In June 2016, we held seminars at the Eurasian National University in Astana, Kazakhstan
Since 2007, our project "Saving Animals with Computers" has been equipping universities in Ukraine with animal-free teaching methods, saving thousands of animals from a painful death every year. In 2012, the first lecture tour in cooperation with InterNICHE took place in the countries of Central Asia. Since then, we have signed several agreements with department heads in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia (Siberia). We are still in contact with the university professors, who report on their experiences and share them with colleagues at other universities.
In June 2016, our Ukrainian project partner, Dimitrij Leporskij, traveled to Kazakhstan for the first time, at the invitation of Prof. Nelya Shapekova, Dean of the Eurasian National University in Astana. Even before the visit, Prof. Shapekova had announced her intention to set up a virtual lab for the medical-biological faculties starting in the next semester, in September 2016. Dimitrij’s training seminar came at just the right time to support this planned initiative. The Dean also promised to invite interested parties from other universities across the country.
Eurasian National University Astana
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, is a young and rapidly developing city. Within less than 20 years, a thriving region with fast economic growth has emerged from the steppe. Founded 20 years ago, the Eurasian National University is a progressive institution and, thanks to government support, is very well equipped technically. There is sufficient computer hardware available for the implementation of animal-free teaching methods.
Currently, the university already uses far fewer animals for study purposes than during Soviet times. In addition, Kazakh medical students—unlike in Ukraine, where the use of human cadavers is prohibited—have access to a sufficient number of human bodies for study.
On the first day of the workshop, June 16, 2016, held at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, more than 30 university teachers from the fields of medicine, agriculture, veterinary medicine, and biology participated. They came not only from nearby cities like Karaganda but also from far-away Almaty—a 20-hour train ride.
Dimitrij Leporskij lectures at the Eurasian National University Astana
In the first part of his seminar, Dimitrij gave a general overview of animal-free education and spoke about the major successes in Ukraine and other CIS countries. During the presentations, he placed particular emphasis on the Russian-language materials we had developed with the support of "our" university lecturers. The audience showed tremendous interest and absorbed the information enthusiastically.
Animal-free teaching materials meet with great interest
After the six-hour workshop, 14 attendees had already expressed interest in collaboration and left their contact information. Many took the free CDs and DVDs that Dimitrij had brought with him and considered purchasing licensed versions.
Due to the successful first day and the audience's strong interest, Prof. Shapekova asked Dimitrij to repeat the seminar the following day specifically for the guests from Almaty. At the end of the second day, Mardan Dzhulanov, Head of the Department of Obstetrics, Surgery, and Reproductive Technologies at the Kazakh National Agrarian University, enthusiastically stated:
"You absolutely must come to us and organize a similar training seminar for our students and faculty. We are very interested in animal-free education. A 'no' is not an option!"
Discussion with Mardan Dzhulanov, Head of the Department of Obstetrics, Surgery, and Reproductive Technologies at the Kazakh National Agrarian University.
We hope that the strong interest shown by Kazakh professors will provide a solid foundation for continued cooperation and that together, we can save thousands of animals from suffering and death in education and research in the Central Asian country.