News

One of the most popular writers of the last century, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, was born on January 3^rd. Researchers from HSE University, AIRI and MISSIS have used machine learning to explore the social connections between the characters of his Middle-earth universe. The algorithm managed to create an accurate picture of the social structures and dynamics of the characters' relationships, providing a unique map of interactions in the epic world. The results of the work were published in IEEE Xplore.

HSE Online is launching a new course: Mechanisms of Climate Change. Students will learn not only how to critically assess information in media and differentiate scientific data from conspiracy theories, but also to independently conduct research into the climate system.

An HSE University delegation led by Vice Rector Victoria Panova went to Saudi Arabia for a working visit. During the meeting, representatives of major universities, government agencies, and the private sector confirmed their readiness to cooperate in a wide range of areas. Saudi Arabia is interested in developing cooperation with Russia, including interuniversity interaction.

An international team of researchers including scientists at the HSE Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology has identified factors which can increase the aggressiveness of tumours in patients with colorectal cancer. An isoform of CD44 protein has been found to play a pivotal role in the development of metastases. The study findings have been published in Molecular Oncology.

A school focusing on the digitalisation of public administration for civil servants from African countries was held in Moscow in December 2023. The school proved the high demand for Russian training programmes — representatives of 23 countries and 3 international organisations received certificates following advanced training.

As a result of the annual VK scholarship programme, the students receive monthly payments and other bonuses for developing skills and growing professionally. These include career consultations, access to a closed pool of vacancies and internships, the opportunity to participate in VK Education training programmes without undergoing an additional selection process, and a subscription to VK Music.

The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The seventh episode in the series recounts the story of German bureaucrats, who proved to be the most astute in Europe by ensuring effective telephony first for themselves and subsequently for all major cities in Germany. However, even there, the government's dominant role over the free market slowed down the adoption of the new technology.

Zaruhi Hakobyan, master’s graduate of the HSE University Faculty of Economic Sciences and research scientist at the University of Luxembourg, is involved not only in research but also in organising academic events for young scientists and students. As a foreign graduate of HSE University, Zaruhi was nominated for the HSE Alumni Awards ‘for her tireless enthusiasm in popularising economic science, teaching, and research at the international level’ and made the shortlist.