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PSU Student Wins All-Russian English Dictation

02.02.2024 / , , , , ,

Perm State University (PSU) has hosted for the All-Russian English Dictation among university students, initiated by the Kazan Federal University (KFU). In 2023, more than 32,000 participants from 75 regions of Russia, as well as Argentina, Belarus, Cuba, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Thailand, UK and Uzbekistan joined the Dictation, including 117 students from PSU and other Perm-based educational institutions.

The main theme of the recent dictation has become “21st Century Skills Set” – reflecting upon fast change and exponential growth induced by the modern age. The dictation text had been prepared by teachers of the Institute of International Relations at KFU.

“Public events such as dictations motivate students to learn English and help improve students’ literacy. Dictation in English is a great opportunity to get acquainted with updated examples of the living English language, enrich one’s vocabulary, test the knowledge of English spelling and punctuation, and practice listening comprehension,” says Natalya Khorosheva, Dean of the Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, PSU.

The winner of the All-Russian dictation in English in 2024, as well as in 2023, has become Dmitry Smirnykh-Pershin, a student of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at PSU. We challenged Dmitry with a brief interview on his victory and related circumstances that help him to keep the winner’s shape for that long:  

– What attracts you to the English language?

– Brevity.

– What helped you win the All-Russian English Dictation? And, what advice would you give to the future contestants?

– I believe my personal natural desire for literacy helped me at winning the Dictation. I would advise anyone interested in such competitions to grow the habit of reading English literature, in their everyday life.

– Which ways would you like to practice your knowledge of English?

– The language provides opportunity to communicate with both famous and ordinary people, it all depends on the tasks assigned. If I were giving a tour around Perm, I would probably show foreigners the location of the Kama Valley: unsuitable for construction previously, incorporating new construction technologies, they are going to build the new international student campus here.

– Do you have a favourite joke in English?

– In terms of humor, the English language is pun- and play-on-word inviting. It is great when the joke comes naturally, born in context, and you are its author: “For instance, if a person is called a ‘deer’ in Russia, this is a manifestation of discontent, but for English language speakers it might appear very amicable. The explanation is that the words “deer” and “dear” are homonymous, while in Russian they sound totally different.

– Do you have a hobby? Does it have anything in common with the English language?

– I like chess. English, like any other language, and communication in general, resemble this game: I speak only after I have thought through the complete phrase. Discovering a new figure of speech or another language phenomenon can be compared to learning a new tactics in a game. Comprehension of the language, as well as the rules of chess, help to develop foresight – the ability to calculate all possible steps, to follow.

– Thank you and good luck with your studies, Dmitry!

– Thank you!

PSU Team Takes Gold in International Chess League Competition

19.05.2023 / , , ,

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 Competition finals took place at the lichess.org platform. In addition to PSU participants, three universities – Saint-Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University participated in the finals.

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.

PSU Publishers in Geology Win International Competition

17.05.2023 / , , ,

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.

The publishing project is led by Professor Nikolai Maksimovich, Deputy Director for Natural Science and Research Institute, PSU; Dr. Olga Kadebskaya, Head of the Kungur Stationary Laboratory, Mining Institute, Perm Federal Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Branch; Olga Meshcheryakova, Senior Researcher, Laboratory of Geology of Technogenic Processes, Natural Science and Research Institute, PSU.

“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 Students from China Present Perm on Regional Contest

10.05.2023 / , , , , ,

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.

PSU Students Win PolitPRpro’2023

10.04.2023 / , , ,

The Optimum Pareto team won the 14th PolitPRo 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.

PolitPRpro‘s partners include the Russian Association of Political Consultants (RAPC) and the European Association of Political Consultants (EAPC). Since 2019, the competition has been held with the support of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. The permanent general partner of PolitPRpro is the Niccolo M strategic communications agency.

PSU Celebrates International Translation Day

22.12.2022 / , ,

Students and teaching staff of the Department of Linguistics and Translation, Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literature, PSU, have celebrated International Translation Day.

For the Faculty, the 2021-2022 academic year had been fruitful in achievements and events. The Faculty students became winners in international translation competitions and language contests, research,  international projects with Mexico and Spain, translation volunteering and inclusive training at the University of Grenoble-Alpes (France).

The Department of Linguistics and Translation is recently teaching about 400 undergraduate and graduate students in Linguistics, as well as in Translation and Translation Studies. At the holiday, the Faculty announced best students in studies, social activity and translation achievements. Partners from and PSU alumni studying in Spain, Mexico and France shared their video greetings. Video ‘cards’ and creative performances by PSU first-year students topped the holiday celebration.   

The holiday also marked joint research projects by 4th year students in Linguistics and Translation, announcing the prize winner project – a multilingual website for PSU Situation Center, containing info on PSU values, student life, hostels, social and library services, psychological assistance and safety, as well as feedback, all using Russian, English, Chinese and Turkmen languages.

International Translation Day is an international day to recognize translation professionals. Celebrated on 30 September, introduced by the UN General Assembly resolution in 2017, the holiday is linked to St. Jerome, the Bible translator, considered historically as a patron of translators. The day expresses solidarity with the worldwide translation community and translation profession that has become increasingly essential in the era of globalization.

PSU Linguist Wins Volga Federal District Translation Competition

22.03.2022 / , , , ,

Maria Erypalova, 4th year student of the Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literature, PSU, has won the translation competition “All the Best About Russia”. The competition was dedicated to the 115th Anniversary of Academic Dmitry Likhachev. Maria took the 1st place in the French section.

