Tulips have become a symbol of friendship: Polytechnic University and Central Park of Culture and Leisure signed a cooperation agreement.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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Today, the Polytechnic University acquired a new partner: the Kirov Central Park of Culture and Leisure, or CPCL for short. SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy and CPCL Director Pavel Seleznev signed a cooperation agreement.

Pavel Andreevich graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Polytechnic University in 1985, so his visit to his alma mater was a special occasion for him. He was accompanied by Alexey Yezhov, First Deputy Director of the Central Park of Culture and Recreation, and Maria Zhuk, a methodologist at the Yelaginoostrovsky Palace Museum. The guests were greeted by Rector Andrey Rudskoy, Advisor to the Rector's Office Vladimir Glukhov, Vice Rector for Organizational and Economic Affairs Stanislav Vladimirov, Vice Rector for Information, Youth Policy, and Security Maxim Pasholikov, Vice Rector for Continuing and Pre-University Education Dmitry Tikhonov, Academic Secretary Dmitry Karpov, Director of the SPbPU Institute of Civil Engineering Marina Petrochenko, Director of the Fundraising and Alumni Relations Center Sergey Chichenev, and Director of the Polytechnic Museum Valery Klimov.

The conversation around the oval table in the rector's office was both businesslike and friendly. Many shared memories emerged, from childhood walks in the Central Park of Culture and Leisure to student years at the Polytechnic University. Pavel Seleznev recounted how he, a graduate of the LPI Mechanical Engineering Department and then the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, became the head of the Central Park of Culture and Leisure, which he has managed for 14 years now. He shared interesting facts about the park, in particular, about tulips, which have now become an integral part of the Central Park of Culture and Leisure, although they were previously absent there. Incidentally, it could be said that it was thanks to the tulips that the current cooperation agreement was signed. On the day of the citywide cleanup day, October 25, the Central Park of Culture and Leisure donated 10 thousand bulbs of these flowers to the Polytechnic UniversityThey were planted in various flowerbeds on campus, and in the spring we'll be able to host a mini-tulip festival here (the Central Park of Culture and Leisure hosts such festivals every year).

"Today marks a new chapter in our relationship; let's work together," Andrey Rudskoy said during the meeting. "You might be interested in our students' experience creating the Polytechnic University MetaCampus—a virtual digital ecosystem connecting the university's campus information model, databases, and service systems. We would be delighted if your specialists took on the responsibility for our park."

Developing this idea, Andrey Rudskoy presented a gift to Pavel Seleznev Photo album "Flora and fauna of the Polytechnic Park". An equivalent return gift to the Polytechnic was a colorful publication dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Elaginoostrovsky Palace and Park Ensemble.

Collaboration between the university and the Central Park of Culture and Leisure offers endless possibilities. In addition to staff training and professional development, this includes educational and on-the-job training and internships for students, career-guided excursions, visiting lectures, joint events, the participation of university creative teams in the Yelagin Park street theater festival, the participation of student research societies and design bureaus in the Yelagin Rally modeling and technical sports festival, and simply the volunteer participation of SPbPU students in Central Park of Culture and Leisure events. This includes technical expertise of amusement rides and collaboration on organizational and technical issues related to the preservation and development of the Polytechnic Park. Furthermore, Andrey Rudskoy greatly interested the partners in the opportunity to participate in the restoration of the garden at the Kholomki Estate Museum.

"We know what to surprise you with in Kholomki, we're preparing a surprise," Pavel Seleznev intrigued. "The Central Park of Culture and Leisure also has some interesting offers for students. Signing the agreement with the Polytechnic University is a great honor for me, and I hope our collaboration will be promising and mutually enriching."

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.

At a press conference in Moscow, Polytechnic University presented its unique developments for the country's technological leadership.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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The International Multimedia Press Center of the Rossiya Segodnya Media Group hosted a press conference titled "Engineers of the Future: Research by Scientists Changing the World Today." The event focused on the developments of scientists at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. Participants presented to the general public for the first time specific solutions developed with the support of the Priority 2030 program and outlined the key scientific and technological areas (KNTDs) on which the Polytechnic University is focusing its efforts to achieve national technological leadership. The press conference also discussed current challenges facing Russian higher education.

