“Golden Double” by Postgraduate of ASU

Mikhail Valov, a 1st-year postgraduate student of Astrakhan State University, has passed the entrance competition to take part in the 3rd Summer School “Geography in Modern World: Problems and Prospects” arranged by the Russian Geographical Society. Professor Alexander Barmin, the young man’s research supervisor and Dean of the Department of Geology & Geography of ASU, has told us about Mikhail’s achievements.

“This is not the first time that the Russian Geographical Society arranges such an event. This year, 34 young researchers from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Moldova, and Kirgizia came to take part in it. It’s not that easy to claim for participation: numerous criteria are used to select the participants. Just one person of each seven candidates could take part in the event this year!

Lectures were delivered by the world’s top geographers: Academician Nikolay Kasimov from Lomonosov Moscow State University (he’s also First Vice President of the Russian Geographical Society); Academician Vladimir Kotlyakov (Director of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences); Professor Salomon Kroonenberg from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands; Professor Karl Donert (President of the European Association of Geographers); Mr. Alexander Grek, Chief Editor of National Geographic Russia, and others. The event agenda also included practical workshops, excursions, and master classes.

As for my student, the geographical community has assessed his scientific achievements highly. First, Mikhail got a diploma for the best project (“Dynamics of Main Ecological Characteristics of Soil & Vegetation Cover of Volga River’s Delta under Changing Natural and Anthropogenic Conditions”) in the section “Ecology & Nature”. Second, our student obtained a diploma as the most active and erudite participant of the 3rd Summer School; it was his peers, not the jury, who voted for him. I believe that’s a worthy victory!”

Interviewed by T.Yu. Gavrilkina (the Innovative Laboratory of Information Linguistics of ASU)

Russian original photo source: M.V. Valov