53 teams from Russia, Serbia, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, best in their countries and territories, took place in the Competition. The Univer Sports Club from Perm State University (PSU) united Ivan Volodin (Faculty of Physics), Dmitry Radostev (Faculty of Economics) and Artyom Polonsky (Department of Physical Culture and Sports, PSU).
The Univer Sports Club scored 24.5 points in total, the highest result among teams, bringing gold awards to PSU. The second place was taken by the Gazprom team (23 points), the bronze award went to the Rostelecom team (22.5 points). The results can be found here.
“The finals have been quite tough, bringing together masters and candidates for master of sports. Not only we did have to compete with other universities, but also strongest corporate teams from various institutions in science, education, IT, fuel and energy complex, finance and transport,” confessed Sergey Solovyov, Head of Univer Sports Club, PSU.
A publication project by PSU geologists “Sulphate Karst of Perm Krai” received the 1st degree diploma in “University Book-2023” Competition as the best publication in natural sciences.
The project data is based on years of research on sulfate karst of Perm krai, regarding its territory-based characteristics, its spread and development in the region.
Caves, lakes, rivers and other karst formations are unique natural attractions of Perm krai, some of them declared as protected natural areas. The Kungur Ice Cave is the oldest tourist cave in Russia. The Ordinskaya Cave is the longest underwater gypsum cave in the world, globally known as a center for underwater speleology.
“Compared to more common, world-known carbonate karst, the sulfate one has specific features associated primarily with the high solubility of gypsum and anhydrite. Ground and surface waters contain a large amount of calcium sulfate, which in some cases makes them unsuitable for water supply and creates inconveniences for the local population, explains Olga Meshcheryakova. – A serious problem in sulfate karst areas is the development of sinkholes that provide damage to buildings and structures, industrial enterprises, communications, as well as cause mortal cases. At the same time, gypsum and anhydrite are a valuable mineral and construction resource. Here we have about 270 objects of sulfate rocks in 20 administrative districts of Perm Territory.”
The international industry competition of educational and scientific publications “University Book” has been held since 2012. In 2023, 135 books by 415 authors have been presented in 20 nominations of the competition. The monograph by PSU scholars had previously received a grant by the Ministry of Education and Science of Perm Territory, with a further publication by Springer. The book addresses geologists, geographers, ecologists, karst explorers, speleologists, local historians, teachers and students in earth sciences, as well as a wide range of amateur researchers of karst and caves.
PSU postgraduate students Dong Ziteng, Li Xinjie, Tan Yunxiao, Jiang Yuying and Yu Ping (China) from the Faculty of Philology took part in the 5th Regional Forum “The Journey Across Perm Lands”, becoming the finalists of the competition.
Supervised by Professor Maria Shirinkina and Associate Professor Natalya Solovieva from the Department of Russian Language and Stylistics, the students have developed an audio guide on Perm city local culture. In 2023, the competition received 235 applications from 35 territories of Perm region. The winners’ projects served a basis for a set of TV documentaries.
Within the Forum framework, the contestants presented the tour “Perm Through Foreign Students’ Eye” in the nomination “Youth Tourist Route”. The contestants described seven cultural attractions of Perm city in Russian: Perm City Planetarium, the “Happiness Is Not Far Off” installation, Perm Museum of Local Lore, Perm State Art Gallery, St. Nicholas the Miracle monument, Perm Opera and Ballet Theater and the Church of St. Mary – each object accompanied by photo and audio guide support.
The Forum participants intended to show Perm in many ways, including science, culture, art and religion.
“Building a story around famous Perm attractions allowed us to deepen and expand the current historical and cultural knowledge, as well as appreciate their location and natural sights in general, allowing us to feel the charm of Perm. This also helped us to develop our Russian language and intercultural communication skills,” says Li Xinjie, 2nd-year postgraduate student.
“The Journey Across Perm Lands” competition has been held since 2017, supported by Chief Federal Inspector for Perm Krai, the Ministry of Education and Science of Perm Krai, the Ministry of Tourism of Perm Krai, the Agency for Youth Affairs of Perm Krai and the Council of Young Teachers at All-Russian Trade Union of Education, Perm Krai branch.
