Spring of Student Research in School of Foreign Languages

Every March and April, the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) traditionally holds four student conferences. The conferences have much in common, but each of them still has their own history, traditions, and unique profile. While waiting for the student science marathon, we met with the organizers and asked them about the specific features of each conference and innovations for this year.

The School of Foreign Languages has been holding a series of student conferences for quite a while now. Their aim is not merely to provide students with an opportunity to present their research in a foreign language. What all four conferences share is the determination of the organizers to give future scholars guidance in what can be called ‘academic culture’. They want to teach students how to present the results of their work in the correct way, how to debate and ask questions, and how to respond to questions and comments. And also, to be able to do it all in different languages. Considering that there are always native speakers among the organizers, section moderators, guests, and participants, the unique ‘intercultural’ atmosphere of the event cannot be ignored, and gives participants a valuable insight into  the academic culture of different countries. This year, the student conferences of SFL will be held online, so everyone interested will be able to join the opening ceremonies and the plenary sessions, all of which will be broadcast on the SFL’s YouTube channel.

Yulia Mikhailovna Chanturidze

Senior Lecturer

 

Holding the ‘The Youth in Science: Challenges and Prospects’ conference has been a long-standing tradition. Since 2005, when the conference was called ‘The Language of Economics: The Way to Success’, students from the Faculty of Economics of Moscow campus, along with students from other campuses, have been taking part in it. In their presentations, they examine various aspects of modern life through the prism of economic studies, and they manage to explain them in such clear and beautiful English that even the most difficult concepts become understandable to everyone. Because students from many campuses take part in the conference, it becomes possible to create a unique platform that allows all participants to share their views on relevant issues and exchange their experience. What should also be noted is the devotion to the preparation for the conference, since each speaker has the opportunity to consult with their English teacher. In addition, we actively collaborate with colleagues from the faculty, so the participants also receive feedback on the content of their reports at the early stages of preparation.

This year is going to be special for the conference in many ways. Not only are we holding it in an online format, but we are also expanding it. The new academic year on Pokrovka has facilitated collaboration among faculties, so we were delighted to invite students from the Faculty of Computer Science to take part in the conference. We are convinced that this scientific area is an essential part of the modern world, so the topics of the reports will be of interest to a wide audience who want to keep up to date with the latest developments.
 

Natalia Zhukova

Visiting Lecturer

 

We traditionally hold the International scientific conference for bachelor and doctoral students ‘La France et la Francophonie d’aujourd’hui’ in March, when International Francophonie Day is being celebrated around the world, and it’s always heartening to know that our conference is a part of this significant event. Our forum brings together francophones and francophiles who are passionate about the language. And each year brings more and more of us. March 12^th, 2021, will mark the 15^th conference, this time in an online format. During the first conference in 2007, a mere 15 reports were presented, and only students from HSE who studied French presented their research. But now it is a high-profile scientific event with its own traditions, rules, and standards. Every year we invite speakers and experts from the Francophonie world. Our students together with students from different countries are the conference moderators. This conference helps its participants to believe in themselves, to overcome barriers, and motivates them to continue their research in French. After our conferences, we always receive positive feedback from experts, moderators, participants, listeners, and volunteers. We are looking forward to our 2021 event!

 

Irina Y. Barteneva

Head of Centre of Additional Foreign Languages

· Irina Barteneva (Head: Centre of Additional Foreign Languages)

We invite official representatives of Francophone countries and professors from prominent Russian universities as experts and speakers at the International scientific conference for bachelor and doctoral students ‘La France et la Francophonie d’aujourd’hui’, and the moderators are French-speaking students. A characteristic feature of the conference is the opportunity to present reports on various topics. For instance, on Francophonie, French economy, foreign and domestic policy of France, or on topics related to the language, its features, and modern trends. Students can choose a field of their interest and demonstrate their knowledge and skills, as well as being creative.

 

Yulia V. Pasko

Associate Professor, Head of Scientific and International Activities Unit

 

The Welt und Wissenschaft conference will be held for the 7th time in 2021, and has already become an independent project that is well recognized outside Vyshka and even outside Russia. First and foremost, I would like to point out that we have a great team of moderators from Russia and Germany. They are true professionals in their field who willingly devote all their time and resources to working with students. They help to develop a high-level academic culture in future researchers by selecting applications, designing the programme of the section in cooperation with the participants, and reviewing articles. Students from different universities and cities in both Russia and Germany participate in our conference. For many, the conference becomes a cherished event, so they apply for participation a few years in a row, publish articles in our collection, and keep up with news of the conference. It means that people are interested in us, and we are always happy to see familiar names among the applications.

 

Evgeniya Uspenskaya

Professor

 

 

In spite of the success of our conference, we keep asking ourselves questions like ‘In what direction should we develop the project?’ or ‘How can we make it even more interesting and useful for young researchers?’. This is how the information fair appeared a few years ago. During the fair, our friends and partners from various organizations and foundations talked to the participants of the conference, and gave them advice on scholarships, grants, and internships. To be honest, I miss the unique atmosphere of the Welt und Wissenschaft, and I miss talking face-to-face with everyone, but there is nothing I can do about it. However, the online format is not only about limitations, but also about new opportunities. So this year we are planning to open the conference with a podium discussion with colleagues from Russia and Germany, and everyone will be able to join it. We hope that it will be interesting for our participants and guests.
 

Ksenia Chermoshentseva

Manager

 

Our inter-university conference for young researchers ‘Research interests space: modern directions of development and prospects of foreign languages and intercultural communication’ is being held for the sixth time. Of course, over this period of time some unique trends and traditions have formed. The main trend is directing the attention of young researchers towards those areas that are related to language or communication. These include teaching, translation, philology, general linguistics, business communications, and others. Another important trend is multiculturalism. Our conference provides an opportunity to present research in sections related to different European languages, which is why we can use 5 or 6 working languages.

This is not our first year of holding the conference, and with every new one we try to develop and grow. We pay great attention to the quality of research, so only properly conducted research can be selected and presented at the conference. We are constantly expanding our audience, and many students and graduates from other universities visit our events. Moreover, the geography of the conference covers between 6 and 8 cities on average. And we are hoping that these numbers will grow thanks to the opportunities provided by the online format.