KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

The Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) today hosted 7th-11th graders of Secondary School #23 in Gyumri, which is the largest school in Armenia’s Shirak Province.

At the University, the pupils were greeted by the dean and professors of the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geography.

Accompanied by Head of the Chair of Biology, Chemistry and their Teaching Methods, Professor Samvel Pipoyan, they visited the Center for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics established by the ASPU and the “Center for Educational Programs” Project Implementation Unit.

The pupils of the school in Gyumri paid visits to the biology and chemistry laboratories where they were introduced to the technical equippedness, devices and equipment and lab materials.

Samvel Pipoyan highlighted the fact that the one-of-a-kind Center is also established for the community of schools, adding that the Center always awaits pupils in order to have the effective relationship of instruction, work and training. He mentioned that the teachers, who have undergone training in the laboratories, develop their professional and practical capabilities, and they will transmit their skills to the next generation.

During the meeting, Professor Pipoyan, as a biologist, talked about biology as a profession, its importance and necessity, and recalled that whereas the 19th century was considered the century of physics and mechanics and the 20th century was considered the century of chemistry, in the 21st century, there is a special place for biology.

The pupils of Secondary School #23 in Gyumri were also taken to the ASPU Experimental Laboratory of Human and Animal Physiology and were present during the study on the impact of snake venom on a laboratory rat, as an anti-stressor and as a remedy that has an impact on the nervous and cardiac systems.

The pupils also took part in a physiology experiment, particularly the dissection of fish via the guideline for fish in Armenia, and they tried to distinguish among the presented types of fish by combining the appearance and certain features of the particular type of fish.

The pupils also visited the ASPU History Museum where they were introduced to the rich heritage of pedagogy at the century-old university. Margarit Avetisyan, biology teacher of Secondary School #23 in Gyumri, voiced hope that the visit to the ASPU would help pupils interested in natural science subjects show love for pedagogy and achieve great heights by selecting this profession.