RSU Assists the University of Tartu to Ensure Remote Studies

Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) is assisting the University of Tartu to ensure a comprehensive remote study process by providing access to the RSU Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology's digital collection of histological and embryological preparations.

'A week ago, our colleagues from the University of Tartu asked to be permitted to use our digital collection of preparations in order to implement remote studies, which would otherwise have been impossible. RSU management agreed to support their Estonian colleagues without hesitation. It is important to note that we started upgrading our online study environment and uploading materials at a time when there wasn't as urgent a need for them as there is today,' says Prof. Māra Pilmane, Director of the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology.

RSU started compiling a digital collection of histological and embryological preparations two years ago on the initiative of the RSU Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology and with the support of the Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation. All preparations available to the institute have been digitised. The preparations were digitised in order to provide students with online access to the university's digital resources wherever they may be.

'The idea to digitise and compile preparations into a joint Baltic database has been around for several years. RSU is, however, currently the only institution to have such a database and the ability to share it. The current situation might speed up the development of a joint digital database network,' explained Prof. Pilmane.

RSU was able to respond to the request by the University of Tartu as quickly as they did, because the university had already developed a comprehensive online environment of which the digital collection of histological and embryological preparations is a part.