President awards Estonian state decoration to four UT related persons
On 23 February, on the eve of the 98th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves will bestow state decorations to 99 people for their services to the country. Four UT people are among those to receive the award.
"The purpose of decorations is to acknowledge Estonian people and our supporters in foreign countries for their determination in their activities and loyalty to principles that modern Estonia relies upon – openness, democracy, knowledge, innovation," wrote President Ilves in the introduction to his resolution.
III Class Order of the White Star
Ergo Nõmmiste—academician, UT Professor of Electron Spectroscopy
The resolution says that his research in the sphere of electron and ion spectroscopy at the UT Institute of Physics may result in the creation of new super cells and nano-materials in the near future.
IV Class Order of the White Star
Anu Realo— UT Professor of Personality and Social Psychology
“For me this is recognition of the research work that I and my colleagues have done over the years,” said Realo to Postimees.
Realo’s research work focuses on differences of personality and personal traits between different nationalities which are often expressed in the perceived national stereotypes of neighbouring nationalities. She believes that the Estonian aspect of the research work contributed to the high state recognition.
Toomas Saat—Director of UT Estonian Marine Institute
His long-term research topics include embryology of osteichthyes, Estonian fishery, dynamics, protection and rational use of fish fauna, and the temporal and spatial distribution of freshwater fish in the Baltic Sea inshore regions.
Kristiina Ehin—UT Professor of Liberal Arts, poet and prose writer
Kristiina Ehin is one of the best known and most translated modern day Estonian writers. Her poems and stories have been published in 22 languages, including Scottish, Cymric, Macedonian, Udmurt, French, and Norwegian. In English she has published 11 books in Ilmar Lehtpere’s translation.
Her works are performed in song festivals, at the Estonian Independence Day concerts, in the Olympic Games and many other formal events, which shows that she is one of the most esteemed writers in her homeland.
Kristiina Ehin is Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of Tartu. During her professorship she gives the lecture course “Journey to the Sensitive Human—Homo Sensibilis. Figurative Challenges of Creativity”.