Annual awards
The University of Tartu gives out annual awards to recognise its members’ outstanding achievements in giving higher education, doing research and serving society to value their visibility at the university and in society. In giving out the annual awards, the university proceeds from its strategic plan and good practices.
Members of the Rector’s Office and the councils of institutes, colleges and non-faculty institutions may propose the nominees for the contribution to society award, research award and language award to the committees formed by the rector. Students can submit nominations for the teaching staff of the year award via the proposal form.
The deadline of submitting the nominees for all annual awards is 20 December.
Contribution to society award
The University of Tartu contribution to society award is given to recognise a university member or working group who has had a significant impact on the development of society in the previous year. The award has been given since 2021.
The rector presents the contribution to society award in February at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. The recipient is given a certificate and a bonus.
2024
The contribution to society award is given to the University of Tartu Move Lab for initiatives improving the health and well-being of children and young people.
The Schools in Motion programme, which has reached more than 200 schools, helps schools adapt the school day and school culture to promote the health and well-being of children and young people. From autumn 2024, the modern physical education syllabus developed by the Move Lab was implemented in schools.
The award goes to Associate Professor in Health Education Merike Kull, Specialist at the Move Lab Maarja Park, Specialist of Physical Activity Studies Katrin Mägi, Research Fellow in Kinanthropometry Evelin Mäestu, Lecturer of Didactics of Physical Education Maret Pihu, Specialist at the Move Lab Reelika Kiivit, Training Specialist at the Move Lab Kadi Rutens, Coordinator of the Move Lab network Karmen Moont, Professor in Functional Morphology Priit Kaasik, Associate Professor of Social Innovation Marko Uibu and Professor of Communication Studies Triin Vihalemm.
Research award
The University of Tartu research award is given to recognise a university’s academic staff member or working group who has stood out by an extraordinary achievement in basic or applied research in the previous year. The award has been given since 2021.
The rector presents the research award in February at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. The recipient is given a certificate and a bonus.
2024
The research award is given for discovering glaciation of supercooled clouds at anthropogenic air pollution hot spots.
A research group of the Centre for Climate Research of the University of Tartu Institute of Physics studies to what extent the impacts of anthropogenic air pollution particles on clouds offset global warming. The group was the first in the world to show that these air pollution particles act as seeds for ice formation in clouds, causing snowfall. This reduces cloud cover and affects solar and thermal radiation fluxes.
The award goes to Associate Professor in Climate Physics Velle Toll (head of the research group), Specialist in Climate Physics Jorma Rahu, Professor of Climate Science Piia Post, Engineer at the Centre for Climate Research Tanel Voormansik and Research Fellows in Climate Physics Hannes Keernik and Heido Trofimov.
Language award
The University of Tartu language award is given to recognise a university member or working group who has stood out in the previous year by valuing the Estonian language in fulfilling the university’s goals either in giving higher education, doing research or serving society. The award has been given since 2021.
The rector presents the language award in March at the event organised to celebrate the Mother Tongue Day. The recipient is given a certificate and a bonus.
2024
The language award is given for contribution to preserving and developing Finno-Ugric languages through creating a digital translation engine.
Thanks to the work of researchers and developers at the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science, the translation engine Neurotõlge can be used for translating into 30 languages, 23 of which are Finno-Ugric languages. To develop Neurotõlge, computer scientists collaborate with researchers from the Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics, who have collected and digitised the rich vocabulary and created corpora of Finno-Ugric languages over decades. Providing machine translation for endangered Finno-Ugric languages will help preserve the languages and support their speakers. The translation engine is publicly accessible on www.neurotolge.ee.
Awardees from the Institute of Computer Science are Professor of Natural Language Processing Mark Fišel, Research Fellow in Natural Language Processing Lisa Yankovskaya, Junior Research Fellows in Natural Language Processing Dmytro Pashchenko, Hele-Andra Kuulmets and Taido Purason, Associate Professor in Natural Language Processing Heiki-Jaan Kaalep, Scientific Programmer Tarmo Vaino, Language Data and Content Creation Specialist Britt-Kathleen Mere, Programmer Aleksei Ivanov and Head of Applied Natural Language Processing Liisa Rätsep. Awardees from the Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics are Lecturer in Digital Linguistics Joshua Wilbur, Associate Professor of Finnic Languages Elena Markus, Associate Professor of Finno-Ugric Languages Fedor Rozhanskiy, Research Fellow in Phonetics of Finnic Languages Tuuli Tuisk and Research Fellow in Livonian Marili Tomingas.
Contribution to society award
2021
The University of Tartu contribution to society award is granted for introducing the nationwide wastewater monitoring method.
The method has been used since autumn 2020 for detecting the spread of the coronavirus. In the future, wastewater monitoring can be applied for various goals, for example for the detection of illegal drugs and drug residues. The award recipient is Professor Tanel Tenson and his research team including Associate Professor Veljo Kisand, Research Fellow Helen Tammert, Research Fellow Peeter Laas and Specialist Kristel Panksep.
Research award
2021
The University of Tartu research award is granted for developing tumour-penetrating peptides for drug delivery.
This will allow to use smaller drug doses in cancer treatment in the future, significantly reducing the side effects of drugs. The recipient of the award is Professor Tambet Teesalu.
Language award
2021
The University of Tartu language award is granted for research and development combining language and technology in the field of machine translation and neural speech synthesis.