At the beginning of the event, Yuri Fomin, SPbPU Vice-Rector for Research, explained why the Polytechnic University has focused on three key scientific and technological areas: "Systems Digital Engineering," "Materials, Technologies, and Production," and "Artificial Intelligence for Cross-Industry Problem Solving."

Peter the Great Polytechnic University is a large organization with nearly 37,000 employees, including 4,500 researchers and faculty, and over 200 research departments. We carefully and retrospectively assessed the research teams that possess, firstly, the scientific, technical, and technological foundation necessary to bring their products to market, and secondly, significant experience interacting with industrial partners and qualified customers. We structured these teams and realized that they fit into three key areas: fundamental and applied research, strategic products we plan to bring to market, and the educational framework that supports these areas in terms of higher education and postgraduate studies.

Yuri Fomin emphasized that when deciding on the projects to be included in the key areas, Polytechnic University experts consulted with representatives of the business community, with whom the university has extensive, historical ties. Therefore, the projects selected were based on specific needs.

Alexey Borovkov, chief designer of the key scientific and technological area, "System Digital Engineering," discussed the goals of the program: "In scientific terms, the Polytechnic University is multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, and in technical and technological terms, it produces high-tech products for the entire industry, where the primary tools are digital technologies and digital engineering. Given that the center of gravity in the competitive struggle has shifted to the development stage of high-tech products, the strategic goal of ensuring technological leadership is divided into two tasks. The first is the development, development, application, and implementation of technologies. The most advanced technology here is digital twins, which have the highest market growth rate—over 40 percent per year. The second task is the development, production, and operation of competitive products. The global engineering market is quite large: in 2024, it was worth over two trillion dollars, and by 2030, it is expected to reach approximately seven trillion dollars. This essentially covers everything related to engineering.

Alexey Borovkov presented 11 projects included in the "System Digital Engineering" scientific and technical conference, highlighting the industrial partners supporting them. The speaker clarified that the projects are expected to attract approximately 700 million rubles in extra-budgetary funds this year. By implementing research and development projects for the real sector of the economy, the university will attract four times more extra-budgetary funds for every ruble of budgetary funds.

Alexey Borovkov presented the results expected by the end of the year: the development of a digital platform for the development and application of CML-Bench digital twins, which ensures effective work with many high-tech industries and the digital transformation of engineering education based on a new knowledge and competency management system; the refinement of a small aircraft, where this year PISh engineers won the Russian championship in the light aviation class, which is intended to be later converted into an unmanned aircraft for agricultural engineering work; a next-generation burner device for the oil and gas industry; a new design of a mixing grid for nuclear power; a promising line of dental implants and exoprostheses; developments in the field of thermonuclear reactors, etc.

Arsenty Klyuev, a research fellow at the Laboratory of Hydromechanical Engineering at the Institute of Power Engineering at SPbPU, spoke at a press conference about one of the unique solutions within the framework of the KNTN-1 "System Digital Engineering" project related to the import substitution of foreign pumping equipment. This involves the development of innovative dewatering pumps to improve the energy efficiency and reliability of industrial and municipal water supply systems. The Polytechnic University has developed the flow geometry for a line of innovative free-vortex dewatering pumps optimized for handling contaminated liquids. The efficiency of these pumps already exceeds the best foreign analogues, and the validation of the mathematical flow model resulting from experimental studies of one of the pump prototypes will enable future virtual testing of similar pumps based on the digital platform being developed at the Polytechnic University as part of the KNTN-1 project. The implementation of this equipment will improve the energy efficiency and reliability of industrial and municipal water supply and wastewater systems, reducing operating costs and resource consumption. This domestic development will also help replace popular foreign brands. Such pumps are essential for various industries, including chemicals, housing and utilities, agriculture, and others.

Chief Designer Anatoly Popovich spoke about the challenges being addressed within the key scientific and technological area of "Materials, Technologies, and Production."

We've created a triad that links the development of new materials, manufacturing technology, and product manufacturing. We focus on the real needs of the country's industry. For example, 80% of gas turbines used in gas pipelines are currently imported, and they suffer from high wear and tear. Polytechnic University has signed a contract with Gazprom and proposes using additive technologies to solve this problem. For example, we're the first in the Russian Federation to create a gas turbine blade using 3D printing," noted Anatoly Popovich.

