​​Device for adjusting optimal brain function developed at Lobachevsky University

A wireless software and hardware system for adjusting the optimal functioning of the brain has been developed by Lobachevsky University psychophysiologists. It also comprises special goggles, headphones, EEG sensors and pulse oximeters. The main mode of operation is adaptive neurostimulation.

The first samples of the device, called NeuroOptima, are already being used in federal clinics in the Nizhny Novgorod region for cognitive rehabilitation of adults affected by stroke and in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"Based on the amplitude of brain activity rhythms, unique audio-visual content (tonal sounds and light of a specific frequency) is generated in real time. Over the course of a session, sound shifts from high frequencies to low frequencies. Light is perceived by the brain as patches of colour - first of red shades and then increasingly cooler shades. When a person hears a flute-like sound and sees a blue, silvery glow, the brain cells are already working in optimal mode," explains Sofia Polevaya, Head of Psychophysiology Department at the UNN Faculty of Social Sciences.
For the best effect, researchers have added the patient's own heart rhythm to these harmonics. This beat is generated using data from pulse oximeters. According to the scientists, such neurostimulation is only possible in people with a normal alpha rhythm (8-13 Hz), which is absent in people with depression, brain pathologies, children with anxiety disorders and ADHD.

"If there is no alpha rhythm, we can work with the theta rhythm. When its peak frequency coincides with pulsations of the transmitted light, it is possible to "pump up" the brain in just a few sessions, obtaining new harmonics already in the alpha range," comments Sofia Polevaya.

The results of research on alpha rhythm restoration and preparation of a person for neurorehabilitation were presented by Nizhny Novgorod scientists in the international scientific journal Life.The researchers are planning to look for ways to fine-tune the brain even further and develop new modes of neurostimulation, taking into account an individual's age and the presence of pathologies.

The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation. Together with scientists from the UNN Psychophysiology Department, a team of researchers from the Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, headed by Dr. Alexander Fedotchev, author of the adaptive neurostimulation concept, worked on the project. Madin company acted as a business partner.

The clinical base for the project was provided by the Centre for Mental Health at the Privolzhsky Research Medical University and the Volga District Medical Centre.

The number of Armenian partner universities of Lobachevsky University is growing

UNN representatives visited the Armenian State University of Economics and met with the rector of the university Diana Galoyan. As a result of the negotiations, an agreement was signed on cooperation in the field of education and science, as well as an agreement on the academic exchange of students. The interaction between the two universities within the framework of the Eurasian Network University, which UNN joined in March of this year, was discussed separately.

The delegation also visited Yerevan State University (YSU). UNN Acting Rector Oleg Trofimov and YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of education and science and a roadmap for its implementation, in which special emphasis is placed on cooperation in the field of IT technologies and artificial intelligence.

The immediate plans of the two universities include the conclusion of an agreement on the academic exchange of students, as well as participation in joint projects in the field of fundamental scientific research and NBICS technologies (combining the achievements of nano-, bio-, information and cognitive technologies).

It should be noted that the following have already become UNN partner universities: the Russian-Armenian State University, the Institute of Literature named after M. Abeghyan of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Khachatur Abovyan.

On May 10, a working meeting was held with the Indore Institute of Technology, during which presentations by Lobachevsky University and IIT Indore were held, possible areas and forms of cooperation were identified.

In the near future, a series of working meetings is planned between interested faculties of both universities, as well as the signing of agreements on scientific and educational cooperation and academic exchanges of students and postgraduates.

​​Research internship for PhD students from Kazakhstan

A research internship for PhD students of Turan University (Kazakhstan) is taking place at Lobachevsky University from 10 May to 10 June 2023. The first group of Kazakhstani postgraduate students in law, economics, management and finance was invited for the internship within the framework of the agreements on cooperation between the universities in the field of research and academic mobility.

The guests were welcomed by Alexander Bedny, UNN Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Networking. He outlined the areas of Lobachevsky University’s international cooperation and emphasised that the visit of representatives of Turan University marks another important stage in the bilateral cooperation.

The internship programme was developed by the UNN International Cooperation Office with the participation of the Centre for Educational Programmes for Foreigners. The programme will include training in research writing methodology and consultations with Lobachevsky University’s leading experts in the respective areas of PhD students' training. Besides, the doctoral candidates will participate in the advanced training programme "Project-oriented methods of teaching in higher education", which is headed by Valeria Mariko, Associate Professor of the UNN Department of University Management and Innovation in Education.

