Our department needs help! Please read the open letters above. The support letters from scientific communities, other departments, independent scientists is possible to send directly to the management of Biological faculty SPbSU with copy for department to Natalia Polyakova [email protected]

1. Dean of the Faculty of Biology Igor Tikhonovich, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences: [email protected] 2. Nikolai Mikhailovich Kropachev, Rector of SPSU: [email protected] 3. First Vice Rector for Academic and Methodical Work Lavrikova Marina Yuryevna: [email protected]

I hope for help of every one in saving the department.

Our department needs help! Please read the open letters above. The support letters from scientific communities, other departments, independent scientists is possible to send directly to the management of Biological faculty SPbSU with copy for department to Natalia Polyakova [email protected]

1. Dean of the Faculty of Biology Igor Tikhonovich, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences: [email protected] 2. Nikolai Mikhailovich Kropachev, Rector of SPSU: [email protected] 3. First Vice Rector for Academic and Methodical Work Lavrikova Marina Yuryevna: [email protected]

I hope for help of every one in saving the department.

Also it is possible to share open letter via Facebook (in English) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1263379713810311&set=a.927805604034392&type=3, (in Russian) https://www.facebook.com/nvpnataly/posts/2384859221545473, or find more information (in Russian) at web page of our department https://vk.com/hydrobiologyspb

Well,

No problem, Hydrobiology is a part of Applied Ecology. You can continue in your researches under wide title.

Sincerely

There is going to keep only 3-4 people from hole research group of 10. The department leads every year 3 big practical term courses - basic and advanced bio-statistics, applied informatics, theoretical course in hydrobiology and summer practice in ichthyology and hydrobiology. All this list is lectured for all students of faculty. Faculty courses for 120 students could be covered by 10 specialist but not with 3 - this is a problem. Also there several specialized courses (about 12-15 depends on program) for student who chose the department and the ichthyology or hydrobiology specialty. Also according new staff schedule there will not place for freshwater scientists.

Now we have a petition on https://www.change.org for to sing go to http://qoo.by/5926

Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich!

As we learned, the leadership of St. Petersburg State University decided to close the department of ichthyology and hydrobiology of the biological faculty, and to transfer its staff in an abbreviated structure to the department of applied ecology. The press service of the university and the management of the faculty officially confirmed this information.

During the work of the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology of St. Petersburg State University, founded in 1929 by the outstanding scientist Professor K.M. Deryugin, more than 750 specialists were trained there, many of them later became heads of departments and directors of scientific institutes. Graduates of the department successfully work in the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Zoological Institute, Institute of Cytology, Lake Science, Institute of Molecular Biology, Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Oceanology, Institute of Marine Biological Research, affiliates All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography of the North-West: State Institute of Lake and River Fisheries, Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography; in the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute; in the system of higher education: St. Petersburg State University, Russian State Hydrometeorological University, Leningrad University. A.S.Pushkina and others. Currently, the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology of St. Petersburg University is almost the only educational institution in the entire North-West of Russia, which prepares highly qualified personnel in such classical disciplines as marine and freshwater hydrobiology and ichthyology. The Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology is an actively and fruitfully working team. Despite the substantial reduction in recent years the department members number, they continued to successfully conduct teaching and research process. The department ’s lecturers published a large number of articles indexed in the WOS and SCOPUS databases, studies are being carried out under several grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, and also a prestigious grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RNF) was received. The specialists prepared by the department are currently involved in the development of the Arctic, Antarctic, Far Eastern and southern seas of Russia, as well as in the freshwater research of the region and the aquaculture creation.

The deficiency of qualified specialists in such disciplines as marine and freshwater ichthyology and hydrobiology is already felt in all scientific institutions related to marine and fresh waters field research (including next water bodies as Lake Ladoga, Gulf of Finland, Baltic, White and Barents seas). The closure of the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology will deliver a serious strike to these studies, implying difficulties in the process of a normal personnel shift in scientific laboratories. Who will train specialists in the biological resources of the country's water bodies for the North-West of Russia (and not only), those are extremely lacking? Or are hydrobiologists and ichthyologists no longer needed in Russia?

We urge you to intervene in the short-sighted policy of the leadership of St. Petersburg State University and to prevent the liquidation of the department of ichthyology and hydrobiology and the relevant scientific schools.

Support petition

Dear Eugenyi, thank you and could you share it within your institution?

