‘If We Aren’t Immersed in Research from a Young Age, It Is Harder to Catch Up’
On February 1, the HSE Cultural Centre hosted an award ceremony for the winners and laureates of the 2022 Student Research Paper Competition. Participants included students and graduates of HSE University and other universities. The ceremony closed with a ‘Science Battles’ event.
In 2003, HSE University students took part in the Student Research Paper Competition (SRPC) for the first time. Now it is an annual event whose goal is to popularise research activity in the student environment. The main objective of the competition is to develop interest in research work among students and to stimulate their research activity.
Since 2018, all fields of study in the SRPC were opened to students of Russian and international universities. Every year, the number of competition participants grows, as does the number of competition fields, which rose to 25 in 2022. The organising committee of the competition created subject-specific committees for each field in order to evaluate the student papers submitted.
At the award ceremony, HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov spoke about how he applied to the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at MSU at the age of 15 and became engrossed in his studies, participating in research seminars from his first year and eventually defending his PhD dissertation at the age of 23.
‘We at HSE University have held the Student Research Paper Competition for twenty years now. We have almost 2,000 participants from both Russia and abroad, which is very important. If we do not immerse ourselves in research from a young age, it is harder to catch up later,’ he noted.
First Vice Rector Vadim Radaev, who has not missed a single award ceremony in the history of the SRPC at HSE University, said that there are certain events that never become boring or simply ceremonial. ‘This competition grows every year. More than 400 papers have already been submitted from other universities,’ he said. ‘We have almost 300 winners and laureates. Congratulations—it’s a good start.’
For many participants of the SRPC, the papers they submit are their first research work and their first experience of the academic world, explained Dmitry Dagaev, HSE University Vice Rector. ‘Whether you have thought about it or not, the progress of civilisation largely happens as the result of the clash between different scientific schools and points of views, followed by the building of successful models and theories,’ he added.
Some of the winners of SRPC 2022 shared their impressions of the competition with the HSE News Service.
Rayna Ivanova, Bachelor’s in Design at HSE University, Best Research Work in Art and Design by Bachelor’s and Specialist Students, Laureate
‘I submitted my paper “Visual Research” to the competition on the advice of my academic supervisor. I eagerly awaited the results, and when I saw my name in the list of winners, I didn’t even realise it at first. After the competition, I have even more ambitions, and I want to take part in the SRPC again in 2023.’
Nina Kolesova, Bachelor’s in Economics at HSE University, Best Research Paper in Economics by Master’s Students and Graduates, 2nd place
‘I believed that my paper was good, but I was not at all expecting to become a winner. I wasn’t counting on a prizewinning place, so it is a nice surprise. I am surprised, happy, and proud of myself. This achievement has boosted my interest in research, and I would like to take part in other competitions.’
Sofiya Khabadze, Bachelor’s in Public Administration, Best Research Paper in Education by Bachelor’s and Specialist Students, 3rd place
‘I got engrossed in working on my term paper, in which I studied world systems of university admissions: selectivity, accessibility, and reach in terms of young people. I decided to submit it to the competition. I am very happy that I won!’
The full list of winners and laureates of SRPC 2022 in 25 fields is available here (in Russian).