The next task is small-scale additive manufacturing of hot gas tract components. Polytechnic University has established small-scale production of T32 gas turbine combustion chamber injector swirl rings using selective laser melting technology. Finally, the repair and restoration of worn parts is also being carried out using 3D printing technology, but this time using direct laser deposition. The speaker demonstrated samples of finished components created at Polytechnic University to journalists.

Evgeniy Borisov, associate professor at the scientific and educational center “Structural and Functional Materials” of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, spoke about another unique technology developed in this key area – multimaterial 3D metal printing of complex-profile products. For the first time, the engineer demonstrated to the general public unique samples of parts created using a new technology for manufacturing complex-profile metal products from several materials using additive technologies. Traditional technologies (surfacing, welding, etc.) do not allow making products with complex geometries, in contrast to selective laser melting technology. However, it is limited to only one material. For more complex products involving several materials, it is necessary to divide the part into parts, process it in several cycles, and then connect it. This adds additional technological steps, increases the weight of the part and increases overall labor costs. The technology developed at Polytech allows the creation of complex-profile products for the high-tech industry within the framework of one technological cycle. Moreover, using this method, it is possible to increase, in particular, heat resistance, wear resistance, strength in specified areas while maintaining properties in the rest of the product. In addition, the new method of manufacturing metal parts from multiple materials can be used to create products in which some of the zones have special properties, such as a strength gradient. In the medical field, this can be used to create biocompatible implants from titanium and cobalt chromium.

Concluding his presentation on the work under the KNTN-2 "Materials, Technologies, and Production" conference, Anatoly Popovich added that Polytechnic University has already begun implementing Russian President Vladimir Putin's directive to establish research and production associations based at universities in collaboration with industrial enterprises. This will accelerate the introduction of breakthrough advanced manufacturing technologies into industry, which is essential for the country's technological leadership. Gas turbine engines represent the pinnacle of engineering and the driving force of modern mechanical engineering, so the implementation of low-tonnage production of critical components and parts for gas pumping units at Polytechnic University is an extremely important and pressing task for Russia.

SPbPU's chief designer, Yuri Fomin, spoke about its newest key scientific and technological area, "Artificial Intelligence for Cross-Industry Problem Solving."

The department's main strategic project addresses the challenges faced by vertically integrated oil and gas companies (VIOCs), which have two of the most expensive stages: exploration and production. Each of these stages is quite complex and generates a huge amount of heterogeneous and unstructured data. Our goal is to develop a tool, preferably based on machine learning methods, that could reduce these costs. To address this, Polytechnic University has created a digital platform for multimodal data analysis to generate predictive and prescriptive analytics, and has patented and registered the "Polanis" trademark," noted Yuri Fomin.

The speaker reported that this platform is currently being used to work on five projects. Alexander Timin, head of the Laboratory of Nano- and Microencapsulation of Biologically Active Substances at the Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnology at SPbPU, first spoke to journalists about one of them—the search for new antitumor compounds using artificial intelligence.

The Polytechnic University has created a database containing information on the interactions of 100,000 potential anticancer chemical compounds with target proteins in cancer tumors. This is essential for accelerating one of the most labor-intensive processes: the search for compounds that could form the basis for drug therapy for malignant tumors. A mechanism has been developed for the rapid identification of molecular descriptors that statistically significantly correlate with antitumor activity. The use of machine learning methods reduces costs in the initial stages of development by up to 40% and shortens the time to market for a drug. The database is especially important for the development of cancer drugs whose active ingredients selectively target pathological cells directly within the tumor and do not have a systemic effect on surrounding tissues. This allows for a faster and more effective therapeutic effect, while reducing the adverse effects of chemotherapy.

The press conference concluded with a lively discussion. One of the journalists noted that scientific developments are often not implemented in industry due to a lack of necessary production capacity and a gap between science and industry, and he clarified plans for replicating the developments presented at the press conference. In response to a question, Anatoly Popovich invited journalists on a tour of the Polytechnic University, noting that the university not only develops unique technologies and facilitates their implementation in the real economy, but in some areas also provides the full cycle of creating finished high-tech products within the university walls.