I have been send e-mail...

good luck

All best

We are preparing letter

It is grate! Thank you!

Here is the translation of our petition http://chng.it/4KMsV5KbSw

Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich!

As we learned, the leadership of St. Petersburg State University decided to close the department of ichthyology and hydrobiology of the biological faculty, and to transfer its staff in an abbreviated structure to the department of applied ecology. The press service of the university and the management of the faculty officially confirmed this information.

During the work of the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology of St. Petersburg State University, founded in 1929 by the outstanding scientist Professor K.M. Deryugin, more than 750 specialists were trained there, many of them later became heads of departments and directors of scientific institutes. Graduates of the department successfully work in the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Zoological Institute, Institute of Cytology, Lake Science, Institute of Molecular Biology, Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Oceanology, Institute of Marine Biological Research, affiliates All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography of the North-West: State Institute of Lake and River Fisheries, Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography; in the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute; in the system of higher education: St. Petersburg State University, Russian State Hydrometeorological University, Leningrad University. A.S.Pushkina and others. Currently, the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology of St. Petersburg University is almost the only educational institution in the entire North-West of Russia, which prepares highly qualified personnel in such classical disciplines as marine and freshwater hydrobiology and ichthyology. The Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology is an actively and fruitfully working team. Despite the substantial reduction in recent years the department members number, they continued to successfully conduct teaching and research process. The department ’s lecturers published a large number of articles indexed in the WOS and SCOPUS databases, studies are being carried out under several grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, and also a prestigious grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RNF) was received. The specialists prepared by the department are currently involved in the development of the Arctic, Antarctic, Far Eastern and southern seas of Russia, as well as in the freshwater research of the region and the aquaculture creation.

The deficiency of qualified specialists in such disciplines as marine and freshwater ichthyology and hydrobiology is already felt in all scientific institutions related to marine and fresh waters field research (including next water bodies as Lake Ladoga, Gulf of Finland, Baltic, White and Barents seas). The closure of the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology will deliver a serious strike to these studies, implying difficulties in the process of a normal personnel shift in scientific laboratories. Who will train specialists in the biological resources of the country's water bodies for the North-West of Russia (and not only), those are extremely lacking? Or are hydrobiologists and ichthyologists no longer needed in Russia?

We urge you to intervene in the short-sighted policy of the leadership of St. Petersburg State University and to prevent the liquidation of the department of ichthyology and hydrobiology and the relevant scientific schools.

I sent this my opinion for the persons responcible of the St. Petersburg University just now.

Dear Colleagues,

I was just informed about possible converging of the Dep. of Hydrobiology & Ichthyology of St. Petersburg University. Should say that I'm deeply concerned by this information and should warn  the persons responsible not to be hurry up with this decision even it is dictated by practical reasons of (I think so) limitation of financial support from state. Anyway it is not possible to qualify Ecology & Hydrobiology like one branch of Biology. Moreover, achievements of St. Petersburg Univ. hydrobiological investigations are famous worldwide and are comparable (if not better!) as Dep. of Ecology. Meanwhile I was formed like a scientist under the influence of such famous figures of previous SU sci. like Georgiy Vinberg & Alexander Alimov with both of them I was familiar and with Prof. Alimov even once in Kyiv discussed several problems of eco-physiology of hydrobionts. This, I think, tendency of decreasing the role of Hydrobiology is typical for Post-Soviet countries and Ukraine that was powerful in this field passed this way faster than Russia and now one can see the miserable results of the process. E.g. even such powerful unit like Inst. of Hydrobiology of Ac. Sci. Ukraine has possibly not more than half of its previous stuff. Short time and in Ukraine will not be a person that can do normal expertize for economy projects connected with water... Second bad tendency will be the immigration of the most perfect scientist abroad like e.g. I did. SO, SUCH DECISION IS BORN IN THE WRONG SIDE OF BLANKET.

Sci. Dr. in Hydrobiology, Prof. in Zoology, part time researcher in AEBC team of Demasted group of TDT University, Ho-Shi-Minh City, Viet-Nam: 

Andrey A. Kovalchuk

A letter from the head of the Ichthyology and hydrobiology department Dr. Prof. Nicolay Maximovich to the dean of the Biology Faculty describing the situation with the department.

The letter was written more than a month ago, and there was no answer until the department started press for a reply.

Thank for this publication.

