Minutes of the Rector’s Meeting

The best St Petersburg University graduates in 2024 

The Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg has hosted a solemn ceremony to award educational credentials to the best bachelors and masters at St Petersburg University in 2024. The event was also attended by parents and friends of the graduates who came to congratulate them on their successful graduation. Based on the results of the special contest among students in degree programmes, 41 graduates received diplomas. In total, applications were received from 50 students in 20 fields of study. 

Nikolai Bondarenko, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg, addressed the participants in the event with a welcoming speech. He focused on the importance of education and intellectual potential in the modern world and expressed gratitude to the administration and academic staff at St Petersburg University for preparing high-calibre specialists who contribute to the development of the city and the country. Nikolai Bondarenko also wished graduates to achieve great success and make a significant contribution to the development of various scientific fields and said that this day would be the beginning of their rewarding professional path. 

Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also congratulated graduates on the successful completion of their studies. He said that in the year of the 300th anniversary of the oldest Russian university, holding a ceremony honouring the best University students in the Mariinsky Palace is a special honour both for graduates and for St Petersburg University. He also expressed confidence that the education received at the University would become a strong foundation for the future achievements of the graduates. The Rector drew attention to the fact that this year St Petersburg University is awarding diplomas to more than 5,000 graduates. 1,400 out of them graduate with honours. 

The title of the best graduate was awarded to University students based on the results of the portfolio contest among students in the bachelor’s, specialist’s, and master’s programmes. The selection process included an assessment of academic and research achievements, including participation in scientific projects and sports competitions; the status of a winner or prize-taker in professional case championships; and an active participation in social and cultural activities. 

According to the results of the portfolio contest, the best graduate at St Petersburg University in 2024 is Boris Kovalev, who studied philology. During his studies, he demonstrated outstanding achievements in both academic and research activities. He received the status of a winner and prize-taker in the student Olympiad "I am a Professional", the international contest Petropolitan Science (Re)Search, and the Olympiad of students and graduates "Higher League". He prepared several biographies and poetry collections and published 13 books. 

In addition to the diploma, everyone received a St Petersburg University graduate badge and a commemorative book from the University. 

Vladimir Savinov, Vice-Rector for Educational Activity at St Petersburg University, said that the tradition of the annual contest will be maintained, so our task is to increase the number of graduates participating in this contest. Information about the contest is sent to all graduates individually. In this connection, he asked the heads of institutes and deans of faculties to recommend students with the best results to apply for participation in the contest. Vladimir Savinov added that the issue of selecting the best graduates for participation in university and city events is relevant every year. 

Photos of the ceremony participants can be found in the group of St Petersburg University on the VKontakte website. 

Elena Chernova, Academic Secretary of St Petersburg University and Deputy Chairperson of the Academic Council of St Petersburg University, noted that the campaign to create an individual portfolio for each graduate of the University has recently gained momentum, and receiving such a diploma will be a significant achievement. She also drew attention to the fact that under the agreement with the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, St Petersburg University is carrying out a number of joint activities. According to Elena Chernova, this cooperation is a successful example of how the University can interact with partners not only in the area of its direct competences, for example, due diligence of by-laws or bills submitted for consideration. The University staff can contact Anastasia Yarmosh, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership of St Petersburg University, with proposals for launching new projects. 

The results of the participation of St Petersburg University students in the Student Olympiad "I am a Professional" 

In Moscow, the International RUSSIA EXPO has held a solemn ceremony to award the gold medallists of the 7th season of the All-Russian Student Olympiad "I am a Professional". Twelve students from St Petersburg University received awards of the highest standard. 

In total, more than 3,800 young specialists won diplomas of the Olympiad, including 235 students from St Petersburg University. In terms of the number of diploma recipients, St Petersburg University took second place in Russia. The top 3 universities in terms of the number of gold medals also included the National Research University Higher School of Economics (14 gold medals) and Lomonosov Moscow State University (13 gold medals), only slightly ahead of St Petersburg University. The winners and prize-takers of the project received the opportunity to do internships in leading companies in our country and benefits when applying to master’s, doctoral or clinical residency programmes. Cash prizes are also provided for medallists. 