Summing up the results of the competition, Zugura Rakhmatullina, Director of the Institute of History, Language and Literature, Ural Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized the importance of developing cross-cultural competences through translation activity, as well as translator’s role in promotion of cultural and spiritual Russian heritage.

The young translators in English, German or French coming from all over Volga Federal District were asked to translate excerpts from the “Notes on Russian” by Likhachev. Extracted from hisnotebooks, far beyond ‘pure science’, Likhachev’s notes had been united by a core theme of Russia’s historical past and future – revealing an outstanding scientist and true citizen behind the author’s figure.

“In the passage offered for the translation, I found each minor detail so exciting! To start with, this was the first time I translated from my native language into foreign one. The text was also quite specific, dealing with discoveries by a French translator in relation to specifically Russian concepts of nature and kindness,” Maria Erypalova shares her impression. “Following the task, I once again became convinced of the versatility of the Russian language – and its complexity. Natalya Khorosheva, my teacher and mentor, who supervised my translation, helped me a lot with the lyrics passages.”

“Maria is one of the brightest students at our Department. She does indeed feel the text very subtly, and has a deep understanding of the core tasks of translation. Her winner’s record in translation competitions, including international ones, clearly shows that,” says Natalia Khorosheva, Head of the Department of Linguistics and Translation, PSU. “In Maria’s success, I see a combination of proficiency in translation and personal traits – such as natural attention to details and passionate, playful look at things.  As a tutor, I do my best to make students discover such qualities they might be unaware about, and progress further in both profession and personal life, through the practice of languages.”

In September 2021, Maria Erypalova was among the students who studied at the University of Grenoble-Alpes (France) as part of the international academic mobility program. In France, PSU students mastered the art of translation, combined with courses in history of literature and culture.

Young Talents Announced by PSU Olympics in Languages

18.03.2022 / , , ,

The Young Talents Olympics in Foreign Languages ‘2022 has taken place in Perm, Russia. More than 200 schoolchildren showed their knowledge in French, English and German. 120 students of 8-11 grades, coming from Perm territory, Moscow region and neighboring countries got the opportunity to take part.

The final stage of the Young Talents, held in a shape of a Translation Quest, consisted of several original texts of different genres – to be translated into Russian. Each language was linked to a specific field – the English part regarded traces of the national character, the French one – aromas, and the German one – cars. A particular task in English and French was linked to poetry, considered as fairly hard by many.

During the assessments, the jury checked the ability of contestants to interpret texts of different genres, correctly express ideas in Russian, create a text in the style required, deal with realities of foreign culture, as well as evolve the sense of language and a creative approach in translation.

The Young Talents Olympics was organized by the Department of Linguistics and Translation, Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literature, PSU.

PSU Students Study New Zealand Geology, Win International Competition

04.03.2022 / , , , , , ,

PSU and Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting (MGRI) represented Russia in the SEG EVOLVE – 2021 International Geophysical Program. As a result, the Russian national team became the best in three categories – “Best Structural Maps”, “Best Resource Estimation” and “Best Economic Analysis”.

“We studied the oil and gas component of the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand’, 5.5km northwest of Cape Egmont. We were required to go through a full cycle – from prospecting to field development and scenarios for increasing production,” says Kristina Muryskina, a graduate of the Department of Geophysics, PSU.

3 students and 1 graduate of the Faculty of Geology, PSU, joined the Russian team, for the contest.  

The Taranaki Basin is an onshore-offshore Cretaceous rift basin on the West Coast of New Zealand. It covers approximately 100,000 km2 of which the majority is offshore. The most of New Zealand’s oil and gas production occurs here, with over 400 wells and approximately 20 oil and gas fields being drilled.

The PSU and MGRI team had to initially use 2D and 3D seismic data, well logging data and field data. The participants assessed the geological risks of the project and determined the initial flow rate of the wells.

The advantage of the program is the feedback from international colleagues, which allowed Russian students to learn from the experience of world-famous oil and gas industry experts. In the fall of 2021, PSU and MGRI teams successfully presented their results at the SEG Annual Meeting.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) is a learned society dedicated to promoting the science and education of exploration geophysics. The Society fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in characterizing the near-surface, and in mitigating earth hazards.

While most SEG members are involved in exploration for petroleum, SEG members also are involved in application of geophysics methods to mineral exploration as well as environmental and engineering problems, archaeology, and other scientific endeavors. SEG EVOLVE is an educational program that aims to educate students on real production data.

Taranaki picture source: NASA

PSU International Students Awarded by Perm Territory Governor

10.01.2022 / , , , , , , ,

Dmitry Makhonin, Governor of Perm Territory has expressed official gratitude to students of Perm State University (PSU) for their courage and care, shown on 20 September, 2021, at the Permian Character award ceremony, as a recognition by the state and local citizens.   

This year, a total amount of 15 young people and 5 youth public associations were given the Permian character badge, including PSU students, who helped save peoples’ lives on 20 September, 2021. Their names and stories have been included into the Honor Book of Perm.

Students Abdulla Obaid (Iraq), Ashraf Razuk (Iraq), Ovezberdi Sabyrov (Turkmenistan) from the Faculty Chemistry; Anton Grekhov (Russia) from the Faculty of Economics; Yegor Dolgich (Russia) from PSU College for Professional Education have been awarded in the nomination “Overcoming Emergency and/or Mortal Social Danger”.

The Permian Character state and social initiative, started in 2015, aims at supporting children and youth’s social activity, demonstrating responsible civil behavior, helping those in need, encouraging positive change, helping overcome difficult life situations.
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