The Optimum Pareto team won the 14thPolitPRo International Student Competition in political communications (30-31 March, St. Petersburg, Russia). In the finals, the Pareto Optimum competed with student teams from the Higher School of Economics, Saint Petersburg State University and Volgograd State University. Upon the final contest, including the public debates, the Pareto Optimum were granted an internship placement at the Nikkolo M Agency for Strategic Communications.
The Pareto Optimum team consists of four female students in Political Science, International Relations and Public Administration, studying at the Faculty of History and Political Science, PSU.
“Everything was just brilliant, you could see it in the eye of the jury members during the last stage of competition – the debates. The team’s performance produced a dramatic heart-piercing effect by the arguments given. Following the task, the roles played were so intentionally cynical, that no one stayed indifferent. That speaks of the contestants as a strong, well-built and professional team,” says Igor Mintusov, chairman of the Competition Jury, founder and chairman of the board of directors at Niccolo M Agency for Strategic Communications, member of the Board of the Russian Association of Political Consultants.
The PolitPRpro is an international competition of student projects in political communications, where future professionals compete and communicate with masters and experts in the field of political consulting, PR and GR. The founder and organizer of the competition is the Institute “Higher School of Journalism and Mass Communications” at St. Petersburg State University.
“PolitPRpro has become a synonym for a real strength test. We did participate with no intention to prove something or amuse anyone. By reaching the finals, outperforming teams from the country’s leading universities, building our own brand, we have shown that politics can have a female face. We are thankful to the Faculty of History and Political Science at PSU, our coach Dmitry Korovin and our fellow Perm team POLITYFIX, whose support and help helped us win the finals,” says Valeria Yurtova, captain of the Optimum Pareto team.
In 2023, 135 teams from Russia and CIS countries took part in the Competition. The largest number of applications came from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Perm, Tomsk and Vladivostok. According to the results of the correspondence stage, nine teams went to the semi-finals of the competition, including two student teams from Perm – the Pareto Optimum and the POLITYFIX.
“Our participation in a competition of such a rank is surely an experience to be remembered for a lifetime. Although our team remained half a step away from the finals, at the end we did feel like real winners! We are very happy for our female team, they did deserve the victory achieved in the political technology tests. Being just freshmen, our team is ready to move on – setting more ambitious goals for ourselves,” admits Alexey Zenkov, captain of the POLITYFIX team.
Held at St. Petersburg State University, aimed at sustainable educational and professional interaction, the PolitPRpro is a platform that attracts students, experts, academic specialists and practicing professionals in political communications from all over Russia and abroad. The competition was initiated in 2010 by the Department of Public Relations in Politics and Public Administration of St. Petersburg State University. In 2019, the PolitPRpro was received a high praise by the expert community and became the winner of the XX International Communications PROBA Awards.
On 10-11 February, PSU scholars contributed to Perm Winter School’2023, titled “Low-Carbon Economy and Decarbonization”. The School united related scholars and practicing experts in a set of workshops and research reports, as well as a case-championship in environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) – heading to a sustainable future through industrial adaptation to climate change.
The School key speakers were Anna Romanovskaya, Director, Yu.A. Israel Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, and Nikita Vorobyov, Director in Ecology and Climate, NLMK Group made presentations on climate agenda and carbon footprint, enterprise ESG transformation and industrial decarbonization – aiming to review possible local scenarios, globally.
“Since the first School in 2011, the topic has been evolving year by year, the discussion of progress, climate change and risk management remaining its core line,” comments Sergey Ivliev, Head of the Laboratory of Cryptoeconomics and Blockchain Systems at PSU, fintech entrepreneur. “For me, the School has become a meeting place with like-minded people, promoting dialogue in cutting-edge ideas.”
Two key speakers represent NLMK Group and Yu.A. Israel Institute of Global Climate and Ecology. The first one is a leading international manufacturer of high-quality steel products with a vertically integrated business model – incorporating raw material extraction and production in low-cost regions, and manufacture in close proximity to key consumers of Russia, North America and the EU. Yu.A. Israel Institute of Global Climate and Ecology studies global and regional climate changes, caused by human and natural factors; their environmental, social and economic consequences, as well as opportunities for the adaptation and control. The Institute actively cooperates with international organizations at monitoring and supporting ecosystems.
