Category: Russian Universities

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Official website of the State –

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Nikolai Alexandrovich Dobrolyubov was a Russian literary critic, publicist, representative of the "Revolutionary Democrats" club, and poet. He was born on February 5, 1836, into a priest's family. He spent his childhood in Nizhny Novgorod, receiving a good education from his parents at home. It was thanks to this that he was accepted directly into his final year of study at the seminary. Even then, he began keeping a list of the books he had read and recording his impressions of them.

In 1853, Dobrolyubov enrolled in the Main Pedagogical Institute of St. Petersburg, in the history and philology department. There, he organized an underground circle, leading the students' struggle against the reactionary administration of the institute, and began publishing a handwritten newspaper, "Rumors." Nikolai was not afraid to express his sharply negative attitude toward the autocracy in works such as "On the 50th Anniversary of N.I. Grech" and "One on the Death of Nicholas I," which were also distributed beyond the institute.

The young critic's work was greatly influenced by representatives of the revolutionary democratic intelligentsia—Vissarion Belinsky, Alexander Herzen, and Nikolai Chernyshevsky, with whom he began working on the magazine Sovremennik and later on the Magazine for Education. In 1858, with the support of Nikolai Nekrasov, the satirical magazine Svistok was launched, and in 1859–60, articles on the greatest works of Russian writers appeared: "What is Oblomovism?" (about I. A. Goncharov's novel Oblomov), "The Dark Kingdom" and "A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom" (about the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky), and "When Will the Real Day Come?" (about I. S. Turgenev's novel On the Eve).

Dobrolyubov used books as an analysis of Russian life, turning Oblomov and Catherine into symbols of the vices of an entire class. He declared that literature was a reflection of social ills.

In May 1860, at the urging of close friends, Nikolai traveled abroad for treatment for tuberculosis. For over a year, he spent time in Germany, Switzerland, and France. He stayed in Italy for over six months, during which time events related to the national liberation movement led by Garibaldi were taking place. He used the material he collected about the Italian Revolution to expose the anti-popular nature of bourgeois liberalism and glorified the republicans (in "An Incomprehensible Strangeness," "Father Alexander Gavazzi and His Sermons," and "The Life and Death of Count Camillo Benzo Cavour").

Dobrolyubov returned to Russia in July 1861. He had failed to overcome his illness, a battle intertwined with intense work. Seeing off his friend on his final journey, Nekrasov described Nikolai Alexandrovich's biography with these words: "A poor childhood, in the home of a poor village priest; a half-starved education; then four years of feverish, tireless labor; and finally, a year abroad, spent in premonitions of death."

Although Dobrolyubov lived a short life—only 25 years—his contribution to Russia's present and future was truly invaluable. In his work, Dobrolyubov denounced despotism and the feudal system, comparing it to a prison in which all life perishes. He condemned inaction and passivity, arguing for the inevitability of the emergence of a hero-fighter. He considered public service "the highest criterion of an artist's work." It was Nikolai Alexandrovich who became one of the era's leading critics, coining such terms as "Oblomovism," "the dark kingdom," "ray of light," and others, which immediately caught on and became commonplace in discussing social phenomena.

On the 40th anniversary of the critic’s death, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin said that he was dear to “all educated and thinking Russia.”

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Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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Three graduates of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University's Institute of Civil Engineering received diplomas from the "ARCHI START" International Student Work Competition. The ceremony took place at the "Russia" National Center.

The competition was open to graduates of higher and secondary educational institutions with degrees in architecture, urban planning, interior design, landscape design, product design, graphic design, and web design. Over 1,800 projects from 125 educational institutions in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Transnistria were submitted for consideration by the jury.

Present at the ceremony from the Institute of Civil Engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University were Margarita Perkova, Director of the Graduate School of Design and Architecture at the Institute of Civil Engineering, Associate Professors Elena Ladik and Maria Drebezgova, and Anastasia Gracheva, Assistant Professor and author of the Master's thesis on "Renovation of Industrial Facilities in the Structure of Existing Development: The Case of Ulyanovsk."

