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 2: Organizarea învățământului de Științe la Universitatea din București.
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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Înființarea Universității din București și a Facultății de Științe
Școala Superioară de Științe din București a fost înființată la data de 8 octombrie 1863 sub conducerea unui director: Alexandru Orăscu. La data de 4 iulie 1864 Universitatea din București a luat ființă prin unirea Facultății de Drept cu cele de Științe și Litere și Filozofie, prima, înființată în 1859, ultimele două, în anul 1863 sub forma unor școli superioare și odată cu înființarea Universității ridicate la rang de facultate.
Structura anului universitar
Anul universitar era împărțit în semestrul de iarnă (1 octombrie-1 martie) și în cel de vară (1 martie-30 iunie). Sesiunile de examene aveau loc între 5-20 iunie și 1-15 octombrie, iar perioada 20-30 iunie era de regulă rezervată excursiunilor științifice în diferite locuri în funcție de specializarea studentului.
Specializările și discipline studiate
La Școala Superioară de Științe, înființată în anul 1863, se studiau geometria analitică și descriptivă, calculul diferențial, istoria naturală, fizica și desenul, cu profesori precum D. Petrescu, E. Bacaloglu, C. Ferrerati, A. Orăscu, I. Fălcoianu. În anii următori înființării Facultății de Științe în anul 1864, în mod firesc, noi discipline au fost adăugate în programă precum: calculul integral, algebra superioară, teoria funcțiilor, mecanica teoretică, astronomia, mineralogia, geologia, fiziologia, morfologia, zoologia, botanica, chimia organică și anorganică. Dacă la început, existau trei specializări (secțiuni), științe matematice, științe fizice (ulterior fizico-chimice) și științele naturale, treptat s-au adăugat și specializările electrotehnică, chimie industrială și chimie agricolă și alimentară, geografie. În anul 1938 specializările electrotehnică și chimie industrială și chimie agricolă și alimentară au fost transferate la Politehnică.
Durata cursurilor
Pentru studenții Facultății de Științe, durata cursurilor era de trei ani pentru obținerea licenței și patru pentru obținerea gradului de inginer, în timp ce la doctorat durata studiilor era de cel puțin doi ani.
Diplomele și certificatele eliberate
Facultatea de Științe a eliberat de-a lungul existenței, diplome de licență generală (în științe matematice, științe fizico-chimice, științe naturale), diplomă de inginer electrician, diplomă de inginer-chimist industrial, diplomă de inginer-chimist specializat în chimie agricolă și alimentară, precum și diplome de doctor în științe (șapte tipuri) și certificate de audiență. Cursurile Facultății de Științe erau publice și cei care asistau la ele și obțineau o notă de trecere la examenul corespunzător primeau certificatul amintit. În schimb, conferințele, lucrările practice și excursiile erau dedicate doar studenților.
Una dintre primele fotografii ale Palatului Universității din București a fost realizată de Carol Popp de Szathmari, în chiar anul înființării Universității din București, 1864.
Palatul Universității din București a fost construit după proiectul lui Alexandru Orăscu, profesor la Facultatea de Științe a Universității din București.
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Panel 2: The Organization of Science Education at the University of Bucharest
1.
The foundation of the University of Bucharest and of the Faculty of Sciences.
The Higher School of Science of Bucharest was founded on the day of 8th of October 1863 under the direction of a director: Alexandru Orăscu. On the day of 4th of July 1864, the University of Bucharest came into being through union of the Faculty of Law and the faculties of Science, Letters and Philosophy. The first was founded in the year 1859, and the last two, in the year 1863 under the form of higher schools and with the foundation of the University raised to the rank of faculty.
The structure of the school year
The school year was divided in the winter semester (1 October – 1 March) and the summer semester (1 March – 30 June). The exam periods took place between 5-20 June and 1-15 October, and the period 20-30 June was usually reserved for scientific excursions in various places depending on the student’s specialization.
Specializations and studied disciplines
At the Higher School of Science, students studied analytic and descriptive geometry, differential calculus, natural history, physics and drawing, with professors like D. Petrescu, E. Bacaloglu, C. Ferrerati, A. Orăscu, I. Fălcoianu. Following the next years of the founding of the Faculty of Sciencess in the year 1864, new disciplines were added to the program, such as: integral calculation, superior algebra, theory of the functions, astronomy, mineralogy, geology, physiology, morphology, zoology, botany, organic and inorganic chemistry. If in the beginning there were three specializations (sections), mathematical sciences, physical sciences (later physico-chemical sciences) and natural sciences, gradually the specializations of electrotechnics, industrial chemistry and agricultural and food chemistry, and geography were added. In the year 1938, the specializations of electrotechnics and industrial, agricultural and food chemistry were transferred to the Polytechnic University of Bucharest.