Perm Winter School unites students, teachers and industry representatives addressing complex problems in pop-science format. The School committee sees its mission in creating ties between the academy and the industry, encouraging students to participate. Previous schools brought together more than 3,000 participants representing leading universities and organizations from around the world.
On 8 February, Perm State University celebrated the Day of Russian Science, recognizing the contribution of its scholars on the national and international scale in 2022:
1. PSU chemists have discovered a new substance that will help in the fight against tuberculosis.
PSU scientists have been developing a new type of antibiotic based on erogorgiaen, isolated from the sea coral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae. Not only it will allow the cells enter a persistent state of the drug, acquiring to its tolerance, but also reduce the recurrence of the disease.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria, which generally affects the lungs. In 2020, an estimated 10 million people developed active TB, resulting in 1.5 million deaths, making it the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease after COVID-19.
2. The “Photonics” NTI Competence Center at PSU has developed a new method for preventing emergency shutdowns of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
Commonly known as a drone, UAV is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew or passengers on board, involving a ground-based controller and a communication systems. Originally developed for military missions, UAVs are widely used in scientific research, agriculture, logistics, policing and hi-tech sports.
PSU scholars urged to eliminate the possibility of a UAV system failure due to a sudden change in temperature. The results of the research, detecting the problem failure and improving the fiber-optic elements in UAV gyroscopes have been published in the Applied Sciences Journal.
PSU scholars from the “Photonics” NTI Competence Center are developing new types of optical fibers resistant to radiation and other aggressive environments applicable in mines, nuclear power plants, as well as spacecraft and Earth orbit satellites. New fibers will speed up data transfer and reduce system response time in case of emergency situations.
4. PSU Professor in law becomes co-developer of CIS agreement on Internet copyright
Professor Anton Matveev, Department of Civil Law, PSU, joined the international lawyers group working on the Agreement allowing CIS member states to protect copyright and related rights on the Internet, establish common approaches to solving problems alike, including updates of national legislation.
The Agreement on Cooperation between the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), regarding copyright and processing information, including telecommunication networks was signed at a meeting of the Council of CIS State Leaders in November, 2021.
5. PSU expert in Adventure Travels crossed Chukotka, ascended the highest peak of the peninsula.
Andrey Korolev, Associate Professor of the Department of Tourism, PSU joined the “Pole of Inaccessibility” team comprising University alumni, in their ski expedition to Chukotka. The adventure travelers crossed the peninsula from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean, for the first time ever.
The route was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the expedition of Baron Ferdinand von Wrangel (1796-1870), an explorer of the northeastern coast of the Arctic. For 25 walking days, the team traveled about 600km (373mi), covering the distance of 30km (16,5mi) daily, with an equipment of 50kg (110lb).
6. PSU Scholar discovered a rare species of mosquito in the Vishera Nature Reserve.
Andrey Krasheninnikov, Associate Professor of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Aquatic Ecology, PSU, discovered a unique species of mosquito in the territory of the Vishhersky Nature Reserve. The official name of the insect is Chaetocladius (Chaetocladius) crassisaetosus.
The Chironomidae family of mosquitoes (known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. The name Chironomidae stems from the Ancient Greek word kheironómos, “a pantomimist”, due to characteristic behavior of the mosquito.
7. The technology for groundwater purification is developed by PSU scholars.
The Laboratory of Geology of Technogenic Processes, Natural Science Institute, PSU, in partnership with the Laboratory for Non-Destructive Testing developed a technology and a new bio product for cleaning groundwaters polluted with oil-affected elements.
The new technology is meant for those cases when concentration of pollution does not allow the use of traditional mechanical means of collection, as an alternative to pumping, bioreactors use or chemical reactions. It significantly reduces costs and efforts, and does not harm the environment. The technology has been patented and is ready for practical use.
