XVII Science Conference of the School of Science
The conference will take place on November 27, 2025, starting at 10:00 in the Venus auditorium of the Cybernetics Building (Akadeemia tee 21/1).
In addition, researchers from the School of Science will give presentations, and the day will conclude with flash presentations by the doctoral students of the School of Science.
Presentations will be held in English, and the conference can also be followed via the live stream HERE.
PROGRAM
Part One
Moderator: Professor Marko Vendelin, Department of Cybernetics
10:00–10:10 Opening words – Tiit Land, Rector of Tallinn University of Technology
10:10–10:55 Professor Ilona Oja Acik, Laureate of the Estonian National Research Award in Engineering and Technology and Head of Laboratory for Thin Film Energy Materials
A Pathway Towards Emerging Thin-Film Photovoltaics: From Material Development to Application Outlook
10:55-11:25 Researcher Natalja Kolesova, Department of Marine Systems
Application of biological effect methods in marine environmental assessment
11:25-11:55 Postdoctoral Researcher Bruno Grafe, Department of Geology
Real-Time Sensors for Responsible Mining Applications
12:00-13:00 Break (no sessions)
Part Two
Moderator: Professor Andrus Salupere, Dean of the School of Science
13:00–13:10 Welcome Speech – Professor Andrus Salupere, Dean of the School of Science
13:10–13:55 Academic Mare Kõiva, Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences in Ethnology and Folkloristics, Leading Researcher and Head of the Department of Folkloristics at the Estonian Literary Museum
Truth, Lies and Jokes – Estonian Folk Beliefs and Their Influences
13:55–14:25 Professor Tõnis Kanger, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology
Towards Synthesis of Human Milk Oligosaccharides
14:25–15:00 Coffee Break
Part Three
Moderator: Assistant Professor Leeli Amon, Department of Geology
15:00–15:30 Professor Marko Vendelin, Department of Cybernetics
How to Study Molecular Movement in Living Heart Cells Without Frying Them
15:30–15:50 Best Popular Science Article and Media Coverage Awards
Short presentations by Doctoral Students
15:50–15:57 Ivan Krivokorin, Department of Geology
Wanted Dead or Alive: Why do We Still Investigate Mammoths?
15:57–16:04 Juan David Solano Acosta, Department of Geology
Crustal Structure, Tectonics, and Magmatic Evolution of the Estonian Proterozoic Basement: Geophysical and Geochemical Insights
16:04–16:11 Õnnela Luhila, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology
Ice-binding Proteins in Psychrophilic Bacteria: Characterization and Applications in Food
16:11–16:18 Pallav Suman, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology
Electrochemical Ferrier Rearrangement of Glycals in Flow
16:18–16:25 Daniel Kacsor, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology
Using AI Tools for Label-free Droplet Image Analysis
16:25–16:32 Kärol Soodla, Department of Cybernetics
Compartmentalization of AMPK in Skeletal Muscles
16:32–16:39 Tudor Plopeanu, Department of Cybernetics
Optimal Topology of Additively Manufactured Soft Magnetic Cores
16:39–16:46 Evelyn Pil, Department of Marine Systems
Phytoplankton Resting Stages in Sediment Archives: Responses to Eutrophication and Increase in Temperature
16:46–16:53 Behzad Bashiri, Department of Marine Systems
Marine Heatwave Assessments in the Baltic Sea
16:53–17:00 Rutt Taba, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics
Culture Conditions Modulate Cellular Responses in Rat Neuroblastoma and Glioblastoma Cell Lines
Science Conference of the School of Science
The annual Science Conference of the School of Science brings together students and researchers. Traditionally, the conference starts with two plenary lectures given by eminent persons (academicians, national research awards laureates, honorary doctors of TalTech), followed by shorter presentations by researchers of the School.
The aim of the conference is to introduce the research topics of the School to a wider audience. Everyone interested in science is welcome.
The Science Conference has been held since 2008.
