The Museum of Nature was opened at ASU

It is not just a museum; it is a laboratory that was established on the base of zoological museum, which had been the oldest museum of Altai State University. The idea of transforming this scientific unit and extending the exposition with ASU scientists’ private collections has been implemented for a year.

“One of the main objectives of our laboratory is vocational guidance that will help us attract prospective students, responsible young people to our faculty. Moreover, we want to show the diversity of wildlife and engage students and pupils in scientific work through displaying our exhibits. And of course we want our collections to expand, so we are looking to cooperate with everybody possessing materials related to the natural world,” said Dean of the Faculty of Biology Marina M. Silantyeva at the opening ceremony.

Vice-Rector for International Affairs Development Roman I. Raikin welcomed the guests and emphasized that such museums are a distinctive feature of successful universities with proud history and great scientific potential.

“Altai Krai is unique and probably the planet’s most beautiful region in terms of environment. The university located in such region must have a museum of nature!” summarized Roman I. Raikin.

Cutting the green ribbon, which was a symbol of bioscience, marked the start of museum’s working. Head of Zoological Laboratory Viktor Yu. Petrov and Assistant Professor of the Department of Zoology and Physiology Tatiana V. Antonenko gave the guests a tour around exhibition and showed the birds’ nests, stuffed birds and animals. Altai State University has possessed some exhibits for several decades, they are unique for our region. The laboratory also exposes private collections of ASU scientists: entomologists Roman V. Yakovlev and Elena V. Guskova, zoologists Irina V. Kudryashova, Tatiana V. Antonenko and Elena V. Shapetko, botanist Tatiana A. Terekhina and others.

A lot of congratulations, kind words and wishes for successful development were voiced on the opening day. The guests gave the Faculty of Biology presents and made records in the welcome book. Thus, Director of Barnaul museum “Mir Vremeni” (“The World of Time”) Sergey Korepanov presented unique photos, manuscripts and typescripts of outstanding Soviet botanist, area studies specialist and researcher of Altai Viktor I. Vereschagin.