The final of the Competition «300 years of the Russian Academy of Sciences and St. Petersburg State University. History in Faces» was held at the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre as part of the St. Petersburg Congress on Vocational Education, Science and Innovation in the 21st Century.

The Congress is held annually on the banks of the Neva River in order to integrate vocational education, science and the business community in matters of professional training, scientific and innovation policy. Its main task is to strengthen the position of St. Petersburg as a major scientific and educational center, which occupies an important position in the structure of ensuring the competitiveness of the national economy.

In 2024, the event was timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and Saint Petersburg State University (St. Petersburg State University), and it is no coincidence that students and graduate students of universities located in St. Petersburg took part in the competition. They presented works dedicated to the life pages and research results of famous St. Petersburg scientists: legal historian Yuri Novitsky, inventor of the world’s first radio probe, meteorologist Pavel Molchanov, academician Igor Kurchatov, Nobel Prize winner Nikolai Semenov and others.

The expert commission and the jury included authoritative representatives of the faculty of St. Petersburg universities, researchers of the Russian Academy of Sciences, representatives of the Committee on Science and Higher Education, the Archival Committee of St. Petersburg.

Irina Ganus, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Science and Higher Education, explained why the maximum number of applications for the competition was submitted by St. Petersburg State University students:

«This year is an anniversary year for the oldest St. Petersburg university. We are proud of our university and call it the cradle of science and education. By participating in the competition, St. Petersburg State University students emphasized their love for their native university and their commitment to their chosen path. This year is a landmark year for fundamental education, it gives a powerful impetus to the popularization of science. My colleagues and I hope that History in Faces will become one of the landmark events of both the university and the city».

Petr Tishchenko, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Archival Committee, noted five evaluation criteria that guided the members of the expert commission when making a decision: the relevance of the work to the subject of the competition; the originality of the research; clarity, logic and consistency of the presentation of the material; the depth and breadth of research, the use of scientific methods; the significance and novelty of research. The jury also assessed the overall impression of the students’ performance, the originality of the presentation of the material, oratorical abilities, conciseness, expression and the ability to interest the audience. Each performance was evaluated on a five-point scale.

«We are gathered here to find out if there is a new Peter Kapitsa in this hall. Because there probably has never been a better organizer of science in our country», Petr Tishchenko clarified.

The experts planned to select 10 finalists, but there were so many strong entries in the competition that 12 participants qualified for the final. Five of them became winners of the competition: Igor Saveliev (St. Petersburg State University), Nikita Goltsov (St. Petersburg State University), Ekaterina Ivleva (St. Petersburg State University), Dmitry Sivolobov (BTSU «Voenmeh»), and Bogdan Rebnitsky (St. Petersburg State Economic University).