The Hungarian Academy of Sciences will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2025. Among its members are many distinguished students and teachers who have left their mark not only on the Academy but also on the history of our institution. Lipót Fejér (1880-1959) mathematician, university professor was a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1930.

Lipót Fejér attended primary school in Pécs, and also finished his secondary studies in 1897 at a school focusing on science. Later he started to work for the Mathematical Journal for High Schools upon the initiative of Zsigmond Maksai. His special talents were manifested primarily in his solutions of geometrical problems. He was admitted to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the József University of Technology in 1897, however, next year he went over to the Budapest University where the lectures held by Manó Beke and Loránd Eötvös had the greatest influence upon him. In the academic year 1899/1900 he studied at the Berlin university. He had started to deal with the Fourier series as a student. This became the subject of his thesis and doctoral dissertation in mathematics. He started to teach at the Kolozsvár university in 1905, where he became a full professor very early, at the age of 31. In 1911 – upon the initiative of Loránd Eötvös – he was appointed to the department of mathematics of the Budapest University. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences elected him as a corresponding member in 1908, and a full member in 1930. In 1933 he participated at a lecture tour in the United States of America where he visited 15 universities. Due to his Jewish background, he suffered a lot during the Nazi period and even his life was threatened. He died on 15 October 1959 in Budapest. His rich papers are kept in the archives of ELTE.

The main task of the ELTE Heritage Coordination is the preservation and protection of our cultural heritage. To this purpose, various tools and equipment have been purchased for eight departments in 2024.

The purchases included: 500 paper bags for manuscripts, fragments, diplomas and other documents, 600 acid-free archival boxes for documents, 13 bookends for books, 8 individual acid-free boxes for museum books, 30 protective gloves, 8 digital thermo-hygrometers, 100 archive paper boxes, 6 foam wedges for books, 15 different sized photo boxes for pre-1950 photographs, 3 leatherette boxes with university coat of arms for storing and transporting dean’s chains and 100 mineral storage boxes. With the help of a grant from the National Cultural Fund, the restoration of the University History Collection, which includes three caps, two medallions and three ribbons from the former university uniforms, was completed.

The object of the month – Candle from the funeral of Mór Jókai

The writer Mór Jókai was born on 18 February 1825 in Komárom. After high school, he began to study law in Kecskemét, and in 1846 he qualified as a lawyer. However, he soon left his profession and became a journalist. He was an active participant in the events of 15 March 1848 and worked as a journalist and editor during the War of Independence and after its fall. 

Jókai wrote his first novel in 1846. However, his writing career really took off after the fall of the War of Independence in the 1850s. His novels were published in succession and he became very popular. He was elected a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1858, then a full member in 1861. In 1894, on the occasion of his half-century jubilee as a writer, his works were published in a national edition, celebrations were held in schools, his plays were performed in theatres and a ball was held in his honour. Our university also took part in the national celebrations, and on 18 February 1894, the writer was awarded an honorary doctorate and received a delegation from the university in his apartment. Aladár Schnierer, Rector, Lajos Láng, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Zsolt Beöthy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, accompanied by seven students, welcomed Mór Jókai with toasts, a handshake and an honorary degree. His death in 1904 shocked the whole country, and on 9 May thousands of people escorted him from the foyer of the National Museum to his final resting place in the Kerepesi cemetery. The funeral was attended by the director and staff of the University Library, who honoured the memory of the prince of letters with a wreath bearing the inscription „Keepers of your immortal works – the University Library of Budapest”. After the funeral, Zoltán Ferenczi, Library Director, was presented with a candle from the funeral, which is still kept in the University History Collection.

The wax candle, 60 cm long and in a black paper box, is bound with black ribbon. Next to the candle is an obituary addressed to Zoltán Ferenczi, Director of the Library, on the death of Mór Jókai.

On Sunday, 13 April 2025, on the occasion of the International Day of Special Needs Education, the exhibition Traces of the life of our namesake, Gusztáv Bárczi was on display in the library of the Faculty of Special Needs Education, as well as an exhibition on the history of special needs education, which was also held in another room, provided also by the Faculty Library and the Special Needs Education History Collection.

A detailed report of the whole event is available on the Faculty’s website: https://barczi.elte.hu/en/content/we-celebrate-the-international-day-of-special-needs-education.t.3719

Elsevier is offering trial access to its service called Scopus AI from June 10 to June 24, 2025. The service can be accessed from the Scopus homepage, by connecting to the ELTE internet network, or outside the university using a VPN service.

Scopus AI, integrated into the Scopus platform, is an intuitive and intelligent search tool based on generative artificial intelligence. It helps users navigate the vast amount of information available in Scopus. It allows users to find articles using natural language queries and provides easily understandable summaries of research findings. The tool supports the exploration of research areas and helps identify opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

The provider is organizing a training webinar entitled Scopus AI in Action – Smarter Research, Sharper Decisions on the first day of the trial, which will demonstrate how Scopus AI works in practice.

Date and time: June 10, 2025 (Tuesday), at 11:00 AM (CEST)

Registration: https://elsevier.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TCGWvtNyRWCdhngZhCDjjg