"I am a Professional" is a project of the presidential platform "Russia is a Land of Opportunity". The Olympiad is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The mission of the Olympiad is to help in ensuring the national personnel and technological sovereignty of Russia. Among the partners of the Olympiad are the Russia’s leading companies. Among them are the following: Yandex, Sberbank, Polyus, VTB Bank, PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, Gazprombank, Charitable Foundation "Sistema", Alfa-Bank, Rosatom State Corporation, Russian Railways, the National Library of Russia, the Russian Geographical Society, the Institute for Linguistic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, KADIS, VERSUS.legal, and more than 600 industry leaders. 

St Petersburg University is a member of the Association of Organisers of Student Olympiads "I am a Professional" in four areas, two of which are being held for the first time: "Geography", "Linguistics and Literary Studies", "History and Culture of Russia", and "Law". In 2023/2024 academic year, the Olympiad was held in 73 tracks, including 14 new disciplines: "Arctic Technologies", "History and Culture of Russia", "Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles", "Breeding and Genetics of Agricultural Plants and Animals", "Photonics", and "Linguistics and Literary Studies" to name just a few. Thirty five universities took part in the organisation of the Olympiad. Traditionally, in September the University will hold an award ceremony for St Petersburg University students who have received diplomas from the 7th season of the Olympiad. 

St Petersburg University’s team wins the Gravitation International University Award 

The developers of the Expert Opinion AI project have won the Gravitation International University Award in the Promising Project category in the High Social Impact nomination. The author of the idea and head of the working group is Gleb Kim, a cardiovascular surgeon at the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University. 

Expert Opinion AI is a development based on an artificial intelligence (AI) technology, designed to support the work of cardiovascular surgeons and cardiologists. Experts involved in Expert Opinion AI said that in an emergency situation, when patients are diagnosed with pathological changes in the body’s largest artery — the aorta — doctors have only a few hours to make the right decision about the patient’s routing and treatment. Without timely surgical intervention, the mortality rate can be between 70% to 100%. 

The AI expert system is designed to help doctors of various specialities from the most remote regions to identify a pathological condition and select the most effective treatment. After analysing the data, Expert Opinion AI produces values that are fully comparable to the results of a doctor’s intellectual activity. It mimics human cognitive functions, allowing to assess not only the obvious problem or norm, but above all the condition of patients in the so-called grey zone, with borderline changes, with latent types of pathologies and even extremely severe patients. The use of the system is therefore important not only in emergency situations, but also in the routine work of doctors. 

The annual Gravitation International University Award is the largest prize in Russia, awarded to the developers of university projects in the field of artificial intelligence and big data. 

International activities 

The following events were recently held at St Petersburg University. 

Events at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in the Kingdom of Thailand

On 16 July, the St Petersburg University Representative Office in the Kingdom of Thailand held an online lecture from the Russian language course for foreigners, devoted to the phrases tourists use when visiting hotels. The lecture was delivered by Olga Chikovani, Lecturer in the Department of Russian for Students in Humanities and Natural Sciences at St Petersburg University. 

Events at the St Petersburg University Representative Office in the Kingdom of Spain

On 18 July, St Petersburg University and its Representative Office in the Kingdom of Spain held an online lecture on computer technology in linguistics. The lecture was delivered by Maria Khokhlova, Associate Professor in the Department of Computational Linguistics at St Petersburg University. 

Working with alumni 

The following events were organised with the participation of the St Petersburg University alumni community. 

Meeting of the discussion club of St Petersburg University alumni in the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg 

As part of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum, a meeting of members of the discussion club of St Petersburg University alumni was held in the Hall of Rarities of the Mariinsky Palace. The meeting focused on current legal issues in the modern world when artificial intelligence is widely used. 

Members of the discussion club, together with experts, discussed the ethical aspects of the use of artificial intelligence, data protection and privacy, responsibility for the actions and decisions made by artificial intelligence, and possible changes in legislation necessary to adapt to new technologies. They also paid attention to the risks that arise when using artificial intelligence, and how a lawyer can interact with a developer to ensure that the resulting product is useful for work. 

More information about the event can be found on the website of the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg. 

Participation of St Petersburg University in VK Fest 

As part of the large-scale music and cultural festival VK Fest, which brought together more than 70,000 guests in the Northern Capital of Russia, St Petersburg University presented a number of technological solutions and the latest IT developments, including VR excursions and a 3D printed dinosaur skull. The exhibition project was implemented in collaboration with Nexign, i.e. a well-known Russian developer of enterprise solutions for various sectors of the economy. 

