RUDN student research contests: congratulations to the winners!

About science as a dream come true, about gratitude to the university and their research advisor. See in the comments of our winners.

Research papers and projects contest: Students’ Scientific Circle Papers

The competition is held among the members of the university’s Scientific Student Circles: that is where students study how to conduct research, write scientific articles, and apply empirical methods in practice.

How self-isolation affects the values of today’s youth, what are the language features in the Internet communications, how to study new ways to process natural gas: are interest of RUDN students.

"Now, when everything around is rapidly developing, it is very important for anyone who wants to engage in scientific activities immerse themselves in it while one still is a student. RUDN student research contests are a great opportunity for such immersion. That allow future scientists to go beyond the educational program and begin to be acquainted with the real application of a particular field of knowledge. I would like to thank my supervisor Ekaterina Markova for introducing me to the scientific world, for her help, guidance, endless patience and support.

Svetlana Kovtun 2nd year Master’s student of the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Chemistry)

“Working in a well-equipped scientific laboratory allows getting practical results that are in demand. We analyzed strains of microorganisms in Agrobiotechnology Department laboratory and identified those that can be used to create biopreparations. We have found strains of fungi and bacteria which effectively degrade oil pollutants”.

Alexander Elansky 4th-year undergraduate student of the Agricultural Technology Institute (Agronomy)

Research papers and projects contest: all who are passionate about science

Students whose research interests go beyond the topics of Scientific Circles participate in another one. It involves work outside of student associations, that is independent research with research supervisor.

Development of new software, inclusive museum space, and biological sleep cycles: our students are not indifferent to unresolved problems and challenges.

“Science makes our lives easier. My goal is to see how my research helps solve problems not only then and there, but will also serve as a good base of those problem solutions that will arise in the next 5-7 years!”

Anna Maria Apreutesei 2nd year Master’s student of the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Applied Informatics)

“As Albert Einstein said: Science will never be a finished book. Any development over time reveals more and deeper difficulties. I very much hope that my scientific work will be only the first chapter in a book that I want to read and write further.

I am grateful to the University and my research supervisor Mikhail Blagonravov for the opportunity to realize my dreams, to make science comprehending facets of the unknown”.

Anastasia Kurlaeva 5th year medical student of the Medical Institute (Medical Medicine)

Research papers and projects contest winners from Receiving Countries: RUDN Students on the Problems of the world’s countries

The problems of the research papers and projects of the contestants relate to the word’s from which RUDN receives students. Asia and Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and the CIS. Studies by representatives of world’s different regions most often address problems in the home country.

This year’s winners were students from Sri Lanka who researched the problem of food safety in their country.

Best Thesis Competition: Thesis as a Serious Scientific Project

Thesis is not only a compulsory part of the curriculum, but also an opportunity to conduct your own scientific research: from hypothesis to a concrete research result.

Students presented papers on current issues in a variety of scientific fields: from flexible technologies for processing associated and natural gas, living in extreme environments to the problems of translating subtitles from Chinese and promoting hotels with the help of social networks.

"For me, scholarly endeavor is not so much an integral and important part of the educational process as it is a way of life. For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in science, mostly in its applied aspects. I am convinced that engagement in science adds color to students’ everyday life and serves as an excellent prerequisite for success in the chosen profession.

Mark Boldyrev 3rd year undergraduate student of the Institute of Foreign Languages (Foreign Regional Studies)

RUDN students start their way into science from their first year, at conferences, Students’ Scientific Circle scientific circles, Research Work Schools, or independently with the help of their research supervisors. A total of 4 specialized research paper contests and 2 contests within the framework of academic work (term papers and graduate qualification papers) were held in 2020. More than 300 students took part in specialized competitions of research works. 60 of them became the winners of the first degree: students presented more than 20 works made individually and in teams.

The winners and runners-up of the specialized contests received diplomas of the RUDN Student Research Council of I, II, and III degrees and scholarships of up to 22,000 rubles.

All students who carry out research in accordance with the curriculum take part in course projects and graduate qualification works competitions every year.

RUDN students’ projects have shown that science is accessible to everyone, and that the studentship is the best time to start!

What is “red tourism” and what role does the Ulyanovsk region play in it?

Anna Bolenkova, a first-year master’s student of the Institute of Hotel Business and Tourism, tells about the research on Chinese-Russian intercultural communications and how to increase the flow of tourists in her research work named "The concept of creating a thematic hotel for Chinese tourists in the Ulyanovsk region.

The study is based on the concept of building a hotel in Russia, specializing in Chinese tourists.

Red tourism is a subset of tourist popular among Chinese travelers, which involves visiting memorable places associated with the history of the Communist Party, life of Communist leaders and revolutionary past.

Why the Ulyanovsk region?

As it turned out in the process of research, the presented destination is one of the most popular for visiting by Chinese tourists. One of the main reasons for its popularity: the city of Ulyanovsk (formerly Simbirsk) is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, the ideologist of communism, the founder of the Third (Communist) International, the founder of the USSR. Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, largely built a new ideology based on the ideas of Marxism-Leninism.

It is worth noting the reasons of importance and relevance of the present study for the Ulyanovsk region:

· Firstly, “red” tourism is a topical direction in the framework of cooperation between Russia and China.

· Secondly, the flow of entry of citizens from China with tourist purposes grows every year, and this is proved by statistics.

· Thirdly, the Ulyanovsk region government is actively implementing the Master Plan for tourism development in the region in 2017-2030, where “red tourism” is a priority direction.

The need for tourism development in the region is due to the fact that there are very few hotels in Ulyanovsk, which would specialize in serving foreign guests. Besides, thematically oriented places of rest need to be developed as well.

Anna considered the issue of increasing the flow of tourists to the Ulyanovsk region thoroughly: right down to what color the ceilings and walls should be, and what numbers are preferable for Chinese tourists.

If we consider the color scheme: the happiest colors are considered red, yellow and green. Red symbolizes fire, and is considered a color that brings success, happiness, good luck, and beauty. Yellow is a symbol of greatness and supreme power. For example, the main river of the country, the Huanghe, from Chinese “Yellow River”. Green is the color of fertility, wealth, harmony, also symbolizes purity, for this reason, many businesses in China try to use this color in symbolism and interiors.

As for numbers, there are peculiarities of Chinese pronunciation. For example, the number 8, as well as the numbers 6 and 9, are considered the most successful numbers. The number 8 is associated with wealth. The fact is that “eight” (八, bā) in Chinese is pronounced almost the same as “to become”, for example, to become rich. The number 6 is also considered lucky, “six” is very similar in pronunciation to “flow” and suggests that everything will go smoothly and lead to success, and the number 9 “nine” is pronounced in Chinese almost the same way as the word

“eternal”, which symbolizes completeness, wholeness. The “unlucky” number is 4, as “four” is pronounced in Chinese almost the same way as the word “death”.

So hotels should check-in Chinese tourists to 8, 6, 9 floors, rooms “66”, “89”, etc., and, of course, do not check-in to the 4th floor or room “4”. If there are no other options, make sure to do a discount, says Anna.

In spite of the fact that the project seems to be rather narrowly focused, it is worth considering globally, in the context of development of Chinese-Russian intercultural communications. Anna was working on this practice-oriented approach: the results of her research may be used by the Government of Ulyanovsk region, which has already mentioned Anna’s project, and by business representatives in order to increase the number of guests from foreign countries.