ITMO University in 2020: A Year in Review
This year was a year like no other. We started it ready to celebrate ITMO’s 120th anniversary, but before we knew it, our entire digital infrastructure was put to the test. Though it was not an experience anyone could be prepared for, our staff and students handled it like champs. Truly, it was a jubilee year to remember. So, let’s look back at some of 2020’s top news and what we’ve achieved here at ITMO University!
Achievements
For the first time in its history, ITMO University has received at once from the Ministry of Education and Science. Each project will receive 90 million rubles for three years of research. Meanwhile, ITMO’s sports club, KronBars, was named the in a competition by the Association of Student Sports Clubs of Russia, receiving particular praise for its efforts to help students stay active during lockdown. It’s not a normal year if our PhD student and programming superhero Gennady Korotkevich isn’t winning prizes. This year, he took first place at , , and .
In other news, Sergey Makarov, the head of ITMO University’s Laboratory of Hybrid Nanophotonics and Optoelectronics and senior research associate at the Faculty of Physics and Engineering, for Young Scientists in the Field of Science and Innovation. Alexander Boukhanovsky, the dean of the School of Translational Information Technologies at the Professor Forum.
Research
This year, our scientists have been conducting cutting-edge research together with their colleagues from around the world. Science never stops! They have been: calcium carbonate particles, a new laser method for cataract surgery, optical chips in a petri dish, and terahertz holography to diagnose diabetes early on.
More research news:
Student and faculty support
This year, our teaching staff needed more support than ever – so the was more than timely. All academic staff can now drop by for a consultation and get help with preparing their classes. The new office has already introduced several courses on various topics such as active learning, soft skills for teachers, teaching skills, gamified learning. and various workshops on using digital tools.
The FSO has also launched the , which gives Master’s and PhD students an opportunity to learn the basics of teaching and work as teaching assistants. Meanwhile, it’s already been more than a year since the Student Services Office, a one-stop shop for all ITMO students, opened its doors; this year, we launched the of its website, where you can find plenty of important info on all things ITMO.
Rankings
This year, ITMO was featured in the top 400 of the QS World University Rankings
This year, ITMO was featured in the top 400 of the QS World University Rankings
2020 showed that ITMO University is yet again making strides in international university rankings, especially when it comes to subject rankings. Times Higher Education placed ITMO in – up from three in the previous year. Overall, ITMO was amongst the almost 50 Russian universities represented in the complete rankings, and in emerging economies.
ITMO also appeared in , up from six last year, with our pride as the top Russian university in the Electrical & Electronic Engineering subject ranking for the second year in a row. Moving into the in QS was also a staggering growth for us. ITMO featured in in ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, up from four last year, and better yet, topped all Russian universities in five of these subjects, making it in the top-100 in Automation & Control.
ITMO Highpark
Studio 44’s award-winning concept design for ITMO Highpark
Studio 44’s award-winning concept design for ITMO Highpark
In March 2020, the first phase of , the university’s new high-tech campus in the south of St. Petersburg, public hearings, and was to the city administration in May. In August, the members of ITMO’s Academic Council met at ITMO Highpark’s future site for a press conference and to discuss the university’s .
At the future site of ITMO Highpark
In November, ITMO Highpark an initiative for the creation of a new science and education center focused on studying artificial intelligence in the industry. The project is part of a federal program that seeks to establish cutting-edge research and learning centers across the nation in order to boost Russia’s scientific output.
International activity
ITMO staff on a visit to MIT
Our faculty have been participating in international professional development courses across the world. The first program, in January, had 15 faculty members for a special training in English Medium Instruction. Since then, our faculty members have taken part in a series of different online courses specially designed for ITMO. These courses, which were offered by universities in the UK, the US, Switzerland, and Australia, focused on helping the faculty to reorganize their courses and develop their teaching skills.
Our international students at ITMO have been keeping well this year, and we at ITMO.NEWS have been keeping you updated about their lives and experiences. Check out our where you can meet students like from Gambia, from Turkey, from Colombia, and from Djibouti.
New Spaces
We’ve taken advantage of the peace and quiet and revamped many open spaces at the university. You can now find new spaces on Kronverksky 49 and Lomonosova 9, a new on Lomonosova 9, and a in our main building. What’s more, we opened a new art space called on Birzhevaya Liniya where several science art exhibitions .