TSPU SCHOOL OF "SWAMP AND BIOSPHERE" RELEVANCE AND PROSPECTS

With the coming of the new academic year, the staff of the Biology and Chemistry Faculty of the TSPU will organize the tenth All-Russian international school of young scientists "Swamps and the Biosphere". This year the scientific event will be dedicated to the 120th anniversary of S. S. Dragunov (1898-1994) the leading specialist in peat chemistry and will be held in the city of Tver.

Traditionally the professor of the TSPU, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Lidia Ivanovna Inisheva will become the head of the school. She told us about what to expect from the tenth school and why the event is not losing its relevance from year to year.

Lydia Ivanovna, for what purpose has the school of "Swamps and the Biosphere" been organized for tenth time? Who will participate in the jubilee series of scientific events?

If we take into account that Siberian region takes the first place in the world in number of peat and marsh areas, the swamp theme, of course, is very important for Russia: large areas are occupied, almost every fifth hectare is a marsh. Unfortunately, there is no special faculty of peatology, apparently, it will be created in the future, and there are a lot of problems now. They all require a solution, because the marsh is an ecosystem that lives, develops, captures new territories, unique animals and plants are situated here. Peat is used in the production of medicines, for construction and for agriculture, in general, it is incredibly widespread. Young people, of course, are less immersed in this subject and in order to attract young specialists to this industry, we are conducting schools "Swamps and the Biosphere". This year will be the tenth school, the first eight we held in Tomsk, the ninth was held in Vladimir, and the tenth anniversary school will be organized in Tver. We want to transfer our knowledge to more people.

How is the school conducted?

The school traditionally consists of two parts: the first - lectures or lecture symposium, and the second - a symposium of participants. At the school the reports of the speakers are analyzed: the participants share their impressions and knowledge, especially the lecturers are representatives from the Moscow State University, Kira Ivanovna Kobak (St. Petersburg), who survived the blockade; For a long time she has been teaching in Poland, Olga Leopoldovna Lis, who travelled West Siberian marshes far and wide and many others.

We also have a tradition of raising the flag and awarding prizes for the best report of young scientists, we take everyone on an excursion to the swamp or peat enterprise, and we usually end up with a bonfire and the performance of the school's hymn.

Someone from the TSPU students will represent the university at the school?

Six reports from TSPU are presented and one of them is the work of the young, budding student of DA. Denisenko.

It is planning to share international experience at the school?

Yes, we are actively working with colleagues from Poland: joint articles for various journals, joint analyzes. But in Tver, as it is the central part of Russia, a greater flow of foreign scientists from Germany, Sweden and Finland is expected.

The peculiarity of this school of young scientists is that simultaneously with it there will be an adult conference of peatologists - this is a unique scientific event, since such an event is happening for the first time in 15 years. Young people will be able to listen to reports at an adult conference, present their own work are a youth conference, and even get prizes!

Are there such schools in other countries?

There is an international peat society, whose representatives previously only held conferences, but literally about 5-7 years ago I saw information in their magazine “International Peat Society” about how individual products from peat are demonstrated by schoolchildren. I think that the organization of such schools on peat is a priority of Russia, and in particular of Siberia, since the first school was organized in our Tomsk State Pedagogical University.