Open Letter of the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology

St. Petersburg State University

The situation around our department has attracted considerable attention of the scientific community in our country and the world, as well as the central Russian and St. Petersburg mass media (a plots on NTV https://www.ntv.ru/video/1716244/?from=newspage and Fontanka.ru

https://m.fontanka.ru/2019/03/26/026/) and several other publications. We consider it necessary to state our position regarding this fact.

Facts about the department

• The Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology at St. Petersburg State University was founded in 1929 by K.M. Derjugin also became the second in the country after Moscow State University. Over 90 years of work, the department has trained about 800 specialists, including 90 doctors[1] and more than 300 candidates[2] of biological sciences.

• During last 5 years, the department has lost 3 full-time teachers' positions (8 people) (a decrease of almost 30%), as well as 3 positions (4 people) of educational support staff. Most of the abbreviations were young employees.

• Today, the department employs 10 teachers (7.75 full-time teachers' positions) and 4 staff of educational support staff.

• The department conducts 4 general faculty courses, a large number of cathedral special courses, 4 courses in other faculties, trains specialists in Ichthyology and Hydrobiology according to Higher Attestation Commission specialties' list. According to our estimates, the departmental pedagogical load is close to the average faculty indicators.

• The department trains specialists in priority areas: sustainable environmental management, climate change, research of the Arctic shelf, aquaculture, environmental impact assessment. The need for relevant specialists in Russia is growing.

• In 2018, there were 2.2 journal articles per employee of the department (10 people) (the majority in journals indexed in Scopus and WoS). Judging by the official website of the Biology Faculty https://bio.spbu.ru on March 31, 2019, the average for its departments, the figure is 1.3 articles per employee. According to this indicator, our department occupies one of the first places among the 17 departments of the faculty. With all the conventions of such an analysis, in particular, only outdated information about the number of employees in other departments is available to us, its results are quite indicative.

· Our projects are well secured by external financing. Currently, the department holds two grants from the Russian Science Foundation (received in 2019), two grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (started in 2018), as well as two grants from the Committee for Environmental Management, Environmental Protection and Environmental Safety of St. Petersburg.

· At the scientific training biostation "Belomorskaya", the staff of the department built and repaired residential and laboratory buildings that are being used extensively for recent years not only for department's but also for general faculty field practices.

How events developed

Ø On January 31, 2019, the management of the Faculty of Biology informed the head of the department that it was decided to disband the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology, as well as the Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology due to low indicators of the effectiveness of their work as part of the biological faculty structure “optimization” . Furthermore, some of the teaching stuff were planned to discharge from employment, and the rest should be enrolled on a competitive basis to the Department of Applied Ecology to strengthen its teaching staff.

Ø On March 23 information about the closure of the department appeared in the social networking websites.

Ø On March 25, at the meeting of the faculty management with representatives of the department, the decision to merge the three departments was confirmed. And it was said that the ratio of teachers to students, as well as the number of young (under 39) teachers, was used as the performance criteria for the departments. Publication activity in this context was not mentioned.

Ø On March 28, the management of the faculty announced that the amalgamation of the three departments would be carried out with, to a certain extent, preserving their independence. The necessary reduction in employment will be carried out by reducing the share of teaching positions to 0.25. The reduction will be carried out in proportion to all departments of the faculty.

Ø On March 28, an official announcement of the competition for the 0.25 of the senior lecturer position of the department appeared (instead of the whole one). In addition, from the statements of the faculty administration, it follows that further reductions in the employment of the staff of the department are planned.

We believe that

• The announced criteria for evaluating the performance of units are inadequate. In particular, publication activity is not taken into account, which is considered the main criterion of success in science both in the world and at our university.

• The decrease in 0.75 teaching position is 10% of the employment of department staff. Further reduction with a high probability will exceed the average reduction in the faculty, based on the information we have. This clearly demonstrates exactly how the administration fulfills its promises to proportionally reduce rates in different departments.

• These facts, our previous experience of interaction with the current faculty administration on personnel issues, and the exclusion of publication activity from the criteria for evaluating the success, from our point of view, testifies to the “double standards” in evaluating the effectiveness of divisions.

• This conflict has matured over the years. Therefore, people, most of whom have worked at SPSU all their lives, turned out to be ready for open confrontation with the administration, clearly aware of the attendant risks. The very emergence of the conflict and its subsequent escalation suggests that the administration is not able to control the situation at the faculty.

