The International “Polytech: Science, Technology & Creativity” Festival Started in Madrid
On March 14, 2018, the International “Polytech: Science, Technology and Creativity” Festival started in Madrid. Yet another bright international SPbPU event was organized in close cooperation with Spanish partners with the support of the SPbPU Information Center in Madrid. Subsequent to the Festival of Russian Language and Culture named “Open Your Heart to Russia” last November, the present event is focused on the science and educational aspects. The festival program includes a series of scientific seminars in physics and mathematics, presentations and lectures for students, working meetings of professors and researchers. Presentations of SPbPU educational programs, the Summer Polytechnic School in the first place, will be of particular interest for students of Spanish Universities.
The Festival started its work with the official opening ceremony at the Higher School of Telecommunications of Madrid Polytechnic University (MPU), which is a strategic partner of SPbPU since February 2, 2018. Different events of the Festival will take place at several other MPU schools, including the Aeronautic School and the School of Industrial Engineers, as well as at the University Carlos III of Madrid and at the MediaLab Center.
Development of the multi-component research and educational cooperation with the leading Spanish universities and centers is a priority goal for Polytechnic University outlined nearly a year ago in the course of the opening the SPbPU Information Center in Madrid. The high level of attention and respect to SPbPU from the part of Spanish partners and the unfailing support of the Russian Center of Science and Culture (Rossotrudnichestvo) and the Russian Embassy in Spain allowed St. Petersburg Polytechnic University to make a real break-through in the “Spanish direction.”
“We understand how important it is to keep the course on universal internationalization in the present realities. There is a good reason why Polytechnic University chose the Spanish direction: the Spanish language is the second most widely spoken language in the world after the Chinese one, and attraction of students and teachers from Spain and Hispanic countries for studying and teaching at SPbPU, along with the expansion of scientific connections and contacts, is one of the priority goals of the university’s international activities,” SPbPU Vice Rector on International Activities D.G. ARSENYEV pointed out.
Ye. A. BELYAEVSKAYA, Director of the Department of Inter-University Cooperation, has also made a point on the active work of the international services and the development of the SPbPU Information Center in Madrid. In her greeting remarks at the Festival opening ceremony, she stressed the importance of formation and support of horizontal links between research groups and direct cooperation of the researchers from different countries. ”The Festival is purposed on maintaining direct communication of specialists, academic discussions, disputes of young scholars and postgraduate students, proposals, discussions, and ideas, which, we hope, in the nearest future will make foundation for joint break-through scientific projects, establishing research consortiums, and launching educational programs. And we are very pleased to point out that here, in Spain, we can always count on the multifaceted support of the Russian Embassy staff and representatives of Rossotrudnichestvo,” Ye. A. BELYAEVSKAYA stressed.
Director of the MPU Higher Telecommunications School Professor Felix PERES spoke on behalf of the Spanish party. He thanked the attendees for their participation in the Festival.
“We all invest a lot in the progress of science, and we understand it very well that it is absolutely necessary to develop cooperation of research groups and universities. This is why our university will always support initiatives and events like the “Polytech: Science, Technology and Creativity” Festival. I would love to point out that cooperation of SPbPU and MPU will always be for us an example of relations which we should go on with. I have no doubts that the present conference will be fruitful and lay foundation for further cooperation.”
Several SPbPU institutes and departments have developed an intensive agenda for the Festival participants. Director of the Higher School of Applied Physics and Space Technologies Ye. N. VELICHKO and Professor O. Yu. Tsybin introduced the Institute of Physics, Nanotechnologies, and Telecommunications (IPNT SPbPU); they will deliver public lectures on “Optical Methods of Nanoparticle Studies” and “The New Generation of Ion Engines” for the employees, students, and postgraduate students of MPU. Professor S.V. Lupulyak will represent the Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (IPMM SPbPU) and lead a seminar at the Institute of Digital Modeling in Hydrodynamics, Nanotechnologies, and Industrial Mathematics of the University Carlos III of Madrid. Some particular events will run the FabLab Polytechnic Team: participants will see an exhibit of the FabLab projects; take part in engineering contests and master classes on producing a cell phone charger based on solar batteries controlled from a manipulator’s smart phone; watch a competition of robots and presentation of the Smart Cities Summer School. A joint conference of the Information Library Complexes which will take place at the Leganes Library of the University Carlos III of Madrid and Madrid Polytechnic University will be an innovative feature of the Festival.
The Festival program also includes a webinar dedicated to the presentation of the Polytechnic International Summer and Winter Schools (in particular, the educational modules of “Space Technologies” and “Smart Cities”) and SPbPU educational programs.