Tartu

Confirmed Speakers

• Rainer Nõlvak
  Rainer is the founder and first manager of Microlink, the chairman of the councils of Curonia Research and the Estonian Fund for Nature. On May 3rd, 2008 a cross-country cleaning action Let’s Do It 2008 took place on his initiative whereby more than 50 000 volunteers cleaned up more than 6000 tons of garbage from all over Estonia. Rainer has said: “there is a countless number of ideas lieing around. It is a lot more difficult to match these ideas with the right real-life problems which could be solved by them”.
• Andres Metspalu
  Andres Metspalu is the director of the Estonian Genome Center, leading scientist of the Estonian Biocenter and a professor of biotechnology at the University of Tartu. He is the founder of Asper Biotech Ltd. which is one the the biggest Estonian enterprises in the field of biotechnology. He has worked in various universities in France, USA, Germany, Italy and Finland and he has been rewarded several science awards in both Estonia and abroad. Metspalu has said about the Genome Center: “Let’s not just talk about genes and diseases. We are in the process of gathering very thorough information on people’s habits related to eating, working and living conditions etc. This is a unique database for sociologists and other researchers.”
• Erik Puura
  Erik Puura is the director of the University of Tartu Institute of Technology who also manages the entrepreneurial relations of the university. He has obtained diplomas in geology, environmental protection and technical chemistry and reads lectures on environmental geology and IP protection to current students. In 2007 Eric set up Keskkonnaabi (erikpuura.wordpress.com) - a blog where he shares his thoughts about science and knowledge and their positions in society.
• Märt Treier
  Märt Treier is an Estonian TV- and radio-journalist. In 2009 he was chosen the most children-friendly Estonian opinion leader at a youth forum organized by the Estonian Union for Child Welfare.