Photo: © RIA Novosti/Anastasia Petrova

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.

International graduates as ambassadors of the Russian language: Polytechnic University participates in an international forum

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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The International Forum of Foreign Alumni of Soviet and Russian Universities was held in Moscow. The event brought together hundreds of representatives of the global alumni community, who today are prominent government officials, successful entrepreneurs, scientists, and cultural leaders in their home countries. The forum became a key platform for strengthening professional and friendly ties, as well as for discussing the role of Russian education in the global context.

Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov spoke at the forum's opening. He noted that international graduates of Russian universities play an important role in building sustainable dialogue and strengthening friendship between countries.

Many foreign graduates of Russian universities form the scientific and academic elite of their countries. They hold senior positions in government, education, and business. We are proud that foreign leaders trained at Soviet and Russian universities are now building a common future with Russia—a new multipolar world, emphasized Valery Falkov.

Pavel Nedelko, First Deputy Director of the Higher School of International Educational Programs and Assistant to the Vice Rector, actively participated in the forum. He participated in meetings with the heads of international alumni associations and also spoke at the section "International Alumni as Ambassadors of the Russian Language," where he shared his experience teaching Russian to international students at Polytechnic University and emphasized the unique role alumni play in promoting the Russian language and culture worldwide.

"Graduates, when leaving Russia, take with them not only a diploma but also a piece of our culture and, of course, the language. They become the most sincere and effective ambassadors of the Russian language in their countries. Their personal and professional success, inextricably linked to the education they received here, is the best motivation for new applicants and a powerful tool of soft power," Pavel Nedelko noted in his speech.

Participants in the section discussed specific cases and initiatives on how graduates can contribute to the popularization of the Russian language: from organizing courses and cultural centers in their home countries to supporting educational projects on social media and in professional communities.

Participation in the forum marked a new step for Polytechnic University in building a global network of partnerships. The agreements reached and ideas generated open up new opportunities for the university to integrate international graduates into its international educational and cultural mission.

Photo: Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation

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Andrey Surovenkov spoke about the use of artificial intelligence in architectural education.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –

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Speech by Andrey Surovenkov (right)

On November 5, a thematic session, "Artificial Intelligence in Urban Development: Opportunities and Challenges," was held as part of the Zodchestvo-2025 festival. Andrey Surovenkov, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, represented SPbGASU.

In his speech, he presented a program for integrating artificial intelligence technologies into the educational process of the Faculty of Architecture. According to Alexander Vladimirovich, AI is becoming an important tool for creative exploration, analysis, and visualization—from concept to final rendering. SPbGASU students are actively mastering modern neural network systems. The results obtained are combined with traditional design methods and manual refinement. This approach accelerates the design process, improves the quality of presentation, and develops the critical thinking of future architects, the head of the Faculty of Architecture noted.

Experience with AI is being integrated into course design and project activities at the university. As Andrey Surovenkov emphasized, SPbGASU is developing a new "architectural literacy" that includes the ability to interact with intelligent systems.

Near-term prospects include the creation of an "Architecture and AI" laboratory, joint courses with ITMO University's Institute of Design and Urban Studies, and the introduction of a new "AI and Architectural Thinking" module into the master's program.

The idea of integrating artificial intelligence into educational processes resonates with the overall digital transformation program being implemented at SPbGASU. The university is consistently developing a system of project-based learning and developing digital competencies in graduates, which is reflected in the activities of educational centers for project-based learning and digital competencies.

"AI won't replace an architect. But it will quickly replace those who are afraid to use it," Andrey Surovenkov concluded his speech.

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.

An NSU astronomer spoke about the features and possible origin of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

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Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object discovered by the American ATLAS automated telescope system. Unlike the previous interstellar objects—the asteroid 1I/Oumuamua and comet 2I/Borisov—which remained very faint throughout their entire period of visibility, comet 3I/ATLAS is comparatively bright, reaching a maximum brightness of approximately 10th magnitude, making it observable even with amateur telescopes, at least with relatively large ones.