The duration of the courses
For the students of the Faculty of Sciencess, the duration of the courses was of three years to obtain the license, and four years to obtain the engineer degree, whereas for the doctorate, the duration of studies was of at least two years.
Issued diplomas and certificates
Throughout existence, the Faculty of Sciencess issued general license diplomas (in mathematical sciences, physico-chemical sciences, natural sciences), degree in electrical engineering, degree for chemical engineer specialized in agricultural and food chemistry, but also science doctors degrees (seven types) and audience certificates. The courses of the Faculty of Sciences were public and those who attended them obtained a passing grade in the corresponding exam received the aforementioned certificate. Instead, conferences, practical works and field trips were dedicated only to students.
2.
Example of doctoral thesis successfully defended at the Faculty of Sciences from Bucharest in the year 1916, and the dedication addressed to Dragomir Hurmuzescu, director of the Electrotechnics Institute from within the faculty.
3.
The Faculty of Sciences also trained engineers. It was a supported and promoted attribute, but also blamed in the era. We can see some of these courses, to learn more about the teachers who supported them, and to convince ourselves that the engineers trained at the University of Bucharest had all the necessary prerequisites from a practical and theoretical point of view to succeed in their career.
4.
Another exchange of generations: E. A. Pangrati (professor and dean of the Faculty of Sciences, rector of the University of Bucharest) and Petre Sergescu (graduate in mathematics sciences in the year 1914, future professor). As president of Society of Science Students, Sergescu published in the year 1915 the Descriptive Geometry Course taught by Pangrati.
5.
If in the beginning, Romanian university professors were mainly trained abroad, even several years after the establishment of the two Romanian universities, over time former students of the University began to be attracted to study and later practice in the country. The late professor Victor N. Vâlcovici defended a bachelor’s thesis, the merits of which were recognized by the prize awarded by the University of Bucharest in the year 1906. Victor N. Vâlcovici was later also the rector of the Polytechnic School, of Timișoara from 1921, placing the education there on a solid basis for 9 years (the longest tenure as head of the institution until the year 1971). From the year 1930, Vâlcovici succeeded Dimitrie Pompeiu as a professor at the Faculty of Sciences
6.
Job status for the month of December of the year 1863 from the Higher School of Sciences.
7.
The higher education of sciences and the importance of weighting the practice highlighted by means of the higher education legislation.
„Art. 262. In addition to the faculty of physical, mathematical and natural sciences, one or more application letters for silviculturists, engineers, etc. will be added”.
(Law of Instruction of the year 1864)
„Art. 59. In the future, in addition to some faculties, it will be possible to organize an agricultural, commercial, dental, medico-legal, electrotechnical, etc. higher education, with the same character of applied science”.
(The law on secondary and higher education from the year 1912)
„Art. 84. The current sections of industrial chemistry, electrotechnics and agricultural chemistry next to the faculties of science in Bucharest and Iasi will continue to function based on their current organization until, through the higher technical education reorganization law, the entire higher technical education will be concentrated, including the sections above, in the High Technical Schools, which will be reorganized for this purpose and in the Academies of Higher Agricultural Studies”.
(Law for the organization of university education from the year 1932)
If in the previous years, in the higher education laws, two higher education institutions were mentioned, the universities of Bucharest and Iasi, in the law of 1938, on the „rationalization” of higher education, many more were mentioned, among them the polytechnics, which have absorbed the engineering education carried out until that moment by the science faculties of the universities. The precise mentions of practical education were kept and additions were made in the 1943 law.
8.
The syllabus of the Higher Physics course held by Emanoil Bacaloglu in the year 1863/1864.
9.
The decree establishing the Higher School of Sciences.
10.
Tab from the institution’s regulations. In article 1 it is written: „The Higher School of Science in Bucharest, which is gradually being completed and is destined to become a Faculty of Sciences, aims to train exact science teachers for grammar schools in Romania, and at the same time to prepare with the necessary knowledge for students who want to study the following specialties: Bridge and Road Engineering, Mining Engineering, Architecture, Forestry, Astronomy and other applications of mathematical, physical and natural sciences”.
11.
The timetable for the year 1863/1864 of the Higher School of Sciences.
12.
The state of functions for the November 1864 of the University of Bucharest.
13.
The request of the professor of zoology and botany from the Faculty of Sciences, Constantin Esarcu, for the release of the salary.
14.
The names of the scholarship students from the Faculty of Sciences for the months October-December 1864. Among them was George Chirilovu (Kirilov), who later became a lecturer in mathematical sciences on November 1, 1892.
15.
The Palace of the University of Bucharest was built according to the project of Alexandru Orăscu between the years. One of the first photographs of the Palace was taken by Carol Popp de Szathmári.
[English translation: Elisa-Ștefania Marin]