This internship programme, designed for lecturers and postgraduates from universities of the Eurasian Economic Union countries, is a pilot programme for Lobachevsky University. The experience gained in the programme will be replicated to develop academic mobility of research and teaching staff of universities in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.

​​Lobachevsky University listed in 7 subject areas of RAEX rankings

For the second time, RAEX Agency has published subject rankings of Russian universities. In the new edition, the number of subjects covered has increased by 20% to 35 areas, including mathematics, a wide range of natural sciences and engineering specialties, social sciences and humanities, as well as pedagogy, medicine and agriculture. A total of 164 higher education institutions from 42 regions of Russia were included in the top lists (in 2022, the rankings included 136 educational institutions in 29 subject areas).

Lobachevsky University is featured in the 2023 rankings in 7 subject areas:

for the first time, UNN is ranked in political science and international relations;
in chemistry and biology, UNN is again among the top 10 universities in Russia;
in mathematics, physics, sociology and history and archaeology, UNN is among Russia's top 20 universities.

Subject rankings of Russian universities are based on an assessment of the three university missions - educational, scientific, and social. The rankings aim to answer the question: which universities provide the best educational and research training for students in a particular subject area, taking into account the university's contribution to social development. The rankings are based solely on objective indicators and do not use the results of expert surveys.

Holiday with the taste of lingonberries and fragrant tea

Master classes, lectures, performances by creative teams, festive festivities await you at the most soulful festival of Russian culture "Cowberry Jam"!

May 24 at 15:00
Pushkin park

❗️Subscribe to the festival group so as not to miss important information

The project is being implemented with grant support from the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh).

​​UNN delegation pays a working visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan

An official delegation of Lobachevsky University took part in the International Educational Exhibition "Education and Profession" held in Uzbekistan.

During the exhibition in Tashkent, a new format of UNN's work with university entrants was successfully tested for the first time: entrance examinations were held on-site. Lobachevsky University was the only participating institution to use this format, ensuring that the university was extremely popular with the exhibition visitors. More than 120 school students completed assignments in mathematics, chemistry, physics, Russian language, biology, literature and computer science in order to become students of Lobachevsky University in the future.

A working meeting with the directors of local schools and lyceums was held in the city of Fergana. During the talks, bilateral cooperation between UNN and each of the 14 local schools was discussed. Possible forms of cooperation included open lectures, implementation of joint career guidance, educational and youth projects, and participation of Fergana school students in Olympiads and competitions organised by Lobachevsky University.

During the Fergana stage of the 23rd International Educational Exhibition "Education and Profession", which was held at the Fergana Youth Palace, more than 130 persons visited the UNN booth. Of great interest were the programmes in fundamental and clinical medicine, IT, economics, philology, pedagogy, international relations and law offered by Lobachevsky University. Many of the school students, 9th and 10th graders, are planning to take part in our Future Researchers - Future of Science Olympiad, which will have its international track in Uzbekistan this autumn.

Konstantin Kemaev, Deputy Vice-Rector of Lobachevsky University, and Natalia Lartseva, Specialist of the International Cooperation Office, also visited Fergana University, where they had a working meeting with Islomzhon Zokirov, Vice-Rector for Research, and Sharof Shukhratov, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, and discussed a draft "road map" for developing cooperation in the coming years. Many points of common interest were found in this discussion. The Uzbek partners were particularly interested in the joint Bachelor programmes in the 3+1 format (in technical and economic fields) and the Master programmes in the 1+1 format in the humanities.

​​Lobachevsky University hosts events to mark the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture

A series of events to celebrate the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture was held at Lobachevsky University at two locations: the Institute of Philology and Journalism and the Science Park.

The programme opened with a lecture entitled “The Spiritual Meaning of the Deed of Saints Cyril and Methodius” delivered by Archpriest Vasily Spirin, First Vice-Rector of the Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary.

The Festival of Slavic Cultures brought together school and university students in the UNN Science Park. For many of them, it was an introduction to Serbia, the Czech Republic and Poland. The participants had to pass tests in national cuisine, costumes and language.

For first-year students of the UNN Institute of Philology and Journalism, the festival was an event that helped them to make choices in their studies.

