St Petersburg University builds bridges with the British Antarctic Survey
Head of the Arctic Office of the British Antarctic Survey, Henry Burgess visited St Petersburg University. The purpose of the visit was to discuss perspectives of scientific and educational cooperation in the field of Arctic research.
Deputy Rector for International Affairs Sergey Andryushin underlined that the Arctic is one of the research priorities in St Petersburg University.
In order to develop projects in various spheres ranging from nuclear physics to Arctic research we try to combine leading research centres and scientists.
Deputy Rector for International Affairs Sergey Andryushin
‘Due to its special status, St Petersburg University has more academic freedom. Today, the University has more than 150 collaboration agreements with universities from all over the world. It can cooperate directly with the major research centres and ministries of other countries,’ Sergey Andryushin said. He also added that the University takes an active part in the work of the international cooperative network ‘The University of the Arctic’. It consists of universities and research organisations with an interest in questions of science and education in the Arctic region.
Apart from their world renowned research of Antarctica, Great Britain pays a lot of attention to the research of the Arctic region. Climate changes are affecting the weather pattern on the British Isles, causing unusual cold spells. On the other hand, the influence of Great Britain on the climate of the Far North region is also crucial: sea currents bring there industrial and household plastic waste which cause warming and ice melting. Today, British society is becoming more and more aware of the connection between human activities and changes in the climate of the Arctic. More and more people are beginning to understand that temperature rise in the Arctic causes extreme weather changes in the Northern countries. This is why people are interested in a responsible attitude towards the environment and in thorough research of the Arctic region.
According to Henry Burgess, Great Britain has always been very productive and efficient in its research of the Arctic. Several years ago together with Russia, the USA and Canada, it became one of the four countries with the highest publication activity in the area. However, unlike the research of the Antarctic, the Arctic scientific groups and projects are not carried out by a single organisation. They are spread out among different research institutions and universities. This is why the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which backs a major part of the environmental studies, was so interested in creating the Arctic Office. It aims to unite international scientific efforts in order to resolve global issues on the implementation of sustainable development in the Arctic.
Sergey Aplonov, Director of the Arctic Research Centre at St Petersburg University, said that St Petersburg University embraces almost the whole range of spheres: from biomedicine to Oriental studies. The Arctic research carried out by the University is also interdisciplinary: it involves not only geology, but also marine biology, environmental studies and many other areas, including social sciences. The University is one of the leading universities in St Petersburg: last year the number of research works by the scientists of the University published in academic journals was twice the total number of publications of all the research and educational organisations of the city. In terms of publication activity, the University has the second highest rate in Russia and the sixth in the World. Sergey Aplonov mentioned that St Petersburg University is open for international cooperation and that its collaboration with the Arctic Office of the British Antarctic Survey is fruitful for the further development of research in this area.
At the meeting the educational and scientific activity of the Institute of Earth Sciences was presented by Irina Fedorova, Head of the Department of Geo-Ecology and Environmental Management. Leonid Bobylev, Director of Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre, which was created with support from the University, spoke about the history of the Centre and its current activities. As a result of the discussion the parties decided to share the necessary information and concrete proposals on the development of collaboration between St Petersburg University and the Arctic Office of the British Antarctic Survey.