The main feature of this comet is the pronounced hyperbolicity of its orbit, which makes it an interstellar object. The shape of an object's orbit around its center of mass is determined by its eccentricity. If the eccentricity is less than one, the orbit is closed; it can be closer to circular when the eccentricity is near zero, or, conversely, an elongated ellipse if the eccentricity approaches one. The orbits of objects gravitationally "bound" to the Sun are either elliptical (like planets, asteroids, and periodic comets) or near-parabolic. The latter case refers to non-periodic or long-period comets from the hypothetical Oort cloud, which is believed to be a cluster of cometary nuclei surrounding the Solar System at a distance of approximately 100,000 AU. The orbits of comets that fly from this cloud into the solar system have an eccentricity value of about 1 (i.e. their orbit is very close in shape to a parabola), which means that, while in the Oort cloud, they have a near-zero velocity relative to the Sun and generally move around the center of our Galaxy together with the Sun.

Comet 3I/ATLAS has an eccentricity of 6.14. This is the highest eccentricity ever discovered for a celestial body. It indicates that the comet was already moving at a fairly high velocity when it passed through the Oort Cloud, which increased further as it moved further into the inner Solar System. This suggests that this comet does not originate from the Oort Cloud, which would classify it as a Solar System object, but likely originates from another solar system. It encountered the Solar System by chance on its long journey through our Galaxy. It will pass through it and, unlike solar comets, will not remain in the Oort Cloud, but will continue on its way.

The exact origin of this comet is currently impossible to determine, including the star from which it came, as its age is estimated at several billion years, during which time it has traveled a very long distance in orbit around the center of the Galaxy. However, it was likely ejected from a stellar system as a result of gravitational disturbances during its approach to a large planet in that system or to the star itself.

Otherwise, aside from the hyperbolic orbit, 3I/ATLAS is a fairly ordinary comet. Some peculiarities in its composition have been identified, such as the relatively large amount of carbon dioxide it emits, and spectral analysis has revealed the presence of atomic nickel in the absence of iron, although these two elements typically occur in pairs in cosmic objects. However, nothing particularly out of the ordinary has been observed for this comet, either in its composition or appearance. Even some comets in the Solar System are far more unusual in this regard. However, comet 3I/ATLAS still deserves considerable attention from scientists, as its observation and study presents a good opportunity to study the composition and dynamics of an object that has arrived from very distant lands.

Material prepared by: Mikhail Maslov, engineer at the Vega Observatory of Novosibirsk State University

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St. Petersburg Engineering League: Results of a Large-Scale Intensive at the Polytechnic University

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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The "Engineering League of St. Petersburg," an intensive educational program for schoolchildren, concluded at the Polytechnic University. Over 100 young engineers worked on their projects, which they presented at the final conference. The program was organized with the support of the St. Petersburg Employment Center.

Over the course of a month, participants immersed themselves in the world of modern technical creativity, going from idea to working prototype. Each project was supervised by experienced mentors from among Polytechnic University faculty and students.

Andrey Shirokikh, an engineer at the I. I. Kirillov Turbine Engineering Laboratory, and Nikita Izbyakov, an engineer at the Higher School of Power Engineering, taught the "3D Modeling of Aircraft" course. Participants mastered 3D modeling in KOMPAS-3D, working their way from designing the main components of an aircraft (chassis, fuselage, wings) to final model assembly, with a particular focus on additive manufacturing and 3D printing.

The "Virtual Designer" course focused on the fundamentals of shipbuilding. Together with Alexander Tupikov, an assistant at the Higher School of Mechanical Engineering, the students learned the basics, mastered 3D modeling, and learned how to calculate catamaran propeller parameters. This became the final project for the KOMPAS-3D modeling and propeller calculation course.

The "Circuitry" program focused on the fundamentals of designing devices using CAD and 3D printing, as well as practical application of Arduino programming. Under the guidance of Alexander Cheledkov, a student at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials, and Transport, the students created a smart lighting system and a home delivery robot for transporting small loads.

Participants in the "Warehouse Industrial Robotics" program, led by Ivan Baranov, a student at the Institute of Computer Science, completed a comprehensive study of modern warehouse technologies. The program included CAD design and process automation programming, which enabled the development of a robotic loader for the smart warehouse of the future, capable of optimizing logistics operations.

