Society

On February 3, 2022, the Deputy British Ambassador to the Russian Federation Julia Crouch, paid a working visit to St. Petersburg Mining University.

June 10, 2021, marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of Boris B. Kudryashov, the legendary “Bur Burych”, a professor at Mining University. As a result of his scientific work, it became possible to drill the world’s deepest hole in the ice of Antarctica, 3769 m deep, and open the subglacial Lake Vostok, which plays an enormous role in the study of climate change in recent millennia.

On January 28, 1820, the Russian expedition led by Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discovered Antarctica, but its exploration began only 70 years ago. If the names of the discoverers are known to every schoolboy, then not everyone can name the scientists who began the actual study of the new continent.

In the late 19th century, Russia mined 40 times more platinum than the rest of the world combined. And yet, despite the skyrocketing demand, over 80% of that was exported to Europe at a meagre cost. What did a mining engineer do to stem the flow of huge losses?

Students, postgraduate students, and staff of St. Petersburg Mining University celebrated the 78th anniversary of the total liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade by laying flowers at the monument to the fallen in the courtyard of the first academic building. Despite the vacations, dozens of people came to the ceremony organized by the Council of Students. This holiday in St. Petersburg-Leningrad is very personal, which sets the tone for all the speeches.

St. Petersburg Mining University students say their alma mater is one of the top higher educational institutions in Russia

Boris Bokii is rightly considered one of the founders of mining science who propelled early-20th-century coal mining to a new level. His brother was by no means a less prominent figure. Up to date, he is often called ’the most unusual person in the history of Soviet intelligence services.’

When Yuri Bilibin was convincing officials that there were large reserves of placer gold in the country’s northeast, members of the commission expressed disbelief. They wanted even to re-certify him as a mining engineer. The expedition took place, nevertheless. The participants lost provisions and part of their equipment while rafting, almost dying of cold, but the nuggets they found on the banks of the Kolyma tributaries changed the whole of gold mining in Russia.

Educational work with youngsters must be improved, the university rector notes

Are streets of EU towns and cities decorated for Christmas? What about traditional fairs and festivals? Have they been cancelled this year? And how badly has the spread of the Omicron variant affected the sentiment amongst locals?