Several international summer schools took place at the Saint-Petersburg Mining University this summer. The participants of one of the schools, named "Engineering geodesy: theory and practice", were students from Lebanon. "Forpost" surveyed the students in order to find out what they thought about Saint-Petersburg, education in Russia, as well as what were their expectations from the trip and whether they aligned with reality.
Fatima al Ahmad is a student at the engineering faculty of the Lebanese International University. She came to Russia under the supervision of the Head of the Department of geodesy Dr. Mohammed Abbud, who himself graduated from the Mining University in St. Petersburg. Now Dr. Abbud is eager to introduce his former Alma Mater to Middle Eastern youth.
"I aim to have a stronger CV and I also want to include in it the fact that I attended Russian academic summer school, not forgetting, of course, to list the skills that I have been taught here. By doing so, I believe I will be able to stand out among the other jobseekers", Fatima says about the motivation that inspired her to become a student of the Summer School.
As she says, in St. Petersburg she managed to get acquainted "with new software and new technologies", for instance, in the field of photogrammetry. The same opinion holds her fellow student Maher Nasser:
"First of all, we wanted to learn new information about scientific equipment, which simply does not exist in Lebanon. In addition, I wanted to understand how my skills and knowledge meet the standards of Russian higher education. I would say that Summer School exceeded my expectation. Most of all, I liked the classes on aerial photogrammetry and remote sensing".
Mohamad Saadon Nasrullah says that his trip to Russia was prompted by "scientific curiosity", because he is "interested in gaining knowledge in geological disciplines from various sources":
"The school was organized in the most professional way as possible, and the host party treated us respectfully. The cultural programme as well as lectures was very interesting. I am grateful to all the teachers, as it was very interesting to listen to them. They are open for discussion and exchange of information, which is very important".
The sessions, organized specifically for the Lebanese students, were focused on such topics as geodesic monitoring, ground-based laser scanning, satellite navigation, topographic surveys, geoinformational systems, photogrammetry, remote sensing and others. According to Mohamad Nasrullah, the host party managed to find "an excellent combination between field visits and lectures".
Visiting sightseeing attractions was also included in the programme. Thus, students from Lebanon had a chance to visit following places of tourist attraction: the State Hermitage Museum, the Church of the Spilled Blood, the Summer Garden, St. Isaac's and Kazan cathedrals and, of course, Peterhof.
"I really like the city, it has an unforgettable natural beauty, as well as there is a huge number of architectural attractions", Fatima al Ahmad says. Alaa Eddin Bashir Hazim adds that "the most beautiful moment for me was raising the bridge. It's unforgettable".
"As people believe in Lebanon, Russia is only Siberia, only snow, and there is nothing beautiful here. Students coming to St. Petersburg have an opportunity to see for themselves, what is real Russian culture. In addition to that, they may visit lectures, which are hold at the University on a daily basis. In the future we hope to come again and work together with Mining University", - of this Mohammed Abbud, the Head of the Department of Geodesy at the Lebanese International University, is sure.
All students from Beirut are interested in the development of projects related to academic mobility, in particular, in the projects aimed at integration of Lebanese and Russian higher schools.
"Of course, I am very interested in cooperation with Russian scientists in joint projects, as well as in exchange of information and experience," Mohamad Nasrullah says.
The similar opinion shares Alaa Eddine Bachir Hazim, "I would really like to become a part of a joint project, as the Summer School was a great experience for me. Besides, I like the idea of visiting the Mining University once again. In particular, because the University provides a number of advanced devices applicable to scientific research, and the equipment may be used by students when studying.
More information about International Summer School at St. Petersburg Mining University as well as contact information of the responsible persons can be found here.
Ekaterina Grishchenkova
Summer School Coordinator, International Relations Manager
International Relations Office
+7 812 328 82 48, ekgr.mail@gmail.com
