Moldovan president conveys message on 100th anniversary of birth of country's well-known physicist

Physicist Sergiu Radautanu is the one who laid the foundations of modern technical education of Moldova and turned an ambitious idea into an institution that remains today a benchmark for training the professionals needed by Moldova. President Maia Sandu has delivered a message to this effect on the 100th anniversary of the scholar’s birth.

The head of state noted that, through his work as a researcher, professor, and founder of the Chisinau-based Polytechnic Institute, now the Technical University of Moldova, the physicist had proved that progress begins with investment in education and science.

“At a time when the assertion of identity was discouraged and repressed, Sergiu Radautanu had the courage to support young Moldovan specialists in remaining faithful to national values. For this attitude, he paid with his position as rector, being removed by the Soviet authorities. We have a duty to honor his memory and to be grateful for the example of dignity, courage and devotion that he left us,” said Maia Sandu.

Sergiu Radautanu was born in Chisinau on June 17, 1926, and was a specialist in the physics and chemistry of semiconductor materials. In 1964, he founded the Polytechnic Institute of Chisinau, which he led as rector until 1973.

In 1973, Sergiu Radautanu was dismissed from the position of rector by the Soviet authorities. According to archival documents, Radautanu was accused of “unhealthy social origins” and manifestations of “nationalism.” In reality, notes the National Archives Agency, the scholar was known for supporting local teaching staff and students at a time when the majority population was underrepresented in higher education institutions.

Historians believe that Sergiu Radautanu’s work contributed to the emergence of a generation of students and professors who promoted the Romanian language and national cultural values in a heavily Russified Chisinau in the 1960s and 1970s.

Sergiu Radautanu passed away on March 6, 1998, in Saint Petersburg, leaving behind an important legacy for the science and education of Moldova.