To mark 100 years since the birth of Academician Sergiu Rădăuțanu, the first rector of the Chișinău Polytechnic Institute, UTM unveiled his bust on the university’s Râșcani Campus.
The unveiling took place on 24 June 2026, in front of the Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics. The location holds particular meaning for the university community. The Râșcani Campus is closely linked to the first rector’s vision: in 1967, Sergiu Rădăuțanu secured 34 hectares for the development of the institution. Today, that area is home to academic buildings, student dormitories and other university facilities.
“At the Râșcani Campus of the Technical University, we unveiled the bust of the first rector of the Chișinău Polytechnic Institute in front of the Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics -- what was once called the Faculty of Electrophysics, where Academician Sergiu Rădăuțanu worked.”
For UTM, the Râșcani Campus is part of the university’s history. One of the key moments in its development was securing the land in the Râșcani district. Over time, this is where UTM’s academic campus took shape. The Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics continues areas of study and research closely related to Sergiu Rădăuțanu’s academic work.
His work brought together technical education and research. Sergiu Rădăuțanu was appointed rector in 1964, at the age of 38. In the first months of his tenure, he helped organise the structure of the new institution. By 1 September 1964, the Institute had five faculties, and around 30 departments and 50 laboratories had been created. These structures supported the training of future engineers.
In 1961, he founded the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials within the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. It was there that a scientific school in the field of semiconductors began to take shape.
Academician Ion Tighineanu, President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, spoke about Sergiu Rădăuțanu’s legacy:
“Academician Rădăuțanu was a distinguished scientist, but also an exceptional professor. What he built continues through the work of his students. Several members and corresponding members of the Academy began their scientific careers in the Laboratory of Semiconductor Compounds, founded by Academician Sergiu Rădăuțanu in the early 1960s. We should honour his memory, because he is an important figure for our nation, a patriot of our land and an example for younger generations.”
The bust on the Râșcani Campus stands as a reminder of Sergiu Rădăuțanu’s role in the formation of the Technical University of Moldova. He remains one of the figures closely connected to the beginnings of the Polytechnic Institute. Through the university’s work, its laboratories and generations of graduates, his contribution continues to be felt, while UTM continues to train specialists for Moldova’s technological development.
