On November 21, the local government held an award ceremony for the winners of the Height award for scientific and pedagogical staff of regional universities.
This year, 21 teaching staff members from 7 universities in the region have received this award, including three SSU representatives – Chair of the Department of Social Psychology of Education and Development Rail Shamionov, Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Programming Antonina Fyodorova, and Associate Professor of the Department of Open Systems Physics Asel Adilova. The winners were given a certificate, a commemorative statuette, and a prize of 100 thousand rubles.
Governor Roman Busargin congratulated the winners on the well-deserved award. ‘Saratov has been and remains one of the largest educational centres in the country. We have excellent universities, serious scientific facilities, and excellent professors. The main goal is to make it possible for youth to show themselves in Saratov Region. And this implementation begins with universities. You are engaged in a difficult task: if the school forms a personality and gives general knowledge, then the university trains professionals. And you are definitely doing your job very well. The President declared next year the Year of the Teacher and Mentor. This proves once again that the future of our country and the region largely depends on you,’ the governor said.
He noted that the tasks of the government were to provide the economy and the social sphere with highly qualified specialists and guarantee young people working places and a good salary.
SSU Rector, Chair of the Rectors’ Council of Saratov Region Aleksei Chumachenko thanked Roman Busargin for the support of universities in the region and rectors of Saratov universities for the necessary environment for development. ‘You are talented, you have opportunities. It is you who hold our universities, it is thanks to you that our region is developing,’ the rector addressed the winners.
Antonina Fyodorova, Head of Programmers Olympiad Training Centre named after N.L. Andreyeva, made a speech in response. She is an honourary employee of Saratov University, a winner of the President's Award in education, and an honorary employee of higher professional education.
‘The training of programmers has always been in demand. Our university and the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technologies are cooperating a lot with both schoolchildren and students. I happened to be the dean of the faculty for 11 years. In order to become a real specialist, you need to understand that you will have to study all your life, starting from school. Our university, together with the Ministry of Education, has been conducting a regional summer school for talented schoolchildren for more than 30 years. We have been working with talented computer specialists since 1985,’ Antonina Fyodorova said.
She recalled the achievements of SSU programmers at the European and World Programming Championships and expressed gratitude to her colleagues. Antonina Fyodorova suggested that a governor's scholarship for young programmers should be established.
Chair of the Department of Social Psychology of Education and Development, Chief Research Fellow of the Research-to-Methodology Centre for Psychological and Pedagogical Support of Families with Children with Special Educational Needs, Professor Rail Shamionov shared his impressions about his victory. ‘For me this award is a symbol of movement and the requirement to correspond to the time, the epoch, a symbol of service to science and our profession. This is an occasion to remember the Teachers I studied with, the students, communication with whom motivates me to search for something new, the colleagues, interaction with whom inspires me to expand my interests. I would like to express my gratitude to the university management for their scientific, methodological, and personal support. I am going to continue conducting my research and, if possible, to develop new ones – following the requirements of the time and the prospects for the development of science.’
Another prize-winner, Asel Adilova, successfully presented her PhD thesis in 2020. It is titled The delay effect in the communication channel on the synchronization of connected autogenerators with a limit cycle. Her awards include the letters of appreciation of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Industry and Energy of Saratov Region, an Honorary letter of appreciation of the SSU rector for a significant contribution to research and educational affairs of the university.
‘Receiving such a prestigious award as Height is a very important event for a young teaching staff member and researcher, both professionally and personally. For me, it was also a pleasant surprise. When your achievements in education and research are recognised, it inspires and stimulates you to implement new projects. Due to it, we will help SSU students fulfil themselves, make them interested in doing research, and make them in demand on the labour market in various fields,’ Asel Adilova said.
To remind, the annual Height award for university teaching staff members of the region for their contribution to education, upbringing, research, and research-to-technology achievements of youth has been held for the seventh time. It was initiated by Chair of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin in 2016. The organisers of the project are the Ministry of Youth Policy and Sports of Saratov Region, the universities of Saratov Region, and the Rectors’ Council of the region.
This year, the Height award is timed to coincide with Professor Day. The professional holiday was established in Russia in the Year of Science and Technology and is celebrated on November 19 on Lomonosov’s birthday.