Cu ocazia evenimentului Noaptea Muzeelor 2023, Muzeul Universității din București a pregătit expoziția fizică O călătorie prin istoria învățământului de Științe de la Universitatea din București (1863-1948), constituită din zece panouri, completată de o expoziție digitală, și de mai multe exponate în vitrine și un stand unde se putea descoperi o „lume” minusculă printr-un microscop.
În această pagină vă prezentăm Panoul 10: Alte fațete ale carierei profesorilor de la Facultatea de Științe.
Selectiv, prezentăm câteva din textele și imaginile acestor panouri, dar reamintim că o parte dintre ele pot fi descoperite (împreună cu documente noi și inedite) și în această expoziție digitală.
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Inaugurarea statuii lui Spiru Haret
Într-o zi de duminică, 9 iunie 1935, de la ora 10:00 dimineața a avut loc dezvelirea statuii lui Spiru Haret, personalitate importantă a culturii românești, ministru al Instrucțiunii, profesor la Facultatea de Științe a Universității din București, și de numele căruia se leagă în primul rând activitatea de modernizare a învățământului începută la sfârșitul secolului al XIX-lea și continuată în primele decenii ale celui următor.
În fotografiile de epocă care surprind acest eveniment observăm tribuna de la care s-au ținut discursurile, defilarea elevilor și profesorilor, și nu putem să nu observăm și mulțimea adunată în număr foarte mare pentru acest eveniment, fără îndoială o mărturie a recunoștinței pe care românii i-au păstrat-o lui Spiru Haret, chiar și aproape la un sfert de secol de la moartea sa.
Mai multe despre acest eveniment pot fi găsite și aici. Statuia lui Spiru Haret a fost ultima statuie realizată în Piața Universității.
Gheorghe Țițeica este unul dintre profesorii reprezentați pe medalia „Gazeta Matematică foae lunară de matematici elementare și speciale. 15.IX.1895-15.IX.1945”, pentru rolul pe care l-a avut în promovarea matematicii. În Arhiva Digitală a Muzeului Universității din București pot fi găsite și alte medalii și plachete.
Nestor Urechia a fost profesor la Facultatea de Științe a Universității din București, fiind autorul unor culegeri de geometrie, inclusiv despre drumurile României. Totuși, pe altă parte, cele mai multe lucrări ale sale sunt dedicate unei alte pasiuni – drumețiile pe munte și tot ce ține de natură.
În lucrările acestea se observă pasiunea pe care acesta îl avea pentru activitățile montane, dar și disprețul pe care îl are către turiștii care nu iau în serios aceste activități, despre care Urechia scrie:
„Patima care atât de frumos s-ar putea numi pe românește drumeție, a început să bântue în țara noastră, sub numele de turism, de câțiva ani abia […] El [i.e. turistul] este unul din animalele cele mai dușmane Operilor Naturei și omului, fiind foarte stricăcios” (Nestor Urechia, Pseudo-turistul român, București, 1929, p. 1).
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Panel 10: Other Sides of the Science Professors’ Careers
1.
Nestor Urechia
Initially a professor at the Faculty of Sciences, part of the University of Bucharest, he authored some textbooks of geometry and work on the roads of Romania. However, the bulk of his works were dedicated to his other passion – mountain trails and everything regarding nature.
In his works, these passions of his come to light. But another thing that becomes apparent is his disdain for the tourists that take these activities lightly, about which Urechia had many words to say: „The passion that so beautifully can be called in the Romanian language drumeție (i.e. hiking), started to haunt our country in the past years only under the name tourism. He (the tourist) is one of the foremost enemies of nature’s works of art and of man as well, being very corruptible with them”.
Source: Nestor Urechia, Pseudo-turistul român, București, 1929.
Images as follows: The cover of one of his most popular works: Zânele din Valea Cerbului (The Fairies of Elk’s Valley, Stories for Children); Extract from his work, Pseudo-touristul roman, containing an ironic taxonomy of tourists; Drawing representing Nestor Urechia.
2.