The "Prototyping and Circuit Design Fundamentals" course was taught by Maxim Ruzakov, a research assistant in the Industrial Stream Data Processing Systems laboratory. The program included a sequential dive into the full device creation cycle: 3D modeling in Kompas-3D, circuit design, working with microcontrollers, and Arduino programming. The final project was a car with a collision avoidance system.

The 3D Printing and Prototyping course was taught by student Artem Lekhnovich. Participants learned 3D modeling and slicer tools, applying their knowledge to project work. The end result was a machine for producing filament from recycled plastic, addressing the challenge of sustainable development.

At the final conference, the best projects were presented, selected from each of the six areas. Participants presented functioning prototypes, demonstrating not only technical skills but also their ability to work in a team, solve complex engineering problems, and effectively present their developments to experts.

"The Engineering League is much more than just an intensive educational program. It's a launching pad for future engineers," commented Artem Egupov, Director of the Applicant Services Center. "Here, students gained invaluable project-based experience, worked with modern equipment, and saw their theoretical knowledge materialize into real devices. We don't just teach them engineering; we help them believe in themselves and understand that they are the future leaders who will shape the technological development of our country."

The project's main idea is to give young people the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of technology and engineering solutions right during class. Classes held at the Polytechnic University created the necessary atmosphere and provided access to modern equipment. This helps clearly demonstrate that the engineering field is developing dynamically and is full of interesting challenges. The project's main goal is to demonstrate to young people the appeal of technical specialties and inspire them to choose the professions of the future. "That's why I consider our initiative important and am pleased with its successful implementation," noted Anna Shakhova, Head of the Career Development and Professional Development Department at the St. Petersburg Employment Center.

All participants received certificates, and the authors of the best projects were awarded diplomas and prizes. The "Engineering League of St. Petersburg" project has proven its effectiveness in early career guidance and developing a talent pool for high-tech industries.

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.

Polytechnic students won prizes at the "Great Victory – Unity and Memory of Generations" media forum.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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The 2nd Belarusian-Russian Media Forum, entitled "The Great Victory – Unity and Memory of Generations," concluded in Mogilev. It brought together over 100 students from 23 universities across the Union State. In his address, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky emphasized that the memory of the Great Victory is the spiritual support of nations and a source of resilience. He urged the participants to delve deeply into historical materials to create reliable media content and expressed hope that the forum would provide them with an opportunity to gain new knowledge and make new friends.

Mikhail Lustenkov, Rector of the Belarusian-Russian University, noted: "The forum participants face several goals. To reconnect with the events that took place 80 years ago and to recognize the significance of Victory. After all, without it, we wouldn't exist."

A team from the Higher School of International Relations at the SPbPU Institute of Humanities, consisting of Daria Zemtsova, Kirill Grebenkov, and Mikhail Kornev, presented their project on preserving historical memory. Over the course of three days, they attended master classes and lectures, discussed with renowned experts, shared experiences, and collaborated on their own projects dedicated to preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. On the final day, the media forum participants presented their work to the jury. The project by the Higher School of International Relations students came in second.

Daria Zemtsova shared her impressions: "The media forum gave us the opportunity to prove ourselves in the media sphere. We worked on a media project dedicated to the sensitive topic of the Great Patriotic War, interacted with renowned speakers, and interviewed them. The new skills we acquired are invaluable in today's reality."

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.

An NSU graduate student demonstrated for the first time the influence of various compounds with a similar structure on the formation of new forms of carbamazepine.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

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The template effect of a small amount of additives of compounds with a similar structure (various saturated carboxylic acids and alkanes) on the process of self-assembly and crystallization of the channel trigonal structure of carbamazepine using a mechanochemical approach, crystallization in solution and melt was demonstrated by a first-year master's student in the Chemistry program and the training profile "Methodological support for physicochemical studies of condensed phases" Faculty of Natural Sciences of Novosibirsk State University (NSU Natural Sciences Department) Daria Zheltikova, under the supervision of Evgeny Losev, a research fellow at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, senior lecturer in the Department of Solid State Chemistry at the NSU Natural Sciences Department, and candidate of chemical sciences. The key focus of her research was studying the phenomenon of polymorphism and the conditions for the formation of new solid forms of medicinal compounds, particularly carbamazepine, as well as methods for their controlled production. The effect of the compounds examined in the study on carbamazepine had never been previously studied.

