History

Nature and Geography Department is one of the oldest at the university. Biological Department, renamed Nature and Geography Department in 1935, had been a part of Uman institute of social training opened in 1930. At different stages of its development qualifications of teachers and the curricula have been changed – the pedagogical staff of the institute prepared teachers of Natural sciences and Biology, Biology and Geography, Biology and Chemistry, Biology, Chemistry and basics of agriculture, Biology and basics of agriculture according to the state demand. From the beginning of its existence, the Department was headquartered in a separate building in Radyianska Street, 18 (former hotel “London”), and later moved to the main building of the university (Sadova Street, 2).

The former building of Nature and Geography Department

A student recruitment campaign was announced at Nature and Geography Department, but because of War World II, the institute stopped operating. After liberation of Uman on the 15th of June, 1944 from Nazi invasion, 18 university lecturers and 289 students began going to lectures at Nature and Geography, Mathematics and Physics Departments.

Announcement of a student recruitment campaign at Nature and Geography, Mathematics and Physics Departments in 1941

After a post-war reconstruction of the town, conditions of the material and technical resources base of the university were getting improved gradually. Throughout 1947-1948, Nature Departments of Odessa and Kiev training institutes had been joined to the Department. In 1956 a part of the library of Berdiyansk training institute, where the corresponding division had been closed, was transferred to the Department.

Students of Nature and Geography Department (1948)

The Department’s subdivisions have been reorganized repeatedly. In this way, the subdepartments of Botany and Zoology created in early 30s of the 20th century had been united into the subdepartment of Natural sciences which was subdivided in 1950, reunited in 1953, and was subdivided again into the subdepartments of Botany, Zoology and Chemistry. The subdepartments of Chemistry and Basics of agriculture were created in 1962. After reuniting the subdepartments of Botany, Zoology and Chemistry into the subdepartment of Biology in 1987, two subdepartments were functioning at the Department.

Four subdepartments are currently functioning at the Department: Biology teaching techniques subdepartment, Geography teaching techniques subdepartment, Chemistry and Ecology teaching techniques subdepartment, Earth science and Geology subdepartment. Postgraduate students of Kiev and Moscow universities, Kiev pedagogical institute who defended their thesis shortly had been invited to the institute for lecturing in 1955-1956. It enabled to augment the teaching staff of the Department with highly qualified experts and galvanise the research work at the Department. IV and V volumes of “Scientific proceedings of the institute” had been prepared to a great extent by their effort.

Following the announcement of a student recruitment campaign for teaching Geography in 1990, the need for creation of a new subdepartment aroused resulting in the formation of Geography teaching techniques subdepartment in September, 1993.

Department of Zoology (1975)

(Left to right bottom row: V. Romanenko, I. Antsyferova, M. Zakharchuk, A. Vdovinа, N. Kukshynova; top row: V. Kovalenko, G. Goncharenko, M. Koval’, N. Kornienko, A. Tkachenko)

Professor G. Kazydub with their students

The Dean of the Department Ph.D. in Biology, associate professor M. Koval’

Ph.D. in Biology, associate professor G. Goncharenko conducts classes on human anatomy

Rest during practice in botany and zoology (Ph.D. in Biology, associate professor G. Goncharenko and Ph.D. in Biology, associate professor G. Goncharenko M. Butylo)

Excursion to M.M.Gryshko National botanical garden in Kyiv (80 years of the twentieth century)

Ph.D. in Biology, associate professor M. Koval’ conducts educational practice of vertebrate zoology (1994)

The leading experts of their field have always been in charge of managing Nature and Geography Department. Oliynyk M.A., Kravchenko L.M., Korniyenko O.P. were holding the post of a dean in post-war years. Over 10 years Professor Kazidub G.O. and associate professor Senchuk K.Z. were running the Department. Associate professors Gedz S.M. and Kartel M.V. also held the post of a dean. In 90s of the 20th century Koval M.F., Tkachenko A.K., Goncharenko G.E. were managing the Department’s affairs. In 2000 associate professor Osadchiy O.S. was at the head of the Department followed by Mistryukova L.M. and Yakimchuk R.A.

The Dean of the Department Ph.D., associate professor О. Osadchiy (2002)

Since June 2016, Mykolayko Valeriy Pavlovych, Professor of the Department of Biology and Methods of Teaching, has been working as the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Geography.

The new faculty of the twentieth century as living a new life. Expanded physical infrastructure in the classroom were a major overhaul, the number of teaching and technical staff. Taking into account the needs of society, diversification of areas of training and graduate majors. Trial of a new senior staff has changed, but no less ambitious galaxy young scientists.

There are Nature and Geography Department – a powerful unit in Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University.