Dan Barbilian is counted among the personalities that managed to merge numerous kinds of activities during his career, even those that may seem contrary to one another from the traditional point of view: mathematics and poetical lyricism. Mostly known by his literary cognomen, Ion Barbu, the poet was one of the foremost representatives of Romanian modernist literature.
„I esteem myself more as a practitioner of mathematics and too little as a poet, only insofar as poetry reminds one of geometry. As much as these terms may seem contradictory at first glance, there exists, somewhere in the higher realms of geometry, a light-filled place where it meets poetry”.
Source: Ion Valerian, De vorbă cu d-l Ion Barbu.
3.
Constantin Esarcu
A personality that maybe did not get the deserved recognition when it comes to propagating Romanian culture and science. He was a professor of zoology and botanic sciences at the University of Bucharest between 1864 and 1873 as well as a member of the Romanian Academy. He authored the first natural sciences textbooks and founded the Society of Natural Sciences alongside other peers from the University, alongside others: The Society of Natural Sciences, The Romanian Atheneum Society and the Society for Teaching the Romanian People. Through the Romanian Atheneum Society, organised through 3 sections (moral and political sciences; natural, physical and mathematical sciences alongside the literary and belle-arts), Constantin Esarcu had the merit of contributing decisively to the realisation of a monumental building that can host and facilitate the collaboration between Romanian cultural societies: The Romanian Atheneum.
4.
Gheorghe Țițeica is one of the professors that were represented on the „Elementary and Special Mathematical Gazette” Medal for his role in founding the magazine and promotion of mathematics.
5.
Constantin I. Istrati was a chemist and a professor at the Faculty of Medicine. Chemistry was not only useful when it came to medicine, but also on pharmaceutical matters. The first dean of the Pharmacy Faculty, at the time part of the University of Bucharest in 1923, was Ștefan Minovici who was a chemist and a professor at the Faculty of Sciences.
6.
Nestor Urechia wrote to Ovid Densușian to ask him to present his last work in the „New Life” magazine.
7.
The Inauguration of the Spiru Haret Statue
On a Sunday, 9th of June 1935, starting from 10:00 AM, the unveiling of the Spiru Haret statue took place. He was a special personality for the Romanian culture, being the minister of Public Instruction, professor at the Faculty of Sciences and the one who is credited for the modernisation of education that was started at the end of the 19th century, and continued during the following decades.
In the photographs from that time, we can see the people gathered to assist the speeches and the march of pupils and teachers alongside the multitudes of people that attend this event. This is a sign of acknowledgement held in the hearts of the people even after a quarter of a century after his death.
8.
Ion Simionescu was one of the most important propagators of science among Romanians. After graduating from the Faculty of Sciences at Jassy University and teaching at the same institution afterwards, he transferred to the University of Bucharest at the Department of Geology, part of the Faculty of Sciences. Beyond his merits as an organiser and creator of institutions, as researcher and professor in geology, paleontology and others. Simionescu remarked himself as a good publicist and a talented populariser of science. He wrote titles such as: Petrol; Coal from the Earth; Our Forests; Lake Plants; Africa; Afghanistan; Bulgaria; Oh, young one, know thy country; Parts of nature; Out of Plants’ mysteries; Chosen People; The Primitive Man, the way it was; the House.
„The bookshelf. In a worthy workman’s house, the books cannot be absent, out of the corner of a big room. Even if under icons they are placed, there won’t be too many, that is how useful and sometimes saint the knowledge is.
A good book is a cane used against sorrows, an adviser in times of need, guide at life’s crossroads
The book is sage wisdom, the unseen friend, far away, the teacher at a moment’s notice. Before, books that can be understood by all were rare. Now there are many and of many kinds” (Source: Casa, 1924).
9.
Professors of the Faculty of Sciences were directly part of the activity of popularisation of science and culture, be it through the founding of magazines and associations or other activities.
10.
Aurel Persu and other professors were interested in the organisation of the educational system.
11.
The professors of the Faculty of Sciences were some of the best-trained specialists, being welcome and solicited when it came to solving various problems throughout the entire country, in different institutions.
[English translation: Rareș Moise]
