Lomonosov’s interests were wide spread as was his influence. Beyond literature, Lomonosov had a great impact on science through his discoveries. He was a polymath and worked on many different areas including chemistry, physics, astronomy, meteorology, mineralogy, and metallurgy (Vernadsky 38). Most of his earlier career was focused physics and chemistry. His work in physics focused for a period on electricity where he did many experiments with Georg Wilhelm Richmann, a German at the Academy of Sciences. Their work lead Lomonosov to come to many of the same conclusions about electricity independent of his contemporaries such as Benjamin Franklin who get credit for discovering many electric phenomenon (Grahame 37). One of his other main focuses
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Education had long been lacking in Russia an there was no science taught in schools before 1700 (Vernadsky 37). Peter the Great worked hard to get more science along with Western thought into the country helping create the Academy of Science in 1725 which opened shortly following his death. The academy still was not teaching and producing many Russia scientist which Lomonosov found disturbing. He worked hard to increase the number of Russians involved, when he first came in 1741 there were only 3. By his death in 1765, this number had more than triple and was now 10 (Shiltsev 40). His dedication to spreading science and education in Russia was very evident. He wanted to educate everyone of all classes especially appropriate since his background was the peasant class. He started training students soon after arriving back at the Academy of Science including writing an introduction to chemistry in 1752. Perhaps one of his most crowning achievements in education is the role he played in establishing University of Moscow. Along with one of his patrons, Count Peter Ivanovich Shuvalof, Empress Elizabeth was convinced to create Moscow University in 1755. Not only did he help with the creation, he helped with the organization and set up. He was responsible for creating the three faculties at the university: philosophical, juridical, and medical (Roucek 41). He continued to work at the Academy even after the university was formed. He moved up the administrator ranks there becoming a counselor and then directory of the Academy and the connected high school. At these positions he worked hard to open the school and schools in general to lower class men and improve the standard of living for the students (Huntington 303). But, he wanted to have science reach everyone in Russia. His goal was to have the Academy and university deigned more to serve the needs of Russia and engage the Russian
Education had long been lacking in Russia an there was no science taught in schools before 1700 (Vernadsky 37). Peter the Great worked hard to get more science along with Western thought into the country helping create the Academy of Science in 1725 which opened shortly following his death. The academy still was not teaching and producing many Russia scientist which Lomonosov found disturbing. He worked hard to increase the number of Russians involved, when he first came in 1741 there were only 3. By his death in 1765, this number had more than triple and was now 10 (Shiltsev 40). His dedication to spreading science and education in Russia was very evident. He wanted to educate everyone of all classes especially appropriate since his background was the peasant class. He started training students soon after arriving back at the Academy of Science including writing an introduction to chemistry in 1752. Perhaps one of his most crowning achievements in education is the role he played in establishing University of Moscow. Along with one of his patrons, Count Peter Ivanovich Shuvalof, Empress Elizabeth was convinced to create Moscow University in 1755. Not only did he help with the creation, he helped with the organization and set up. He was responsible for creating the three faculties at the university: philosophical, juridical, and medical (Roucek 41). He continued to work at the Academy even after the university was formed. He moved up the administrator ranks there becoming a counselor and then directory of the Academy and the connected high school. At these positions he worked hard to open the school and schools in general to lower class men and improve the standard of living for the students (Huntington 303). But, he wanted to have science reach everyone in Russia. His goal was to have the Academy and university deigned more to serve the needs of Russia and engage the Russian