Ekaterinburg Citizens Learned More About Science at UrFU

15:55, November 1, 2022

Five young scientists of the university took part in a scientific stand-up battle [photo report]

On October 28, the Ural Federal University hosted a Science Slam scientific standup show. Young scientists talked about how magnets and magic are connected, where medicine comes from, why we speak incorrectly about nuclear weapons, why scientists hit bears' skulls and what is interesting in the excrement of ancient hyenas. The winner was chosen by the audience's applause and the volume of applause measured.

For example, Victoria Maltseva, Engineer at the Department of Magnetism and Magnetic Nanomaterials, talked about work on permanent magnets and how magnets can help make our lives more like Hogwarts. Vera Musiyak, Associate Professor at the Department of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry and Researcher at the Institute of Organic Synthesis, spoke about the difficult path chemists take in the hope of creating a cure.

Ekaterina Lapanovich, Assistant Professor at the Department of Theory and History of International Relations and member of the Youth Commission for the Study of Problems on the Way to Deep Reduction of Nuclear Weapons, informed the audience about how the media can distort perceptions of the danger of nuclear war. Daniyar Khantemirov, Research Laboratory Assistant at the Laboratory of Natural Science Methods in Humanities, told about what he had learned about the life of ancient hyenas through the study of their coprolites (fossilized excrement).

The winner of the slam was Anton Kochnev, Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Natural Science Methods in Humanities. His presentation was devoted to an experiment that he and his colleagues conducted in an attempt to understand why there is a hole in the skull of a small cave bear.

"I am very happy that the university has held Science Slam for the third time and that scientists remain interested in this way of talking about their research. Anton Kochnev will now represent the university at the regional stage," noted the organizers.

The main prize for the winner was a tablet from the UrFU Student Union, as well as branded boxing gloves from the "Neon" agency. The audience actively supported all participants and asked questions. Each slammer chose the person who asked the most interesting question and awarded him or her with a book. In addition to the speeches of scientists, the Dr. Park musical band of Ural Federal University students also performed on stage.

The news article was translated by UrFU International Marketing Office
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