The research of the Department of «Chemical Technology of Oil and Gas» involve such themes as «Oil and Petroleum Residue Deep Refining» (Prof. A. K. Manovan, Prof.G.V.Tarakanov) and «Exposure of Liquid Systems to Magnetic Field and Increase of Technological Process Efficiency» (Assistant-Professor N. A. Pivovarova)
Scientists who made a valuable contribution to the development of ASTU and gained wide recognition due to their work in the field of science and higher education were given the rank of the «Honorary Professor of ASTU». More than 20 professors of ASTU were awarded this high rank.
The research on increase of heat and mass exchange efficiency at the Department of «Thermal Power and Hydromechanics» headed by one of the former university Rectors A. Z. Scherbakov have been recently supplemented by a new field- research on modern and non- traditional thermal power technologies and power-saving. It is conducted under the supervision of Professor A. K. Ilhin, an Honored Science Worker of the Russian Federation. Attached to the Department is the laboratory of non-traditional power sources of the Russian academy of Science.
Information-and-Publishing Center of the University publishes the collections of learned articles both in Russian and English, as well as monographs, manuals and training aids written by the members of the University’s teaching staff.
The University Scientific Library, being a member of the Russian Library Association, is the first — rate University Library in Astrakhan. The library houses some 720 thousand volumes. It stocks scientific, academic and methodology books, collections of abstracts, reference and technical literature, technical documentation, information and bibliographic materials, fiction both in Russian and foreign languages. Annually the Library purchases more than 40 thousand volumes of new editions, over 450 thousand periodicals. The fund of audio and video cassettes and compact computer discs is available at the Library.
The Library has three exchange systems and six specialized reading rooms seating up to 750 readers. The Library provides access to the Internet, to the Electronic Catalogue Library and to the bibliographical databases.
Scientific schools
Several scientific schools have emerged at the University since its foundation.
The scientific school «Theory and practice of hydrobiont complete treatment» was founded in 1930 by Professor A. S. Shibalov. His pupils and successors (Professor N.V Dolganova, Professor S. A. Mizhueva, Professor M. D. Mukatova and others) continue the research in the spheres of biochemistry, microbiology and technology of hydrobionts with the goal to develop efficient technological processes.
The Economic Scientific School was founded by the first Rector of our University Professor M. V. Morozov. Numerous theoretical works on the problems of economy, organization and planning at the enterprises of fishing industry contributed to the emergence of the scientific school.
The research in economy grew more specialized after Professor G. A. Taktarov’s joining the University’s research staff in 1970.
Under the supervision of Professor V. R. Bank the problems of business accounting, audit and economic analysis, application of international standards to financial accounting are being investigated.
The history of the scientific school «Hydromechanics of Commercial Fishing Gear» is connected with the name of Scolar V. N. Voinicanis-Mirski, who, in collaboration with Professor E. L. Verein, worked out methods of calculation and design of set and stationary nets.
The textbooks written and published by the representatives of the school enjoy respect not only in Russia but abroad, having been translated into many foreign languages.
The school of Professor V. N. Melnikov «Biotechnics in Fishery» unites the research staff of the Department of «Commercial Fishing». In addition to biotechnical problems, the range of research interests of this schools also involves the problems of fishing regulation, the foundations of fishery cybernetics, the basis of fishery ecology, and the general theory of fisheries as well.
Emergence of the «School of Micro-biology» is connected with the intensive research work of Prof. A. V. Gorbunov.
Since 1993 the scientific school has been headed by Professor I. S. Dzerzhinskaya. Under her guidance the problems of waste water treatment, development of biopreparation for recultivating water and soil technogenic ecosystems, of toxic substances rotation, of monitoring the North Caspian at the expected sites of shelf drilling, of magnetobacteria study are being examined and solved.
The scientific school at the «Refrigerating Machine» Department was created by Professor B. M. Blier.
In recent years a new field of ecology-safe refrigerant mixtures have been investigated under the supervision of Professor V. G. Bukin.
The Departement of «Fish Culture» is the cradle to the classic scientific school of sturgeon-breeding initiated by V.V. Milshteyn, who laid the foundations of artificial breeding and pond raising of young sturgeon and carried out the first experiments on sturgeon hybridization. He obtained the hybrid of sturgeon and beluga called «bester». Under the supervision of Prof. S. V. Ponomarev and Prof. L. V. Vitvitskaya a new scientific school «Intensive-based Sturgeon Breeding» emerged, which conducts joint research with many international partners.
The name of Prof. O. Y. Ohlobistin, the founder of the scientific school «Single Electron Reactions in Organic Chemistry» is well-known not only in Russia but also abroad. His work is being continued by Prof. N. T. Berberova. She was awarded the title of Soros Foundation professor for four times. Under her leadership the Department of «Organic, Physical-and-Colloid and Biologic Chemistry», won several Russian and international grants. At present, under the supervision of Prof. Y. T. Pimenov, fundamental research of the study of metal-and-organic compound impact on biologic objects is being carried out, and detoxic agents are being developed.