Anastasia Gracheva's work, completed under the scientific supervision of Margarita Perkova and Maria Drebezgova, was awarded a diploma in the category "Urban Planning Concepts for Built-Up Areas."

Diplomas in the "Landscape and Environmental Recreational and Tourism Infrastructure" category were awarded to the master's theses of Alexandra Sudarikova, a graduate of the Institute of Social Sciences and Architecture (ISS), "Development of Ecotourism Areas in the Republic of Karelia (using the city of Kem as an example)," and Ekaterina Falaleeva, "Development of Ethnographic Tourism Areas in the Far North: Using Central Yakutia as an Example." These theses were completed under the supervision of Associate Professor Elena Ladik.

The competition was organized by the Moscow Region Designers Association and the A. V. Kuzmin Council of Chief Architects of the Subjects of the Russian Federation and Municipalities.

The jury included leading representatives of the professional community, including Nikolai Shumakov, President of the Union of Architects of Russia and President of the Union of Moscow Architects, and Alexandra Kuzmina, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Architecture and Urban Development of the Moscow Region, Chief Architect of the Moscow Region, and Chair of the Council of Chief Architects of the Subjects of the Russian Federation.

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Source: Official website of the State –

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During a meeting with students at the State University of Management on February 3, Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented on work with the United States.

"These aren't traditional negotiations: 'Everything's fine, we have a standard relationship, you came to us, now it's our turn to come to you.' This is incredibly complex, painstaking work, conducted on multiple levels, with multiple tracks."

The press secretary noted that communication is possible in various formats: from telephone conversations on specific issues to full-scale in-person meetings. Moreover, it takes place with the appropriate interlocutors – if negotiators from economic, humanitarian, or other fields are present, we offer their counterparts.

During the dialogue, Maria Zakharova also voiced the Foreign Ministry's reaction to the kidnapping of Nicolós Madura in Venezuela by the United States of America:

“Our reaction was not only immediate, it was also voiced in advance in the form of a warning – we see where this is going, and we understand what the world is pushing towards, and we consider this unacceptable, because it was to the level of direct threats and so on. Our reaction was immediate, and at the moment of all this we were the initiators of the UNO, TsABEZ discussion on this matter. But the question is that the United States of America is also a permanent member of the Security Council, it has the right of the century. Second point, excuse me, why do you think that this was some kind of invention of theirs? Didn’t they do this before? They did this all the time, they do it at every historical turn, they do it in different ways, another conversation… What did they do with the same Saddam Hussein?.. I will give you another example. A man who had incredible authority in his country, in his region, is Gaddafi. This was the leader of Libya. Should I remind you what they did to him?.. Do you understand when they lived differently? 70s, 80s, 90s. Yes, in any era you will find something similar… You consider, for example, the use of napalm by American troops in Vietnam as a smaller fact or less significant there than what they are doing now. Yes, this is from the same series. Only then did people die there, civilians. Can you imagine what napalm is?.. This is a fire that burns everything around, leaving nothing alive around. What about Hiroshima and Nagasaki? This is all from the same series! This is all from the same series of not absolute irresponsibility, but permissiveness. That’s it. That’s why they have always done this, and the only time they don’t do this is when they know what to answer for it,” a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided historical information.

Maria Zakharova clarified: “Only when you, we, all together, someone else, creates their life and protects it in a way that makes it physically impossible, then they won’t do it. But in other cases, they will. And they will do it when and how it suits them. This is exactly what we were talking about. It’s just that some time ago, for some people—for some, five years ago, for some, ten, for some, even two years ago, for others, a month and a half ago—there were doubts about whether we were telling the truth, or whether we were dramatizing it, or whether it was not true… No, it’s important. It’s important to understand how to build our lives so that this kind of thing isn’t done to us.”

We remind you that other important issues were also discussed at the meeting: relations with China, the importance of preserving historical memory, the degradation of Western society, and the specifics of public service.

Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: February 5, 2026.

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Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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On February 4, the Technopolis Polytech Research Building of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University hosted a conference and exhibition entitled "Road Construction in Russia: Asphalt Concrete," organized by the Civil Engineering Institute.

The Polytechnic University held a lecture course for students and faculty in specialized fields from leading St. Petersburg universities. Leading road industry experts in the production of asphalt concrete mixtures and flexible pavement technologies, including representatives of the St. Petersburg Transport Construction Directorate, VAD JSC, ABZ-1 Group of Companies, ROSDORNII Federal Autonomous Institution, Gazpromneft-DS LLC, Vozrozhdenie Production Association, TTM LLC, and other organizations, delivered the course.

Nikolay Bystrov, President of the ROSASPHALT Association, and Marina Petrochenko, Director of the SPbPU Institute of Civil Engineering, addressed the guests with welcoming remarks. The event was moderated by Yuri Lazarev, Director of the Higher School of Industrial, Civil, and Road Construction at the SPbPU Institute of Civil Engineering, and Nikolay Krupin, Coordinator of the ROSASPHALT Association's Technical Committee.

Leading road industry experts delivered presentations. Nikolay Krupin, Commercial Director of GTR LLC, presented an analysis of the current state of the road industry in Russia. Andrey Demin, Head of the Quality Control and Innovation Implementation Department at DTS SPb, highlighted the specifics of road construction in St. Petersburg. Dmitry Pakharenko, Chief Technologist of VAD JSC, spoke about the history of the Nevsky Prospekt renovation. Olga Melnik, Deputy Director for Quality at ABZ-1 JSC, shared her experience in producing and laying asphalt concrete mixtures at ABZ-1 JSC. Maxim Kamaletdinov, Chief Engineer of Gazpromneft-DS LLC, presented the company's experience in implementing large-scale transport infrastructure projects. Denis Apkalimov, General Director of TTM LLC, presented a report on modern asphalt mixing plants.

A cooperation agreement was signed at the conference between the Institute of Civil Engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the RAPET Association of Polymer Energy-Efficient Technologies. The document was signed by Marina Petrochenko, Director of the Institute of Civil Engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, and Natalia Pavlenko, Chair of the Association.

The agreement aims to develop joint activities in the application of polymer energy-efficient technologies in construction, including conducting scientific research, developing educational programs, and organizing internships and internships for students of the Civil Engineering Institute.

The RAPET Association of Polymer Energy-Efficient Technologies is a professional association founded in 2023 that promotes and scientifically substantiates the use of energy-efficient polymer solutions in the construction industry. Its primary goal is to assist the government in implementing national projects by providing construction industry participants with guarantees of the efficiency and safety of energy-efficient polymer technologies.

The conference also included a scientific and practical session, presenting the results of research and projects in road construction and pavement modeling. Presentations were given by graduate students, young scientists, and experts from leading universities and industry organizations across the country.

The "Road Construction in Russia: Asphalt Concrete" conference serves as a crucial tool for directly communicating industry needs to the university and institute's educational environment. This ensures a highly practical focus of the educational programs and the training of competitive, highly qualified specialists for Russia's road construction industry, noted Marina Petrochenko.

The "Road Construction in Russia: Asphalt Concrete" conference's particular value lies in its practice-oriented format. When leading industry experts come to the university and share their practical experience, it creates an invaluable educational environment for students. This dialogue allows them to not only study theory but also understand how it works on construction sites, in the laboratory, and within urban infrastructure. Events like these serve as a bridge between academic training and professional practice, ensuring a deep integration of science, education, and industry practices, emphasized Albert Bashkarev, Scientific Director of the Scientific and Educational Center for Road Pavement Modeling at the Institute of Geotechnical Studies and Professor at the Higher School of Transport at the Institute of Metallurgical and Metallurgical Engineering.

