‘Our Objective Is to Export Russian Expertise and Knowledge to Africa’
On December 27, Andrey Maslov was appointed Director of the HSE Centre for African Studies. In his interview with the HSE News Service, Mr. Maslov talks about the Centre’s objectives, whether HSE students will be engaged in the Centre’s activities, Russian-African relations and the practicalities of doing business in African markets.
Discussing ‘The Chair’ in the Context of Contemporary University Problems
At the end of December 2021, the Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology (LSES) at HSE University held its traditional Christmas Cinema Seminar entitled ‘Where are universities going?’ Participants discussed ‘The Chair’, a TV series created by David Benioff and Daniel Brett Weiss, authors of ‘Game of Thrones’. 2021 marked the 20th anniversary of the Christmas seminar, which LSES has held to discuss hot-button issues after watching famous Russian and foreign films.
Portrait of an Alien: How Western and Eastern Cultures Influence Creativity and Perceptions
The concept of creativity varies by culture, and this is reflected in the results of creative activity. This fact was confirmed by researchers from the HSE Laboratory for Creativity and Multilingualism who studied creative assignments carried out by students from Russia and the United Arab Emirates.
Alexei Vagov: ‘Metamaterials Should Serve People'
The Centre for Quantum Metamaterials is one of the new international laboratories that will be launched at MIEM, HSE University, in 2022. Alexei Vagov, Head of the Centre, speaks about the main areas of the Centre’s research, its team, and future research cooperation.
'I Took Up a Blue-collar Job to Do My Research'
Olga Pinchuk shares the personal experiences that have informed her academic research, explains why manual labour is still prevalent in Russia, and examines widespread stereotypes about blue-collar workers.
Salt Eats Ice: Researchers Name the Reasons Behind Underwater Permafrost Vulnerability
A team of researchers has studied ice-containing sediment on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf. The researchers proved that the melting of underwater permafrost is caused not only by the warming of sea water, but also by migrations of its salt ions (mostly NaCl). The HSE News Service reports on this and other studies conducted by the HSE Institute of Ecology.
HSE Biologists Prepare Strategy for Universal COVID Test
Russian researchers have developed a strategy to create a cheap and rapid COVID-19 test based on isothermal amplification. According to their publication in Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology, use of this strategy will make it possible to create universal test systems for any of the COVID-19 variants.
Half of Job Seekers Need up to Ten Weeks to Find a Job
A person’s position on the labour market, i.e., status of employed/unoccupied/unemployed, can impact not only attitudes toward the job search (choice or necessity), but also employment conditions and the methods and length of search.
‘There Is Something Inherently Interesting in People Who Break the Mainstream Norm’
This December, HSE University’s Poletayev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities hosted Professor Juliane Fürst, from Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History, who gave a lecture about Soviet hippies and the Soviet Flower Power. In an interview with HSE News Service, Professor Fürst spoke about her interest in Soviet subcultures and her research plans.
Brain Stimulation May Facilitate Rehabilitation of Children with Arthrogryposis
HSE academics joined researchers from the Turner Scientific Research Institute for Children's Orthopaedics to study how the brains of children with arthrogryposis control elbow flexion after muscle transplantation. They found that in such patients, more motor neuron activity occurs, which means that the start of a new movement requires more effort from the brain. The paper ‘Feasibility and Challenges of Performing Magnetoencephalography Experiments in Children with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita’ was published in Frontiers in Pediatrics.