Polymorphism is the ability of the same substance to exist in different crystal structures (polymorphic modifications). These structures differ in the arrangement of atoms (or molecules) and may have different physicochemical properties (e.g., solubility, melting points).

"The pharmaceutical industry is focused on studying the conditions for the formation of new crystalline forms of medicinal compounds, investigating their structures and physicochemical properties, and their interconversions. These processes address such important issues as the reproducibility of obtaining the desired substances, establishing the stability of drugs prone to polymorphism, and improving fundamentally important pharmaceutical characteristics: dissolution rate, bioavailability, storage stability, hygroscopicity, and other properties. To screen new crystalline forms, we primarily used a mechanochemical approach. This is a common method for screening the conditions for obtaining new solid forms of molecular compounds. Thanks to the wide range of parameters available for mechanochemical experiments, researchers can comprehensively study a selected system and draw conclusions about the putative mechanism of the processes occurring during the experiment. In recent years, mechanochemical reactions and transformations initiated by mechanical stress have been actively studied using various in situ methods using synchrotron radiation," explained Daria Zheltikova.

The young researcher's object of study was carbamazepine, a drug with antiepileptic and anticonvulsant properties, widely used in the treatment of nervous system disorders. According to the biopharmaceutical classification system, carbamazepine belongs to class II drugs, meaning it has low solubility in aqueous solutions and high intestinal permeability. Currently, five polymorphic modifications of this drug are known, which is quite unique and places carbamazepine in the class of highly polymorphic molecular compounds. Each polymorphic modification has a different crystal structure and molecular packing. In 1987, polymorphic modification II of carbamazepine, which has a trigonal space symmetry group, was first isolated and characterized. A distinctive feature of the crystalline structure of this form is the presence of extended tubular voids (channels) formed by the CH groups of the benzene fragments of the carbamazepine molecules. This substance is a good model object for studying the influence of experimental parameters on the selective production of specific polymorphic modifications and crystalline forms. The knowledge and patterns gained can be further transferred to other systems prone to polymorphism.

— The trigonal structure of carbamazepine, since its elucidation in 1987 and for several decades, was considered a polymorph. However, using a combination of physicochemical methods, it was recently established that the trigonal structure, which should have consisted solely of carbamazepine molecules, is a host-guest inclusion compound, where the carbamazepine molecules form a channel-type framework with solvent molecules embedded within the voids. The inclusion molecules will vary depending on the experimental conditions. It is the inclusion molecules that stabilize the trigonal crystal structure and enable its formation. Currently known inclusion compounds of carbamazepine are characterized by the presence of a small number of guest molecules in a highly disordered state, making their study quite labor-intensive. Various inclusion bodies of the trigonal form of carbamazepine can be classified as clathrates—compounds in which molecules of one substance (the "guest") are trapped within the crystal lattice of another substance (the "host"). The host molecules form a framework, while the guest molecules are located within it and held in place by weak intermolecular interactions, explained Daria Zheltikova.

Research into carbamazepine polymorphism and its formation of various crystalline forms began quite some time ago and was conducted as part of several projects implemented over the years with support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the Russian Science Foundation, and the Priority-2030 program. The results were published in peer-reviewed international journals. This study continues work conducted earlier in the previous stages of the NSU Physics Faculty's youth competition "X-ray, Synchrotron, and Neutron Methods of Interdisciplinary Research," with support from the Priority-2030 program.

The aim of this study is to optimize the conditions for obtaining single crystals of carbamazepine clathrates with various guest molecules using various crystallization techniques and their analysis using a set of physicochemical methods.

Such exploratory work, despite its significant fundamental component, often leads to the establishment of the existence of new, previously unknown polymorphic modifications of medicinal compounds, which has direct practical significance, and also establishes correlations between the parameters and results of crystallization experiments, which can be useful in the study of systems similar in structure and properties.

