Boris and Inara Teterov Foundation supports the digitalisation of microscope slides

In order to ensure access to study materials for Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) healthcare direction students, the Department of Morphology has launched a large-scale project – the digitalisation of microscope slides. From spring onwards, RSU students will have access to a comprehensive digital archive of samples for histology and embryology study courses. The project is being implemented with the support of the Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation.

The constantly increasing number of students has accounted for a sharp increase in the demand for microscopes and microscope sample slides at the Anatomical Theatre, giving rise to the idea of establishing a digital library of specimens that will also provide students with the option of learning the basics of histology and embryology in the e-study environment.

The Department of Morphology staff are currently working on a photo archive of specimens, followed by the processing and description of each picture to subsequently make the study of the microscope samples easier. RSU students will already be granted access to the digital materials this spring.

This is already the second project initiated by the head of the Department of Morphology Professor Māra Pilmane within the framework of the special purpose grant for the modernisation of RSU study programmes, financed by the Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation. Another project implemented in 2016 was the development of a keyword tree for study materials in histology, embryology and anatomy, available in e-studies. As a result students can find the required information from the comprehensive range of theoretical materials much faster, which is of particular importance in the case of clinical subjects.

As recognised by one of the project participants, Assistant Professor Elga Sidhoma (seen in photograph), “Our contemporary study process is constantly developing. The students of today are more focused and demanding. The grant provided by the Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation for the modernisation of RSU study programmes is a valuable resource which makes it possible to make the study process up-to-date and introduces innovative solutions”.