At the festival, the University representatives demonstrated innovative developments that can significantly influence the future of digital technology. Among the presented projects, the University introduced a solution to control a quadcopter using voice commands. The model of the aircraft was developed at the Research and Educational Centre "Mathematical Robotics and Artificial Intelligence" at St Petersburg University, and the speech command technology was developed by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at St Petersburg University. According to scientists, the drone currently performs basic commands, but further work on the project will significantly expand its functionality. 

Taking part in a large-scale festival, representatives of St Petersburg University spoke about the wide range of opportunities that the research and educational organisation provides to employees, students, doctoral students and even schoolchildren. As part of the St Petersburg University stand, the possibilities and prospects for using 3D modelling and VR technologies in education and research were demonstrated to schoolchildren. Guests of the festival learned about one of the projects, i.e. VR excursions with game elements to get acquainted with one of the objects of historical significance included in the complex of buildings of St Petersburg University, which won the all-Russian contest "Varwin Hackathon 2024" for senior pupils and students in 3D/VR development. In the VR space, schoolchildren tried to show how they see St Petersburg University, and visitors had the opportunity to use VR glasses for a virtual walk through historical sites to immerse themselves in the University environment. St Petersburg University also presented a plasma tube, which is part of the equipment of the Laboratory Experimental Site for Schoolchildren in physics. It provides an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of physical laws in a fun and interactive format and carry out hands-on work and research projects. 

The VK Fest demonstrated the widespread use of prototyping and 3D printing at St Petersburg University, which are used in various fields, including medicine, biology, zoology, aircraft modelling, and neuromedicine to name just a few. The exhibition presented a recreated part of the skull of the Amurosaurus Riabinini, named after the Amur River and palaeontologist Anatoly Riabinin, who was the first to study dinosaurs in Russia. 

VK Fest 2024 has become not only a platform for entertainment, but also a significant event for the exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of high technology. Representatives of Nexign spoke about ongoing IT projects and opportunities for participants in a joint mentorship programme with St Petersburg University and gave advice on how to get support in realising their innovative ideas. 

During the festival, everyone could take part in a win-win lottery by taking a few shots in the robe of a St Petersburg University graduate in a special photo zone and tagging the St Petersburg University community on the VKontakte social media. 

The visiting cup "What? Where? When?" 

From 13 to 14 July, the visiting cup "What? Where? When?" was held in the Botanical Garden at St Petersburg University. The event brought together more than 150 graduates. 

The visiting cup combines the format of a well-known intellectual game and an excursion. This year, the contest took place on the territory of the Botanical Garden at St Petersburg University. Thirteen amateur teams at a mirror table played against television viewers until the score was "six" in favour of one of the sides. Among the players were students, academic staff, and graduates at St Petersburg University. It also had fans of the intellectual game "What? Where? When?" and the University.  The whirligig, gong, black boxes and objects were all real, and the atmosphere of the game was exactly like in the Hunting Lodge. 

The host of the visiting cup was the owner of the Crystal Owl, a graduate of St Petersburg University, Mikhail Moon, and the editor-in-chief was two-time winner of the Crystal Owl Mikhail Skipsky. 

Meeting of St Petersburg University graduates from the People’s Republic of China

On 15 July, a meeting of St Petersburg University graduates from the People’s Republic of China took place at St Petersburg University. Presentations were made by St Petersburg University students from China, who introduced the graduates to the plans for the development of the Association of Chinese Students and Alumni of St Petersburg University as part of the global community of St Petersburg University alumni. At the moment, the Association of Chinese Students and Alumni of St Petersburg University has about 1,000 members. 

Organisation of the teaching and learning process and related issues 

Over the past week, 13 enquiries were addressed to the Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities. The majority of enquiries relate to preparation of various documents. Students are on holiday. 

This week marks the end of the application period for bachelor’s and specialist’s programmes for government-funded places. According to Aleksandr Khurshudian, Deputy Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions, applicants show great interest in enrolling in St Petersburg University: currently more than 90,000 applications have been received. 

The deadline for submitting applications and other documents for full-time master’s programmes is 20 July. The deadline for submitting documents for doctoral programmes is 26 July. The deadline for submitting applications for admission to clinical residency programmes is 3 August. The deadline for submitting applications for programmes of non-university level higher education is 10 August. 

August is also the month when the University traditionally launches the reinstatement and transfer campaign.