Memorial Conference: Ülo Kaasik 100

On 7 November, a memorial conference will be held at the University of Tartu’s Delta study building to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the distinguished Estonian mathematician and computer scientist Ülo Kaasik. The event will look back on his life and work and his wide-ranging contribution to the development of mathematics, computing and computer science in Estonia. It will also consider his influence on subsequent generations of mathematicians and computer scientists.

On the same day, at 13:00, a memorial bench dedicated to Ülo Kaasik will be ceremonially unveiled on Liivi Street.

Conference programme
14:00 Gathering and welcome coffee at the Delta study building
14:15–14:30 Opening of the conference
14:30–14:50 Ülo Kaasik, President of Eesti Pank; the family’s perspective on Ülo Kaasik’s legacy
14:50–15:10 Anne Villems, long-time lecturer at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Computer Science and a student in Ülo Kaasik’s first mathematics class; recollections of Ülo Kaasik
15:10–15:25 Alo Peets, junior lecturer at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Computer Science and head of the University of Tartu Computer Museum; the history of Estonia’s first electronic computer and the development of computing
15:25–15:35 Otto Teller, University of Tartu Scientific Computing Centre; experiences with the first personal computer
15:35–15:55 Joint presentation on mathematics by Rainis Haller, Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the University of Tartu and academician, and Jaan Kristjan Kaasik, Research Fellow at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Mathematics and Statistics
15:55–16:10 Break; the Computer Museum will be open
16:10–16:30 Kerdi Mihhailova, mathematics teacher and Visiting Lecturer in Mathematics Education at the University of Tartu; school mathematics today
16:30–16:50 Helena Nester, master’s student at the University of Tartu and 2026 recipient of the Ülo Kaasik Scholarship
16:50–17:10 Johannes Heinsoo, Senior Quantum Engineer at IQM Quantum Computers; the development and future of quantum computers
17:10–17:30 Juhan Aru, Associate Professor of the Chair of Random Geometry at EPFL
17:30–18:00 The Computer Museum will be open

The day will be chaired by Professor Jaak Vilo, Head of the University of Tartu’s Institute of Computer Science. We invite you to join us in remembering Ülo Kaasik and discussing his legacy and the future of mathematics, computer science and computing. Read more.