8. Perm State Art Gallery to receive digital copies of its collection, provided by PSU scholars.
The team of the Center for Digital Humanities at PSU have been creating digital copies of wooden sculpture, typical of local Christian Orthodox believers, preserved at Perm State Art Gallery. The project contributes to 300 Perm City Anniversary.
Digital humanities (DH) is an area of scholarly activity at the junction of digital technologies serving as a an advanced system storage and analysis of humanities’ data, as well as their application. The Center for Digital Humanities had been established at PSU in 2016.
9. PSU geneticists explained the failures and successes of combatants in sports.
Research team led by Svetlana Boronnikova, Head of the Department of Botany and Plant Genetics, Faculty of Biology, PSU, identified genotypes and their influence upon people involved in a-cyclic sports, like martial arts, explaining estimating their failures and successes, publishing the survey results in the Genes Journal.
The results by PSU geneticists might be useful at estimating young athletes’ physical capacity – right at the stage of planning their career in sports. The scientists will help predict the body’s ‘durability’ to specific loads, allowing parents and their children to choose among types of most suited sports.
10. PSU geologists keep studying vertebrates of the Permian period in the south of the Perm Territory.
Geologist Galina Ponomareva and geochemist Ivan Khopta, accompanied by scholars from the Paleontological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences and Lomonosov Moscow State University have been researching the age of the Kueda-Klyuchiki section, in the south of Perm Territory. The team did not come to a unified conclusion, yet managed to identify its unique features.
The Permian is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period 298.9 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. Permian marine deposits are rich in fossil mollusks, echinoderms, and brachiopods; terrestrial life included diverse plants, fungi, arthropods, and various types of tetrapods. Overall, Permian period served a vast variety of pre-historic species, including temnospondyli, lepospondyli and batrachosaurs.
Perm State University expresses words of sincere gratitude to its scholars, partners and research fellows for hard work, bold strive for experiment and exciting original projects – with wishes to continue further and achieve bigger impacts!
Mr. Vadim Gataulin, head of the Department of International Relations at Perm State University (PSU) took part in the Executive Council Forum 2022 at Woxsen University (Hyderabad, India).
The Forum, titled “Defining Purpose in HighEd: From India to the World” took place on 20-21 December, 2022, uniting international partner universities, along with Indian corporate and government bodies.
The objective of the event was to pen down the immediate future steps in higher education ensuring a sustainable growth for all learners. The expected outcome became a joint call to action in the form of manifesto ensuring a set of outcome-driven guidelines that centralize the ground activities.
The Forum topics covered the future of lifelong education, as well as needs of learners in the nearest decade; the introduction of climate change topic into the classroom; the implementation of the knowledge learnt; entrepreneurship in education; digitalization; the relations of industry and academia.
“Our interest in India is driven by the fact it is both a promising market for the export of educational services, and a potential source for joint research,” says Vadim Gataulin, Head of the International Relations Department, PSU. “Woxsen University is a young and ambitious private university striving to reach top positions in the national rankings. The live communication with a new partner allows to better comprehend and take into account mutual interests, estimating the capacities of both parties.”
To remind, a memorandum of understanding and an academic agreement between PSU and Woxsen University were signed in January, 2022, followed by a supplement regulating the start of a center of excellence for the digital economy and blockchain technologies. In addition to the existing interaction in economic sciences, PSU has found mutual interest with Woxsen University School of Art and Design, with one of the students of the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology, PSU, taking a study course there in 2022.
Cooperation with India will also be performed by the Center for East Asian Studies, founded at the Faculty of Philology, PSU in January, 2023. The main goal of the Center is the development of East Asian studies in the field of linguistics, literary criticism and cultural studies, as well as teaching and providing training, contributing to the overall research, study and personal progress of the students.
Hyderabad is the fourth-most populous city in India with a population of 6.9 million residents within the city limits, and has a population of 9.7 million residents in the metropolitan region, making it the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in India. With an output of US$74 billion, Hyderabad has the fifth-largest urban economy in India.
