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In March 1999, as a result of students aspirations to accomplish more productive, more interesting and higher quality study of biology, BIUS (the Biology Students Association) was founded. Its founders, along with Sandro Dujmović as their leader, succeeded in forming undoubtingly one of the best and the most recognised students associations in Croatia. Since its foundation, more than six hundreds students have been its active members and at the moment that number is a bit more than a hundred. It is difficult to cover all aspects of BIUS activities. The whole range of big projects were organised since 1999. Among them are now already traditional biological camps regularly attended by around sixty students and mentors what resulted in publishing of the Collected research papers; Symposium of Biology Students in Europe (SymBioSE) that was held in Zagreb and Zadar and whose patron was the President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesić; a number of research and educational projects on inventarisation of species and habitats and environmental protection in cooperation with governmental institutions (ministries, institutes, national parks) and non-governmental organizations; In Vivo student magazine which evolved from a few photocopied sheets to 96 full colour format pages; a web page with the potential of becoming the main source of information about the biology-linked events and projects and the study of biology in Croatia. With lectures, seminars, symposiums and schools we raise the level of students interest for aspects of biology and life which are not very well defined or covered in regular part of the study, but which are integral parts of our future profession. Today BIUS has well defined and high quality technical support which includes administration, finances, equipment and working premises. Administratoin is organised with the help and collaboration of the best non-governmental organisations in Croatia. Annual estimate of costs is between two hundred and five hundred thousand kunas, depending on extensiveness of projects for that period. That money, largely used for projects, comes from domestic and foreign donors. In our premises students are provided with working surface for wet and dry laboratory, computers, optical instruments, microscopes, camcorder, digital camera, equipment for field work, projector etc. Among other activities, BIUS members also participate in work of the Council of the Department for Biology, the Council of Faculty of Science and the Presidency of the Student Union and, in that way, they have an influence on student scene in Zagreb, as well as on creating of a syllabus. Nowadays BIUS is an integral part of biology study on the Faculty of Science and an imperative on Zagreb's student scene. |
