The Science Slam International Science-promoting Project was created in Germany in the mid-2000s. A non-academic contest in the form of short presentations by scientists in an informal setting has also taken root in Russia. The Science Slam has been organized in the Chelyabinsk Region for the first time, and South Ural State University has become the venue for it. Everyone interested, such as students of Chelyabinsk universities, teaching staff, and even school pupils gathered at the “University Boiling Point” Centre for Collective Work at SUSU to comprehend complex applied science in an easy and accessible form.
As per regulations, in a stand-up format, scientists tell the unprepared audience about their research in a simple and interesting popular-science form within ten minutes. There are no restrictions for the participants in terms of the presentation and self-expression: the use of jokes, memes, funny videos, theatrical techniques and costumes are allowed. At the end of the speech, the speaker answers three questions from the audience. The audience evaluates the performance of each participant by applause, the level of which is measured by a sound meter; whoever has the highest noise level receives a symbolic prize ‑ boxing gloves. The winner of such a university "scientific battle" gets the opportunity to represent the Chelyabinsk Region at the district level (before the federal round). It will be organized by the Russian Science Slam Association at Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg November 4th through November 8th.
Representatives of five schools and institutes of South Ural State University became slam scientists. Thus, Aleksandr Punda, an engineer of the Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry of Materials of the SUSU Institute of Engineering and Technology, during his speech entitled “Sudoku for an Alchemist” told the audience about the crystal lattice. The researcher discovered ways to modify it and explained why bee houses and snowflakes have a hexagonal shape.
An academician of the Department of Food Technology and Biotechnology of the School of Medical Biology Artem Malinin in his report “Bioplastic Is Not Plastic”, spoke about the development of bioplastic from organic materials.
A postgraduate of the Institute of Law Vladislav Shirotov in his report “Epic Poem about Righteous Traditions and Legal Institutions” in a humorous way spoke about how to adapt old Russian traditions to legal norms.
A 4th-year student of the Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Yaroslav Krasnostanov in his work “To Cram the Uncrammable”, spoke about his own development of a multi-purpose micellar detergent with anionic and cationic surfactants, which can be used to effectively and safely wash hair, dishes, and even clothes.
Valentin Abyzov, a 3rd-year student of the Institute of Architecture and Construction, in his speech on “How to Steal Half the Cement without Ruining Anything” spoke about how to produce heat-resistant concrete from slag dumps of the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant (ChMK) for low-rise construction and simultaneously save on manufacture.
In 2022, the Association, jointly with the Ministry of Science of the Russian Federation and many large universities in Russia, launched the Science Slam university league. In order to host the contest, a university should receive the exclusive right to organise it at its venue from the Association: the application is evaluated for the authority of the educational institution, the levels of its scientific and technical development, the training of graduates, and against other indicators. South Ural State University became such a university in our region that meets all the criteria.
“The benefit of such events, in addition to raising the level of literacy and scientific awareness of the population, is also attracting the attention of school pupils and students to scientific research,” says the organizer, senior lecturer of the SUSU Department of Electric Drive, Mechatronics and Electromechanics Nikita Savosteyenko. “We expect that, immersing themselves in science in such an unconventional way, young people will seriously want to become part of it. Science should be popularized, become more accessible to the general public, so that scientific knowledge, attracting young people and new ideas, will keep on its continuous development.”
Vladislav Shirotov, a postgraduate of the SUSU Institute of Law, with his work “Epic Poem about Righteous Traditions and Legal Institutions”, having received the loudest and longest applause from the audience, became the winner of the university scientific stand-up show.
“Initially, I did not come here for the sake of winning,” admits Vladislav. “I came here to show young people that science is not boring at all and that absolutely anyone can engage in it. I tried to convey the essence of my dissertation research to school pupils in an understandable language, without complex terminology, using relevant memes and adding a little acting. And I am happy that I have succeeded, since they are the most demanding audience. In our scientific work, we propose not only to formalize such traditional spiritual and moral values as patriotism and service to the Fatherland, but to introduce them into constitutional and legal acts. We strive to formalize them through institutionalization, and all our work is directly aimed at protecting the sovereignty of the Russian Federation.”
You can watch the broadcast of the scientific contest at SUSU in the official Science Slam VKontakte group here.
Посмотреть трансляцию научного соревнования в ЮУрГУ можно в официальной группе Science Slam ВКонтакте по ссылке.