One of the new scientific results obtained in this study is the demonstration of the template effect of small amounts of structurally similar compounds on the self-assembly and crystallization of the channel trigonal structure of carbamazepine using various methods—a mechanochemical approach, solution crystallization, and melt crystallization. Saturated carboxylic acids and alkanes—compounds containing a long, unbranched carbon chain—were used as structurally similar compounds. The template effect observed in the preparation of carbamazepine clathrates is based on the ability of the template (in this case, various carboxylic acids and alkanes) to organize the reactant (carbamazepine) molecules around itself, enabling the formation of a seed cluster, which serves as a precursor for the targeted formation of the final crystalline structure. All newly obtained compounds are clathrates of the trigonal form of carbamazepine, that is, the structure of carbamazepine contains inclusion molecules of the corresponding acids and alkanes.

— Currently, we are focused on optimizing methods for obtaining single crystals of various carbamazepine clathrates for further study and investigation of their stability at elevated temperatures. We obtained nine clathrates with saturated carboxylic acids and alkanes under various conditions. Our study examined six carboxylic acids and three alkanes. We have focused on only a few compounds from each group, as obtaining single-crystal samples for each individual compound is quite labor-intensive due to differences in formation conditions and certain experimental details. The compounds obtained have an acicular morphology—in simpler terms, they are thin, needle-like crystals. In some cases, the needle size is so small that it precludes single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis using laboratory diffractometers. For this reason, not all of them have had their crystal structures determined yet. We characterized compounds whose crystal structures had not been obtained using Raman and NMR spectroscopy, said Daria Zheltikova.

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Polytech is the champion of the St. Petersburg Student League in blitz chess.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

The Polytechnic University team won gold medals at the St. Petersburg Student League Team Blitz Chess Tournament, which took place at the Olympic Reserve School for Chess and Checkers. Twenty-two teams from the city's leading universities participated in the competition. The Polytechnic University team emerged as the sole champions, scoring 13 team points—the tournament's best result. Our team bested their main rivals, P.F. Lesgaft National State University and St. Petersburg State University.

The tournament was organized with the support of the Russian Chess Federation and the St. Petersburg Sports Chess Federation. Chief Arbiter: Sergey Bystrov. The competition, held in a Swiss system blitz format (3 vs. 2), was a true test of strategy, nerve, and team spirit. This is SPbPU's second gold medal this academic year—previously, The team won the city championship in classical chess.

Players' results

Dmitry Mochalov (Board 1): 4 wins, 3 draws – unbeaten in matches, the leader in consistency. Iskander Nasibullin (Board 2): 6 wins, 1 draw – 13 out of 14 points, the best result of the tournament. Yaroslav Tarasenko (Board 3): 5 wins, 2 losses – Yaroslav's key win determined the championship. Ilya Oborin (Board 4): 5 wins, 2 losses – a decisive victory in the match against RANEPA. Olga Karmanova (Board 5): 5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss – progress from round to round, wins in critical games.

Following the competition, the team received gold medals and the champion's cup, and all winners were awarded diplomas from the St. Petersburg Chess Federation.

The team is the main strength here. They build every match themselves. Even in the most difficult positions, they find a way forward. We assembled a strong lineup, and they proved they can perform where others fail. This is a team that teaches me to believe in the impossible," said Ruslan Barseghyan, strategic coach of the SPbPU chess team, sharing his victory emotions.

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The Faculty of Natural Sciences team won the table tennis tournament.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

The Faculty of Natural Sciences table tennis team brought the second bronze medal to NSU, and the team Faculty of Geology and Geophysicsand took 6th place in tug of war.

The winners were:

Maxim Bagin, Dmitry Filippenko, and Kristina Novgorodtseva

The following played for the team of geologists:

Artem Peterson, Alexander Sokolsky, Kirill Melnikov, Sergey Redko, Ilya Ostanin, Vyacheslav Ustyuzhanin

KafFV trainers-teachers Alexey Sokorev and Alexander Sozinov.

Congratulations to the FEN students on their prize-winning place, thank you all for participating, and wish you success in your studies and athletics!

We invite table tennis enthusiasts to the NSU Championship, which will be part of the Spartakiad of Faculties and Institutes, which will take place on November 19 and 26 at the NSU Sports Complex (SCC).

More information –https://vk.com/sport_nsu

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.