Meridians of cooperation

JINR Information Centre opened in Rostov-on-Don

On 6 June, the grand opening of the Information Centre of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research was held at the Southern Federal University. The Centre became the 13th in the JINR Information Centre network and was named "Yuzhny".

At the opening ceremony, Director of the Joint Institute, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Grigory Trubnikov and Acting Rector of the Southern Federal University Inna Shevchenko signed a cooperation agreement. The representatives of the government of the Rostov Region, the administration of Rostov-on-Don, the Southern Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences and partner universities of SFedU took part in the opening ceremony. The two-day programme of events at the university included lectures by JINR staff in the main research areas of the Joint Institute.

In his welcoming speech, Grigory Trubnikov highlighted that groups of scientists of JINR and SFedU, where there are high-level schools in physics and chemistry, work together in several scientific areas and the Information Centre has actually been functioning at the university for a year and a half. "Southern Federal University today is one of the leaders in Russian education that is confirmed by its success in the programme "Priority 2030". The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research values cooperation with SFedU due to the high level of scientific research and an active international position. It has excellent facilities for students from all over the world. The new Information Centre in Rostov-on-Don meets two key tasks: firstly, to captivate schoolchildren with natural sciences - physics, chemistry, biology, IT and secondly, to involve SFedU students in mega-science class projects, such as unique facilities in nuclear physics in Dubna. It is important that future scientists engage in cutting-edge research from junior years rather than being limited to theory. The university is an ideal environment for it," JINR Director said.

Acting Rector Inna Shevchenko thanked the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research for high confidence and spoke about the importance of partnership with JINR for the university, its role in the scientific and educational development of the South of Russia, the Rostov Region and the implementation of strategic projects. "The opening of the JINR Information Centre in Rostov-on-Don is an essential step for science and education in the South of Russia. It will provide access to advanced knowledge about nuclear technologies to everyone in Rostov: from schoolchildren and students to scientists and industrial partners of our university. The Centre will become a bridge uniting SFedU with the world centres of nuclear physics for joint fundamental research. The results of the general work will be especially relevant for the Rostov Region with its energy and industrial potential, its nuclear power plant. I thank everyone involved in the opening of this Centre, including the government of our region. I hope, this event will significantly raise interest in physics and engineering among applicants," Inna Shevchenko emphasized.

First Deputy Governor of the Rostov Region Igor Guskov highlighted the significance of opening a centre for the development of science and advanced engineering education for the Rostov Region.

There was a symbolic transfer of the baton from the 12th JINR Information Centre in South Africa, opened in 2024, to the 13th - to SFedU: colleagues from South Africa in their video congratulation wished the university success in popularizing science and strengthening cooperation. Recall that the first JINR IC was opened in 2018; JINR Information Centres currently function in universities in six cities of Russia, as well as in scientific and educational organizations in Armenia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Tunisia and South Africa.

The Information Centre was opened with the support of the government of the Rostov Region and the Acting Governor Yury Slyusar. Acting Head of the Department of Nanotechnology of the Physics Department of SFedU Alexey Mikheykin was appointed Head of the JINR Information Centre at the Southern Federal University.

After the grand opening, a round table "Strategies for cooperation in physics and engineering. A look into the future of science and education" was held. At the end of the business programme, Director of the JINR University Centre Dmitry Kamanin held a thematic networking to establish business contacts with the Joint Institute.

Delegations of JINR and other invited organizations took a study tour of SFedU's western campus - the Centre for Innovative Research and Development. Among other things, they visited the Research Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, the Ivanovsky Academy of Biology and Biotechnology, the International Research Institute of Intellectual Materials and the Centre for High-Tech Instrumentation.

The business programme of events dedicated to the opening of the JINR Information Centre in SFedU was also attended by the Minister of General and Vocational Education of the Rostov Region Tamara Shevchenko, Acting Rector of the South Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI) Sergey Stradanchenko, Vice-Rector of the Don State Technical University Innessa Efremenko, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Leader of the SSC RAS Gennady Matishov, Deputy Director of the SSC RAS for Research Yury Yurasov and Rector of the North Ossetian State University named after K. L. Khetagurov Alan Ogoev.

On the previous day, on 5 June, a programme of scientific and educational events started. It opened with a review lecture on the Joint Institute, in which Dmitry Kamanin told the participants about the history of the establishment of an international intergovernmental research centre, its contribution to world science and promising areas of research. The VBLHEP senior researcher Mikhail Shandov delivered a lecture "NICA Accelerator Complex - Universe in the Laboratory".

The educational programme was followed by the work of two parallel sections. At the section "School of Young Scientists" JINR researchers shared their experience of participating in international interdisciplinary scientific research. Head of the Sector of Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research of FLNP Inga Zinikovscaia gave a lecture "Biomonitoring of atmospheric and soil pollution". Leader of the Group DN-12 of FLNP Sergey Kichanov spoke about the investigations of materials using neutron scattering at the IBR-2 research reactor. Leader of the Group of Immunocytochemistry and Cytometry of LRB Tatyana Khramko informed the participants about radiation neurophysiology research at the JINR Radiation Biology Laboratory. The MLIT researcher Maxim Zuev gave a lecture "IT infrastructure of megascience facilities".

At the section "Methodological foundations of innovative training of future physics teachers" focus was on innovative approaches to the development of professional competencies of teachers. The students of the section were directors of general education and professional educational institutions, physics teachers, teachers and students of pedagogical areas.

The representatives of JINR and SFedU took part in a round table on current issues of science and education in the field of physics. The discussion focused on advanced trends in physical research, various aspects of teaching physics, prospects for cooperation between general education and professional educational institutions with universities and research centres to increase the efficiency of the educational process, as well as issues of early career guidance and training of future teachers.

Dmitry Kamanin presented to the teachers of the Rostov Region the educational and methodological complex "Engineers of the future," developed at the JINR UC and the leading methodologist of the Department of Scientific and Educational Projects and Programmes of the UC Petr Shirkov spoke about internship programmes at JINR. Afterwards, a round table on the EMC "Engineers of the future" was held, at which the possibilities of the EMC for the development of scientific and engineering thinking among schoolchildren were considered.

On 6 June, a section of additional professional education "Methodological foundations of innovative training of future physics teachers" was held, within the framework of which master classes on physical experiment from the employees of the UC and VBLHEP and a round table "Fundamentals of project activities in Mathematics and Natural Sciences" were held. JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov gave a lecture on the main projects of the Institute, including the NICA Megascience Project, the programme of fundamental and applied research at JINR facilities.

JINR Press Office