The decisive factor in choosing the language deed was that digitisation enables to ensure the development and preservation of the Estonian language. The award recipient is Professor Mark Fišel and his research team including Head of Applied Natural Language Processing Liisa Rätsep, Junior Research Fellow Andre Tättar, Scientific Programmer Taido Purason, Scientific Programmer Maali Tars, Programmer Agnes Luhtaru, Junior Research Fellow Hele-Andra Kuulmets, Scientific Programmer Annika Laumets-Tättar and Scientific Programmer Rasmus Lellep.
Teaching staff of the year award
The University of Tartu teaching staff of the year award is given to recognise one academic staff member in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Science and Technology who has stood out by excellent teaching skills in the previous year. The award has been given since 2006.
The rector presents the teaching staff of the year awards in February at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. The recipient is given a certificate and a bonus.
2024
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Social Sciences
Teacher of Estonian Language Piret Toomet
Piret Toomet is doing a valuable job teaching the Estonian language and culture to international students. She is committed to making her lectures and seminars varied, informative and engaging – for students, they are the highlight of every day and the best place to learn. She is a great communicator and takes great care in paying attention to each learner. Piret Toomet is truly passionate as a teacher and does not give up before all students have understood the topic. She is remarkably skilled at creating a fun and energetic atmosphere that makes students feel more comfortable speaking Estonian.
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Social Sciences
Lecturer in Special Education Pille Häidkind
Pille Häidkind is a poised, candid and thorough lecturer who teaches her courses with passion. Her lectures and seminars are always full of energy, engaging and logically structured. When delivering the course, she considers students' expectations of the course structure and deadlines. She keeps to agreements and does not make unfair concessions while being accommodating and considerate. As a lecturer, she considers the research-based approach important, setting a great example for students. Pille Häidkind also led the compilation of the first university textbook on special education. This textbook is valuable material for students preparing for their bachelor's exam and supports all people working in the field of education.
As a programme director, Pille Häidkind considers student feedback important, so she regularly meets with students to collect feedback. In addition, each spring, she organises a popular event to share traineeship and learning experiences in cooperation with students.
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Medicine
Lecturer in Radiology and Medical Biochemistry Maksim Zagura
Maksim Zagura creates a learning environment that is student-friendly and varied. Students preparing for his courses appreciate his supportive, clear and comprehensive materials, which include the most up-to-date and relevant information. He always enriches contact classes with plenty of visual materials, breaks, additional information on the topic, and humour. Students receive constant feedback on their learning through tests conducted in a relaxed atmosphere, and he also has prizes for the best. In Maksim Zagura’s classes, all students can actively participate and speak up. He also introduces useful additional materials to students. These textbooks or online environments often also come in handy in other courses. Thanks to his knowledge of the field and a wide range of interests, no question by any of his students goes unanswered. Maksim Zagura is always ready to help students prepare presentations for professional organisations and actively involves students in research. His teaching style reflects his sincere commitment to his field and passing on his knowledge.
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Science and Technology
Associate Professor in Developmental Biology Tambet Tõnissoo
Tambet Tõnissoo always prioritises student learning and promotes active collaboration among students, encouraging them to do group work and hold discussions that help them learn from each other and develop critical thinking skills. He is committed to improving his teaching and student development and constantly seeks new and better ways to present materials. He is always open to student feedback. Tõnissoo’s lectures are memorable, interactive, and engaging, and he relies on the latest and most important research in his teaching. He is known for his creativity, which is evident in his teaching methods: for example, he uses random everyday items, acting, and dancing to explain molecular processes. Tõnissoo makes sure that every student understands the material and finds new ways to learn the subject in an interesting manner without oversimplifying it. He provides practical examples that help students see how theoretical knowledge is applied in the real world. Tõnissoo has been chosen as the institute’s teaching staff of the year five times.
2021
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Antonina Kostina
According to students, Antonina Kostina, Teacher of Norwegian Language of the College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, consciously creates a supportive and open learning atmosphere, where students are not afraid to experiment or make mistakes. In addition to language skills and in-depth knowledge of Scandinavian literature and history, her students acquire public speaking skills, analytical and critical thinking, teamwork skills and the necessary digital competencies for research in the humanities.
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Triin Vihalemm
Students say that Triin Vihalemm, Professor of Communication Studies of the Institute of Social Studies, is excellent in her work. She gives students the opportunity to contribute to the development of Estonia already at the university. Her lectures foster exciting discussions, are up-to-date and student-friendly. Vihalemm’s feedback to students is always constructive, inspiring and explicit, making the students feel and know that they are seen and understood, that their ideas are important and accepted.
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Medicine
Professor Külli Kingo
Students describe Külli Kingo, Professor in Dermatology and Venereology of the Institute of Clinical Medicine, as very thorough, intelligent and student-friendly. She uses a variety of teaching and assessment methods that support learning. Professor Kingo is also an excellent communicator who helps to solve problems and explains the material in an inspiring and comprehensive manner. Students have said they learn more in her courses than ever before.
Best teaching staff award of the Faculty of Science and Technology
Ene Kook
According to students, Ene Kook, Lecturer of Botany of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, stands out for her exceptional wealth of knowledge, helpfulness and a clear mission to spark interest in every student. All her courses are excellently organised, and the way she shows links between different topics, courses and everyday life increases the value of teaching. Kook is professional, adequately strict and demanding, and the way she loves her field from all her heart and enjoys teaching fascinates her students.