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Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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Russian scientists have developed a method for detecting agricultural plant diseases at an early, asymptomatic stage. The approach is based on the analysis of hyperspectral data using artificial intelligence. The proposed approach has demonstrated the feasibility of detecting wheat stem rust, one of the most dangerous crop diseases affecting plant stems and leaves. This technology paves the way for the development of satellite and drone monitoring systems for preventive crop protection. The results of the study were published in the international scientific journal Frontiers in Plant Science. The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation.

Wheat is one of the world's key grain crops, producing over 770 million tons of grain annually. Many varieties are susceptible to stem rust, which can cause significant yield losses. The situation is further complicated by the rapid interregional spread of aggressive pathogens. The challenge for agricultural sustainability lies in the fact that the effectiveness of protective measures is largely determined by the ability to detect infection before visually discernible symptoms appear. Typically, visually discernible symptoms appear only 6–10 days after infection. The objective of this study was to develop approaches for the early detection of plant diseases, enabling rapid localization of the infestation and minimizing losses for agricultural producers.

Scientists from the Advanced Engineering School "Digital Engineering" at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection have proposed a method for the early detection of agricultural plant diseases. It is based on the use of artificial intelligence to process hyperspectral imaging data. This technology records light reflection in tens and hundreds of narrow spectral bands, enabling the detection of early physiological changes in plants even before the disease becomes visible.

The researchers conducted experiments on wheat plants grown under laboratory conditions similar to field conditions. The experimental datasets were acquired using a hyperspectral camera. A total of 864 hyperspectral images were collected, including both healthy and infected plants.

The main drawback of currently available remote sensing methods for plant assessment is that the resulting images do not always provide researchers with comprehensive data for analysis. Therefore, scientists from St. Petersburg have developed a method that relies primarily on the controlled collection and processing of primary visual information in real, challenging agricultural crop conditions, regardless of external factors.

When developing the new methodology, we took into account key challenges of plant remote sensing encountered in real agricultural conditions, including uneven lighting, overlapping vegetation structures, environmental humidity, background noise, and daily variability in data acquisition conditions, commented Anton Terentyev, a researcher at the All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection.

A key element of the developed methodology was the creation of an algorithm for sequential preprocessing of hyperspectral data that is robust to distortions arising during the acquisition process. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, an algorithm with formalized stages, relationships, and reproducible procedures was developed. The most important quality criteria for the algorithm were the reliability of the experimental hyperspectral data processing results and high processing speed. The published scientific article demonstrates that properly organized data preprocessing plays a key role in improving classification quality and the stability of results, regardless of the model used.

The key factor in the method's effectiveness was not the model complexity, but rather the correct data preprocessing, which allows machine learning algorithms to reliably distinguish between healthy and diseased plants under various noise conditions. "We deliberately emphasized the interpretability of the AI models' decisions, since without understanding the basis on which these models make decisions, the risk of errors increases," emphasized Alexander Fedotov, leading researcher at the Advanced Engineering School's "Digital Engineering" laboratory.

The authors note that the developed method can be practically implemented in remote monitoring systems for agricultural land, including unmanned and satellite platforms, for the early detection of other diseases and stress conditions in agricultural plants.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 25-21-00444).

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Source: Official website of the State –

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On February 3, at the Russian Academy of Sciences, young scientists from the State University of Management were ceremoniously awarded RAS medals.

The researchers received their awards from the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Gennady Krasnikov, who noted that the event was timed to coincide with Russian Science Day.

A total of 1,770 scientific papers were submitted for review by the expert committee. Based on the evaluation results, medals and prizes were awarded to 84 laureates, 49 of whom were young scientists and 35 were students.

Ekaterina Karelina, Associate Professor of the Department of World Economy and International Economic Relations, and Maxim Pletnev, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Logistics and Transport and Technological Systems, were awarded the RAS medals to young SUM researchers. The researchers were honored for their work "Global Risks and Challenges for the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex of the Russian Federation" in the Economics section.

We congratulate our scientists, are proud of their victory, and wish them continued success in the scientific field!

Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: February 5, 2026.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.