Erast Parmasto facts for kids

Erast Parmasto, 2001

Erast Parmasto (born October 28, 1928 – died April 24, 2012) was a famous Estonian scientist. He was a mycologist, which means he studied fungi and mushrooms. He was also a bioscientist and a botanist, someone who studies plants. For a time, he was the director of the Estonian Institute of Zoology and Botany.

Erast Parmasto was born in Nõmme, Estonia. In 1950, he joined the Estonian Institute of Zoology and Botany. He later became its director, serving from 1985 to 1990.

Studying Mushrooms

Erast Parmasto loved mushrooms. In 1950, he started a special collection of dried mushroom samples called a herbarium. This collection grew to include 160,000 samples. Parmasto himself collected 37,000 of these samples.

Because of his deep knowledge of mushrooms, people called him "Seenevana." This Estonian nickname means "grand old man of mushrooms." He helped create and improve databases for mushroom species in Estonia. He also wrote the first textbook in Estonian about biosystematics. This is a way of classifying living things.

Parmasto also helped create the Liiva-Putla Nature Reserve. This special area protects mushrooms. It is one of only five such places in all of Europe.

His Career and Contributions

During his career, Parmasto wrote more than 150 scientific papers. He also published over 200 articles. His writings are still used in science journals in Estonia today.

He was the president of the Estonian Naturalists' Society from 1973 to 1976. Later, he became an honorary member of the society in 1988. From 1973 to 1981, he worked as an academic secretary. This was for the Department of Chemical, Geological and Biological Sciences at the Estonian Academy of Sciences.

Later in his career, he became a professor. He taught Botany and Ecology at the University of Tartu. He worked there from 1987 to 1995. He also worked as a senior researcher. This was in the Mycology Department at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

Awards and Recognition

Erast Parmasto received many awards for his work.

• In 1976, he was given the Karl Ernst von Baeri medal.
• He won the National Science Prize in 1994. This was part of the Yearly Award for Culture and Society.
• In 2002, he received a special Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was for his work in Biosciences and the Environment.
• He was given the Eerik Kumari Award in 2008. This award recognized his important contributions to Bioscience.

Jaanus Kala was a government official and head of the award jury. He said that Erast Parmasto "dedicated his life’s work to studying nature and to promoting its protection among the public."