• The wide support given to us in the form of numerous letters addressed to the management of the faculty and the university, petitions, just kind words from our former and current undergraduate and graduate students, academics, researchers, teachers says that our work is highly demanded by the scientific community. We express our sincere thanks for this support. It gives us strength.

We offer:

· Suspend any “optimization” actions in relation to the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology (dismissal and reduction of employees, mergers, divisions, etc.) in order to avoid further conflict development.

· Develop and, after public discussion, adopt a program for the development of the Faculty of Biology (or, at least, its basic principles). Only within such a program are possible changes in the structure of the faculty and large-scale employment reductions.

· Adopt and bring to the attention of faculty members the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the activities of the units. We recommend accepting commonly used criteria published in Times Higher Education (www.universityrankings.ch/methodology/times).

· Save the names "Ichthyology" and "Hydrobiology", which correspond to the specialties of the Higher Attestation Commission and attract students from different regions of Russia, as well as all educational and scientific areas of the department. Develop a program for the development of the department.

· We are ready for the dialogue with the administration in order to find optimal solutions, in the current conditions. However, we regret to state that the opportunities for such a dialogue are constantly decreasing due to the lack of publicity and non-constructive actions of the faculty.

02/04/2019

[1] Full professors of hydrobiology or ichtyology

[2] PhD in biology

Our students made some info-graphics about department - see attachment!

Here are some support letters those our department have got from several scientific institutes, universities and environmental monitoring companies all over Russia. Also the open letter was signed by colleges from Europe, North and South Americas and New Zealand (see Organizations those signed the open letter ). During last 10 days there was written about 200 letter to the scientists from hydrobilogical societies and departments all over the wold, but unfortunately we got only few letters from others countries. I hope during the weekend we could get some more letters like the letter from Dr. Timo Muotka (see statement_StPetersburg.doc) and Andrey Kovalchuk because on Monday all department team will have big talk with the dean and all the letter would be helpful.

Please send directly to the management of Biological faculty SPbSU with copy for department to Natalia Polyakova [email protected] or to me [email protected].

1. Dean of the Faculty of Biology Igor Tikhonovich, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences: [email protected] 2. Nikolai Mikhailovich Kropachev, Rector of SPSU: [email protected] 3. First Vice Rector for Academic and Methodical Work Lavrikova Marina Yuryevna: [email protected]

I hope for help of every one in saving the department.

The situation is not in our favor. We hoped for the support of other departments of biological faculty but many of them still have been keeping silence or disagree with our position, because they thought if the faculty management would not destroy so us it could destroy them. We hoped that it would be the fight together with the faculty but not against it.

I hope for help all the researchers who following this discussion

Petition link is not working

Levan Mumladze try this one http://chng.it/4KMsV5KbSw

or

https://www.change.org/p/%D0%B4%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%B2-%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%85%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5-%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B4%D1%80%D1%83-%D0%B8%D1%85%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%B8-%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%82-%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%81-%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5?recruiter=50878254&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=510316

And now more useful will an official letter from your own of your lab.

The results of the week.

On 8/04/2019 there was meeting the Department’s team and the dean of biological faculty I.A. Tikchonovich. During the meeting with the dean often confused the names of departments and told that everything was clearly discussed earlier (but it was not). Numerous letters of support from scientific institutes and universities all over the world and were not taken into account!

Now the department team is writing an appeal to the academic council. The appeal is covering next questions for to put on the agenda:

1) to postpone a resolution on the reorganization of the faculty until the clear rating of the departments in education load and number of students per course will be done;

2) to remove for a while from the agenda the question of the merger of the three departments.

3) to start a constructive dialogue

What is also happening

1) The Faculty of Management does not directly answer the questions posed and different requirements are made to different departments to confirm their effectiveness. Thus, there are no uniform rules of the game and they change all the time.

2) The question from the management “why so few young specialist are stay at the department?”. Several young Ph.D. find full-time place in research organizations, while the faculty gives only the opportunity to work only as part-time technician or lab assistant without possibility to carry out any own or team research projects.

3) A competition has been announced for the place of one of the teachers whose contract is still valid. In this case, the teacher was transferred to 0.25 part-time positions while maintaining the entire teaching load.

4) The education load: the dean only considers hours for general courses, while lecturing special courses and the work with students on their theses is not taken into account!

5) The dean's office intends to deprive the quarterly prize of teachers who are most actively opposing the "reorganization"

I’m ready to translate more detailed and emotional story about the meeting published on the social page of the department by one of the colleagues, if there would be any questions.

