Science, Sports, and Music: HSE Day 2019
HSE’s long-awaited annual event has passed, but our memories of it are still fresh—the workshops, the dancing, the lectures, the scientific experiments, the exclusive concert by Tima Belorusskih and Feduk—there are too many to name! HSE News Service is here to give you the lowdown on HSE Day 2019.
HSE Scholars
HSE Day open lectures by HSE’s faculty members drew particularly large crowds. As teachers joked, if only all lectures throughout the schoolyear could be so well-attended! In the English-language lecture hall, HSE Day guests listened to lectures about ecology, diamond mines in central India, politics, and the free market. Lectures delivered in Russian covered topics no less interesting: the city of Moscow’s general plans, Medieval culture, and characteristics of the millennial generation. Of particular interest was the performance ‘Body Knowledge and Immersion in the Era of Mass Soviet Dance’ from the IQ portal. Irina Sirotkina, creator of the course, ‘Dance and Motor Culture in History and Modernity’, and popular scientist Grigory Tarasevich not only discussed the significance of dance in the study of history but also danced with audience members.
Guests also got to hear lectures in the Sberbank Space, where leading specialists of the company discussed latest technologies and the IT sphere. Igor Barkhatov, HSE alumnus and Sberbank associate, talked about the use of artificial intelligence in different spheres. ‘There are areas in which artificial intelligence can be used, but there are also areas in which creativity and strategic thinking are necessary—machines cannot take the place of humans in these areas yet. Nevertheless, studies show that by the early 2000s, 2% of manual labour could already be replaced by machines, and that by 2040, this number will reach 35%.’
Studying at HSE
As Vice-Rector Sergey Roshchin said at a meeting with first-year parents, ‘HSE is a very, very, very multi-faceted university.’ This was especially reflected in the central part of Gorky Park, where HSE faculties set up tents, and future applicants and their parents were able consult with faculty members and deans.
Many prospective applicants learned, for example, that the HSE Lyceum and the Pre-University Training Programme are two different units. Though it is part of the university, the HSE Lyceum is an ordinary high school, whereas the Pre-University Training Programme specifically prepares students for university admission.
HSE Online
HSE online courses are in demand all over the world - more than 2 million people worldwide have taken them. And at HSE Day, visitors had the opportunity to talk with the creators of these courses.
In addition, ONLINE Star Awards were awarded in 10 nomination categories to faculties and departments of the university. Courses were evaluated according to 10 different criteria, and, out of 160 online courses of the university, 10 were selected based on the results for September 2019. Among the winners was the Faculty of Economic Sciences with its course, ‘Russian Economics’, which won the ‘Most Reliable Test’ category. (The course is comprised of 1,600 test exercises.)
At the Science and Technology Site, HSE students demonstrated their latest devices: from a bionic prosthetic hand with moving fingers to a ‘Brain-Computer’ interface. HSE is always about science.
HSE Athletics
From chess and table tennis to basketball and volley ball — HSE Day visitors could play all kinds of sports. And for those of us who have a passion for running, there was the 5K HSE Heartbeat Race, in which Alexander Spiridonov and Natalya Popkova placed first among their fellow male and female competitors, respectively. Finally, for those of us with a thirst for the extreme, there was the Heroes’ Arena, where not everyone managed to complete the obstacle course without falling into the water below.
HSE Fashion
HSE Land, #HSEStudLife, and the HSE fashion show, ‘HARD 007: Signs and Codes’, attracted HSE’s most active and creative students. #HSEStudLife visitors met with representatives from HSE’s myriad student organizations, while HSE Land guests competed in quizzes, played Mafia, and participated in workshops. After dusk, spectators admired fashion collections designed by students of the School of Design’s programme in Fashion. Winners of the adidas patch competition held earlier this year were also announced at the show. According to the vote results, the winning patches, which will be displayed on adidas bomber jackets, were those designed by Maria Pesnyaeva and Polina Parygina. Since the two competitors essentially tied for first — the margin was less than 1% — they will both travel to the adidas headquarters in Germany.
Anastasia Morozkina, third-year student, fashion show participant
‘Our group studied various figures featured in the fashion magazine, The Face. I liked Kate Moss’s first photo shoot, which was entitled ‘The Third Summer of Love’: it was these pictures taken by Corinne Day that really put Moss on the map. Corinne Day’s view of fashion photography and the world is very inspiring.’
Alexander Romanenko, 1 year, Bachelor’s programme in Economics and Statistics
‘I liked the lectures at the Sberbank Space: basically, they talked about IT, and I found it really interesting. And the Heroes’ Arena was also spectacular. I also plan to watch the fashion show: I voted for one of the patches, so I want to find out who won. In general, I’m having a great time.’
HSE Russia
With campuses in St. Petersburg, Perm, and Nizhny Novgorod, HSE is not only scattered throughout Moscow, but throughout Russia. Moreover, HSE students travel near and far across the country as part of the student expedition project, Rediscovering Russia. At the Rediscovering Russia site, participants talked about life in Russia’s hinterlands and conducted trivia quizzes about Russia. Questions about Russia’s longest river, youngest city, or largest island proved to be tougher than you might think!
Global HSE
HSE University isn’t just open to the city – we’re open to the world. The International Students’ Association presented the traditions and cuisines of their home countries and engaged visitors in fun games. And the Russian Teahouse treated guests to freshly brewed tea from an authentic Russian samovar and baranki, crunch bread rings traditionally enjoyed with tea.
HSE Family
All community members, both big and small, were welcomed to the festivities. For HSE Day’s smallest guests, there were fun activities at the HSE Family area. At Gorky Park’s Green School, kids participated in robotics workshops, quizzes, and animation workshops where they learned how to make their favorite characters. Little ones with a wild side got tattooed by a real tattoo artist. But parents, not to worry – those tattoos with your kids’ favorite cartoon characters are safe and easy to wash off!
HSE Friends and Music
The festivities ended in accordance with the popular tradition—a concert by big-name artists at the Stas Namin Theater. This year, students, grads, and faculty members danced their hearts out to Feduk and Tima Belorusskih.
But first to enter the stage were HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov and several faculty deans. Rector Kuzminov congratulated the audience on the beginning of the new school year and addressed the incoming first-year class, the main honorees of the event, in particular: ‘You have been admitted to a university, where your professor is not the only important thing. Each of your peers is also important. Value each other, and remember that you are among very talented people here.’
