will be able to win a 250 ml heavy canister placed on a dedicated platform for at least five seconds.

The design object, on the other hand, will have to be thematically designed to reflect the theme defined by the organizers of the competition, which participants will learn when starting work. The most challenging, creative and creative design will win.

For each team without wafers and chocolate work, a ruler, a paper knife, a paper, a pencil, a plastic spoon, and a chocolate melting pot will be provided and hot water will be provided.

Work hours are three hours – from. 17:00 to 20:00 After that, the evaluation of the work will begin. The winner of the category «Supreme Tower» will be able to travel.

Students, students, business representatives and other interested parties who want to test their skills in the design of waffle objects are invited to the competition. Potential participants must set up a team of three and up to 6 March at noon. 23.59 fill in the registration form.

Last year, in the winning engineer competition, creating a 2-meter high tower, «PWr team» won the laurels in the category «High Tower» – a team from Poland. In turn, the «Design object» was won by the team «Ulmaniiku engineers».

 

Evgeny BARKANOV has elected as the correspondent member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences

On Thursday, November 29, Evgeny BARKANOV (mechanics) was elected as the correspondent member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

Short biography of the newly elected member

Evgeny BARKANOV – Dr.sc.ing. (1993). Professor at RTU, leading researcher at the Institute of Materials and Structures.

Areas of scientific research: finite element method, composite mechanics, structural dynamics and strength, fluctuation of fluctuations, reverse problems, optimization.

Published works: 3 textbooks, 2 book editors, 124 scientific publications, of which 59 in the SCOPUS database, 92 conference theses, H-index – 10.

Pedagogical work: scientific supervisor for 3 defended doctoral theses, responsible lecturer for 5 developed subjects, guest lecturer in Germany, Russia, etc.

Scientific projects: Coordinator of 2 international projects, incl. EU 7th Program Project and Research Project of the Taiwan-Latvia-Lithuania Scientific Cooperation Fund; 7 International Project Manager.

Organizational work: member and secretary of the Council of Professors of Construction and Architecture, Member of the RTU P-03 and RTU P-06, Member of the RTU Academic Assembly, Member of the Latvian National Mechanics Association, Expert of the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science, LZP Expert, EU 7.

Expert of the Framework Program and the EU HORIZON2020 program, member of the editorial boards of various international scientific committees and scientific journals.

Acknowledgments: RTU Rector’s Recognition Articles.

RTU researcher about construction resistance research and engineering thinking

Riga Technical University (RTU) Construction Engineering Faculty of Materials and Constructions Institute senior researcher Kaspars Kalnins conversation with the Latvian Radio 6 Latvian University radio NABA program “Science on behalf of” driver Ivar Oyster tells about their research interests, as well as engineering thinking principle and the fact that is important in engineering studies.

The main research interests of Kaspars Kalnins are related to structural durability. His doctoral thesis defended in 2006 was dedicated to this topic as well. He has participated in several major studies, including the development of space-satellite manufacturing technologies by the European Space Agency.

Currently, K. Kalnins with colleagues working on the 3D printer filament improvement – investigating how to incorporate the glass fibers to the printout of the material could be given functionality.

When asked about the nuances of engineering thinking, Kaspar admits that everything that does not speak is well suited for this type of thinking. If you engage a person with his view that it, for example, like the white color, it’s this kind of thinking does not fall by as «love» is not an argument in engineering, so that there is an important functionality – if this color specific situation fit and «work». Good engineering thinking is characterized by the ability to perceive the whole product or solution cycle as a whole and think of several steps forward.

On October 11, 2018, the radio NABA program can be heard on the Latvian Public Media Portal.

On September 3, begins new year of studies

On Monday, September 3, calling ceremony, which will be held at the Riga Technical University (RTU) student camp in Ķīpsala, will be officially launched in 2018/2019. academic year of study. Event will start at 10.30 am in the Column, located on the square between the Student Service Hotel, Electronics and Telecommunications, Materials Science and Applied Chemistry and Civil Engineering Faculties.

From 10.30 to 12.00, special event for young students – Opportunities Market – RTU structural units, student and interest clubs will introduce themselves, their activities and opportunities at the university. New students will be able to meet RTU Sports Center, Culture Center, Career Center, Attrition Foundation, Design Factory, Student Self-government and other structural units. Representatives of RTU Cheese Command will be pleased to present the presentations. Various activities and competitions will take place during the event.

From noon The official opening ceremony will take place from 12.00 to 13.00, at which students will be addressed and welcomed by RTU rector academician Leonīds Ribickis, vice rectors and others.

At noon At 13.00 students will go to their faculties to take the first introductory lectures that will be introduced to the faculty, its management, the self-government and the cadres. For the first year students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Transport and Aeronautics (MTAF), an introductory lecture will be held at 10:00. 13.30 at the RTU Central Building, Kalku Street 1, in the Great Hall.

The Facebook page of the event.