AUGUSTINE BETANKOUR – THE RUSSIAN SPANIARD

When we enter the beautiful hall of the Rostov State Transport University we see two marble monuments. One of them is a statue to Augustine Betankour. It is a pity that students and teachers simply pass this monument by, knowing very little or nothing about him. As a matter of fact Augustine Betankour was a remarkable man.

Augustine A. Betankour (Augustine Hose Pedro del Carmen Domingo de Candeliaria y Molina) was born on the 1-st of February 1758 in the family of the provincial officer. But his father was a nobleman, that is why his children could have 6 names. The Betankours’ family was big: there were 5 sons and 5 daughters in it. They lived in the town of Puerto-de-la-Cruz on the Tenerife Island. All the children, including girls, got a profound education: they were taught mathematics, drawing, rigid subjects, French and English. Augustine studied at the Royal School of St. Isidor, learning algebra, geometry, higher mathematics, mechanics and physics. At the same time he took lessons of drawing in the Art Academy. As the result he made his first invention – the spinning frame – when he was 19, and at the age of 26 he became an academician in drawing.

In 1784 Betankour went to Paris to learn mechanics and hydraulics in the Paris College of Bridges and Roads and then to London – to examine the latest steam machines. After making a model of his steam machine that was then used at all French factories, Betankour became a well-known European engineer.

In 1788 Betankour was appointed the director of the Royal Cabinet of Ma-chines by the decree of the Spanish king Charles III. His duty was to collect the models and drawing of the newest machines and devices in order to enhance the mechanic equipment in Spain.

In 1801 Betankour was appointed the General inspector of roads and channels in Spain and soon he became the Head of the Transport and Communication system of that country. But the intrigues in the government and around the Spanish king forced Betankour to look for some other country where his knowledge and experience could be appreciated. To our luck Russia had become his second homeland.

The tsar Alexander I in 1807 invited Betankour to Russia. At this time he was 50. Betankour was given a very complicated task – to create a system of transportation in Russia and to train specialist who would be able to work in it.

During his «Russian period» Betankour made a lot of important inventions: he worked out a project to prevent floods in the town of Tver; he made the design of water-supply to the fountain system in Tsarskoye Selo. One of his greatest contributions into the life of Russia was a Factory of securities in St. Petersburg. Betankour made a whole infrastructure for the people, working at this factory: starting from a kindergarten and school – to working process and samples of the first Russian securities, training courses for the specialists and even an amateur theatre for the workers. Augustine Betankour worked out a process of mounting the columns of the Isaak’s Cathedral in St. Peterburg, but he did not managed to realize it. Monferan, his scholar, successfully completed the process. That is why we can see the statue to Betankour inside of the Cathedral.

Augustine Betankour made a number of other great inventions which were carried out in the towns of Russia, but the most significant contribution of this great person into Russian history was creation of the Institute of Transport Engi-neers in 1809. Then during 15 years Betankour was the Head of the Institute. He invited the best European scientists and teachers to train future Russian transport engineers.

Vocabulary:

nobility – знать, дворянство;

nobleman – дворянин;

spinning frame – прядильная машина;

hydraulics – гидравлика;

steam machine -паровая машина;

flood – наводнение;

Factory of securities – фабрика ценных бумаг.

		Augustine Betankour
	The dates of life	– 14.07.1824
	The place of birth
	The family background
	Education
	Places of work and appointments
	Great moments of the life
	Spheres of activity	Engineering, mechanics, drawing, teaching, inventing, etc.
	Date and place of death	14.07.1824 in St. Petersburg, he is buried now in Alexander Nevsky Laura

Lesson 20

1. Грамматика: употребление частей речи и их грамматических форм в устной речи.

2. Высшее образование в России.

1. Составьте диалоги по следующим схемам:

1.1. a question – agreement:

- The system of higher education in Russia is very complicated.

- Yes, I quite agree with you (You are right. I really think so.). There are two ways of obtaining the university degree.

1.2. a question – disagreement:

- The process of reforming higher education in Russia is very slow.

- No, I don`t agree with you (I don`t think so. I`m afraid you are mistaken.). A lot of changes are under way.

1.3. a guestion – an answer:

- What diploma does the university provide?

- The university provides either a diploma of a specialist or the Bachelor degree.

1.4. a guestion – a guestion:

- How long does the course of study last?

- Do you mean a specialist program?

1.5. information – a question:

- A lot of changes in Russian education are under way.

- What changes are the most important?

2.1. Education in Russia

- What did you do after finishing secondary school?

- After finishing secondary school I went on to further education. I successfully passed the Unified State Exams and became an applicant for entry. I didn`t have to take competitive examinations at the University.

- What do you know about the system of higher education in Russia?

- Russian educational policy is a combination of economic and social objectives. In the terms of the ratio of students to the total population Russia ranks among the top ten countries in the world. There are a lot universities and colleges in Russia. They teach almost in all subject areas: Arts, Sciences, Law, Engineering, etc. Higher educational institutions are headed by Rectors. Vice-rectors are in charge of the academic and scientific work. The Departments are headed by the Deans. There are subdivisions within Departments.

- What do you know about the programs of study?

- Higher educational institutions train students in two types of programs. The first way is as follows. After four years of study a university graduate will get the Bachelor`s Degree. He can continue his study for two years to take his Master's Degree. The other program provides for a diploma of the specialist after completing five years of study. In either program a student is trained in one specialization. In order to receive a university degree a student writes a graduate paper. The graduates can also continue their education and write dissertations for advanced degrees. After three years of post-graduate research work and the presentation of the dissertation it is possible to obtain the candidate degree. The next stage is the Doctor's Degree which requires much more research work and defending the Doctor`s dissertation.

- Why is the system of higher education in Russia so complicated?

- In Russia the process of the integration and reformation of higher education, based on principles of the Bologna Declaration, is under way. For the past several years Russian education has gained high dynamics of development in the course of global and European trends. The following new developments are a serious evidence of these trends: the introduction of the Unified State Exams, steady strive for providing equal opportunity in obtaining higher education by any individual, highly increased independency of the education institutions. Some new important developments are still in the discussion process, whereas, at the same time, the new specific methods are already being chosen to be implemented: the new system of knowledge and workload assessment; strong reinforcement of quality assurance in education; modern types of state financial support. In the course of these changes the implementation of two-tier degree structure in higher education has been launched.

- How can you evaluate these new trends and developments from your point of view?

- Let me note that Russian education, by its nature, is one of the most sensitive areas of our culture to the improvements and new ideas. The Russian youth is treasuring European values in accordance with its cultural wealth. Based on these grounds, further integration with Europe in the education area is a realistic goal.

Vocabulary:

to go on to further education – продолжить образование;

to pass the unified state exams – сдать Единые государственные экзамены;

an applicant for entry – абитуриент;

to take competitive examinations – сдавать конкурсные экзамены;

an objective – цель;

a ratio – пропорция, соотношение;

to rank – занимать место, располагаться по рангу;

a subject area – предметная область;

to be in charge of – руководить, отвечать за;

to be headed by – возглавляться;

a subdivision – подразделение;