St Petersburg youth ready for the international Arctic dialogue

The Conference brings together students and young scientists worldwide, with a particular focus on critical issues and effective collaboration in the Arctic.

A practical, issues-based approach was a good start. A case study “Arctic challenge” in English posed a serious challenge for contestants: within the duration time of 45 min, they were supposed to come up with a “home-zone” project in the Russian Arctic. The contestants were the UArctic Student Ambassadors from Russia, USA, Great Britain, Sweden, and Japan to name but a few. The students did their best to respond to the Arctic challenge: during the presentation, they provided an in-depth insight, locally and globally, into the region: SWOT analysis, infrastructure programmes, social development and economic growth, with a particular focus on investments and economic benefits.

Also, the Conference provided lectures on how the Arctic’s shipping industry and marine traffic have been developing, what the prospects for the region look like, and what the sustainable development goals are, specifically in oil and gas extraction. The panel discussion “The Arctic Development and Exploration: Russian and International Approaches – A Youth-Expert Dialogue” focused on how to use innovation technologies for natural resources exploration, safe and efficient, in the Arctic, how to ensure ecological safety of the Russian continental shelf, and what the international experience in resources management in the north regions is.

One of the key moments during the event was the III International Youth Educational Forum “The Arctic. Made in Russia” 2017 and selection procedures to take part in the real time. As an educational forum primarily, it aims to bring together experts in the Arctic from Russian and member-state of the Arctic Council. The students who will take part in the forum will stand a chance to implement their own Arctic projects and, more importantly, to intern with a partner-company, and be offered, presumably, a permanent role with it”, — said the Forum Programme director Anna Aperyan.

Approximately 100 students from St Petersburg’s top universities, young specialists, and UArctic Student Ambassadors applied for the Forum. The selection procedure in the real time was an interview with all the applicants individually. Last year, interviewing was passed successfully by 40 representatives from St Petersburg, among which 16 SPBU’s students and graduates.

The UArctic Student Forum provided a wide range of presentations, seminars, and discussions. During the joint session of the Student Forum and Rector Forum, the students and young specialists told how they see the Arctic development, which is to be included in the final UArctic Congress Declaration 2016.