The conference Modern Challenges of the Earth Science was held on April, 28 at Tomsk State University. It was the second event of this kind, as part of the project “Development of foreign language competence of TSU students”.
Elena M. Shulgina, project manager, associate
professor, Faculty of foreign languages and Platon A. Tishin, associate professor, dean of Geology and
Geography Faculty made welcoming speeches.
Plenary session reporters were Vladimir
M. Smokotin, professor, Faculty of foreign languages, Stanislav V. Akhmatov, associate professor, Geology and geography
faculty, Valeria Yu. Pustovalova,
associate professor (Faculty of foreign languages) focused mostly on the
importance of the English language and ways to put the acquired knowledge of
English into practice.
The second year students (groups 02604 and 02606) revealed knowledge in the field of geography, shared the results of their studies, and showed their progress in the English language, which they have been intensively developing for two years within the Project. There were 46 participants, with 7 speakers at the section, and 10 speakers with the poster reports.
Due
to the joint participation of students of two different majors – Geography and
Recreational Geography and Tourism – the guests of the conference were given a
unique opportunity to learn about the challenges of modern geographical science,
non-standard ways of studying geography, and new directions in tourism, as well
as to acquire some practical skills, for example, how to pack a tourist
rucksack correctly and what needs to be done for a comfortable trip with a pet.
The oral and poster presentations were evaluated by an extended expert team: Elena M. Shulgina, project manager, Alexander A. Erofeev, associate professor of GGF, Stanislav V. Akhmatov, associate professor of GGF, Margarita A. Kashiro, associate professor of GGF, Valeria Yu. Pustovalova, associate professor, Faculty of foreign languages, Vladimir V. Vozdvizhenskiy, senior lecturer, Faculty of foreign languages, Antonina S. Batmanova, senior laboratory assistant, department of Geography.
The expert team worked in accordance with a pre-designed evaluation system. The best oral presenters were Lola Khasanova (02606), Ekaterina Kosova (02606), Zamir Abbasov (02604). The best poster presenters were Natalya Svetlichnaya and Oksana Saltymakova; Ekaterina Syrkina; Aleksandr Fomin and Aida Babayan. One additional certificate was also awarded to Aleksandra Sapetova for her poster presentation.
At the end of the conference, all participants received certificates, and the authors of the best reports were awarded both with diplomas of winners and memorable prizes.
Reviews of the Second Students’ Conference “Modern Challenges of the Earth Science”
Professor, Dr. (Philos.Sc.) Vladimir M. Smokotin
I took part as a Plenary Session Speaker in the II English Forum for University Students that took place on April 28th, 2018 at Tomsk State University. The format of the forum was a students’ conference dedicated to research in Earth Science, and all the conference was held in the English language. The way the conference was organized impressed me very much: the venue was the Conference Hall (room 209, main building), which is perhaps the best facility for holding such conferences; the attendance was high – students of the Faculty of Geology and Geography, representatives both of the Faculty and university administrations, and the technical accompaniment of all presentations with the use of PowerPoint software.
It is important to note that talks at the Plenary Session and Students’ Reports were dedicated to the most relevant issues of research in the field of Earth Science, and the students as well as the rest of the audience took a great interest in the Plenary Session and in Students’ Reports presentations. The audience applauded warmly following each presentation.
The success of the conference is largely due to the efforts
of Associate Professor of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Elena M. Shulgina,
Project Manager, who in her welcoming speech pointed out the importance of
English language skills in the Earth Science research.
Alexander A. Yerofeyev, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography
I am taking part in this event for the second time. Along with the relevance of the study of English by geographers, some additional interest was caused by the fact that I am the curator of a group which participate in the project. Over two years of its implementation, I have been able to observe the tendency of increasing the students' skills and proficiency of the foreign language, as well as mastery and confidence in public speaking.
The topics of reports at the main section concerned various aspects of physical and socio-economic geography. The guys showed competent knowledge of the material, they answered the questions confidently. I would like to hope for the continued efforts of the university community in forming an English-speaking environment in TSU.
Students’ Reviews
Yevgeniya Lozovaya, group 02606
I have been at such event twice, though this time in the role of a speaker, with a poster report.
The process of preparation was quite easy and interesting because when you search for some information you find out something new.
During the actual presentation it was more difficult, because I still do not understand people's questions well enough, and, therefore, answer them. But I had a good partner - Sergey Simakov, who coped with this role quite well. At the end of the conference, the results were summed up, and, unfortunately, we did not take any prize. But we are not upset, the most important thing is the experience, and we look forward to the future!
Thank you for hosting this event annually. This time, it was easier both to understand other speakers and know more about the topics.
Lola Khasanova, group 02606
As for me - a participant - this event was exciting and interesting! This was my second experience of participating in the conference, and it was quite successful. I believe that such events are very important - they expand our horizons and motivate us to study languages deeper. I was very glad to participate again and know about the results of research of other participants.
NataliaSvetlichnaya, group 02606
I would like to express my deep gratitude to the organizers for the chance to participate in the conference of this kind. For me, participation in the conference is a great responsibility, a wonderful experience, and also an opportunity to communicate with professionals in English. The reports presented at the conference contributed to increasing the chance of learning some useful information. The conference was a good incentive for further English studying. In my opinion, such events should be held more often in order to form experience in public speaking, as well as the opportunity to learn something new. I took great pleasure in participating in the conference.