A choice of topics from previous years:
"Supramolecular self-organisation" Riina Aav (2023)
"Molecularly imprinted polymers: towards development of chemosensors for medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring" Vitali Sõritski (2023)
“Trapping Fire and Making Knots and Cubes, The Power of Molecular Self Assembly” Professor Kari Rissanen (2022)
„Lessons from the past - palaeoecology as a tool” Professor Siim Veski (2022)
"Optical spectroscopy of new 2D and 3D semiconductors" Professor Maarja Grossberg and Professor Jüri Krustok (2021)
"Mechanisms of neuronal activity-regulated gene expression” Professor Tõnis Timmusk (2021)
"Graphene augmented ceramic nanofibers and their applications" Professor Irina Hussainova (2019)
"Saving Science and Society" Professor Erkki Karo (2019)
"Oxidative Chemical Degradation of Oil Shale" Professor Margus Lopp (2019)
"Intermittency and scale invariance in nature and in society" Professor Jaan Kalda (2019)
"Mineral Carbonation of Post Industrial Materials: Engineering a natural process for operational optimization and CO2 management" Professor Michael Hitch (2019)
"The bacteria who tolerate antibiotic treatment" Professor Tanel Tenson (2018)
"What Have We Built? Architecture in Estonia Since 1991" Academician Mart Kalm (2018)
"Droplet microfluidics for chemical and biotechnological research" Professor Ott Scheler (2018)
"Lessons from the future past: Land cover and land use changes as a driver for Earth system changes" Senior Researcher Anneli Poska (2018)
"De novo genomics and the study of silver birch genome" Professor Olli-Pekka Smolander (2018)
“’Safe-by-design’ and ’toxic-by-design’ – two strategies for creating novel nanomaterials“ Professor Anne Kahru (2017)
“From natural science to technology. And back again” Professor Maarja Kruusmaa (2017)
“Deciphering the biochemistry of lignin deconstruction“ Senior Researcher Tiit Lukk (2017)
"Deciphering Earth history 444 million years ago" Professor Olle Hints (2017)
„Atmospheric regional climate modelling“ Senior Lecturer Aarne Männik (2017)
“Bayesian Inference and bootstrap methods on random variables characteristics estimation“ Senior Researcher Margus Pihlak (2017)
"Noncovalent Interactions in Asymmetric Catalysis" Professor Tõnis Kanger (2016)
"Economic evaluation of Non-Market Nature Values: Case of Jägala Waterfall" Professor Üllas Ehrlich (2016)
"Hypercomplex Numbers" Docent Alar Leibak (2016)
"Why Go Organic: A Chemist's Perspective" Researcher Pavel Starkov (2016)
"Pathogen-induced Liver Damages: Novel Aspects of Helicobacter pylori Infection" Researcher Pirjo Spuul (2016)
"Chemistry meets biology: postsynthetic modification of proteins and RNA" Professor Jaanus Remme (2015)
"Three examples of inverse problems" Professor Lasse Päivärinta (2015)
"Green Chemistry: Can we desing safer and environmentally friendly chemicals?" Professor Nicholas Gathergood (2015)
"Digital Microfluidics- a versatile chemical computer" Jelena Gorbatšova (2015)
"Single Cell Model assisted Bioprocess Modellling and Cell Design" Andrus Seiman (2015)
"Where did the immune system come from?" Jaanus Suurväli (2015)
"Tracing photons and molecules: What can we learn from recording noise in the heart cell?" (2013)
"Capture of Carbon Dioxide By Porous Metal-Organic Framework Materials" TalTech Professor Honoris Causa Martin Schröder (2012)
"Organic Synthesis: Quo vadis?" TalTech Professor Honoris Causa Victor Snickus (2012)
"Studies toward elaboration of a new approach to chiral organometallic reagents" Oleg Kulinkovich (2011)
"CAPILARY ELECTROPHORESIS – a small tool for large accomplishments in point of care analysis" Petr Kuban (2011)
"TUT Crystal Structure Service" Franz Werner (2011)
"Fast clustering method for DNA sequences, using locality sensitive hashing" Jaak Simm (2011)
"New neurotrophic factors: structure, biology and therapeutic potential" Professor Mart Saarma (2009)
"Vortex ring models and their applications" Senior Researcher Felix Kaplanski (2009)
"RNA silencing" Docent Cecilia Sarmiento (2009)
"Numerical simulation of gas-solid particle flow" Senior Researcher Aleksander Kartušinski (2008)