"This year's events to mark the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture at the Institute of Philology and Journalism also serve as a kind of career guidance for first-year students. Next year, they will begin to study Slavic languages, and now they have the opportunity to decide which one is more interesting for them: Serbian, Czech or Polish. This year, school students are also taking an active part in the festival presenting their reports at the conference on Slavic themes. The jury of the conference included the teachers of our Department of Slavic Philology and Culture. This is a unique conference because our senior master's degree students acted as advisers," said Irina Abramova, Head of the Serbian Centre, Deputy Director of the UNN Institute of Philology and Journalism.

Angelika Vershinina, a student of the Scholion Psaltikis school of Byzantine chant from Moscow, conducted a unique master class for the participants. In the Science Park, Yulia Shevarenkova, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Literature at the UNN Institute of Philology and Journalism, gave a lecture on "The figure of Seraphim of Sarov in Nizhny Novgorod folklore". She explained why St. Seraphim became a favourite character in Nizhny Novgorod folklore and what stories about his life got into people's minds. An interview with Yulia Shevarenkova can be found on our Yandex channel.

The series of events was concluded by a festive evening with songs and poems at the Serbian Centre of the UNN Institute of Philology and Journalism. During the meeting, the results of the Slavic languages translation contest "Without Borders" were summed up. The winners received diplomas and souvenirs.

An employee of the UNN became a member of the jury of the final stage of the "X NIS - Russian Language Olympiad"

Serbia hosted the annual Olympiad in Russian as a foreign language, organized by NIS (Oil Industry of Serbia, PJSC Gazpromneft) as part of the Energy of Knowledge project and under the auspices of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia. Lobachevsky University is the only Russian university partner of the Olympiad.

Ekaterina Smirnova, Head of the Department for Work with Foreign Students, as a member of the jury, conducted final oral interviews with participants who made it to the final stage of the Olympiad, and during the awards ceremony congratulated the participants and handed over gifts from Lobachevsky University to the winners and prize-winners of the 2023 Olympiad. The final ceremony was attended by representatives of the Embassy of the Russian Federation and Rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic of Serbia.

In 2023, more than 1,500 students from Serbia, Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Montenegro took part in the Olympiad in Russian as a foreign language, of which only 130 people made it to the final stage.

​​Scientific internship for graduate students of the University of Turan (Kazakhstan) takes place at the Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship

From May 10 to June 10, 2023, as part of the implementation of the agreement on scientific cooperation and academic mobility, 4 PhD students from Turan University (Kazakhstan) arrived at Lobachevsky University. Students work on dissertations in economics, finance and management.

During the visit, a meeting was held with the director of the Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship Alexander Grudzinsky, who spoke about the activities of the institute and discussed further opportunities for expanding scientific cooperation.

The internship program, aimed at teachers and graduate students from universities in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, is a pilot program for UNN. The experience gained is supposed to be replicated for the development of academic mobility of scientific and pedagogical workers of universities in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan.

​​UNN and Samarkand University establish international research and education centre

Representatives of Lobachevsky University visited Samarkand State University (SamSU) in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The UNN delegation included Nikita Avralev, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development, Alexander Bedny, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Networking, and Maria Vedunova, Director of the Institute of Biology and Biomedicine. Taking part in the meetings on behalf of SamSU were Akmal Akhmatov, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, Khudoyor Keldiyorov, Dean of the Faculty of Biology, and Sanzhar Tillaev, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry.

As a result of the visit, it was agreed to establish a joint International Research and Education Centre in the field of biomedicine and chemistry. In the course of meetings with the Samarkand State University administration and representatives of the Biology and Chemistry faculties, the main areas of development of the UNN-SamSU Biochemistry Centre and the key mechanisms of interdisciplinary interaction and the development of network educational programmes were outlined.

Lobachevsky University representatives also met with prospective students of master's and postgraduate programmes. One of the priorities in the collaboration of the two universities is research into the mechanisms of socially significant diseases using modern methods, including bioinformatics techniques and big data analysis in medicine and biology.

​​Registration for participation in the International Youth Forum "Most" is open🌐

The event is organized by the Organization of Serbian Students Abroad with grant support from the Gorchakov Fund.

🎯The goal is to attract the attention of young professionals and interested persons to the issues of bilateral cooperation between Russia and the Balkan countries, including cultural, political and economic cooperation.

💬As part of the event, representatives of the youth of the two countries, the diaspora and the expert community will discuss topical issues on the modern agenda, as well as exchange experiences.

Working languages: Russian/Serbian (with simultaneous translation).

🗓 Dates: June 25-28, 2023.

📍Venue: Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.

❕Deadline: June 15, 23:59 Belgrade time

Event of the Gorchakov Fund