The PSU Academic Council has made a decision to launch a Center for East Asian Studies, as a part of the Faculty of Philology, PSU. The Center will be led by Dr. Boris Kondakov, a known researcher of Chinese literature and culture, and a Professor at Perm State University.
The Center will perform research in linguistics, literary criticism and cultural studies of East Asian region, as a part of the Faculty of Philology; it will also run educational activity in those fields. The Center staff, who come from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, and the Department of Russian Literature, PSU, have been already teaching Chinese and Japanese languages, and Eastern Oriental literature and culture. The Center plans to employ post-graduate students from Japan and China studying in Perm, as well as promote cooperation with Chinese and related Russian universities.
“The Center will focus primarily on the study of Chinese and Japanese languages, culture and literature. There will be several new master’s programs in Philology and Pedagogical Education. For masters’ we will also offer several programs which incorporate studying Chinese. This year, we are planning to open admissions for the new program “Chinese and Japanese Languages” within the core course in Linguistics. We are also about to obtain a license for running the “Oriental and African Studies” program, shares Dr. Boris Kondakov, Head of the Center for East Asian Studies.
The Center will continue teaching two popular bachelors’ programs in Pedagogical Education – “Russian as a Foreign Language and Chinese language” (available for Russian and other students in Russian), and “Management in Education” (for Chinese students in English). Preparations for the master’s program “Pedagogical Education”, implemented with universities from Anhui and Shandong provinces (China), are also being made.
A series of meetings and workshops by teachers and partners of the Center addressing both applicants and students from PSU and other universities, will start in February, 2023.
Duong Thi Phuong Chi, PhD student at the Faculty of Philology, Perm State University (PSU) has successfully defended her PhD (Candidate of Sciences) thesis. The defense took place at Ural Federal University (UrFU) at the end of 2022.
Five years ago, Duong Thi Phuong Chi came to Perm from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she taught at the Library and Information Department of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. In 2018, she entered the graduate school led by Professor Vladimir Abashev, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, PSU.
“Out of recommended universities from a dozen popular cities of Russia, I chose Perm State. What attracted me most was a post graduate course in Mass Media and Library Informational Science. The English version of PSU website also appeared an important factor – there I studied in detail the structure of admission and study plan. So, I thought it was a good university,” said Duong Thi Phuong Chi.
Drawing the example of academic libraries in Ho Chi Minh City, the scholar analyzed the libraries’ huge identity crisis, and proposed a strategy for solution, based on modern media communications. According to Duong Thi Phuong Chi, there are three key tools for a university library to win the Internet era race:
“Firstly, it is a complete digitalization of all library collections and their flexible division into thematic collections. Secondly, the library has to be included into international information exchange network – allowing researcher or student to access the necessary databases, at any time. Thirdly, it is a creative dialogue with users based on social networks. So, the library is no more a bookshelf, but rather a smart hub of information flows.”
The Faculty of Philology at Perm State University (PSU) has hosted for the 2nd All-Russian Scientific Conference “Language of Modern Science: Cross-Disciplinary Aspect” as part of the university-wide forum “Innovations and Technologies in Cross-Disciplinary Applications”. The Conference had been initiated and organized by the Department of Russian Language and Stylistics, PSU.
The Conference regarded the issues of expression and dissemination of scientific knowledge in the 21st century. Scholars from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Tyumen and Perm took part in the discussion, providing 14 reports in Russian and 7 reports in English within two days of the event.
Maria Kotyurova, head of Perm Scientific School of Functional Stylistics, professor at PSU, spoke about the grounds for differentiating the stylistics of an academic text and speech science; Nadezhda Ryabtseva, Head of the Sector of Applied Linguistics at the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences drew attention to the problem of translating scientific terms under the predominant position of English language in academic communication.
The Conference materials will be published in the “Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems” series by Springer, indexed in Scopus and be available electronically.
As Professor Elena Bazhenova, Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee, Department of Russian Language and Stylistics, PSU has stated,
“the success of the annual Conference on the language of science comes from the fact it brings together researchers working in close areas of linguistics, beyond the functional stylistic direction. The problems associated with the study of various aspects of modern scientific communication help to meet like-minded experts, as well as identify the range of questions for further research.”
