Science of Winning: Republic of Scientists Festival Held at HSE University

On November 8, HSE University hosted the Republic of Scientists Festival for the seventh time. The event aims to remind students that science is multifaceted and universal, to showcase areas of knowledge beyond their educational curriculum, and to connect early-career scientists with one another. Guests of the festival enjoyed interactive activities, popular science lectures by university faculty and alumni, and the grand finale of Season VII of Science Battles.

On that day, the atrium of HSE University's building on Pokrovka was transformed into an exhibition space, becoming a hub for numerous science enthusiasts. Between noon and the start of Science Battles, it hosted displays from the Centre for Scholarly Integration, the Scientometrics Centre, the Academic Writing Centre, the HSE Library, and student scientific associations. As they moved from one display to another, engaged in conversations, participated in quests and intellectual challenges, festival visitors discovered the latest scientific achievements of their peers and explored the opportunities the university offers to early-career researchers.

At 1:00 pm, masterclasses for early-career researchers, conducted by HSE students and guest lecturers, began at the Professors' Club. The first speaker of this section was Anastasia Gorelova, 2nd year bachelor's student of the Faculty of Creative Industries. Her presentation, titled 'Personal Branding: A Way of Self-Promotion and a Business Card,' focused on one of the most relevant tools for media promotion today. What does a personal brand consist of? How are concepts such as 'image' and 'reputation' related to it? Is this an exclusively online phenomenon, or can a personal brand be built in real life as well? Anastasia demonstrated what our social media pages can reveal about us and why the information we gain from them can be both true and false. Svetlana Voskresenskaya, employee of the RAS Space Research Institute and student of HSE University, discussed the rules for preparing a conference poster and shared helpful tips. Polina Osipova, Manager of the Centre for Student Academic Development, gave a presentation on the topic 'How to Share Your Research with the Entire World?' Denis Popov, Research Assistant at the Foresight Centre of the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, discussed how scientific communication can enhance the effectiveness of academic work. Alyona Arakcheeva, a guest at the event, who is known for earning the 4th qualification level in confectionery arts at the age of 14 and entering the Russian Book of Records at 16 with the publication of her cookbook School of a Young Pastry Chef (now with three books in total), titled her presentation 'How Can a Young Scientist Promote Their Ideas and Projects on Social Media?' She shared her own experience of creating and promoting a personal brand. Although Alyona's story was not about science, it was about inspiration, the ability to listen to oneself, making the most of unfavourable circumstances, and, of course, building a personal brand on social media. Antonina Novikova, Research Assistant at the International Laboratory of Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation, discussed the concept of happiness from a scientific perspective and then led a mini-workshop on how to achieve it in real time.

© HSE University

In the second part of the festival, early-career scientists—HSE university's faculty and alumni—took the stage to share their discoveries and best practices. Anna Pinchukova, Lecturer at the School of Foreign Languages, gave a talk titled 'Cannibal Galaxies and the Smile of a Mischievous Goblin: How Metaphors Help Us Be Funnier, Simpler, and Smarter.' She introduced the audience to the benefits of using metaphors and ways to develop the ability to think in images. Oxana Mikhaylova, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences, gave a lecture titled 'The Role of Pets in the Psychological Well-Being of Women with Anorexia: Support or Trigger?' Based on her research findings, Elina Tsigeman-Gorenko, Senior Lecturer at the St. Petersburg School of Social Sciences, prepared a presentation on the use of machine learning to detect personality traits through eye movements. Ivan Brikulsky, Head of the Constitutional Justice Centre and a recent master's graduate of HSE University, discussed whether there are limits to the restriction of rights and freedoms. The final speaker of the festival was Anna Fisenko, a graduate of the master's programme in Positive Psychology. Using the example of her hobbies, she explored the broad and important topic of social support. She reminded the audience that besides being able to offer support to others, one can greatly benefit from not hesitating to ask for support during difficult times.

After that, the event moved to the stage in the large atrium, where the finals of Season VII of Science Battles took place. That evening, with enthusiastic support from their fans, four early-career scientists from diverse fields of knowledge competed in an intellectual duel. The winner was Elizaveta Belozerova with her topic 'Winter is Coming: The Psychology of a Walrus.'

Yuliya Belova, jury member, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences

‘I am excited that there’s an event that not only popularises science but also uses an engaging format to introduce a generation of future researchers to meaningful problems they might explore afterwards. The performances were outstanding, and the approach was unique. I got the impression that the speakers truly understand the issues that matter to young people and address them effectively. I also want to highlight the questions asked after the presentations. One might expect them to be ironic or tricky, but they were actually very thoughtful and serious. We, the jury members, were pleasantly surprised by this. The only thing I felt was missing was a clearly defined research problem. I encourage the Science Battles participants to focus on formulating a clear question and seeking answers to it through their research.'

Yulia Vitko, jury member, Lecturer at the School of Psychology

'This year's Science Battles were both fascinating to watch and challenging to evaluate. I think it's wonderful that such a format exists. When we communicate with our colleagues in academic language, using specialised terms and jargon, we naturally understand each other perfectly. However, there is always a risk of becoming isolated within the silo of highly specialised scientific problems, losing touch with reality, and ultimately turning into an armchair scientist. Instead, this format allows us to engage in a dialogue with reality, which is one of the most important sources of all our research problems and scientific questions.'