The support letter are still helpful.

Signaded. I hope that this is temporary and the activities return in brief.

Ответ ректората на мое письмо, которое я назвал бы формальной отпиской:

Уважаемый Николай Васильевич,

Позвольте поблагодарить Вас за неравнодушную позицию по отношению к развитию образования и науки в Санкт-Петербургском государственном университете. Ваше мнение, безусловно, очень ценно для нас.   СПбГУ отдает себе отчет в важности фундаментальных и прикладных  исследований в области ихтиологии и гидробиологии.

В последние годы развитие кафедры ихтиологии и гидробиологии СПбГУ заметно затормозилось – это отражается, прежде всего, на количестве студентов, желающих специализироваться в данных областях. Такая же ситуация сложилась и на другой кафедре  СПбГУ – кафедре геоботаники и экологии растений.  

Позвольте заверить Вас в том, что в настоящее время единственным реальным способом  решить накопившиеся проблемы  представляется создание нового объединенного  подразделения, существование в котором придаст устойчивость названным выше  направлениям подготовки студентов.

Курсы специализаций в области ихтиологии, гидробиологии и геоботаники никогда не планировались  к закрытию, а сохранятся в полном объеме и будут без каких-либо изменений реализовываться по программам бакалавриата и магистратуры.

Более того,  члены коллектива кафедры сохраняют свои рабочие места, лабораторные площади и музейные коллекции. При этом объединении ни один из сотрудников не планируется к увольнению.

Объединение кафедр будет проведено в строгом соответствии с локальными актами СПбГУ.   Такое объединение будет способствовать развитию разных направлений экологии, в том числе и тех, которые ранее фактически реализовывались по направлениям  ихтиология, гидробиология,  геоботаника  и экология растений, и откроет новые перспективы для объединяемых коллективов.

Уважаемый Николай Васильевич,

Позвольте поблагодарить Вас за неравнодушную позицию по отношению к развитию образования и науки в Санкт-Петербургском государственном университете. Ваше мнение, безусловно, очень ценно для нас.   СПбГУ отдает себе отчет в важности фундаментальных и прикладных  исследований в области ихтиологии и гидробиологии.

В последние годы развитие кафедры ихтиологии и гидробиологии СПбГУ заметно затормозилось – это отражается, прежде всего, на количестве студентов, желающих специализироваться в данных областях. Такая же ситуация сложилась и на другой кафедре  СПбГУ – кафедре геоботаники и экологии растений.  

Позвольте заверить Вас в том, что в настоящее время единственным реальным способом  решить накопившиеся проблемы  представляется создание нового объединенного  подразделения, существование в котором придаст устойчивость названным выше  направлениям подготовки студентов.

Курсы специализаций в области ихтиологии, гидробиологии и геоботаники никогда не планировались  к закрытию, а сохранятся в полном объеме и будут без каких-либо изменений реализовываться по программам бакалавриата и магистратуры.

Более того,  члены коллектива кафедры сохраняют свои рабочие места, лабораторные площади и музейные коллекции. При этом объединении ни один из сотрудников не планируется к увольнению.

Объединение кафедр будет проведено в строгом соответствии с локальными актами СПбГУ.   Такое объединение будет способствовать развитию разных направлений экологии, в том числе и тех, которые ранее фактически реализовывались по направлениям  ихтиология, гидробиология,  геоботаника  и экология растений, и откроет новые перспективы для объединяемых коллективов.

С уважением,

декан биологического факультета,

доктор биологических наук,

академик РАН

И.А. Тихонович

I'd like to support Petition. In general, this is some kind of "main-stream", originated from our world targeted to "immediate profit". And any governmental body is acting for immediate (!) profit, and not for future.But the science is not dedicated for that..

Immediate profit or Business approach, is damaging the research. Actually research need to be better managed with eyes on future.

Signed a petition. I really want to hope that the problem will be solved positively for the Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology.

Profit or business in research is not the good approach, research must be sustained by valid ideas, global warming is the natural bad consequence of the business approach in reseach

This week we have a great news! The deparment will function as separate one as it was during last 90 year and continue marine and fresh water investigations! We are realy happy and thankful to everyone who wrote letters and signed the petition!

Really great news!

Wonderful! My conratulations to the department staff!

Congratulations! great news

Congratulations! Excellent news!

Congratulation

Really great news!

Congratulations! Let's hope that this is not a temporary solution, and the department will be preserved.